Current Affairs 30th June 2023 for UPSC Prelims Exam

Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary

Context: Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary has been made completely free of any human settlement following one of the country’s largest ‘peaceful’ relocations of forest-dwellers.

About Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary

It is located in the Bargarh district of Odisha, and situated near the Hirakud Dam.
- Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River. It is the longest earthen dam in the world.
Flora: The vegetation in the sanctuary is predominantly dry deciduous forest, with a mix of teak, sal, bamboo, and other plant species.
Fauna: Four-horned antelope, Indian leopard, Indian elephant, sambar, chital, gaur, etc.
It is an important site for in situ conservation of wildlife and its habitat in the state of Odisha.
In 2016, Union government has approved the Odisha government’s proposal to declare boundary periphery areas of Sunabeda and Debrigarh wildlife sanctuaries as eco-sensitive zones (ESZ).

What is Eco Sensitive Zones (ESZ)?

The National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) stipulated that state governments should declare land falling within 10 km of the boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries as eco-fragile zones or Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) under the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986.
While the 10-km rule is implemented as a general principle, the extent of its application can vary.
Areas beyond 10 km can also be notified by the Union government as ESZs, if they hold larger ecologically important “sensitive corridors”.
Activities Around ESZs:
- Prohibited Activities: Commercial mining, saw mills, industries causing pollution (air, water, soil, noise etc.), establishment of major hydroelectric projects, commercial use of wood.
- Regulated Activities: Felling of trees, establishment of hotels and resorts, commercial use of natural water, erection of electrical cables, drastic change of agriculture system, e.g., adoption of heavy technology, pesticides etc., widening of roads.
- Permitted Activities: Ongoing agricultural or horticultural practices, rainwater harvesting, organic farming, use of renewable energy sources, adoption of green technology for all activities.

Current Affairs 29th June 2023 for UPSC Prelims Exam

Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) and Gravitational Waves

Context: India’s Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) was among the world’s six large telescopes that played a vital role in providing evidence confirming the presence of gravitational waves.

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An international team of astronomers from India, Japan and Europe has published the results from monitoring pulsars, called ‘nature’s best clocks’, by using six of the world’s most sensitive radio telescopes, including India’s largest telescope, the Pune-based uGMRT.
They have announced scientific evidence confirming the presence of gravitational waves using pulsar observations.

What is GMRT?

Definition: GMRT is a low-frequency radio telescope that helps investigate various radio astrophysical problems ranging from nearby solar systems to the edge of the observable universe.
Authority: GMRT is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), located in Pune.
- The NCRA is a research institution in India in the field of radio astronomy and a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.
- GMRT is a project of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), operating under the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).
Properties: GMRT consists of 30 fully steerable gigantic parabolic dishes of 45m diameter each spread over distances of upto 25 km.
- GMRT is an indigenous project.
- The construction of 30 large dishes at a relatively small cost has been possible due to an important technological breakthrough achieved by Indian Scientists in the design of lightweight, low-cost dishes.
- The design is based on what is being called the `SMART’ concept – for Stretch Mesh Attached to Rope Trusses.
Objectives: GMRT is a very versatile instrument for investigating a variety of radio astrophysical problems. Two of its most important astrophysical objectives are:
- To detect the highly redshifted spectral line of neutral Hydrogen expected from protoclusters or protogalaxies before they condensed to form galaxies in the early phase of the Universe.
  - Redshift represents the change in wavelength of the signal depending on the object’s location and movement.
- To search for and study rapidly-rotating Pulsars in our galaxy.
Importance: GMRT is a unique facility functioning within the frequency bandwidth of 100 Mhz-1,500 MHz.
- GMRT has made a number of path-breaking discoveries and continues to remain a unique global facility.
- it is a highly sought-after telescope both within India and by scientists from over 30-plus countries.
- Because of its large collecting area and wide frequency coverage, GMRT will be an invaluable and highly versatile instrument for studying many other problems at the frontiers of astrophysics.
  - These include studies of Solar and planetary radio emissions; relationship between Solar activity and disturbances in the interplanetary medium etc.

What are Gravitational Waves?

