UPSC Daily Current Affairs

India and the Palestinian Homeland

Oct 16, 2023

India's position as a home for Palestinians has evolved over time, reflecting changing geopolitical dynamics and India's commitment to principles such as anti-colonialism, self-determination, and support for the Palestinian cause. Here's a brief history of India's stance: Pre-Independence Era: During India's struggle for independence from British colonial rule, Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi expressed solidarity with oppressed peoples worldwide, including the Palestinians. They saw similarities between India's fight for freedom and the Palestinian struggle against British and Zionist colonization. Read More...

Understanding the Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF)

Oct 16, 2023

What is CDMDF? The Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF) is a backstop fund for mutual funds in India, recently launched by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The fund is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). With an initial corpus of Rs. 33,000 crore, CDMDF aims to offer a safety net to mutual funds during stressed market conditions by purchasing investment-grade corporate debt securities. Why was CDMDF Created? The CDMDF is designed to be a financial cushion during times of market instability. With liquidity often drying ... Read More...

Understanding the Financial Stability Board (FSB): A Global Regulatory Body

Oct 16, 2023

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) is an essential international organization formed in 2009, following the global financial crisis of 2008. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, the FSB serves as a key player in global financial governance. Its membership comprises influential representatives from 24 countries, central banks, regulatory authorities, and major international financial bodies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. The FSB’s primary role is to assess and monitor risks and vulnerabilities in the global financial system. It works to harmonize regulatory frameworks and promotes effective best p... Read More...

Understanding a Strong El Niño

Oct 16, 2023

What is El Niño? El Niño is a climate phenomenon where warm water in the Indo-Western Pacific warm pool moves eastward along the equator, disrupting weather patterns globally. What Constitutes a Strong El Niño? A strong El Niño is characterized by a sea surface temperature in the equatorial Pacific that is at least 1.5°C (2.7°F) higher than normal. It's measured in an area known as the Nino 3.4 Index. How Does it Affect Weather? Warm water causes the air above it t... Read More...

Understanding Tides

Oct 16, 2023

What are Tides? Tides are the rise and fall of ocean water levels, usually occurring twice a day. The transition from low to high is called "flood tide," and from high to low is "ebb tide." What Causes Tides? The gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun on Earth's oceans causes tides. The Moon's pull is stronger due to its closeness to Earth, despite the Sun being much larger. Why are there Two Bulges in the Ocean? Gravitational forces create a water bulge facing the Moon and an... Read More...

Understanding Ocean Zones

Oct 16, 2023

What is the Epipelagic Zone? The Epipelagic Zone, or the sunlight zone, extends from the surface to 200 meters deep. It contains the most sunlight and experiences temperature variations. How does the Mesopelagic Zone differ? The Mesopelagic Zone extends from 200 to 1,000 meters and is sometimes called the twilight zone. It contains the thermocline, where water temperature rapidly decreases with depth. What is unique about the Bathypelagic Zone? Also called the midnight zone, the Bathypelagic Zone ranges from 1,0... Read More...

Fundamental Concepts of Ocean Currents

Oct 16, 2023

What is the primary cause of surface ocean currents? The sun's heating of the Earth creates semi-permanent pressure centers near the surface. Winds blowing over these centers generate surface waves, which form surface ocean currents. How do cold currents and warm currents differ? Cold currents flow towards the equator along the west coasts of continents, bringing cool water from polar regions. In contrast, warm currents flow from the equator towards the poles along the east coasts, bringing warm tropical water. How do ocean curr... Read More...

Understanding Ocean Salinity

Oct 16, 2023

Why is the ocean salty? The ocean is salty because it contains high amounts of dissolved salts, primarily sodium and chloride. These two elements combine to form what we commonly refer to as table salt. How is ocean salinity measured? Ocean salinity is measured as a ratio of salt (in grams) to a liter of water. This ratio is often expressed as parts per thousand (ppt). Typically, seawater has around 35 grams of dissolved salts per liter (35ppt). Do all oceans have the same salinity? No, salinity varies among the... Read More...

Sky Islands

Oct 16, 2023

What Are Sky Islands? Sky Islands are isolated mountain tops that function as unique habitats for certain species that cannot survive in the surrounding areas. They are metaphorically similar to real islands, as they provide isolated environments that allow rapid evolution and speciation. Where Are Sky Islands Typically Located? The best-known examples are the Madrean sky islands in Arizona, New Mexico, Chihuahua, and Sonora. Another prime example is the sky islands in the Western Ghats of India, which spread over 700 km and include a variety of habitats like montane cloud f... Read More...

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)

Oct 14, 2023

What is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)? The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a large-scale system of ocean currents that operates in the Atlantic Ocean. It moves warm water from the tropics toward the North Atlantic and returns cold water to the Southern Hemisphere. How does AMOC fit into the global ocean current system? AMOC is part of a global network of ocean currents known as the "global conveyor belt." This network circulates water throughout the entire world, from surface levels to deeper ocean layers. Read More...

Share Buyback:Basics for UPSC

Oct 14, 2023

Q1: What is a share buyback? A share buyback, also known as a stock repurchase, is a financial strategy employed by companies to purchase their own outstanding shares from shareholders from the stock market. Q2: Why do companies engage in share buybacks? Companies undertake share buybacks for various reasons, including: Undervaluation of their stock. Having excess cash reserves. Improving earnings per share (EPS) as number of shares reduces and so share prices go up. Tax-efficiency compared to dividends. Read More...

e-Rupee in the call money Market

Oct 14, 2023

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a pilot program for its central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the interbank call money market. Nine banks, including public and private sector banks, are participating in this e-rupee call money pilot. This marks the second use case for testing wholesale CBDC, with the first being in the government securities market introduced last year. The wholesale CBDC pilot is expected to expand to cover various segments, including asset tokenization and repo transactions. The impact on the call money market is expected to be minimal. Call Money Market Read More...

Infrastructure Development in a Climate-Resilient Manner in India: Concepts and Examples

Oct 14, 2023

India, a country vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, recognizes the critical need to develop infrastructure with climate resilience in mind. Here are some key concepts and examples of climate-resilient infrastructure development in India, including the latest addition: Concept 1: Climate Risk Assessment Before initiating any infrastructure project, thorough climate risk assessments are conducted to identify vulnerabilities and potential impacts of climate change, such as rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and sea-level rise. Example 1: Mumbai C... Read More...

India's Retail Inflation and Economic Factors

Oct 14, 2023

What is the current status of India's retail inflation? Retail inflation in India eased to a three-month low in September, standing at 5.02%, down from 6.83% the previous month. This figure was slightly below a forecast of 5.50%. What percentage of the overall consumer price basket does food inflation account for? Food inflation accounts for nearly half of the overall consumer price basket in India. What is the target inflation rate set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)? The RBI has set a target inf... Read More...

BSNL's Siachen BTS Installation and Connectivity

Oct 14, 2023

What is the significance of BSNL's BTS installation at Siachen Glacier? A1: This marks the first-time Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has set up a base transceiver station (BTS) at the Siachen Glacier, the world's highest battlefield. It fulfills the critical need for mobile connectivity for soldiers deployed in challenging conditions along the Pakistan border. Who collaborated with BSNL for this initiative? A2: BSNL worked in collaboration with the Army, specifically the XIV Corps or the "Fire and Fury Corps," responsible for guarding borders with ... Read More...