 A very good evening aspirants, welcome to the Hindu newspaper analysis brought to you by Shankar Iyer's Academy for the day 24th of December 2021. So these are the list of articles that we are going to discuss today. The first article here, it is about the National Family Health Survey. So under this article discussion, we are going to see about NFHs, its range and scope, the nodal agency for conducting the survey and some of the issues. The second article, it is about the Marmalapuram Fest, which is nothing but a dance festival conducted annually for a period of 30 days. So under this article discussion, we are going to see the significance of the place Marmalapuram and some of the important monuments that are present there. The third article is about the earthquake that had happened in Karnataka. So under this article discussion, we are going to have a basic revision of what is earthquake, the causes of it and the effects of it. And finally this article here is about Olive Ridley and we are going to discuss Olive Ridley's from Prillam's point of view. So without any delay, we'll get into the article discussion. See this article here, it is an editorial article. It talks about the National Family Health Survey, NFHS. It also talks about its range and its scope and some of the issues regarding NFHs. So this is the crux of the article. We'll see each and every point that is discussed in this editorial article. And adding to this, we'll also see some of the solutions to tackle the problems with NFHs. But before that, the syllabus relevant for the analysis is highlighted here for your reference. Please go through it. So first of all, what is NFHs? It is nothing but the National Family Health Survey. It is a large scale multi-round survey conducted in India. It provides information about fertility, infant and child mortality and the practice of family planning. The information regarding maternal and child health, reproductive health, nutrition, anemia and quality of health and family planning services are also provided by the survey. Now we'll see how the survey is conducted. See the survey, it is conducted in a sample of households throughout India. The first survey was conducted in the year 1992-1993. The NFHs 2019-20 was the fifth in the series. Remember each survey costs up to 250 crores. The specific goals of the survey are to provide essential data on health and family welfare. It is needed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other agencies for the policy and program purposes. So mainly for this purpose only, the survey is being conducted. Adding to this, it also provides information on important emerging health and family welfare issues. Now we'll see the nodal agency responsible for conducting the survey. The International Institute for Population Sciences IIPS is the nodal agency responsible for providing coordination and technical guidance for the survey. And also know that the survey gets the funding from the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, and the Department for International Development, DFID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA and also Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. So the survey gets funding from all of these agencies. Note that NFHS prepares a large volume of data that is openly accessible. The report of the fifth round of NFHS, that is, NFHS-5, was recently released. NFHS is the go-to source for many researchers and policymakers and is frequently used for various rankings by NITDIO. We'll see why they are using this data and what are the data that are contained in the survey. The important point to note here is that the respondents of the survey, that is, the people who answered the question that are asked in the survey, they are largely the women in the reproductive age group, that is, 15 to 49 years. The fifth round covered 6,36,699 households and 7,24,115 women and 1,839 men across the country. Over the years, its scope has been expanded to include HIV, non-communicable diseases or NCDs and it also includes tobacco and alcohol use, hypertension, blood sugar and vitamin D3 levels. So the NFHS, it has data about all these criteria. Note that in the NFHS-4, the household questioner had 74 questions. The women's questioner alone was 93 pages along with 1,139 questions. The NFHS-5 questioner was even longer. We are discussing here because the size of the survey directly affects the data quality. Only when we ask many questions, we'll know what is the reality on the ground level. Know that the NFHS survey is actually outsourced to a set of agencies and the issues have been frequently raised on the quality of these agencies and their workers. See these surveys are done to meet the global commitments on targets. We have targets for non-communicable diseases for tobacco and mainly for example, the Sustainable Development Goal target that is 3.4 which aims to reduce by one third the premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment by 2030. So for achieving this target, we have to know where we are standing. So for these purposes only, the surveys are being conducted. Now let us