Definition: A gravitational wave is an invisible (yet incredibly fast) ripple in space.
- Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second).
- These waves squeeze and stretch anything in their path as they pass by.
- Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916 in his general theory of relativity.
  - Einstein’s mathematics showed that massive accelerating objects (things like neutron stars or black holes orbiting each other) would disrupt space-time in such a way that ‘waves’ of undulating space-time would propagate in all directions away from the source.
Origin of Gravitational Waves: The strongest gravitational waves are produced by cataclysmic events such as colliding black holes, supernovae (massive stars exploding at the end of their lifetimes), and colliding neutron stars.
- Other gravitational waves are predicted to be caused by the rotation of neutron stars that are not perfect spheres, and possibly even the remnants of gravitational radiation created by the Big Bang.
Detection of Gravitational Waves: Gravitational waves are incredibly weak and difficult to detect because they interact very weakly with matter.
- However, extremely sensitive instruments called interferometers have been developed to detect these waves.
- In 2015, scientists detected gravitational waves for the very first time by using a very sensitive instrument called LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory).

What are Pulsars?

Definition: Pulsars are almost certainly rapidly rotating neutron stars with large magnetic fields.
- A pulsar is like a cosmic lighthouse as it emits radio beams that flashes by the Earth regularly akin to a harbour lighthouse.
- As these signals are accurately timed, there is a great interest in studying these pulsars and to unravel the mysteries of the Universe.
Analyzing Signals from the Pulsars: To detect gravitational wave signals, scientists explore several ultra-stable pulsar clocks randomly distributed across our Milky Way galaxy and create an ‘imaginary’ galactic-scale gravitational wave detector.
- There are several signals travelling through spacetime of the Universe.
- But the presence of gravitational waves influences the arrival of these signals when detected from Earth.
- It was noticed in these studies that some signals arrive early while others, with a slight delay (less than a millionth of a second).
Outcome: Nano-hertz signals were heard as humming from the Universe.
- These were caused due to the presence of gravitational waves and due to signal irregularities emerging from pulsars.
- This detection is a crucial milestone in opening a new, astrophysically rich window in the gravitational wave spectrum.
- The results provide a hint of evidence for the relentless vibrations of the fabric of the universe, caused by ultra-low frequency gravitational waves.
  - Such waves are expected to originate from a large number of dancing monster black hole pairs, crores of times heavier than our sun.
- More importantly, this is the first time that an Indian telescope’s data was used for hunting gravitational waves.

Zero FIR

Context: It has been noted that more than 100 cases of arson and violence were filed in Manipur over past 65 days. Out of these, nearly 30% First Information Reports (FIRs) were ‘zero FIRs’, filed suo motu by the police irrespective of jurisdiction.

What is FIR?

A First Information Report (FIR) is the information given to a police officer in writing as per the provisions of Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
From the point of view of an informant, the main purpose of an FIR is to set criminal law into motion.
- But for the police, the main purpose of an FIR is to obtain information about alleged criminal activity and take necessary steps to produce the perpetrator(s) before a court.
All an informant must do to file an FIR is to visit the local police station and furnish information, orally or in writing, about the commission of an offence.
Further, anyone can file an FIR — the person approaching the police does not necessarily. must be the victim of or an eyewitness to an offence.
However, in cases when a crime has been committed outside the jurisdiction of a police station that an informant has approached, the informant is likely to be asked to approach a police station with the proper jurisdiction.
Such delays in filing FIRs can lead to delays in investigations and, by extension, in the administration of justice. This is where a zero FIR comes in.

What is Zero FIR?

Unlike an FIR, which is restricted by jurisdiction, a zero FIR can be filed in any police station, regardless of whether the offence was committed under the jurisdiction of that particular police station.
Whereas FIRs have serial numbers assigned to them, zero FIRs are assigned the number ‘0’. Hence the name.
After a police station registers a zero FIR, it must transfer the complaint to a police station that has the jurisdiction to investigate the alleged offence.
Once a zero FIR is transferred, the police station with the appropriate jurisdiction assigns it a serial number, thereby converting it into a regular FIR.
The concept of a zero FIR is relatively new and was introduced on the recommendation of the Justice Verma Committee in the aftermath of the Nirbhaya gang rape case in 2012 to put a legal obligation on police to take quick action and prevent them from using the excuse of absence of jurisdiction.

Aspartame

Context: The cancer research arm of the World Health Organisation (WHO) is expected to list the popular sugar substitute aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”.

