 A very good evening aspirants. I welcome you all to the daily Hindu newspaper analysis brought to you by Shankar A.S. Academy for the date of 1st June 2023. Displayed here are the list of articles that we are going to discuss today. Now without wasting any time, now let us get into our discussion. This article is about Graphene. The author of the article is of the opinion that Graphene is the next big thing in the material sense. He goes on to say that it is one of the three emerging technologies along with AI and quantum computing. Furthermore, through this article he highlights the various applications of Graphene. He also points out that India is not giving the same attention to Graphene as it is giving to AI and quantum computing. He believes that if proper focus is provided to this technology, India has the potential to become the world leader. This is about the news article. In this context, in our discussion today, we will focus on the important points discussed in this article. Let us start with the basics. Firstly, what is Graphene? Graphene is a one-atom thick layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Each carbon atom in the lattice is surrounded by three carbon atoms and these carbon atoms are connected by a sigma bond which is nothing but a strong covalent bond. Now look at this image. Here you can find a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice. In simple terms, you can think of it is a super-thin sheet of carbon. Graphene can be considered as the basic building block of graphite. This is because when multiple graphene layers stack on top of each other, they form the three-dimensional structure of graphite. Now, what are the properties of Graphene? The first property is its remarkable strength. Graphene is one of the strongest material known to humankind. It has a tensile strength that is around 200 times greater than steel. At the same time, it is six times lighter than steel. The second property is conductivity. Graphene is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. It can efficiently carry electric current and dissipate heat which makes it useful for applications in electronics and thermal management. Third important property is its flexibility. Despite its exceptional strength, graphene is highly flexible and can be bent, stretched and folded without losing its properties. This flexibility enables its integration into various flexible electronic devices. Then there is transparency. Graphene is transparent and allows light to pass through it. It absorbs only a small fraction of light. To be specific, it absorbs only 2% of the light. Then graphene is highly impermeable, meaning that even gases and liquids cannot pass through it. It is impermeable to gases even those as light as hydrogen and helium. This property makes it useful in applications where a barrier or protective layer is required. The last important property is its high surface area. Graphene has an extremely high surface area due to its two-dimensional structure. This property is advantageous for applications such as energy storage and catalysis where a large surface area is desirable. These properties, among others, make graphene a material with a wide range of potential applications. Now let us see the applications of graphene highlighted in this article. Graphene has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries including electronics, energy generation, aerospace industry, automotive industry, sports equipment manufacturing, construction, healthcare, desalination and defense. Now let us look at them one by one. In electronics, graphene is used for building supercapacitors, touchscreens and conductive inks. In energy generation, graphene is used for building high-capacity batteries. Graphene-based materials can improve the efficiency of solar panels. In the aerospace industries, graphene can be used to develop stilt coatings and materials that reduce radar signatures and electromagnetic interference. In the automotive sector, graphene can be used in the manufacturing of vehicle components such as body panels or chassis, which reduces the overall weight and thus increases the fuel efficiency. In addition to this, graphene coatings can provide superior protection against corrosion, scratches and wear, thus increasing the lifespan of automotive components. Graphene also has wide applications in sports equipment manufacturing. It is used in the manufacturing of tennis rackets, golf clubs, bicycle frames and even sports apparel. In construction industry, graphene finds varied applications. Graphene can be incorporated into construction materials such as concrete and cement. This makes them stronger, more durable and lighter. This can lead to the construction of buildings and infrastructure that can withstand greater loads while using a fewer materials. Also, graphene's unique properties such as its sensitivity to environmental changes is used in the development of smart building systems. Graphene-based sensors can be used for monitoring structural health, temperature, humidity and air quality, thus ensuring safer and more sustainable buildings. In the health sector, it is used in manufacture of wearable health monitoring