18 July 2022 – Daily Mains Answer Writing & Model Answer
Q1. The salinity of ocean water is influenced by a number of ecological and geographic factors. Explain. (250 words)
Paper & Topic: GS I àPhysical Geography
Model Answer:
Introduction:
- Salinity is the term used to describe the total amount of dissolved salts in seawater. It is calculated as the amount of salt (in gm) dissolved in 1,000 gm, or one kilogramme, of seawater. Ocean water normally has a salinity of 35 parts per thousand at 0 degrees Celsius. This means that 3.5 percent of the weight of ocean water is made up of dissolved salts. Sodium chloride, also referred to as common salt, is the most common dissolved salt in the ocean.
Body:
Salinity is influenced by the following variables:
- Numerous factors that impact the salt content of different seas and oceans control oceanic salinity.
- Evaporation, precipitation, river water inflow, dominating winds, ocean currents, and sea waves are important regulating factors.
Fluctuations in salinity:
- High salinity areas are those with horizontal fluctuation
- The Red Sea is a landlocked body of water with a high salinity.
- In hot, arid regions with heavy evaporation, salinity levels are quite high.
- Estuaries and the Arctic have seasonal variations in salinity (fresh water coming from ice caps)
- The main factors influencing the salinity variation in the Pacific Ocean are its shape and size.
- Close to the equator, one can find heavy precipitation, high relative humidity, cloudiness, and the calm doldrums air.
- The polar regions receive a substantial quantity of fresh water from ice melting, with very little evaporation. As a result, salt levels are low. Between 20° and 30° N and 20° to 60° W, the highest salinity is found. As you move north, it steadily decreases.
- The Bay of Bengal is trending toward low salinity because of the Ganga River’s intake of river water.
- The Arabian Sea, on the other hand, has a higher salinity due to significant evaporation and limited freshwater influx.
Oceanic waters:
- The North Atlantic Drift brings in more salty water, which is why the North Sea has a higher salinity despite being at higher latitudes.
- The Baltic Sea has a low salinity because to the large input of river waters.
- The Mediterranean Sea has higher salinity levels as a result of considerable evaporation.
- But due to the large inflow of fresh water from rivers, the Black Sea has a very low salinity level.
- inland waterways and lakes
- Their salinity is quite high as a result of the regular input of salt from rivers into inland seas and lakes.
- Their water eventually gets saltier as a result of evaporation.
- For instance, the salinities of the Dead Sea, Lake Van in Turkey, and the Great Salt Lake are all very high.
- The salinity decreases in the western parts of the northern hemisphere as a result of the entry of melted water from the Arctic region.
Below-surface salinity:
- Salinity also changes with depth, but this variation is once again controlled by latitudinal variations. The drop is also impacted by warm and cold currents.
- In high latitudes, salinity increases with depth. In the middle latitudes, it climbs up to 35 metres before falling. At the equator, surface salinity is lower.
Vertical salinity distribution:
- Salinity varies with depth, but the location of the sea affects how it varies.
- For instance, freshwater intake from rivers can cause salinity at the surface to decrease while rising due to water loss to ice or evaporation.
- The salinity at depth is essentially constant because salt cannot be “added” or “removed.” Salinity varies significantly between the surface and deep ocean zones.
- Higher salinity water is perched on top of lesser salinity water.
- In contrast to the thermocline, where salinity normally rises with depth, the halocline is a location where salinity rises sharply.
- While other factors remain constant, seawater becomes denser as its salinity increases. Usually, saltier seawater rises above water and is followed by less salty seawater. This leads to stratification of salinity.
- Impact:
- Salinity has an impact on a variety of physical properties, including compressibility, thermal expansion, temperature, density, and absorption of solar radiation.
- The composition and motion of the sea are also influenced by water and the distribution of fish and other marine resources.
- Salinity affects seawater density, which affects ocean circulation and climate.
- Some currents actually vary their direction seasonally due to the interaction between temperature, salinity, and density. One location where this occurs is the Indian Ocean. Ocean salinity is intimately tied to land weather since it is correlated with the movement of currents.
- The kinds of organisms that live there can be significantly influenced by the salinity of a body of water.
- The water cycle and ocean circulation are both significantly impacted by salinity.
- Due to increases in ocean salinity during the past 50 years, the water cycle has now intensified by 4%, which is twice as fast as predicted by models.
- The planet’s temperature is kept in balance by the steady salinity levels of the oceans.