see some of the issues with NFHS. The problem is that we are confusing the research with program monitoring and surveillance needs. For example, NFHS has questions on domestic violence. The data we have from NFHS about domestic violence consists of interview answers by women. So it is not authentic. What has to be done here? It has to be found by extensive research. So this is one problem with NFHS. Another issue is that the Department of Planning, Statistics and Program Monitoring who is supposed to take a final call on the survey lacks the technical capacity. You can understand the extent of the issue here because the authority which is supposed to take a final call is lacking the technical capacity. So as a result, it accepts all the demands from different advocates of health survey and it becomes difficult to properly align the survey. Therefore, it becomes bulkier at times. Know that the NFHS is not the only survey that the Health Ministry conducts. It also conducts national NCD monitoring survey that is nothing but the non-communicable diseases and the National Mental Health Survey, Global Adult Tobacco Survey, the Alcohol Survey, the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey and many more. So these are the surveys conducted by the Health Ministry apart from the NFHS. But the multiple surveys, they also rise the problem of differing estimates due to sampling differences in the surveys. For example, the data on tobacco use, there is a lot of differences in the estimates of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey and the National NCD Monitoring Survey that is NNMS. And it will differ from data on tobacco that is available in the NFHS. Another example is the issue of wide divergence in the sex ratio at birth reported by the NFHS and the sample registration system. But here, we can safely say that the SRS that is the sample registration system is a better system because it continuously monitors the population. Unlike NFHS, which just conducts the cross-sectional surveys. Now the question arises, is it a time to end the over-dependence on one survey to provide all the public health data for India? According to the author of this article, the answer is yes. The experience of NFHS and other surveys has conclusively demonstrated our capacity to conduct large-scale surveys with computer-assisted interviews and reasonable quick turnaround and cost. The author also says that it is time to show that we have the capacity to plan the public health data needs for the country. We should ensure that these data are collected in an orderly and regular manner with appropriate budgetary allocation. This requires clarity of purpose and a determined realistic approach to the issue. See, the author here proposes just three national surveys. First is a shortened NFHS focusing on reproductive on child health. The second is behavioral surveillance survey focusing on HIV, NCD, water sanitation and hygiene, which is nothing but wash. And the third one is single nutrition biological survey focusing on data collection, on blood pressure, anthropometry, blood sugar, serology, etc. It should be done every three to five years in an organized manner. Also, our states have to become active partners including providing financial contributions to these surveys. Other important public health questions should be answered by specific studies conducted by the academic institutions on a research mode. And note that it is also very important to ensure that the data arising from these surveys are in the public domain because this enables different analysis and viewpoints enriching the discussion and unlocks the full potential of the survey. And India have the technical capacity for doing so. And finally, above all, a strong political will is needed for all this to happen. So with this, we have come to the end of our discussion. We'll have a quick recap. What all we saw? We saw what is National Family Health Survey and what are all the information that is provided by the survey, which is nothing but fertility, infant child mortality and family planning. And we saw the range and scope of it. And after that, we saw the nodal agency responsible for conducting the survey. And we saw the funding by different agencies. And we moved on to see the respondents of the survey who are nothing but people who answered survey questions. And finally, we saw the issues that are found with National Family Health Survey and the measures suggested by the author for overcoming the issues. The author proposes just three national surveys which is a short and NFHs focusing on reproductive and child health, RCH, behavioral survey, focusing on HIV, NCD, water sanitation and hygiene. And the final one is a single nutrition biological survey focusing on all the biological parameters such as serology, blood sugar, blood pressure, etc. So with these important points in mind, we'll move on to the next article. Look at this news article. This article talks about mamallapuram dance fest. This fest is going to take place for 30 days. There will be around 90 performances in this mamallapuram fest. So this is about the article