14 July 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – Lambani culture: GS I – Indian Culture

Context:

• The third G20 Culture Working Group Meeting at Hampi, Karnataka, had the largest array of Lambani handicrafts, including 1755 individual items, according to the Prime Minister of India.

Information about the tribe of Lambani:

• Most of the Lambani tribe originated in Rajasthan.
• Other names for it include Lamani, Lambadi, and Banjara.
• The word “laman” is derived from the Sanskrit word lavana, which means salt. By this time, the Laman Banjaras have already seized control of a large portion of the Indian subcontinent.
• They are a nomadic clan that is said to have left Afghanistan’s Gor province.
• They initially traded salt and bullock.
• The colorful and detailed lambani embroidery combines a variety of stitch designs, mirror work, and multicolored threads to adorn textiles.
• It is practiced in many communities in Karnataka.
• The Lambani technique involves expertly sewing together tiny scraps of discarded cloth to produce a lovely fabric.

Language:

• The Indo-Aryan language family includes the tongue of the Lambanis.
• They speak in a dialect of Gor Boli that has Romani, Lomavern, Rajasthani, and Marwari-like accents.

Religion:

• They practice Hinduism as well as their own Gods and deities.
• Dacoits like Mitthu Bhukhiya and saints like Seva Lal are revered as gods by them.
• They also worship Hanuman, Krishna, Shiva, Ganesh, and Balaji, among other Hindu gods.

Detailed information about SKKK, Sandur Kushal Kala Kendra:

• In 1988, the Sandur Kushal Kala Kendra (SKKK) organization became a legally recognized entity.
• It seeks to revitalize traditional crafts by boosting the incomes of artisans and developing their skills.
• In 2004 and 2012, SKKK received the esteemed UNESCO Seal of Excellence for South Asian Handicrafts.
• In the year 2008, SKKK received the GI (Geographical Indication) designation in recognition of the craft of “Sandur Lambani hand embroidery.”

Source The Hindu

2 – Hindu Undivided Family: GS II – Social Issues

Context:

• Recent legal discussion on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has focused on the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) institution and its specific treatment under the nation’s tax laws.
• The British’s appreciation of regional traditions during the Raj provides the foundation for Hindu Undivided Family’s legitimacy as a legal entity.
• Everyone having a shared direct ancestor is considered a member of the HUF, along with their wives and unmarried daughters.
• A HUF submits tax returns independently from its members and has its own Permanent Account Number (PAN).
• The HUF is made up of the ‘karta’, who is normally the oldest male family member, and any coparceners.
• The ‘karta’ is in charge of overseeing the everyday operations of the HUF.
• A percentage of the HUF earned by the father goes to the kids.
• By primarily relying on family and blood ties, the HUF was believed to be a body that shared responsibility over property among Hindu households.
• It made it possible for family businesses to operate under Hindu personal law rather than by contract.

HUF has consistently displayed a dual identity as a legal entity:

• one of a family-run business and
• solely to meet the needs of the family, the other of a business.
• Due of the agreement’s intricacy and rarity for the British, it was given special treatment under Indian tax regulations.

HUF taxation:

• The Income Tax Act, 1886, which was passed by India, explicitly recognized the HUF as a “person” within the meaning of that term.
• Originally recognized as a separate entity for tax reasons under the 1917 British-enacted Super Tax Act, the HUF is now recognized as such.
• Legislation designating the HUF as a separate class of taxpayers was passed in 1922.
• The post-independence Income Tax Act, 1961, which is still in effect and recognizes the HUF as a person, was built upon the Income Tax Act, 1922.

The following committees/commissions are looking into the HUF’s preferential tax treatment:

• Concern over a substantial revenue loss as a result of special exclusions for the HUF was raised in the Income Tax Enquiry Report of 1936.
• The HUF’s advantageous tax status led to a number of inconsistencies, which the Taxation Enquiry Commission (1955–1954) acknowledged.
• The Commission made the decision to ignore the HUF’s tax situation.
• The Justice Wanchoo Committee Report from 1971 claimed that the HUF institution was being used to evade taxes.
• In 2018, a consultation paper was created by the Law Commission of India, which took the same position.

How may Hindu Undivided Families get the lowest tax rate possible?

• From 1922 until 1961, the HUF frequently received a higher exemption cap than other taxpayer types (including people).
• The HUF paid less in taxes than other taxpayers in comparable circumstances despite earning the same amount of money as other taxpayers.
• The Income Tax Act of 1961 eliminated the preferential exemptions system.

Comparing the HUF and the UCC:

• Joint family and coparcenary are ideas that are connected to HUF.
• The only system that permits this is Hindu personal law, which is said to integrate Buddhist, Jains, and Sikh traditions.
• Taxpayers who practice religions other than Hinduism, such as Islam, Christianity, Parsis, etc., are not eligible for the aforementioned benefit of statutory tax planning.
• This raises a severe issue, namely the uneven application of the tax laws to taxpayers depending on their identification with a particular faith.
• Article 14 of the Constitution may be broken by any new tax treatment that decreases the tax burden solely on the grounds of religion.