devices and face masks. Graphene is also used in desalination plans for water purification. Finally, in the different sector, graphene is used for making armor that offers higher ballistic protection. In addition to this, due to the highly sensitive nature of graphene, it is used to develop sensors for detecting chemical and biological agents, radiation and other hazardous substances. Due to such varied applications, India has taken some efforts to aid this new and emerging sector. One of the most significant steps taken in this regard is the setting above the Indian Innovation Centre for Graphene in Kerala. It is being implemented by the Digital University Kerala in partnership with the Tata Steel and Seemat Trishu. Due to the efforts taken by the government and the private sector, in 2018, India filed eight patents related to graphene. Now, compare this with China. In 2018, China filed two thousand eighteen patents related to graphene. China, the US, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Russia and Singapore are leading countries in the graphene research. Till 2012, graphene related patent filing was dominated by the US. From 2013 to 16, South Korea and China matched the US. After 2017, China surged ahead. Currently, China and Brazil are global leaders in the commercial production of graphene. But India produces only one-twelfth of the graphene compared to China and one-third compared to Brazil. So, India has to take steps to augment its research and development in regards to graphene. Now, what are the steps that can be taken by India? The author suggests a few steps. Firstly, a dedicated national graphene machine can be charted down by the government. Then, a dedicated ministry should be created to give full attention to this technology. If these steps are not taken soon enough by the government, then India will lose out on the graphene sector to China in the same way it lost out on the semiconductor to China. That is all regarding this discussion. Now, let us take up the next topic. Look at this news article. The crux of this article is that Apollo Cancer Care Center celebrated World Thalassemia Month. They are celebrated by honoring young Thalassemia patient who received treatment under Tamil Nadu chief minister's comprehensive health insurance scheme. In this context, let us use this opportunity to learn about the Thalassemia disease. See, Thalassemia is an inherited condition. Here, the body does not make enough hemoglobin. We know hemoglobin is an important protein in red blood cells. Now, what red blood cells do in our bodies? Yes, they carry oxygen to all the cells in our body so that they can function properly. Now, imagine if there are not enough healthy red blood cells, what might happen? Yes, we would have less oxygen delivered to our cells. This can make us feel tired, weak or short of breath. This condition is called anemia. People with Thalassemia can have milder, severe anemia. Sivea anemia can even damage organs and be life-threatening. Now, we will see the types. See, Thalassemia can be classified as alpha or beta. This depends on which part of the hemoglobin is not being made. Remember, hemoglobin has two parts, that is, alpha and beta. So, if either the alpha or the beta part is not made, there will be enough building blocks to create normal amounts of hemoglobin. The condition with low alpha is called as alpha-thalassemia and the condition with low beta is called as beta-thalassemia. Now, let us talk about the symptoms of Thalassemia. When you have anemia, you might feel weak, tired and dizzy. You might have a fast heartbeat and experience headaches or leg cramps. Also, can you think of a reason why someone with Thalassemia might have pale skin? It is because there are not enough red blood cells that can give the skin a healthy colour. Then in Thalassemia, the body tries hard to make more red blood cells. Therefore, the bone marrow which produce the blood cells may grow bigger. It can cause the bones to expand and become thinner, making them more prone to fractures. Another important organ involved is the spleen. See, spleen helps to filter the blood and fight infections. In Thalassemia, the spleen can become enlarged as it tries to make more blood cells. But this also can make the spleen less effective at filtering blood and fighting infections. Now, let us talk about the treatment of Thalassemia. See, the type of treatment depends on how severe the Thalassemia is. One way to treat anemia is through blood transfusions. Here, healthy red blood cells are given to the patient. Why do you think someone with Thalassemia might need regular blood transfusions? Yes, because their body does not produce enough hemoglobin. However, receiving frequent transfusions can lead to a condition called iron overload, where too much iron builds up in the body. We saw about the effects of iron overload in our 29th May, 2023 analysis. Check it out if you need more information about this iron overload condition. So, in order to prevent this iron overload, doctors may use a treatment called chelation therapy. This helps in removing excess iron. This can be done with medicines given as pills or injections. Additionally, people with