Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – ENVIRONMENT

Context: Delhi earned the tag of the world’s most polluted city on Friday after firecrackers were burst on the occasion of Diwali on Thursday despite a blanket ban in the national capital.

Background: –

• At 6 am on Friday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 359, which falls in ‘very poor’ category, according to CPCB.

Key takeaways

• Green crackers are eco-friendly fireworks developed as a solution to the air and noise pollution caused by traditional firecrackers. They are designed to emit fewer pollutants and are developed with an emphasis on reducing the harmful effects of conventional crackers.
• Both green crackers and traditional crackers cause pollution. However, the difference is that green crackers cause 30 per cent less air pollution as compared to traditional ones.
• Green crackers do not contain harmful chemicals like arsenic, lithium, or barium, which are found in conventional firecrackers and are responsible for high emissions of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter.
• Use of alternative chemicals and a reduced level of aluminum, which cuts down on the emission of particulate matter (PM).
• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CISR) has developed ‘green firecrackers’ to combat pollution.
• According to the CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, green crackers must have a reduction in the size of the shell, elimination of ash usage, reduced usage of raw materials in the composition, and/or use of additives as dust suppressants to reduce particulate matter, SO2, and NO2 emissions.
• These ‘green firecrackers’ have types like SWAS (safe water releaser), SAFAL (safe minimal aluminium), and STAR (safe thermite cracker).
• SWAS is a safe water releaser, which suppresses the dust released by releasing water vapour in the air. It does not comprise potassium nitrate and sulphur and the particulate dust released will reduce approximately by 30 per cent.
• SAFAL is safe minimal aluminium which has minimum usage of aluminium, and used magnesium instead. It ensures a reduction in sound in comparison to traditional crackers.
• STAR is a safe thermite cracker, which does not comprise potassium nitrate and sulphur, and emits reduced particulate matter disposal and reduced sound intensity.

Source: Indian Express

 Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: indians lost Rs 120.30 crore in “digital arrest” frauds in the first quarter of this year alone, government cybercrime data shows.

Background: –

• According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which monitors cybercrime at the central level through the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), digital arrests have of late become a prevalent method of digital fraud.

Key takeaways

• Digital arrests refer to a type of cybercrime where scammers impersonate law  enforcement officials to extort money from victims by threatening them with  arrest.

How the Scam Works

• Initial Contact: Scammers contact victims via phone calls, text messages, or socialmedia, posing as officials from agencies like the police, Central Bureau of  Investigation (CBI), or the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• False Accusations: Victims are falsely accused of crimes such as money  laundering, tax evasion, or cybercrime.
• Intimidation: Scammers use threats of arrest or legal action to instill fear in their victims.
• Video Call Impersonation: Scammers may arrange a video call, impersonating  officials and using official-looking backgrounds to appear legitimate.
• Demand for Payment: Victims are pressured to pay a fine or bribe to avoid arrest or legal consequences.
• Data Theft: Scammers may also attempt to steal personal information, such as  bank account details or passwords.
• Many of those carrying out these frauds are based in three contiguous southeast Asian countries: Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
• According to I4C, there are four types of scams which are on the rise— digital arrest, trading scam, investment scam (task based) and romance/dating scam.

Source: Indian Express

 Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: According to the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), the total expenditure by various political parties for the general election to Lok Sabha this year was around ₹1,00,000 crores.

Background: –

• Urgent reforms are needed to address the burgeoning cost of election expenditures which threaten foundational principles of democracy.

Key takeaways

What are the limits in India?

• The election expenditure limit for candidates is ₹95 lakh per Lok Sabha constituency in larger States and ₹75 lakh in smaller States. With respect to Legislative Assemblies, they are ₹40 lakh and ₹28 lakh for larger and smaller States respectively.
• These limits are set, from time to time, by the Election Commission (EC).
• There are no limits on the expenditure of political parties during elections.

What are international standards?

• In the U.S., the financing for elections happens primarily by contributions from individuals, corporations, and political action committees (PAC).
• Out of the estimated expenditure in the November 2024 election cycle, around $5.5 billion is estimated to be spent on the presidential election. This humungous raise is due to large donations.
• In the U.K., a political party is allowed to spend £54,010 for each constituency they contest. There are also limits placed on candidates’ spending during the campaign. It translates, per constituency, to an average of £46-49,000 during the long campaign period (beginning five months before the full term of the House of Commons ends) and £17-20,000 during the short campaign period after elections are announced.

What are the challenges?

• Elections across democracies have become expensive. Such increased expenditure that is met primarily through large donations creates an unholy nexus between the elected representatives and donors. This also acts as an entry barrier into electoral politics for many well-meaning citizens.
• In India, candidates from all major political parties breach the election expenditure limits. Further, there are no limits on political party spending during elections.
• The official expenditures declared by the BJP and Congress for the 2019 election were ₹1,264 crores and ₹820 crores, respectively. However, according to a report by the CMS, ₹50,000 crore was spent by various parties during the 2019 election.
• The CMS has estimated that spending during the 2024 election by various political parties was close to ₹1,00,000 crores. Such inflated election expenditure fuels corruption, resulting in a vicious cycle.

What can be possible reforms?