here. See, in this context, in Prillam's perspective, let us know about what is mamallapuram fest. In addition to this, we'll see the architectural significance of mamallapuram as a boost to our Prillam's preparation. Now we will start the discussion with the mamallapuram fest. See, it is a dance festival organized every year from early January to February for a period of four weeks. During this grand annual 30-day event, Indian dance performances such as Bharatanatyam, Kuchupudi, Moginiatam, Kadhak and some of the four kaths such as Oilatam, Karagatam, Kavadi, Thappatam will be held. Take a look at these images carefully. Did you notice something in the background? Yeah, most interestingly, this mamallapuram fest is held with the spectacular Arjunas Penance in the backdrop. We'll discuss about this Arjunas Penance architecture later in our discussion. Now, we will finish our discussion about this fest. This fest is truly attribute to great art form that enjoys a very high popularity all over the world for its style and grandeur. Thus, the festival attracts people from all parts of the world. So far, we discussed about the fest, that is the dance festival. Now, we'll move on to see about this place that is mamallapuram under its significance. Mamallapuram or otherwise called as Mahabalipuram is located along south-east in India's Coromandel Coast. This place was a celebrated port city of Palavas. That was in the 7th and 8th centuries. See, this place consists of a group of monuments having rock-cut cave temples, monolithic temples, bas-relief sculptures and structural temples as well as the excavated remains of the temples. See, this place is known especially for its radhas meaning temples in the form of chariots, then mandabas which are in the form of cave sanctuaries. Then the giant open-air reliefs such as the famous descents of the Ganges and the temple of Rewaj with thousands of sculptures that are adding glory to Lord Shiva. See, you can see in these images. These majestic edifices, they were created by the Palava dynasty which ruled this area between 6th and 9th centuries CE. These group of monuments occupy a distinct position in the Indian classical architecture showcasing the high quality of craftsmanship in the region. That too during the 6th century CE. See, the natural landscape of the region was utilized in carving out these structures thereby making the ability of the Palava craftsmen universally known. The monuments can be subdivided into five categories. See, the first category is mandabas. These are the result of new innovations in the rock medium in the form of cave temples. During the time of Narasimha Verma 1, these type of mandabas are built. Notable examples of the cave temple here are Koneri Mandapa, Mahishmardini Cave, Varaha Mandapa. Now the second category, it is the radhas. See, the monolithic temples, monolithic is nothing but the sculpture or something is carved from a single material, single stone. So, these monolithic temples are locally called as radhas. Radha means chariot as they resemble the professional chariots of a temple. There are five monolithic temples which are commonly called as panchradha. They are richly carved with artistic motifs and wall panels depicting many Hindu divinities and royal portraits. Now moving on to the third category. Third category is rock reliefs. See, the sculptural bas reliefs are another master creation created during mamallas reign. There are four such reliefs at mamallapuram. The most noteworthy among them is the Arjuna's penance and the Govardhanadari. See, do you remember this Arjuna's penance place as the grand mamallapuram festus being conducted here? See, this Arjuna's penance as majestic relief carved on two enormous adjacent rocks that adds a touch of authenticity and an imitable charm to this cultural event. Hence, such an open air stage combined with the best dances of India who come from far and wide truly make it a dwell in the crown of cultural events. Now, let us see the fourth category which is the temples. The structural architecture on a grand scale was introduced by King Rajasimha. The earliest and the most modest is the Mukantanayanar temple then followed by Olakaneshwara temple. They are rested on a rock near the lighthouse. The famous Shoa temple which was the most finite layout of the Dravidah Vimana is found majestically fringing the sea. Now, let us come to the last category which is nothing but the excavated remains. See, the sustained removal of the sand over a period of time has brought to light several buried structures around the Shoa temple. Unique among them is a stepped structure a miniature shrine which consists of a Puvaraha image and a reclining image of Vishnu. All of these are carved in the live bedrock. Both have recently been excavated including one to the south of the Shoa temple. So, we have finished seeing the subdivisions of the Marmalapuram monuments. Now, let us see the significance. The first significance is the vast relief of the descent of Ganges which is like that of the island of Elephanta. Both are unique artistic achievements. The second significance is