DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 7th December 2024

Syllabus:

• Mains – GS 2 & GS 3

Context: Rajya Sabha recently passed the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024.

Background: –

• The Bill amends the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act of 1948. It draws a clear line between the law governing the mining of “minerals” — defined under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 — and the Oilfields Act.

What is the Oilfields Bill?

• When the Oilfields Act was first passed it was known as the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1948. This sole legislation governed and regulated oilfields, mines and minerals until 1957, when the present-day Mines and Minerals Act came into force.
• To demarcate the spheres in which the two Acts would operate, the 1948 legislation was renamed the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act, 1948, and its language was amended to replace references to “minerals” with “mineral oils”. However, the Act does not define “mineral oil”, an oversight that the current Oilfields Bill aims to correct.

Key provisions of the bill

• Expanded Definition of Mineral Oils:
  • Includes unconventional hydrocarbons: coal bed methane, oil shale, shale gas, shale oil, tight gas, tight oil, and gas hydrates.
  • Excludes coal, lignite, and helium occurring in the petroleum process.
• Petroleum Lease:
  • It has been defined as a lease granted for “prospecting, exploration, development, production, making merchantable, carrying away or disposing of mineral oils”.
• Expanded Regulatory Powers of the Centre:
  • Includes emission reduction, oilfield usage for green technologies (e.g., hydrogen production, carbon capture), lease mergers, and dispute resolution.
• Decriminalization of Offences:
  • Shifts focus from criminal penalties to administrative fines for lease-related infractions.
  • Raises fines  to ensure compliance.
• Opening No-Go Areas for Exploration: Allows exploration in previously restricted areas, such as near missile testing sites.

Significance and Impact

• Boost to Domestic Output:
  • Enhances exploration and production of both conventional and unconventional resources.
  • Reduces reliance on oil imports, which currently outpace exports by threefold.
• Policy Stability for Producers: Enables efficient operations by reducing redundant approvals and providing a predictable regulatory environment.
• Green Energy Integration:
  • Encourages use of oilfields for green initiatives like hydrogen production and carbon capture.
  • Lays groundwork for future incentives to make decarbonization projects viable.
• Economic Implications:
  • Streamlined processes improve private sector participation.
  • Supports long-term goals of energy security and reduced import dependency.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims – GEOGRAPHY

Context: Recently, parts of US north-east saw substantial snowfall thanks to a phenomenon known as “lake-effect snow”.

Background: –

• Western New York state was hit particularly hard, with nearly 4ft (1.22m) of snow accumulating in just four days. In response to the heavy snowfall, New York and Pennsylvania declared states of emergency.

Key takeaways

• Lake-effect snow is a weather phenomenon that occurs when cold air moves over relatively warmer lake waters. This process can lead to significant snowfall, especially in regions downwind of the lakes.

Formation:

• Cold Air: Cold air moves over the warmer waters of large lakes.
• Moisture Uplift: The warm lake water heats the lower layer of air, causing it to rise. As the moist air rises, it cools and condenses, forming clouds.
• Snowfall: These clouds can produce heavy snowfall, often in narrow bands. The snowfall rates can exceed several inches per hour.

Key Factors:

• Temperature Difference: A significant temperature difference between the lake surface and the air above is crucial for lake-effect snow formation.
• Wind Direction: The direction and speed of the wind determine where the snow bands will form and how far they will travel inland.
• Lake Size: Larger lakes, like the Great Lakes in North America, can produce more intense lake-effect snow.

Examples:

• Great Lakes Region: The areas around the Great Lakes, such as Buffalo, New York, and parts of Michigan, often experience significant lake-effect snow.
• Other Locations: Similar phenomena can occur near other large lakes, such as the Great Salt Lake in Utah and Lake Baikal in Russia.

Source: Guardian

Syllabus:

• Prelims – HISTORY

Context: Mahaparinirvan Diwas is observed annually on December 6 to commemorate the death anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.

Background:

• According to Buddhist texts, Lord Buddha’s death is considered to be Mahaparinirvan, the Sanskrit term for ‘nirvana after death’. Parinirvan is considered liberation from Samara, karma, and the cycle of death and birth. Ambedkar’s followers believe he was as influential as Lord Buddha, which is why his death anniversary is observed as Mahaparinirvan Divas. 

