 A very good evening aspirants, I welcome you all to the Hindu Daily News Analysis brought to you by Shankar Ayes academy. Now before getting into news article discussion, I have an exciting announcement for you. The announcement is regarding prelims test series. Shankar Ayes academy is going to start pre-stroming batch 1 for UPSC prelims 2024. The orientation for the first test will be conducted on 11th September 2023 and the first test will be on 18th September. A total of 48 tests including CSAT and mark test will be provided in the test series. The fee details of the test are also displayed here, kindly register to the test series immediately and try to boost your prelim score. Now with this important announcement, let us get into the daily Hindu news analysis. Today I am going to cover important news articles from the Hindu news paper dated 22nd of August 2023. Displayed here is a list of news articles that we will be discussing today. You can go through it. At the end of the video, we will also have prelims practice question discussions. So try to watch the entire video and a kind request to you all those who haven't yet subscribed our YouTube channel. Do subscribe and hit the bell icon button so that you will get a regular notifications about our current affairs videos. Now let's get into our first news article discussion. Take a look at this news article. The news is that yesterday the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister lays foundation stone for Southeast Asia's largest desalination plant in Peru near Chennai. The plant will have a capacity of 400 millions of water per day. The plant will be powered by solar energy. And it is said that the plant will use reverse osmosis technology to desalinate seawater. And the project is expected to be completed by December 2026. This is the crux of the article given here. In this discussion, let us see what is desalination plants. Then about their working principle. And finally, let us see the pros and cons of desalination plants. Now let us start with desalination plants. First of all, know that desalination is a process of producing drinking water from salt water. The desalination plants are facilities that remove salt from seawater or brackish water to produce drinking water. The desalination process has been practiced for centuries, but it has become economically feasible in recent decades only. Know that there are two main types of desalination process. They are thermal desalination and membrane desalination. The thermal desalination plants use heat to operate seawater leaving behind the salt. Then the membrane desalination plants use semi-permeable membranes to filter salt from seawater. As we all know, the most commonly used technology for the desalination process is reverse osmosis. Now we shall see what is this reverse osmosis process. In simple terms, reverse osmosis is a technology that is used to remove a majority of contaminants from water. This is done by pushing the water under pressure through a semi-permeable membrane. Now how does this reverse osmosis work? To have a better understanding, look at this diagram here. It shows how reverse osmosis process works. Initially, the seawater or brackish water is pumped into a high-pressure chamber. See, there is a semi-permeable membrane placed in the chamber. The high pressure is applied on salt water and it forces the water molecules to pass through the membrane while the salt molecules are left behind. The filtered water is collected as fresh water and the salt-containing water that is left behind is called brine. And note that there are different types of reverse osmosis membranes that are used in desalination plants. The most common type of reverse osmosis membrane are cellulose acetate and polyamide. The microscopic pores in these membranes allow only water molecules to pass through and not any impurities. So this helps in producing clean drinking water from the seawater. I hope you understand about reverse osmosis process and about desalination plants. Now let us move on to see about the advantages of desalination plants. Firstly, desalination can provide a reliable source of drinking water in areas that are with limited freshwater resources. Secondly, desalination can be used to produce clean water for industrial and agricultural use. As the RO process used in desalination are becoming increasingly affordable, they are currently used in many fields. Then the third important significant is the desalination plants can help to improve public health by providing access to safe drinking water. This is especially important in areas where water bond diseases are common. Even though the desalination plants has many advantages, there are still some concerns surrounding desalination plants. The first concern is desalination plants are expensive to build and operate. Secondly, desalination plants uses a lot of energy which can contribute to climate change. Note that energy costs account for one-third to one-half of the total cost of producing desalinated water. So it is an energy intensive process. Thirdly, the environmental impacts of desalination plants are huge. As we saw earlier, the concentrated salt water called brine water was the byproduct of desalination process. See the release of this waste water from desalination plants into water bodies is dangerous to marine ecosystem. It can change the salinity and oxygen levels of the water which in turn can kill marine life. So, desalination plants can also have environmental impacts. And finally, the desalination process itself uses or produces a number of chemicals like chlorine, carbon dioxide, hydrochloric acid etc. These chemicals can be harmful to the environment in high concentrations. So, it is important to carefully consider these environmental impacts before building a desalination plant. For example, the brine water can be treated to reduce its salinity before letting into water bodies. Overall, desalination is a valuable tool for providing access to drinking water in areas with limited freshwater sources. The desalination plants can help us to achieve the sustainable development goal 6 which is to ensure access to water and sanitation for all. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw about the desalination process. Then we saw about the reverse osmosis technology. And finally, we saw some points about the advantages and disadvantages associated with desalination plants. And with these points in mind, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Take a look at this news article. According to the news article, the Commerce Ministry of India and the Asian nations have agreed to review their free trade agreement for goods. They have set 2025 as the deadline for finishing the review. The main motive of this review is to address the imbalance in the bilateral trade. And this is all about the news article given here. Now, in this context, let us understand about Asian. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is shortly known as ASEAN, is a regional intergovernmental organization. It was established on 18th August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand. The ASEAN was established with the signing of Asian Declaration, which is popularly known as Bangkok Declaration. Note that the secret rate of ASEAN is situated in Jakarta. Now talking about the members of ASEAN, see the founding members of ASEAN include Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. And later, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia were joined as full-time members. Therefore, at present, there are totally 10 full-time members in the ASEAN. And note that India is not a member of ASEAN, but it is a dialogue partner of ASEAN. Now talking about the chairmanship of the ASEAN, see the chairmanship of the ASEAN rotates annually according to the alphabetical order of English names of member states. And note that Indonesia currently holds the ASEAN chairmanship that is for 2023. Now we will look at the ASEAN Summit. See the ASEAN Summit is held twice annually. The ASEAN Summit is the highest policy-making body in ASEAN. It comprises of the head of states or government of the member states. Remember, the ASEAN Summit is hosted by the member state who is holding the ASEAN chairmanship. This is all about ASEAN. Now let us see about some of the important aims and purposes of ASEAN one by one. Firstly, the main purpose of the ASEAN is to promote economic and security cooperation among its member states. Secondly, the ASEAN aims to promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law. Then thirdly, the ASEAN aims to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the Southeast Asian region. And this is done through joint endeavors in the spirit of equality and partnership. Then fourthly, the ASEAN aims to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical and administrative fields. And finally, the ASEAN aims to provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres. This is all about the important aims and purposes of ASEAN. Now finally, let us see some points about India-ASEAN partnership. See, ASEAN is India's fourth largest trading partner. India has also signed and free trade agreement in goods in 2009. Later and free trade agreement in services and investments were also signed in 2014. ASEAN and India have also adopted a joint statement announcing the elevation of the existing strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership. And that's all regarding this discussion. And this discussion is all about the formation of ASEAN, then you saw about the members of ASEAN, then you saw about the important aims and purposes of ASEAN. Now with these points in mind, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Take a look at this editorial here. See, beginning from today, that is from August 22nd to August 24th, the BRICS summit is going to happen in South Africa, because of this only this editorial is written. The author of the editorial says that, the BRICS summit would provide an opportunity for India to showcase its diplomacy and it will also provide a chance to India to shape geopolitics. Now, using this as an opportunity, let us first understand the basics of BRICS. Then we will see the importance of BRICS for India, then the challenges faced by the BRICS. And finally, let us see what can be done to strengthen BRICS. Now, before getting into discussion, the syllabus regarding this discussion is highlighted here. You can go through it. Now, let us start with BRICS. See, BRICS is an acronym for the grouping of world's leading emerging economies, which include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Originally, the term BRICS was coined by British economist Jim O'Neill in 2001 to describe the four emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China. However, this grouping was formalized during the first meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in 2006. Following that, the first BRICS summit was held in Russia in 2009. Later, after arriving at a consensus amongst the BRICS leaders, South Africa was invited to join the forum on 24th December 2010. And later, South Africa joined the group and the group was turned into BRICS. This is how BRICS was formed. Also remember, there is no formal application process to join BRICS. But a government must receive anonymous backing from all existing BRICS members to receive an invitation to join the BRICS. Now, let us see some data about BRICS nations. As