the characteristics of these cultures like softness and suppleness of their modeling which spread to far away places such as Cambodia and Java. The third significance of Marmalapuram is because it is a testimony to the Pallava civilization of Southeast India. Since there are identified potential threats to the integrity of the property including encroachment and unauthorized constructions in the prohibited or regulated areas the significant group of monuments is monitored and well maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. So, with this, we have come to the end of our discussion. We will have a quick recap. What all we saw? We saw about Marmalapuram Fest which is nothing but a dance festival in which different Indian dancers are performed. They include Bharatanatyam, Kuchupudi, Moginiatam, Kathak, Oilatam, Karakatam, Kavidi and Thappatam. And after that, we saw about the place Marmalapuram and the important monuments that are in the Marmalapuram area which includes rock-cut cave temples, monolithic temples, bas-relief sculptures, structural temples and excavated remains. And after that, we saw five subdivisions of the monuments which include Mandabas, Radhas, rock reliefs, temples and excavated remains. And finally, we saw the significance of these monuments at Marmalapuram which include unique artistic achievements and the spread of these monuments' significance to faraway places and finally, a testimony to the Pallavas civilization of Southeast India. So with these learnt points in mind, we will move on to the next article discussion. Look at this article. This article is with reference to the earthquake which was reported in Chikbalapur, Taluk in Karnataka on Thursday. In this context, we will learn about the earthquakes and its causes and the effects. So without any delay, let's start our discussion. First of all, what is an earthquake? See, an earthquake is a sudden shaking or trembling of earth which lasts for a very short time. It is caused by a disturbance deep inside the earth's crest. Crest is nothing but the uppermost layer of the earth. They can cause immense damage to buildings, bridges, dams and people. There can be a great loss to life and property. Earthquakes can also cause floods, landslides and tsunamis. So what causes an earthquake? It is caused by the disturbance deep down inside the uppermost layer of the earth which is called as the crest. And remember, the outermost layer of the earth is not in one piece. It is fragmented. Each fragment is called a plate and these plates are in continual motion. When they brush past one another or a plate goes under the another plate due to collision, they cause disturbance in the earth's crest. It is this disturbance that shows up as an earthquake on the surface of the earth. You can see this figure for better understanding. See when the lithosphere, that is the layer which makes up the uppermost part which is crest and a part of mantle, when this lithospheric plates move, the surface of the earth vibrates. The vibrations can travel all around the earth. In simple terms, these vibrations are called earthquakes. The place in the crest where the movement starts is called as the focus. The place on the surface above the focus is called the epicenter. See the vibrations travel outwards from the epicenter as waves. The greatest damage is usually closest to the epicenter and the strength of the earthquake decreases away from the epicenter. See the focus and the epicenter are the two important points when it comes to earthquake because these points help in determining the damage caused by the earthquakes. Now we know that earthquakes are caused by the movement of the plates. The boundaries of the plates are the weak zones where the earthquakes are more likely to occur. The weak zones are also known as seismic zones or fault zones. We will see what is the case in India. In India, the areas that are most threatened are Kashmir, western and central Himalayas, the whole of northeast, Ranavkach, Rajasthan and the Indo-Ganjati plain. Some areas of south India also fall in the danger zone. Look at this map for better understanding of different seismic zones and intensity of earthquakes. See the power of an earthquake is expressed in terms of magnitude on a scale called the richer scale. An earthquake of 2.0 or less can be felt only a little. Really, really destructive earthquakes have magnitudes higher than 7 on the richer scale. Both Buj and Kashmir they had earthquakes which had the magnitudes greater than 7.5. There is another scale which is also called as McKelley scale which measures the intensity of an earthquake that is the damage caused by the earthquake. So we saw about the earthquakes, its effects and how to see it is very important to take necessary precautions to protect ourselves during the earthquake especially people living in seismic zones because the earthquakes are more likely to occur there and so they have to be specially prepared. First of all the buildings in these zones should be designed such that they can withstand major tremors. Modern building technology can also make it possible or otherwise