Key takeaways

• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, born on April 14, 1891, in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, dedicated his life to uplifting marginalized communities who faced systemic social discrimination.
• He proposed revolutionary steps to empower the oppressed, including reservations in education, employment, and politics. 
• He launched the newspaper Mooknayaka (Leader of the Silent) to amplify the voices of the downtrodden. He established the Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (Outcastes Welfare Association) in 1923 to spread education, improve economic conditions, and address societal inequalities. 
• His leadership in historic movements such as the Mahad March (1927) for access to public water and the temple entry movement at Kalaram Temple (1930) challenged caste hierarchies and priestly dominance.
• Dr. B R Ambedkar’s pivotal role in the Poona Pact of 1932, which replaced separate electorates with reserved seats for Dalits, marked a turning point in India’s fight for social justice.
• Ambedkar’s doctoral thesis inspired the establishment of the Finance Commission of India. At the same time, his ideas were instrumental in framing the guidelines for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934. He was one of the founders of Employment Exchanges in our country. 
• He championed systemic advancements such as the foundation of Employment Exchanges, the establishment of the National Power Grid System, and pivotal projects like the Damodar Valley Project, Hirakud Dam Project, and Sone River Project, showcasing his foresight in infrastructure and resource management.
• As Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, Ambedkar played a pivotal role in crafting the Indian Constitution, presenting a draft in 1948 that was adopted with minimal changes.
• Dr. BR Ambedkar’s multifaceted contributions from economic policy and infrastructure to constitutional law cemented his legacy as a nation-builder, committed to fostering a just and equitable India.

Source: PIB

Syllabus:

• Prelims – SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Context: Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C59 rocket. 

Background: –

• The PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 Mission is the 61st flight of PSLV and the 26th using PSLV-XL configuration.

Key takeaways

• PROBA-3, a European Space Agency (ESA) mission consisting of two satellites, is designed to study the solar corona—the outer layer of the Sun’s atmosphere. 
• The mission is designed with two satellites that fly in tandem. This will be the first-ever attempt at “precision formation flying”, where two satellites will fly together and maintain a fixed configuration in space.
• The two satellites — Occulter Spacecraft (weighing 200 kg) and the Coronagraph Spacecraft (weighing 340 kg) — will mimic a natural solar eclipse. They will manoeuvre precisely in Earth’s orbit so that one satellite casts a shadow onto the other.
• A naturally occurring solar eclipse allows solar physicists to observe and study the Sun’s corona for 10 minutes, across an average of about 1.5 eclipse events per year. Proba-3 will give six hours, equivalent to 50 such events annually, which will help deepen understanding of the Sun’s corona like never before.
• Both the Occulter and the Coronagraph will face the Sun at all times. They will maintain a formation of a few millimetres and then move to a position where they will be 150 metres apart for six hours at a time.
• One satellite will act as a viewing telescope, kept at the centre of a shadow cast by the other satellite positioned 150 metres away. This positioning will facilitate observing the Sun’s corona and will be autonomously achieved through precise flight formation.
• If done successfully, the Occulter will create an artificial yet stable eclipse, by masking large parts of the Sun. As a result, the Sun’s blinding light will get blocked and only the solar corona will be visible to the coronagraph, which will photograph and facilitate studies of the lesser-known features.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims – CURRENT EVENT

Context: Odisha food supplies and consumer welfare minister accused the West Bengal government of creating an artificial scarcity of potatoes to “tarnish the reputation” of the Odisha government.

Background: –

• Odisha has been grappling with high prices of Potato for months. Recently, the government of Bengal, a major potato supplier to Odisha, restricted the shipment of the tuber as prices rose in its own markets.

Key takeaways

• India is the second largest producer of potato in the world, after China.
• Between 1991-92 and 2020-21, potato area has doubled from 11 to 22 lakh hectares, and production tripled— from 181.95 to 561.72 lakh metric tonnes. Productivity increased by over 50 per cent—from 16 to 25 metric tonnes per hectare.
• In India, potatoes are grown during the rabi (winter-spring) season, mainly in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Assam, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. 
• A small quantity of potato is also grown during the kharif (monsoon) season in Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
• Uttar Pradesh was the biggest producer of potato in the country in 2021-22. It was followed by West Bengal. These two states accounted for almost half of the country’s total potato production during 2021-22.
• Potato is a temperate climate crop, requiring low temperatures from 15°C to 25°C, and Odisha’s agro-climatic conditions are not conducive for potato cultivation. Thus, the state is dependent on supply from other states, particularly from West Bengal, to meet its demand.

Source: Indian Express

Q1.) What is the primary objective of the European Space Agency’s PROBA-3 Mission?

1. To study the Moon’s surface in detail.
2. To map the Earth’s magnetic field variations.
3. To study the Sun’s corona for extended periods through precision formation flying.
4. To explore asteroids in the asteroid belt.

Q2.) Which of the following is NOT true about potato cultivation in India?

1. India is the second-largest producer of potatoes globally, after China.
2. Potatoes are primarily grown in the kharif season across all states.
3. Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are the largest producers of potatoes in India.
4. Odisha depends on inter-state supply of potatoes due to unsuitable agro-climatic conditions.

Q3.) Which of the following contributions is associated with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar?

1. Launching the newspaper Mooknayaka to amplify the voices of marginalized communities.
2. Signing the Poona Pact of 1932 to replace separate electorates with reserved seats for Dalits.
3. Established the Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha.
4. All of the above.

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  Today’s – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs

Q.1) – a

Q.2) – b

Q.3) – c