Thalassemia may also take folic acid because that helps in the development of red blood cells. So, in summary, Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder where the body does not produce enough hemoglobin. This can lead to anemia which causes symptoms like tiredness and weakness. Treatment may involve blood transfusions. Also, we should manage iron overload through chelation therapy. That's all. With this, let us move on to our next article. Take a look at this article from the editorial page. This article speaks about the Indian monsoon. See, recently, the Indian Meteorological Department updated its monsoon outlook. The outlook says that the development of an El Nino in the 6 out of the past 10 years is linked to the diminished rainfall in the northwest and western parts of Central India, especially between July and August. Know that El Nino is a climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean. See, during the El Nino event, India is likely to receive very less rainfall in the monsoon season. However, despite the certainty of an El Nino in the past years, the IMD terms the previous monsoons as normal monsoons. This is because of another phenomenon called the Indian Ocean Dipole. See, in 1997, India had a strong El Nino. Despite this fact, India has received 2 per cent excess rain because of a positive Indian Ocean Dipole. This is what is given in this article. Now, in this context, let us understand about the Indian Ocean Dipole. Indian Ocean Dipole is the difference in the sea surface temperature between two areas or poles of the Indian Ocean. Now, what are those two areas and what will be the effect of these differences in the temperature? That is what we are going to see now. First, let us see the area. See, when we take the Indian Ocean Dipole, it includes two areas. One of them is the tropical western Indian Ocean area, which is also called the western. The other is the tropical southeastern Indian Ocean area, which is the eastern pole located in the south of Indonesia. Now, come into Indian Ocean Dipole. See, the IOD involves the oscillation of sea surface temperature between positive and negative phases. And there is also a neutral condition where there is no oscillation of sea surface temperatures. Now, let us understand what happens during the positive phase of IOD. See, during the positive phase, the water is very cold in the eastern Indian Ocean. That is the western pole is warmer and the eastern pole is cooler. As we all know, the air mass moves from the colder regions to warmer regions. During the positive phase of Indian Ocean Dipole, the eastern pole is cooler. The air moves from the eastern pole to the western pole. It provides rainfall along the way it moves. This condition leads to droughts in Indonesia region as there is very less rainfall. But it brings heavy rainfall in India. So, the positive phase of IOD is generally good for India. See, this positive IOD is also associated with lessening the effect of El Nino. As we saw earlier, El Nino defines the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean. During the El Nino event, India is likely to receive very less rainfall in the monsoon season. But the occurrence of positive IOD brings abundant monsoon rainfall despite an El Nino event. Now, let us understand what happens during the negative phase of IOD. See, during the negative phase, the eastern pole is warmer and the western pole is cooler. The negative phase of IOD brings warmer water and greater precipitation in the eastern Indian Ocean region. So, the negative IOD during April-May is associated with early monsoon onset over Kerala. And negative IOD during March-April is associated with enhanced summer monsoon rainfall over peninsula India than monsoon rainfall over central and northern India. This is all regarding IOD. So, in this section, we have discussed what is Indian Ocean Dipole, what are the effects of positive and negative Indian Ocean Dipole, and how the positive Indian Ocean Dipole condition minimizes the impact of El Nino in India. That is all with this. Let us move on to our next article. Take a look at this front page article. This article talks about the trends in GDP and GVA. Yesterday, the National Statistical Office, that is NSO, has released the provisional national income data. According to the data, India's GDP growth has accelerated to 6.1% in the January to March 2023 quarter. This in turn lifted the expansion of the Indian economy to 7.2% in 2022-23. See, the economic growth was initially estimated to be about 7% in the financial year 2022-23. However, due to the acceleration of growth in January to March 2023 quarter, the GDP growth was expanded to 7.2%. Despite this positive note, the GDP growth of financial year 2022-23 lacks behind the previous year growth. See, in the financial year 2021-22, the GDP growth stood at 9.1%. But in the financial year 2022-23, the growth was only around 7.2%. Now, coming to GVA data, the gross value added in the economy has also grown to about 7% in 2022-23. However, when we compare it with 2021-22 GVA data, it is lagging behind. In 2021-22, the GVA growth stood at 8.8%. But in 2022-23, the GVA growth was only around 7%. Now, talking about