 Good morning aspirants, welcome to Indian Express News Analysis for the first week of December 2023. Displayed here are the list of topics we are going to see today. Now let us get into the discussion. Look at this news article, scientists are attempting to bring back the Dodo species which is extinct since 17th century. They are attempting to reintroduce the species in Mauritius which is a tiny island in western Indian Ocean. So in this context, let us know some basics about Dodo species and similar extinct species. See the extinction of Dodo is a significant event in history and it is relevant for our environment, biodiversity related topics. Dodo is a flightless bird which is native to Mauritius island in Indian Ocean. It means it existed only in Mauritius island but it was extinct in late 17th century primarily due to human activities. See in 16th century when humans discovered Mauritius island they brought invasive species such as rats, pigs and monkeys to the island. These animals destroyed the Dodo's nest, ate their eggs and competed for resources. So this led to decline in the population of Dodo. Before the arrival of humans into Mauritius island the Dodo species has no natural predators however due to its flightlessness and relatively gentle nature it was an easy target for hunting by humans. This bird was extensively hunted for food and contributed to the rapid decline of its population. Since the Dodo birds cannot fly they remained on Mauritius island and eventually they became extinct. So this extinction of Dodo serves as an example of impact of human activities on biodiversity and the balance of ecosystem. The extinction of various species is an important topic which is relevant for our exam especially in the discussion related to biodiversity, environmental conservation and anthropogenic impacts. Some other species like Dodo which have gone extinct are Quagga, Tosmanian tiger, Passenger pigeon, Stellar sea cow etc. If you take Quagga it is native to South Africa and it was subspecies of Zebra. It was hunted and became extinct in late 19th century. It was hunted mainly for its skin then Tosmanian tiger which is also known as thylacine. It is a carnivorous marsupial native to Tosmania which is an island located near Australia. It was also hunted by humans and it became extinct in early 20th century. Then Passenger pigeon which is one of the most abundant bird species in North America and it was also hunted on large industrial scale. The Passenger pigeon became extinct in 1914 and then Stellar sea cow which was discovered by Europeans in 18th century near commander islands in Bering Sea. Due to over hunting by sailors it became extinct within 27 years of its discovery. So these are some of the species which gone extinct recently. So this is all about the discussion now let us move to the next topic. Now look at this news article a team of researchers from IIT Roper has found the presence of tantalum in Satellite rivers and in Punjab. According to experts the presence of tantalum is significant not only for Punjab but also for India as the metal is widely used in electronics and semiconductors. So this news about a rare metal that is recently found in India has chances of reflecting in our prelims exam. So let us know some basics about tantalum. See tantalum is a rare metal and has atomic number of 73 it is gray in color and it is very hard heavy and one of the most corrosion resistant metals. It has high corrosion resistance because when exposed to air it forms an oxide layer that is extremely difficult to remove even by using strong acids. See when in pure state tantalum is ductile it means it can be stretched, pulled or drawn into a thin wire without breaking. Moreover it is also completely immune to chemical attack at temperature below 150 degrees Celsius. It can be only attacked by hydrofluoric acid or acid containing fluoride ion. Also note that tantalum has extremely high melting point. So these are some important properties of tantalum. Democratic Republic of Congo is largest producer of tantalum. China, Ethiopia and Mozambique also has high reserves of tantalum. So this is about the global distribution of tantalum. With this now let us see the important applications of tantalum. It is widely used in electronic sector. The capacitors made from tantalum are much efficient than other metals. So they are prominently used in smartphones, laptops and digital cameras. As tantalum has high melting point it is frequently used as a substitute for platinum. It is also used to make components for chemical plants, nuclear power plants, aeroplanes and missiles. Tantalum does not react with bodily fluids and it is used to make surgical equipment and implants like artificial joints. The discovery of tantalum in satellite river basin indicates that there may be a potential source of tantalum in India. So this could reduce the dependence on imports and increase the domestic supply. So this is all about the news article discussion. Now let us move to the next topic. Look at this article. It is about Prime Minister E-Bus Seva scheme. The scheme aims to enhance city bus operations by introducing 10,000 electric buses through public-private partnership model. Now what is the purpose of the scheme? It aims to enhance the urban transportation efficiency and promote environmentally friendly practices in urban transportation. There were two segments in the scheme. The first segment that is segment A involves augmenting city bus services in 169 cities around India. This segment is dedicated to strengthening the urban transportation by introducing 10,000 e-buses under PPP model. Now coming to the second segment that is segment B. It involves green urban mobility initiatives and it is turned over 181 cities in India. So this segment includes improving infrastructure and implementing national common mobility card for fare collection in buses and building necessary charging infrastructure for e-buses. So by integrating these sustainable practices the scheme aims to transform the mobility in urban cities. Now what are the main features of the scheme? The scheme will encompass cities with population of 3 lakh and above based on 2011 census data. This comprehensive approach includes all capital cities of union territories, regions in northeastern part of the country and also hilly states. The highlight of the scheme is it focuses on cities lacking organized bus services so it makes an effort to bridge the urban mobility gap. Now if we have to point out the significance of the scheme we can write like it enhances employment opportunity, boosting e-mobility, environmental impact and greenhouse gas reduction because introducing e-buses in urban transport system will reduce the carbon emissions. So this is about the PM e-bus seva scheme. Look at this news article. Gujarat's most popular folk dance form called garba dance was included in intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO. So in this context let us know about garba dance and a few points about intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO. First let us take up the garba dance. Traditionally garba is performed around an earthen pot which is called garbo. It has a lamp inside it which is called garba deep. This representation is symbolic. The lantern symbolizes life that is the feutus inside the womb. The pot itself symbolizes the body within which divinity resides. Dancers move around in circles making circular movements with their hands and feet around this earthen pot. So this gesture symbolizes the circle of life which moves from life to death to rebirth leaving only the mother divine and mood and changing and invincible. So this is the meaning of garba dance. See garba has