of now, the BRICS nations are home to 41% of global population. It accounts for about 60% of global trade. According to the reports, the five BRICS countries together contribute nearly 31.5% of global GDP compared to 30.7% by G7 countries. So, the share of BRICS nations in global GDP is higher than G7 itself. And the BRICS is expected to contribute over 50% of global GDP by 2030. Now, talking about the chairmanship, see the chairmanship of the BRICS forum is rotated annually amongst the members. This is in accordance with the acronym BRICS. For example, in 2021, the BRICS summit was chaired by India. Then, 2022 summit was chaired by China. And this year, that is, in 2023, South Africa is holding the chair. Okay, this is how the chairmen of forum is rotated annually. Now, talking about the objectives of BRICS, see the primary objective of the BRICS grouping is to promote peace, security, development and cooperation. Apart from this, the BRICS also aims at contributing significantly to the development of humanity and establishing a more equitable and fairer world. Okay, this is all about the objectives of BRICS. Now, with these basics, let us see the importance of BRICS for India. See, BRICS hold significant importance for India due to several reasons. Now, let us look at the reasons one by one. The first reason is economic opportunities. See, BRICS provides India access to a large market of emerging economies. This creates avenue for India for increased trade, investment and economic growth. Secondly, BRICS provides a diplomatic platform for India to engage with other major global players. This allows India to assert its interests on the international stage. Thirdly, India can benefit from technology and knowledge exchanges with fellow member countries. This helps India to accelerate its developmental progress. Finally, India can use BRICS as a platform to advocate for reforms in global financial institutions, then in the Invitation Security Council, and also to enhance its voice in global decision making. This is all about the significance of BRICS for India. Now, let us move on to see about India's contribution in BRICS. See, one of India's notable contribution to BRICS is the Proposal of New Development Bank. The proposal was submitted by India at the Fourth Summit hosted by India in New Delhi in March 2012. After several rounds of negotiations and Finance Minister's meetings, the agreement for setting up the bank was signed at Sixth Summit in Brazil in July 2014. See, the purpose of New Development Bank is to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries. And note that the New Development Bank has its headquarters in Shanghai and a regional office in South Africa. Note an important point here. The first president of the New Development Bank is from India. This is one contribution of India. Apart from this, India also added the Urbanization Forum to BRICS cooperation mechanisms. This forum focuses on intra-BRICS cooperation to learn from each other's experience in tackling challenges of rapid urbanization faced by all BRICS members. In addition to this, India has also proposed important initiatives in order to strengthen intra-BRICS cooperation. The initiatives were proposed at Sixth BRICS Summit in July 2014. These initiatives include establishing online education, an affordable healthcare platform, a virtual BRICS university, BRICS language schools, cooperation in small and medium enterprises, tourism, youth exchanges, a Young Scientist Forum, and disaster management. This is all about the India's contribution in BRICS. Now moving on to see about the challenges faced by the BRICS group. See, the member countries of BRICS have diverse economic, political and strategic interests. These factors challenges the arriving of consensus on certain issues. Secondly, there is economic disparities among member countries of BRICS. This can impact the group's ability to formulate unified economic strategies. Thirdly, BRICS operates in a world which is dominated by established powers. This makes it challenging for the BRICS to achieve its desired reforms. So these are the challenges that are faced by BRICS grouping. What can be done to strengthen BRICS? See, member countries should deepen cooperation in trade, technology, innovation, and sustainable development. This will strengthen the relations between BRICS countries. Secondly, the member countries should prioritize common goals like financial reform, climate action, and promoting a multipolar world. This also helps the BRICS countries to work together on a common issue. Thirdly, the people-to-people ties should be strengthening cultural and academic exchanges. This will build understanding and strong relationships among the people of member countries. Finally, the BRICS grouping should stay flexible and open to adjusting strategies to address evolving global dynamics. If BRICS engage in these activities, it will strengthen the relations between BRICS nations. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw about the basics of BRICS. Then we saw about the significance of BRICS for India. Then we saw about India's contribution in BRICS. Then we moved on to see about the challenges faced by the BRICS grouping and finally we saw some points about what can be done to strengthen BRICS. See, this topic is very much important for your mains exam. You can use these points while writing your mains answers. Now, with these points in mind, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Take a look at this news article. Recently, the 27th edition of the Malabar Naval Exercise concluded on the east coast of Australia near Sydney. The exercise involved over 20 ships, 30 aircrafts, and over 3000 personnel from Australia, India, Japan and the United States. Note that four F-35 fighter jets of Australia joined the exercise for the first time. These F-35s are the most advanced fighter jets in the world and their participation in the Malabar exercise is a sign of growing cooperation between the four countries. And this is all about the news article. Now, in this discussion, let us understand some points about Malabar exercise. Now, first, let us start with the history of Malabar exercise. The Malabar exercise is a naval exercise involving four countries, namely United States, India, Japan and Australia. The exercise was first held in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India and the United States. From 2002 onwards, the exercise has been conducted every year. See, the Japan joined the exercise only in 2015, making it a tri-lateral exercise. Then, Australia joined the exercise in 2020, making the Malabar exercise a quadrilateral exercise. So, the Malabar exercise now has the participation of all members of quad grouping. As we all know, the quad consists of India, Australia, USA and Japan. Now, where will the exercise take place? The exercise is typically held in the Indian Ocean or in the Pacific Ocean. This year, the exercise was hosted by Australia. And this is the first time Australia is hosting Malabar exercise. Note that the exercise is held annually and it is designed to improve interaction between the navies of four countries. Now, with this information, let us see the significance of Malabar exercise. Firstly, the Malabar exercise demonstrates the commitment of four countries to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The exercise sends a strong message to China that the countries of Indo-Pacific are united in their commitment to the rule-based international order. See, Malabar exercise is seen as a way to deter China's aggressive behavior in the Indo-Pacific region. So, the Malabar exercise tries to maintain security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. This is the first significance. Secondly, the Malabar exercise is designed to improve interoperability between the navies of four countries. This means that the Malabar exercise helps the navies of four countries to work together more efficiently during crisis. This is the second significance. Thirdly, the Malabar exercise helps to build trust and confidence between the navies of four countries. The exercise allows the navies to share information on best practices. In addition to this, the exercise helps to develop common operating procedures. Then, fourthly, the Malabar exercise is a symbol of growing cooperation between the four countries. This cooperation is important because it helps to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. This is all about the significance of Malabar exercise. Overall, the Malabar exercise is a significant event in the Indo-Pacific region because it maintains the balance of power and it enhances the mutual understanding between four countries, that is, India, Japan, Australia and the United States. And that's all regarding this discussion. This discussion is all about the history of Malabar exercise, then we saw about the significance of Malabar exercise. See, you can use these points in your main sensor. This will definitely enrich your main sensor. And with these points in mind, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Take a look at this news article. The news is that yesterday a woman and her baby were crushed to death in a landslip that happened in Thail district of Uttarakhand. In addition to this, the landslip also buried several other vehicles. The government said that search operation is undergoing to find more victims. And this is all about the news. Now, in this discussion, let us see what is landslide, then what is landslip and then about the causes and effects of landslide and landslip. Now, first let us see about landslide. See a landslide is a mass movement of rock, soil or any other debris down a slope. The landslides can vary in size from small localized slides to large catastrophic events that can destroy entire communities. Note that landslides are a major cause of natural disasters worldwide. It is said that the landslides are responsible for an estimated 25,000 of deaths each year and it can cause damage of billions of dollars. Where the landslides take place? Landslides can occur anywhere in the world, but they are most common in mountainous areas, coastal regions and the areas that have recently experienced heavy rains or earthquakes. These are about landslides. What is landslip? See the landslide and landslip might look like similar terms, but there is a slight difference. See landslip is a type of landslide that involves slow continuous movement of soil and rock down a slope. Here the main difference between a landslip and a landslide is that a landslip is a slow continuous movement of materials down a slope. While a landslide is a sudden rapid movement of materials down a slope. Okay, this is the major difference between landslip and landslides. Now with this information let us see the causes of landslips and landslides. The first important cause is heavy rainfall. See the landslides can be triggered by heavy rainfall because the rain can saturate the ground and make it more likely to slide. Okay, then the second important cause is snow melting. See the landslides can also be triggered by snow melt which can add water to the ground and increase the risk of sliding in high mountainous region. Then the third important cause of landslides is earthquakes. See landslide can be caused by earthquakes because they can shake the ground and destabilize the slopes of hills. This leads to sliding of rock and soil down the slope. The next important