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Carcinogens are substances that can cause cancer to humans. There are four levels of carcinogens:
- Carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, possibly carcinogenic and not classifiable.
- Aspartame is likely to be classified as possibly carcinogenic, the third category.

What is Aspartame?

Definition: Chemically, aspartame is a methyl ester of the dipeptide of two natural amino acids, L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine.
Discovered by: It was discovered by James M Schlatter, a chemist at the American pharmaceutical company G D Searle & Co. (which is now a subsidiary of Pfizer) in 1965.
Properties: According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than table sugar.
- This makes aspartame far less sweet than other artificial sweeteners like advantame and neotame.
- 1 gram of aspartame has the sweetness intensity of roughly 2 teaspoons (about 8 g) of sugar.
Uses:
- Aspartame is one of the world’s most common artificial sweeteners and is used in a wide range of diet soft drinks, sugar-free chewing gum, sugar-free ice cream, sugar-free breakfast cereals, etc.
- Aspartame is preferred by people trying to cut calories or lose weight, or by diabetics, because while 2 teaspoons (8 g) of sugar provides about 32 kcals of energy, 1 g of aspartame is only 4 kcals.
- It is often argued that a 12 fl oz (about 350 ml) can of regular cola contains about 10 teaspoonfuls of sugar.
  - While the same quantity of diet cola containing aspartame has only 7 kcals.
  - That is why Cans/ bottles of diet fizzy drinks often say “zero sugar” or “zero calories” on the packaging.
- Aspartame is present in several brands of artificial sweeteners, the most common of which in India are Equal and Sugar-Free Gold.
List of products that use Aspartame:
- Diet Coke Coca-Cola
- Extra sugarfree Mars chewing gum
- Jell-O Sugarfree gelatin dessert mix
- Snapple zero sugar tea and juice drinks
- Sugar Twin 1 sweetener packets
- Equal zero calorie sweeteners
- Trident sugar-free peppermint gums

How Safe is Aspartame?

Carcinogen: Over more than 40 years, aspartame has been one of the most rigorously tested chemical additives in food for its possible links with cancer.
- More than 100 studies have found no evidence of harm caused by aspartame.
Phenylketonuria: There is a broad scientific consensus on the safety of aspartame for all groups of people except one those suffering from phenylketonuria (PKU).
- Phenylketonuria is a rare inherited disorder in which the patient does not have the enzyme that is needed to break down phenylalanine, one of the two amino acids in aspartame.
- Foods containing aspartame carry the warning “Not for phenylketonurics”.
Review by WHO: Two different WHO groups i.e International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Joint Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) are currently reviewing the safety of aspartame.
- The result of both evaluations would be announced on July 14, 2023.

Groundwater Extraction Shifted The Earth’s Axis

Context: The excessive extraction of groundwater for drinking and irrigation has shifted the Earth’s axis of rotation, according to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Key findings of the study

The study noted that humans pumped out around 2,150 gigatons of groundwater between 1993 and 2010, and the planet’s axis has drifted at the rate of 4.36 cm per year towards the east.
Although the shift isn’t significant enough to have real-life consequences, the study observed that excessive groundwater extraction contributes to global sea level rise.
The study also noted that the groundwater extraction from North America and northwestern India, both located at the Earth’s midlatitudes, had an outsized impact on Earth’s rotational axis in comparison to the extraction taking place in poles or equators.

How excessive groundwater extraction impacts Earth’s Rotation?

When humans extract groundwater from underground reservoirs, the water is typically used for irrigation or as a freshwater source. Eventually, a significant portion of this extracted water finds its way back into the oceans, resulting in sea level rise.
Hence, the extraction of groundwater changes the distribution of mass on Earth’s surface. This alteration in mass distribution affects the planet’s moment of inertia, which is a measure of how mass is distributed around the axis of rotation.
Any changes in moment of inertia can lead to shifts in the rotational axis of the Earth.

About the Earth’s Rotation

The Earth rotates on its axis relative to the Sun every 24.0 hours mean solar time, with an inclination of 23.45 degrees from the plane of its orbit around the Sun.
Mean solar time represents an average of the variations caused by Earth’s non-circular orbit.
Its rotation relative to “fixed” stars (sidereal time) is 3 minutes 56.55 seconds shorter than the mean solar day, the equivalent of one solar day per year.