the growth in agricultural and service sector, the GVA of the agricultural sector grew about 4% in 2022-23, which is much higher than the previous year's growth of 3.5%. Apart from this, GVA of the financial, real estate and professional services sectors also grew to about 7.1%. That is higher than the previous year growth of 4.7%. In addition to this, the GVA of the trade, hotels, transport and communication sectors, as well as services related to broadcasting also grew to 14%, which is marginally higher than in the previous year. See, from this overall data, the economists noted that despite several sectors delivered a positive surprise, especially in the last quarter of the financial year, 2022-23, the consumption remained dull and the overall growth pattern remained uneven. This is all about the points given in the news article. Now, in this context, let us understand the economic concepts of GDP and GVA and then we will also understand how GDP is calculated in India. But before getting into our discussion, take a look at the syllabus which is relevant to this topic. Now, let us start with GDP. GDP stands for gross domestic product. GDP refers to the total value of goods and services that are produced within the domestic territory of a country. In other words, GDP is the market value of all the final goods and services produced within the boundary of a nation during one particular year. Note that during GDP calculation, we only take into account the final goods and we do not consider intermediate goods for the calculation. This is because if we include the intermediaries, it will lead to double counting of the value of the goods. For example, let us take a car. To manufacture cars, we need intermediary goods like engines and other electrical components. Once the car is manufactured, the final value of the car is arrived by including all the components the car has in it. Now, what happens when we include the value of these intermediary goods in the GDP calculation? See, when we include the value of intermediary goods in GDP calculation, the value is double counted while including the final value of the car. So, to avoid this double counting only GDP takes into account the final value of goods and services. Also remember, in GDP calculation income generated by foreigners in a country is included, but the income generated by nationals of our country outside the India is not included. This is all about GDP. Now, moving on to see about GVA. GVA stands for gross value added. GVA is used to calculate the total value added to the particular goods and services. To put it simply, GVA measures the value of goods and services produced in an economy after detecting the cost of inputs and raw materials used in the production process. For example, let us assume that a bakery makes bread using the wheat procured from farmers. Assume that for making one bread, one kg of wheat is used and the bakery procures one kg of wheat at 10 rupees from the farmer. Now, after procuring the wheat, the bakery adds some value like grinding the wheat and baking it into bread. After making bread, the bakery sells bread at the rate of 20 rupees. Now, during the GVA calculation, we only take into account the value added. That is, we have to detect the cost of raw materials. So, when we detect the cost of raw materials, the value addition would standard rupees 10. This is how GVA is calculated. Now, finally let us understand how GDP is calculated. Generally, there are three methods used to calculate GDP. They include expenditure method, income method and production method. Let us understand these methods one by one. First, let us take the expenditure method. As the name implies, in the expenditure method, the GDP is calculated based on how much we spend on goods and services. In the expenditure method, four factors are added to arrive at a GDP. Firstly, consumption. Consumption is nothing but the spending that households do on goods and services. Secondly, investment. Investment refers to the spending that companies do on purchasing the machinery and equipment to operate their businesses. Thirdly, government spending. It is the spending of government within the economy like spending on education, healthcare and so on. And finally, net exports. It is the value that is arrived at by detecting the value of exports with that of imports. So, based on these four factors only, GDP is calculated using the expenditure method. Now, moving on to see about the income method. See, in the income method, GDP is arrived at by adding together all the factor payments. Here, factor payments are nothing but the payments that go into the factors of production such as land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship. See, the particular businesses gives rent for the land, then wages for the labor and interest for the capital amount and in return, the business gets profit. So, adding all these factors, we can get the GDP by using the income method. Now, finally, let us take the production method. See, in the production method, the GDP is measured based on the total value of all goods produced in the economy minus the value of intermediate goods. This is all about the methods of GDP