cause is volcanic activity. See the landslide can also be caused by volcanic activity which can create unstable slopes and trigger landslides. And finally human activities also contribute to landslides. The human activities such as deforestation, construction of dams and buildings and mining can trigger landslides. These activities can remove vegetation and other stabilizing factors from slopes making them more likely to slide. Okay, these are the causes of landslides. Now let us see the effects of landslides. See landslides can cause a variety of damages. Firstly the landslides lead to death and injury of people living near the mountains. The next important effect is economic damage. See landslides lead to property damage. Landslides can have a significant economic impact on communities. They can destroy businesses then they can disrupt transportation and damage infrastructure. So the costs for repairs and cleanup will be huge and it will take a lot of time. Then the next effect is infrastructure damage. See the landslides can damage roads bridges and other infrastructures. They can also block roads railways and other transportation routes. And finally the landslides can cause environmental damage. The landslides can pollute waterways, then damage ecosystems and it displaces wildlife of the particular region. Apart from this the landslides can also trigger other natural hazards such as floods and mudflows. Okay, so these are the effects of landslides and landslips. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw about what is landslide, then we saw about what is landslip, then we saw about the causes and effects of landslides and landslips. Now with these points in mind let us move on to the next part of the video that is to discuss preliminary practice questions. Today we are having four questions. I will solve three of them and one will be a quiz question for you. Now look at the first question. This question is regarding reverse osmosis technology. Here four options are given. We have to find which option is not correct about reverse osmosis. Look at the first option reverse osmosis is a membrane based separation process that uses pressure to force water molecules through a semipermeable membrane. Actually this option explains the reverse osmosis process. So this option is correct. Now coming to the second option reverse osmosis is a more energy efficient process than distillation. See this option is incorrect. The reverse osmosis is a more energy incentive process than distillation and it is not energy efficient process. This is because the reverse osmosis requires the use of a pump to pressurize the water while distillation does not require any pump. So second option is incorrect about reverse osmosis. But we need to verify whether other two options are correct or not. Now coming to the third option reverse osmosis can be used to produce drinking water from seawater. See it is one of the applications of reverse osmosis. So third option is correct. Now coming to the last option reverse osmosis can be used to produce water for industrial and agricultural use. See this option is also correct. The water produced using reverse osmosis technology can be used for industrial and agricultural purposes. So fourth option is also correct. So the correct answer is option B reverse osmosis is a more energy efficient process than distillation. Actually this statement is only incorrect. Moving on let's take up the second question. See this question is regarding landslides. Here four statements are given. We have to find how many of the statements are correct. Look at the first statement. They can occur on gentle slopes during rainy season. See this statement is correct. The landslides occur on slopes during rainy season. Now coming to the second statement earthquakes and volcanoes can trigger landslides. See this statement is also correct. As we saw in the discussion the natural resources like earthquakes and volcanoes can also cause landslides. So second statement is correct. Now coming to the third statement vegetation helps to stabilize slopes and prevent landslides. See this statement is also correct. As we saw in the discussion the vegetation helps to stabilize the slopes and it also prevents landslides. Now coming to the fourth option landslides can occur underwater and in any part of the world. See this statement is also correct. The earthquakes under oceans can induce landslides underwater and these landslides are called submarine landslides and the landslides can also occur in any part of the world. So fourth statement is also correct. Here all the given four statements are correct. So the correct answer for the question is option D all four. Moving on let's take up the final question. Here four Asian member countries are given. We have to find which among the countries is landlocked and it does not have coastline along the South China Sea. Now look at this map here. Here Vietnam is not a landlocked country and it is open to the sea. If you take Indonesia Indonesia is also not a landlocked country. Now coming to Laos. See the Laos is only a landlocked country and it does not have coastline along the South China Sea. If you take Cambodia Cambodia is not a landlocked country. So the correct answer is option C Laos. This is a quiz question for you today. I will post this quiz question in the community section. Try to answer it and the answer for the quiz question is posted in the comment section of the quiz question itself. You can verify the answer and displayed here is the main question for your practice. Go through the question write your answer and post it in the comment section. With this we have come to the end of the video. 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