Source The Hindu

3 – The Global South: GS II – International Relations

Context:

• The phrase “Global South” has once again come into focus as a result of numerous significant nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America declining to support NATO in the conflict in Ukraine.

Developing World:

• Various nations that are occasionally referred to as “developing,” “less developed,” or “underdeveloped” are referred to collectively as the “Global South.”
• Many of these nations are found in the Southern Hemisphere, primarily in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• They have worse living conditions, a shorter life expectancy, and a wider income gap than “Global North” countries.
• The Global North, or wealthier nations, consists mainly of North America and Europe, with a few additions in Oceania and other areas.

Evolution and origin:

• Political activist Carl Oglesby appears to have coined the phrase “Global South” for the first time in 1969.
• However, the term didn’t really take off until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, which was the official end of the so-called “Second World.”
• Previously, the term “Third World” was more frequently used to describe developing countries that had not yet fully industrialized.
• The term “third world” was first used by Alfred Sauvy in 1952 to describe the historical aristocracy, clergy, and bourgeois of France.
• The developed capitalist nations were referred to as being in the “First World”;
• to the socialist countries of the “Second World,” led by the Soviet Union; and
• The term “Third World” refers to developing nations, many of which were colonial powers at the time.

Not geographical but geopolitical:

• The phrase “Global South” has nothing to do with geography.
• China and India, the two largest nations in the Global South, are located exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere.
• When used, it means that other countries share a variety of political, geopolitical, and economic elements.
• Imperial and colonial empires dominated the great majority of the nations in the Global South.
• China, India, the United States, and Indonesia are predicted to have the top four economies by 2030, with three of them coming from the Global South.
• The G-7 club in the Global North is already outperformed by the BRICS countries, which are made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa and are dominated by the Global South.
• Beijing currently has more millionaires than New York does.

Conclusion:

• A growth in political visibility has coincided with this economic transformation.
• Two instances of how the Global South is fast asserting itself on the international stage are China’s efforts to mediate the reunion of Iran and Saudi Arabia or Brazil’s efforts to draft a peace plan to stop the unrest in Ukraine.
• The academic world has begun to predict the advent of the “Asian Century” and the “post-Western world” as a result of this change in the balance of political and economic power.
• ‘Third World’ and ’emerging countries’ have never held the same level of influence over politics and the economy as the Global South has today.

Source The Hindu

4 – Battery electric vehicles: GS III – Infrastructure-related issues

Context:

• The main goal of India’s electric mobility policy is to replace internal combustion engines (ICEs) with battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with Li-ion batteries currently being the most practical choice.

BEVs:

• BEVs are electric vehicles (EVs) that are eligible for a clear upfront tax credit.
• Battery electric vehicles, sometimes known as EVs, are entirely electric automobiles without a gasoline engine.
• The battery pack, which is replenished via the grid, is the only source of power for the vehicle.
• BEVs are referred to as “zero emissions” vehicles since they don’t produce any of the air pollution dangers or dangerous exhaust emissions that are produced by conventional gasoline-powered vehicles.

A number of EV types:

HEVs:

• A hybrid drivetrain with a typical ICE engine and an electric propulsion system significantly reduces fuel consumption in conventional hybrid electric vehicles.
• In a typical hybrid, the onboard battery is charged as the IC engine drives the drivetrain.

PHEVs:

• In addition to a hybrid drivetrain that can operate on both ICE and electric power, plug-in hybrid vehicles also contain rechargeable batteries that can be plugged into an electrical outlet.

BEVs:

• These cars are entirely electric and run on rechargeable batteries; they don’t have internal combustion engines or gas tanks.

FCVs:

• Hydrogen is used to power an internal electric motor in fuel cell vehicles.
• In FCVs, the engine is powered by electricity created by combining hydrogen and oxygen, with the only byproduct being water.
• FCVs are regarded as EVs because they are totally electric-powered.
• Their driving range and methods of refueling, in contrast to BEVs, are comparable to those of regular automobiles and trucks.

BEV push problems

Prioritization subsidy:

• The success of BEVs in multiple markets demonstrates the necessity of state incentives for the electric push.
• The issue with this overt subsidization of EVs, particularly in the context of developing countries like India, is that a sizeable portion of the subsidy, especially that which is provided as tax breaks for cars, ends up in the hands of the middle or upper middle classes, who typically purchase battery electric four-wheelers.
• According to a World Bank report, offering upfront incentives for purchasing has a 4–7 times smaller influence on EV adoption than building the infrastructure for EV charging.
• By the middle of 2022, there will be more than 1 million electric vehicles in India, and 45–50 million by 2030.
• Only 2,000 public charging stations are now in use across the nation, though.
• India has specific needs for charging infrastructure because two- and three-wheelers make up the majority of the country’s vehicles.
• A significant amount of the electricity is generated from renewable sources in a number of nations that have promoted electric vehicles; Norway has 99% hydroelectric power.
• The majority of India’s grid’s energy still comes from thermal coal-fired power plants.
• As India strives to establish itself in the global lithium value chain, there has been discussion on the need to diversify the mix of EVs’ Li-ion battery usage.
• Up to 2030, India’s need for Li-ion batteries is anticipated to grow by more than 30% in volume, necessitating the importation of more than 50,000 tonnes of lithium for the country to use in the manufacture of EV batteries.
• But Australia and China, along with Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia, contribute more than 90% of the world’s Li supply.
• Thus, to achieve its needs, India would be heavily dependent on imports from a small number of countries.