on the safer side it is always better to get away from these dangerous zones. So with that we have come to the end of our discussion. We will have a quick recap. So what all we saw? We saw about earthquake which is nothing but sudden shaking or trembling of earth for a shorter time that is happening deep inside the earth's crest and we saw the causes of earthquake that is nothing but the movement of the plates. When these plates move the surface of the earth vibrates and these vibrations are called as earthquakes and the place where the vibration starts is called the focus. The point on the surface above the focus is called the epicenter. The damage is greater near the epicenter and it is lesser far away from the epicenter. And finally we saw what is the case in India that is what are the areas that are affected by earthquakes which includes Kashmir, western and central Himalayas, whole of northeast Iran of Kutch, Rajasthan and Indo-Ganjati plain. And we saw about the richer and more scale. Richer scale measures the magnitude of the earthquake, more scale measures the intensity of the earthquake. So with this key take away points let's move on to the next article. Now look at this article. See this article talks about the tagging of olive ridley turtles. Researchers of this Vological Survey of India that is ZSI they are carrying out the tagging of the olive ridleys at 3 mass nesting sites. They are nothing but Gahirmata, Devi River Mouth and Rishikulia. So these are the 3 mass nesting sites. And recently the Zoological Survey of India team in association with the Odisha Forest and Environment Department they tagged 22 turtles along the Rishikulia coast. So for what purpose they are tagging the turtles? See the researchers they say that tagging of turtles help them identify the migration path and places visited by them after congregation and nesting. Congregation is nothing but the act of coming together. So the researchers are saying that tagging the turtles will help them identify the migration path and the mass nesting. Apart from this tagging also helps them to measure the growth of turtles over a period of time. So in this context let us learn some of the points about olive ridleys, its habitat and their protection status. And before that the syllabus related to the topic is given here for your reference, please go through it. Okay first of all we shall see about olive ridley turtles. See these olive ridley turtles are the smallest and the most abundant of all sea turtles that are found in the world. They inhabit the warm waters of the pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. See the name for this sea turtle is tied to the color of its shell. They have an olive green colored shell which is heart shaped and rounded. Now let's see about its characteristics. They grow about 2 feet in length and 50 kg in weight. Males and females grow to the same size however females have a slightly more rounded carapace as compared to the males. Carapace is nothing but the heart shell that is on the back of the turtles. So females have a slightly more rounded back shell compared to the males. Now talking about their consumption pattern. See these olive ridleys they are carnivores that is they are meat eaters and they mainly feed on jellyfish, shrimp, snails, crabs, mollusks and a variety of fish and their eggs. See these turtles spend their entire lives in the ocean and they migrate thousands of kilometers between feeding and mating grounds in the course of a year. So the researchers of the Zoological Survey of India they want to identify these migration pattern only. For that reason they are tagging the turtles. One of the interesting fact that the females they return to the same beach from where they first hatched to lay their eggs. It is nothing but the females where they first hatched from their egg they return to the same beach for laying their eggs also. This is one of the interesting facts about olive ridley turtles particularly females. During this phenomenal nesting up to 6 lakh and more females emerge from the waters over a period of 5 to 7 days and they come to lay eggs. This unique kind of mass nesting is known as Aribada. Aribada is a phenomenon in which thousands of females come together to the same beach to lay eggs. Olive Ridley along with their cousin that is nothing but the Kems Ridley turtle they are best known for this unique mass nesting. We will see about the nesting pattern they dig a conical nest about 1.5 feet deep with their hind flippers. Hind flippers are nothing but the flippers that are on the back and the females they lay their eggs in this conical nest. The coast of Odisha in India is the largest mass nesting site for the olive ridley followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica. After about 45 to 65 days the eggs begin to hatch and these beaches will be warmed with crawling olive ridley baby turtles. Now moving on to the threats to olive ridleys. See olive ridleys they face serious threats across their migratory route, habitat and nesting beaches due to human activities. So the main factor is anthropological reasons. See human