calculation. That is all. So, in this section, we have discussed about GDP, how it is calculated, what is GVA and about the current data released by the NSO. With this, let us move on to our next article. Look at this news article. The crux of this article is that Prime Minister of Nepal has come to India for a four-day visit. During this visit, several agreements will be signed between Nepal and India. The focus of the visit is to strengthen business ties and promote employment and investment exchanges between two countries. In this context, we will learn about India-Napal ties in brief. See, India-Napal have a close relationship with cooperation in various fields. First, let us discuss trade and the economy. India is Nepal's largest trade partner and the bilateral trade is reaching over 7 billion US dollars. Also, India provides transit for most of Nepal's trade with other countries. Then, you should also know that Indian firms are among the biggest investors in Nepal. They contribute more than 33% of the total foreign direct investment. Next, let us move on to connectivity. We know Nepal is a landlocked country and it is surrounded by India on three sides and it has limited access to other regions. So, to enhance connectivity, India and Nepal have initiated various programs to improve transportation and promote economic growth. For example, India is working on developing inland waterways. This would provide Nepal with additional access to the sea. Also, MOUs have been signed between both governments for laying an electric rail track. This track will link Kathmandu with Ragsal in India. Next, we will discuss about defence cooperation. India supports the modernisation of the Nepalese army by providing equipment and training. Additionally, the Gorka regiments of the Indian army include recruits from the hill districts of Nepal. To further strengthen defence ties, India and Nepal conduct joint military exercises called Surya Kiran. Moving on, let us talk about the humanitarian assistance. Nepal is prone to natural disasters like earthquakes and floods. And India provides significant humanitarian aid to help Nepal during such crisis. Also, to improve the cultural ties, India has signed three sister city cities. This is for the twinning of Kathmandu and Varanasi. Both are important pilgrimage sites. Lumbini, Bodhgaya. Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha and Bodhgaya is the place where he attained enlightenment. And Jhanakpur and Ayodhya. Ayodhya is the place where Lord Rama is believed to be born and Jhanakpur is the place where Sita Devi is believed to be born. Now, let us discuss the challenges in the relationship between India and Nepal. One challenge is the territorial dispute and this has been a point of contention since the British era. Another challenge is related to the peace and friendship treaty signed in 1950. The treaty was initially seen as a positive step. But it is now viewed by some as unequal relationship that was imposed by India and Nepal. China's intervention is also a significant challenge. In recent years, Nepal has been moving closer to China. And China has been investing heavily in Nepal's infrastructure projects as a part of its Belt and Road initiative. Lastly, internal security is a concern. The Indo-Napal border is open and lightly policed. Therefore, it is sometimes exploited by terrorist groups and insurgent organizations from the north-eastern India. To overcome these challenges, it is crucial for India and Nepal to engage in open and sensitive dialogue. India should actively engage with Nepal in various areas such as people-to-people interactions, bureaucratic engagement and political discussions. Additionally, both countries should focus on implementing the bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement, that is BIPA. This agreement was signed to promote, protect and encourage investments. Basically, to safeguard the investors of one state who invest in the territory of other state. So, understanding these complexities is essential and it is important for India and Nepal to work together to overcome these challenges and build stronger ties. With this, let us move on to our next article. Look at this news article. It says that the NIA and Jharkhand police have seized explosives, arms and ammunition. This is in connection with the PLFI terror funding case. Just know that PLFI, that is the People's Liberation Front of India, is a militant Maoist outfits formed in Jharkhand. The seized items include gelatin, ammunition, pistols and IEDs from various locations in Jharkhand. In this discussion, we are not getting into the detail of the case, but we will try to learn about NIA, that is National Investigation Agency from our NIA's perspective. See, NIA is a federal agency in India which is responsible for investigating and also prosecuting crimes related to terrorism, insurgency and national security. It was established in 2009 after the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008. This is to ensure the safety of the country. Note that the NIA operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs and it has the authority to investigate cases that affect the whole country, which also