Optional uses of contemporary technology:

HYBRIDS:

• With the aid of hybrid technology, it is believed that the all-electric goal is feasible.
• Hybrids frequently offer superior fuel efficiency because to the electrification of the powertrain, but they do not need the same infrastructure for charging as BEVs.
• A hybrid vehicle base also encourages the development of the battery ecosystem, which can later be leveraged to promote BEVs.
• However, hybrids are also impacted by Li-ion batteries because they are the main source.

ETHANOL & FLEX FUEL:

• The internal combustion engine of a flex fuel vehicle can run on more than one fuel type, or even a mixture of fuels like gasoline and ethanol, in contrast to a traditional petrol or diesel car.

FCEVs & Hydrogen Ice:

• Although hydrogen fuel cell electric cars (FCEVs) are almost emission-free, the absence of fuelling station infrastructure has been a major obstacle to their adoption.
• Fuel cell automobiles can refill similarly to conventional cars, although they cannot use the same station.
• Another concern is safety.
• Compressed hydrogen is transported into a lower-pressure cell and put through an electrochemical reaction to create energy after being held under pressure in a cryogenic tank.
• Internal combustion engines (ICEs) fuelled by hydrogen look and operate similarly to ICEs powered by other fuels.
• However, these vehicles don’t produce any emissions at all, unlike FCEVs.

PHYSICAL FUELS:

• German automaker Porsche is developing a synthetic fuel that, according to the company, would make internal combustion engines as clean as electric cars.
• Carbon dioxide and hydrogen are used as renewable energy sources in the production of Porsche’s eFuels.

Future electric vehicle market in India:

• Critical minerals including copper, lithium, nickel, and cobalt are required for the production of electric vehicles (EVs) and other modern technology such as wind turbines, green technologies, smartphones, laptops, and military gear.
• Without these vital minerals, there could be significant disruptions to the global supply system.
• According to the EV30@30 program, of which India is a participant, 30% of all vehicle sales globally are predicted to be electric by 2030.
• The Indian Prime Minister has also advocated for the “Panchamrita,” or five aspects, for addressing climate change in India in the 2021 COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

The assurances of “Panchamrita” consist of:

• The amount of non-fossil energy will rise to 500 gigawatts by 2030.
• 50% of India’s total energy needs may be met by renewable energy.
• reducing carbon emissions by 1 billion tons by 2030.
• Carbon intensity will be reduced by 45% by 2030.
• reaching net zero by 2070.

Conclusion:

• India is becoming into a manufacturing powerhouse for electric vehicles, which may be for the better or worse.
• Electric vehicles are expected to support more renewable energy penetration, improving and stabilizing grid operation.
• India likewise needs a transportation revolution.
• Widespread EV adoption could provide a practical solution to the growing demand for transportation options.

Source The Hindu

5 – Chandrayan 3 to be on Moon’s South Pole: GS III – Science and Technology

Context:

• Chandrayaan-3 will be the first lander to set foot on the moon’s south pole.

About Chandrayan 3:

• Chandrayaan-3 took the place of Chandrayaan-1 and -2.
• Since humans have never ventured to the Moon’s South Pole, it will be the first spacecraft to make a landing there.
• Chandrayaan-3’s main goals are to land and move about.
• Unlike Chandrayaan-2 (2019), which was only partially successful, there is no orbiter component this time.
• The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (LVM-3) will carry out the launch of this mission.

The following are the objectives of Chandrayaan-3’s mission:

• in order to demonstrate a safe and gentle lunar surface landing.
• to display rover moon exploration.
• to conduct in-situ research in science.
• Chandrayaan-3 is made up of an indigenous Lander module (LM), Propulsion module (PM), and Rover with the goal of exploring and exhibiting new technology required for interplanetary missions.
• The Lander will be able to soft land at a chosen lunar location in order to deploy the Rover, which will perform in-situ chemical studies of the lunar surface throughout its mobility.

The moon’s south pole:

• The lunar south pole is the farthest point south on the moon, located at 90°S.
• Water ice can be found in areas where there is perpetual darkness.
• Because their interiors are not lit up by the practically constant sunlight, the craters around the lunar south pole are unique.
• These craters are frigid traps that have retained a fossil record of flammable substances from the early Solar System, including water ice and hydrogen.

Source The Hindu