activities like turtle unfriendly fishing practices development and exploitation of nesting beaches for boats and tourist centers threaten their population. They are extensively poached for their meat, shell and leather. Despite it being illegal to harvest or collect the eggs that provides a high demand for the eggs of olive ridleys and there also exist a significantly large market around the coastal regions for this purpose. The most severe threat they face is the accidental killing of animals through entanglement in trawl nets and gill nets. These kinds of accidents happen due to the uncontrolled fishing during their mating season around the nesting beaches. See another threat is that they nest in a very small number of places and therefore any disturbance to even one nest beach could have huge massive consequences for the entire population. Finally just know that the hatchlings survival rate is very low. It is estimated that approximately one hatchling survives to reach adulthood for every thousand hatchlings that enter the seawaters. This might also be the reason why aribadas happen in which a single female can lay about 80 to 120 eggs and sometimes even the females lay twice the amount of eggs they lay normally in a season. So that's all about the threats. Now let's see the protection status of olive ridley. See the olive ridley sea turtle it has been listed on schedule one of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and the IUCN status of the olive ridley sea turtle is vulnerable. The vulnerable category means that the species is considered to be facing a high risk of extension in the wild and the species is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve. So that's it about the olive ridley turtles. Let's have a quick recap what all we saw in this discussion we see about the olive ridleys they are the smallest and the most abundant of all sea turtles they are found in the warm waters of the pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The name came from the olive green coloured shell of the turtle and we saw about its characteristics that is nothing but they grow to about 2 feet in length and 50 kg in weight males and females grow to the same size and we moved on to see about their consumption pattern that is their carnivores and after that we saw about the aribada phenomenon which is nothing but mass nesting. More than 6 lakh females emerge from the water and they lay eggs on the beaches and we saw about the threats to olive ridleys which is because of human activities, illegal poaching exploitation of nesting beaches accidental killing disturbance to the nesting beach and the survival rate of the hatchlings. And finally we saw about the protection status of olive ridleys. So the olive ridleys they are listed on schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The IUCN status is vulnerable. With these key take away points let's move on to the next part of our discussion See I have given a couple of prelims questions here for your practice we'll solve them one by one So the first question consider the following statements about the earthquake. Statement 1 the place in the crust where the movement starts is called the epicenter Statement 2 the place on the surface is called the focus Statement 3 the greatest damage is usually closest to the epicenter So which of the following statements given above is or are incorrect So we have to find the incorrect statements here Coming back to the first statement it is said here that the place in the crust where the movement starts is called the epicenter. Is it true? No. In our discussion we saw that the place where the movement starts is called the focus. So if we know that the statement 1 is wrong we also know that statement 2 is also wrong because the place on the surface is called the epicenter So these two statements are reversed here. And the third statement greatest damage is usually closest to the epicenter. This statement is true. So the right answer here is option B 1 and 2 only The second question consider the following statements regarding Mamallapuram. Statement 1 Mamallapuram fest which is a dance festival is conducted here twice a year. Statement 2 The monuments and rock cave temples in Mamallapuram was an artistic significance of Chola dynasty. Select the correct answer from the code given below. So regarding statement 1 we saw in our discussion that Mamallapuram fest is a dance festival. It is conducted annually for a period of 4 weeks. During this grand annual 30 day event Indian dances like Statement 2 it is said here that it is an artistic significance of Chola dynasty. Is it true? No. From our discussion we know that it is an artistic significance of Pallavas. So the right answer here is option D neither 1 nor 2 Here I have given some of the main questions for your practice. Interested candidates please write it and post it in the comment section. I will evaluate them. If you have any queries post that also in the comment section. And if you like the video please like share and comment. And do subscribe to the Shankara Ayes Academy's YouTube channel for further updates. Thank you.