means it can investigate cases even across the state boundaries. Basically NIA collects and analyses intelligence related to terrorism and national security. And it works closely with other law enforcement agencies both in India and internationally. Now let us talk about how the NIA carries out its investigations. See, the state governments can refer cases related to scheduled offenses to the union government. The union government will then direct the NIA to investigate the case. The NIA also seeks the sanction of the union to prosecute the accused under certain offenses. During investigations the NIA can also look into any other connected offenses. Finally, the cases are presented before the NIA's special court. The primary purpose of the special NIA court is to exclusively hear and decide cases related to terrorism, insurgency and other offenses falling under the jurisdiction of the NIA. See, in 2019 some changes were made to the NIA Act. One significant change is that now NIA can investigate crimes committed outside of India if they fall under its jurisdiction. This is done in accordance with the international treaties and the laws of the countries involved. Another change is that NIA's scope has been widened. It can now investigate crimes related to human trafficking, counterfeit currency, prohibited arms, cyber terrorism and crimes under the explosive substances act among others. The amendment also allows the central government to designate sessions court as special cases under the act. This is done in consultation with the chief justice of the relevant high court. Note that state governments can also designate sessions court as special courts. The schedule to the act specifies a list of offenses which are to be investigated and prosecuted by the NIA. The list includes the following acts. The explosive substances act, atomic energy act, unlawful activities prevention act, anti-hijacking act, suppression of unlawful acts against safety of civil aviation act, sword conventions, suppression of terrorism act, suppression of unlawful acts against safety of maritime navigation and fixed platforms on continental shelf act, weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems act, relevant offenses under the Indian penal code, arms act and the information technology act. Also in September 2020, the center empowered the NIA to also probe offenses under the narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances act that are connected to terror cases. Please make a note of it. With this let us move on to our next part of discussion that is practice prelims question discussion. Today we will be discussing 4 MCQ questions out of which I will solve 3 of them and one question will be a quiz question for you. Now let us take up our first question. In this question 4 diseases are given and we have to find which among them are inherited disorders. See the tuberculosis is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is not a hereditary disorder but thalassemia, sickle cell disease and Huntington's disease are hereditary in nature. So the correct answer here is option C 3 only. Now let us move on to our next question. This question is about national investigation agency. Here 4 statements are given and we have to find which among them falls under the jurisdiction of NIA. See the jurisdiction of NIA extends to whole of India and it also applies to Indian citizens outside the country as well. It also includes persons in the service of government wherever they are posted. Persons on the ships and aircraft registered in India wherever they may be and also to persons who commit a scheduled offense beyond India against the Indian citizens are affecting the interest of India also falls under the jurisdiction of NIA. So the correct answer here is option D all 4. With this let us move on to our next question. This is a previous question about Indian ocean dipole. Here 2 statements are given and we have to find the correct ones. The first statement says that IOD phenomenon is characterized by a difference in sea surface temperature between the tropical western Indian ocean and tropical eastern Pacific ocean. The first statement is incorrect because the Indian ocean dipole is defined by the difference in the sea surface temperature between the western Indian ocean and the eastern Indian ocean. Second statement says that an IOD phenomenon can influence an El Nino's impact on the monsoon. This statement is correct and IOD if there is a positive IOD it can bring good drains to India despite of an El Nino here. The question asks for the correct statements. So the answer here is option B 2 only. This is the quiz question of the day. Think well and post the correct answer below in the comment section. These are the main practice questions for the day. You can write your answers and post them in comment sections as well. With this we have come to end of our discussion. If you found this video useful hit the like button, share it with your fellow friends and share your thoughts in the comment section. And most importantly don't forget to subscribe Shankar IS Academy's YouTube channel for more UPS related content. Thank you for listening patiently. Have a nice day.