Conclusion:
- Each year, the land supplies three billion tonnes of salt to the oceans. Only a tiny fraction of this salt is removed by people for daily use.
Q2. Though its application is ludicrous in practise, the Special Marriage Act of 1954 represents the first step toward a unified civil code in theory. Critically evaluate. (250 words)
- Paper & Topic: GS II àGovernment Policies and Interventions
Model Answer:
Introduction:
- The Allahabad high court recently issued an order regarding a habeas corpus writ petition in which it stated that it is disturbing that someone should change their religion solely for the purpose of marriage when two people professing different religions can marry under the Special Marriage Act, which is “one of the earliest attempts towards Uniform Civil Code,” in which it is permissible.
Body:
The Special Marriage Act of 1954:
- The SMA is a statute that allows marriages to be pronounced without the participation of any religious rites or customs.
- Marriages between people of different social groups, faiths, or states are solemnised by registration under the SMA.
- The primary objectives of the Act were to deal with interfaith marriages and establish marriage as a secular institution free from any religious restrictions; registration was all that was required.
- Mentioned process:The SMA outlines a challenging method for marriage registration.
- One of the parties must give notice of the intended marriage to the marriage officer of the district where at least one of the parties has resided for at least 30 days immediately prior to the date on which such notice is delivered.
- After noting the notification in the marriage notice book, the marriage officer publishes a notice of marriage at a conspicuous position in his office.
- Including the parties’ names, dates of birth, ages, occupations, parents’ names and contact information, residences, pin codes, and phone numbers, the marriage officer publishes the notification of the marriage.
- The marriage can then be challenged on any of the several reasons stated in the Act by anyone. If there is no objection, marriage can be solemnised after a 30-day waiting period. The marriage official must look into any complaints made before choosing whether or not to solemnise the relationship.
Challenges:
- The marriage licensee must first post an invitation to the public to object to the impending union for a period of 30 days. Name, occupation, age, and address details for the pair must be included in the announcement.
- The only things that are challenged on a technical level are soundness of mind, age, and the existence of any spouse of the parties intending to register the marriage; however, on occasion, the notice drives couples to flee their homes out of fear for their lives because they want to get married privately.
- Section 6 fundamentally violates the right to privacy. Even though the problem is with how the clause has been used rather than with its intended use, this concern is valid.
- Right-wing groups allegedly used interfaith marriage announcements made under Kerala’s Special Marriage Act as examples of “love jihad” on social media earlier this year, which led to tensions between communities in some places. Therefore, there is a danger that bureaucratic corruption will lead to the theft of such private data by criminals. Honor killings in the past show that the consequences could be disastrous for the marriage.
The main issues that are brought up by this are:
- The legality of personal information publication on the internet
- A repugnant practise known as “love jihad” that encourages racial hostility.
- PIL contesting the 30-day notice requirement of the Special Marriage Act.
- Such a provision is not found in personal laws with regard to same-faith weddings.
- The claim that the “objections can be lowered on the basis of certificates provided by government hospitals” is discriminatory in nature and is intended to discourage interfaith weddings like theirs.
- According to the petition, offering adequate protection to couples who choose intercommunity marriages is “critically relevant in the contemporary climate.”
- The petition also referred to the portions of the Act that provide the 30-day notice system for requesting objections as “illegal, null, invalid, and unconstitutional.”
Way Forward:
- It should be noted that at the time, Indian law does not provide a definition for the term “love jihad.”
- The topic of “love jihad” was raised in the Lok Sabha in February 2020, and the minister of state for home affairs even stated that no examples of the phenomenon had been reported by any of the top government officials.
- Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees the freedom to profess, practise, and promote religion, subject to laws protecting public morality, health, and order. Numerous courts, including the Kerala High Court, have backed this position.
- The Punjab and Haryana High Court’s ruling, which said that the State and its institutions should not be seen as “putting snares and landmines” in the way of consenting people of diverse religions, is an excellent precedent to follow in this regard.
- The stress, however, is located elsewhere.
- Marriage needs public approval even if it is largely a very private bond. The likelihood of interference is the foundation for this approval.
- As a result of having a “universal civil code applicable to all, regardless of religion, save while keeping some limited rights,” the State of Goa has been hailed by the Supreme Court as a “shining example,” and as such, Goa’s model should be followed.