• The Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998) and the Law Commission report (1999) have advocated for State funding of elections.
• Simultaneous elections are touted as a panacea for addressing the issue of rising expenditures. However, there are challenges on account of principles of federalism and constitutional amendments to this idea. It must be noted that this mechanism may rein in campaign and publicity expenditure to some extent. However, without curbing the illegal distribution of cash to voters, any form of simultaneous election will not have a significant impact on election expenditure.
• Certain practical steps to create a level playing field regarding election expenditure can be implemented. These are based on the EC’s 2016 report on ‘Proposed Electoral Reforms’.
  • Firstly, the law must be amended to explicitly provide that ‘financial assistance’ by a political party to its candidate should also be within the candidate’s prescribed election expenditure limits.
  • Secondly, there should be a ceiling on political party expenditures. This may be kept at not more than the expenditure ceiling limit provided for a candidate multiplied by the number of candidates of the party contesting the election.
  • Finally, additional judges may be appointed in High Courts for the speedy disposal of election-related cases, which would act as a deterrent against violating these norms.

Source: The Hindu

 Syllabus

• Prelims – ENVIRONMENT

Context: A tigress from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, was sent to the Similipal Tiger Reserve so as to diversify the genetic pool of the tiger population in Odisha.

Background:

• It is part of a plan by the Odisha government to tackle inbreeding in the tiger population that has resulted in increasing numbers of the once elusive black tigers or pseudo-melanistic tigers.

Key takeaways

What are pseudo-melanistic tigers?

• As far as appearances go, pseudo-melanistic (pseudo: false; melanistic: dark coloured) tigers appear to have a black coat with white and orange stripes occasionally peaking through.
• The most recent sighting of the black tiger was in 2017-18 in the Similipal Tiger Reserve.

How do the tigers get their colours?

• The pseudo-melanistic tiger is a colour variant of the Bengal tiger. Its strange coat is a result of a mutation in a particular gene.
• A comparison between tiger populations showed that apart from the Similipal population, the mutation of the gene is extremely rare. The only other black tigers that have been found beyond the Similipal population are in captivity—Nandankanan Zoological Park at Bhubaneswar and Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Chennai—whose ancestry could be traced back to the Similipal population.
• The prevalence of this particular mutation is abnormally high in the Similipal Tiger Reserve population.

Why are the mutations more common in Similipal?

• A majority of the tigers found in Odisha are in the Similipal Tiger Reserve. The All Odisha Tiger Estimation (AOTE-2023-24) says a total of 30 tigers were found in Odisha’s forests of which 27 of them are in Similipal.
• Of these 27, atleast 13 adult tigers were found to be pseudo-melanistic. No other wild habitat in the world has pseudo-melanistic tigers.
• To find out why the concentration of pseudo-melanistic tigers is so high, researchers dug further. The Similipal tiger population is cut off from the other populations by a great distance and has been isolated for an extended period of time.
• This has led to inbreeding in an already small founding population leading to higher chances of the mutated gene being passed down. The study also attributed the phenomenon of genetic drift which suggests that a mutation may appear in high frequency or die out all together depending on pure chance.

Source: The Hindu

 Syllabus

• Mains – GS 3

Context: Proposed U.S. rules on Chinese-connected car tech and Israel’s pager attacks indicate the changing focus of global supply chains — from resilience to security.

Background: –

• While the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the focus from efficiency (just in time) to resilience (just in case), developments in September 2024 indicate that another shift is underway in how supply chains are envisioned and operationalised — this time towards security (just to be secure).

Global Value Chains (GVCs):

• It consists of intricate production networks that are fragmented across multiple firms and countries for cost optimization and to achieve production efficiency.
• Countries can participate in GVCs by engaging in either backward or forward linkages.

Significance/Benefits of GVCs:

• GVCs can increase economic growth, especially in developing countries, by attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), creating jobs, and enhancing exports. It also makes them part of the global economy.
• GVCs can boost inclusive and sustainable growth by streamlining economic systems.
• GVCs create a path for countries and firms to focus on their strengths and specialize in specific stages of production, leading to cost savings and increased efficiency.
• GVCs help countries create specialized industries for specific stages of the value chain.
• GVCs provide access to global markets which in turn enables firms to reach a wider customer base.
• Countries participating in GVCs can benefit from technology transfer, as they engage with more technologically advanced partners.

Issues/Concerns/Challenges related to GVCs:

• GVCs may widen economic gaps between countries since the gains from GVC participation are not distributed equally across and within countries.
• GVC participation increases the domestic economy’s exposure—albeit not necessarily its ability to cope with—external shocks.
• GVCs create strong links in price formation, implying that inflation in one country is more likely to spill over to its direct and indirect trading partners.
• MSMEs across the world, especially in developing countries, face significant impediments with the entry of global firms and the associated competition in local markets.

Source: The Hindu

Q1.) Which of the following statements about Green Crackers is/are correct?

1. Green Crackers emit significantly less pollution compared to conventional crackers by using a lesser amount of polluting chemicals.
2. Green firecrackers have types like SWAS (safe water releaser), SAFAL (safe minimal aluminium), and STAR (safe thermite cracker).
3. Green Crackers are certified by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for environmental safety.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, and 3

Q2.) Consider the following statements regarding “Digital Arrest” scams:

1. These scams involve impersonation of law enforcement officials to extort money by threatening victims with arrest.
2. Scammers contact victims exclusively through video calls and use official-looking backgrounds to appear legitimate.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 & 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q3.) With reference to pseudo-melanistic tigers, consider the following statements:

1. Pseudo-melanistic tigers are a genetic variant of Bengal tigers and are characterized by darker stripes that make them appear black.
2. This mutation is common in all major tiger reserves in India.
3. Genetic drift and inbreeding are possible reasons for the high prevalence of pseudo-melanistic tigers in Similipal Tiger Reserve.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 only

(d) 1, 2, and 3

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

ANSWERS FOR ’  1st November 2024 – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs

Q.1) –  c

Q.2) – a

Q.3) – a