a more devotional appeal. This is because it is performed to bhajans and chants praising the divine forms of goddess. This dance form was originated in Gujarat and it is performed during Navaratri. Now you may ask why it was performed during Navaratri. The reason is that these dance forms are dramatization of nine day battle between Goddess Durga and demon king Mahishasura in Hindu mythology. And in this battle Goddess Durga emerged victoriously. So that is what symbolized by Navaratri as well. And this is why the dances are conducted during Navaratri festival. So this is about the garba dance. Now let us see some points about UNESCO intangible heritage tag. See tangible means something which is perceptible by touch and has a physical appearance. On other hand intangible means unable to be touched or not having a physical presence. So in the context of tangible heritage it generally refers to a heritage that has physical presence. It includes objects, artifacts, buildings or monuments. On other hand intangible cultural heritage means a heritage that is not physical but it is a living form of heritage. So it includes oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, knowledge and practices concerning nature. But this cultural heritage faces threat. For example the tangible cultural heritage like monuments can be damaged and in case of intangible cultural heritage they are lost or forgotten by the society. So in order to preserve and protect tangible cultural heritage, UNESCO identifies the world heritage sites under its 1972 convention called Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Similarly for preserving intangible cultural heritage UNESCO created a convention in 2003 which is called Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage. Also note that the convention proposes five broad domains in which intangible cultural heritage is manifested. These five domains are oral traditions and expressions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and universe, traditional craftsmanship. So various intangible cultural heritage belonging to different communities or regions are listed under these five domains. In addition to these domains for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage UNESCO maintains three lists under this convention. The first one is list of intangible cultural heritage in the need of urgent safeguarding. Second one is representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Third one is register of good safeguarding practices. If we take the Garbadan's which was included in intangible cultural heritage list it was included in the second type of list that is representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This list includes those intangible heritage elements that help to demonstrate diversity of ICH and raise awareness about its importance. So intangible cultural heritage from India are only included in representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity as of now. So this is all about the discussion. Here we have seen some information about Garbadan's and about intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO. With this let us move to the next topic. Look at this news article. It talks about all India judicial service. It raises various questions about this all India judicial service. So in our discussion today we shall analyze this all India judicial service. We are going to see why this all India judicial service is necessary and what are the pros and cons of all India judicial service. So first let us start with the need for all India judicial service. Firstly there is a huge vacancy of judges and delay in recruitment. See there are large vacancies in the post in lower judiciary across the country and a huge pendency of more than 3 crore cases in lower judiciary. So one of the primary reasons is delay in recruitment for lower judiciary. So introducing all India judicial service will rectify this vacancies and delay in cases. Secondly there is a decline in quality of judicial officers. See the current recruitment system have delayed the delivery of justice, increased the pendency of cases and impaired the quality of judgements. So introducing an all India judicial service will rectify this continuing decline in quality of judicial officers. Thirdly there is lack of finances with state governments. State judicial officers are not attractive for vested talents due to low salaries, low rewards and compensations awarded by state governments. Fourthly lack of specialized state training institutions. See education is a specialization which requires state of our training institutes and professors. But the state institutes lack the capacity to allow such education exposure to selected candidates. So this lack of specialized training also lead to decline in quality of judicial officers. Now what are the benefits of all India judicial service? We shall see them one by one. First is it attracts fresh talent. All India judicial service will ensure a transparent and efficient method of recruitment and it attracts the best talent in India's legal profession. A national service for judges will be attractive proposition for young lawyers to apply for it. Secondly there will be accountability, transparency and objectivity in the recruitment process. Open competition exam would bring accountability, transparency in the recruitment process of judiciary so the current system of opaque recruitment process can be neglected. Thirdly there will be representation to deprived students. See the all India judicial service will improve the judiciary's representative character by bringing in more women and socially deprived sections to become judges. Fourthly it increases the judge-to-population ratio and check the dependency of cases. All India judicial service will ensure filling up of vacancies and ramping up of recruitment to the lower judiciary. In India there are about 19 judges per 10 lakh population but there should be 50 judges per 10 lakh people. So this judge-to-population ratio can be maintained through all India judicial services. Now we shall see what are the disadvantages if we create all India judicial service. Firstly dilution of separation of power. See the creation of all India judicial service will transfer the control of power of state judiciary to union government. It would undermine the independence of judiciary and dilute the separation of power mandated under Article 50. Secondly it is against India's federal structure. A centralized recruitment process is seen as an danger to federalism and encroachment of powers of state governments. Thirdly local language problem. The judges recruited by all India judicial service will find it difficult with the local language and thus hampering their dispension of justice. There are also local laws and customs which are not known to judges recruited from all India judicial service which is done all over the India. Then there will be discriminatory for weaker sections and possibility of elitism. Candidates from elite legal schools and large cities may benefit from centralized recruitment process. So this could be discriminatory for people from less fortunate homes and smaller communities. So these are some of the disadvantages of all India judicial service. So in this discussion we have seen what is the need for creating all India judicial service, what are the benefits and what are the disadvantages of all India judicial service. So we have to wait and see what will happen on this matter. So this is all about the discussion. With this we have come to the end of the discussion. If you like the video please share it with your friends and don't forget to subscribe to Shankara IS Academy YouTube channel. Thank you.