Q2. The adoption of 5G technology is anticipated to enhance everyone’s quality of life and open up a variety of new business model prospects. However, managing economies of scale is a difficulty that telecom companies must solve. Comment (250 words)
Paper & Topic: GS III àScience and Technology
Model Answer:
Introduction:
- The term “5G” refers to the fifth-generation mobile network. The faster, more reliable ultra-low latency connection offered by next-generation cellular technology. Peak network data speeds for 5G are projected to range between 2 and 20 Gigabit per second, according to a government panel analysis (Gbps). In comparison, 4G link speeds in India average 6-7 Megabit per second (Mbps), while same rates are 25 Mbps in industrialised countries.
- The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) establishes and regulates the 5G usage standards (3GPP).
Body:
Benefits of 5G for the communications industry include:
- By 2035, a government-appointed panel’s analysis projects that India’s total economic benefit from 5G will be $1 trillion.
- According to a different research, the 5G-enabled digitalization income potential for India could surpass $27 billion by 2026, according to telecom equipment company Ericsson.
- By 2025, there will be about 70 million 5G connections in India, according to the GSMA, a global trade organisation for the telecom industry.
- 5G is expected to serve as the foundation for two emerging technologies: the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine interactions.
- Autonomous vehicles, telemedicine, and real-time data analytics are just a few of the services and applications that it might be able to offer.
- One of the key uses of 5G will be the implementation of sensor-embedded networks that permit real-time information relay across industries including manufacturing, consumer products, and agriculture.
- 5G can also contribute to more effective transportation infrastructure by increasing its intelligence.
- 5G will enable communication between vehicles and between vehicles and infrastructure, opening the door for the creation of driverless cars among other things.
- Due to its incredibly low latency, 5G is a suitable technology for several application scenarios. Latency is the amount of time it takes for data to travel from its source to its destination.
- The government has often stated that India wants to roll out 5G and play a significant role in its development and expansion. 2016 saw the creation of a high-level forum to advise India on a 5G strategy.
- The National Digital Communications Policy of 2018 acknowledged the potential of this spectrum, and TRAI has recommended a reserve price for the sale of 5G spectrum in the 3.3-3.4 GHz and 3.4-3.5 GHz bands.
Associated Issues:
- Frequency distribution: Indian operators have significantly less spectrum than international operators. the significant investment expenses that make telecom companies question their ROI.
- Network investment: The Indian telecom sector needs to address issues with capital augmentation. Lack of funding for investments: Many Indian operators are also saddled with debt.
- The low quantity of spectrum available and the high reserve price of 490 crore per MHz are cited by telecom operators as reasons why they are apprehensive to participate in the auction.
- Legislative restraints Because prior technology investments haven’t yet been recouped, new technologies introduced more quickly tend to be more sophisticated.
- Technical challenges: It is challenging to design a global IT infrastructure that nevertheless allows for regionally distinct technology.
- Governmental incentives are lacking Government has little incentive to forgo money given the mounting pressure on its revenues, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19-induced slowdown.
- Discouraging Taxes: The present flat rate of 6% of adjusted gross revenue for licence fees and 3% for spectrum usage charges has deterred telecom businesses from making significant investments in new technology.
- The inefficiency of the auction design prevents the use of precious spectrum. In addition to the highly sought-after E and B bands, this includes precious 5G spectrum in the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz frequencies.
How to Proceed:
- India’s digital infrastructure must be 5G ready.
- Promote the creation of 5G products, services, and technology in India.
- Unused spectrum must be released, at least until it begins to provide large profits.
- Funding and incentives for regional telecom and IT firms to develop their internal capacities would help the country’s adoption of 5G technology.
- Support 5G start-ups that enable these design and production skills.
- IPR should be created for the aforementioned designs, thus encourage it.
- Reward successful spectrum use, the development of narrow-band networks, and market expansion.
- The manufacturing of 5G chipsets might require substantial investments.
- the ideal test environments and technology underpinnings to support and enable the competitive advantage of the Indian technical ecosystem in 5G.
- accelerate the rollout of the next generation’s ubiquitous, high-speed internet infrastructure, with coverage of 10 Gbps in urban regions and 1 Gbps in rural areas.
- Smooth mobile networks will need a single management plan to offer universal standards, and coverage, reliability, and scalability must all be optimised.
- Conclusion:
- By 2023, there will be a staggering 9.1 billion mobile subscriptions, predicts the World Economic Forum. The arrival of 5G will be the catalyst for the digital transformation of India. In India, 5G, the fifth generation of cellular technology, is soon to be available. Consumers gain from the economies of scale while businesses get a chance to reach global marketplaces. It can help with better service delivery, quicker access to services, and wider use of digital services.