 A very good evening aspirants. Welcome to the Hindu Newspaper Analysis brought you by Shankar Ayes Academy for the date 20th of May 2022. Displayed here are the list of news articles that I have chosen for today's discussion. See today each and every topic is very much relevant for your preliminary examination. Also I made a point to cover a topic which is very much important for both your problems as well as mates. And note that today if you pay attention to this news article discussion you will be able to revise many of the topics which is relevant for your upcoming preliminary examination. Now without wasting much time let's get into the first news article discussion. Look at this news article. This news article is about a mat made by tribal women in Kerala. The intellectual property rights cell of Kerala Agricultural University is going to file an application to get GA tag for Kannadi Paya or the famous bamboo mirror mat. In relation to this we will discuss about what is GA tag, how to get the GA tag and few specialties of this Kannadi Paya. Now let's start our discussion with what is GA tag. See a geographical indication or GI is primarily an agricultural product, natural product or a manufactured product that are originating from a different geographical territory. Here manufactured products refer to handicrafts and industrial goods. The important point here is these products originate from a different geographical territory. See there are six categories and over GA tags are assigned to such products. What are they? Handicrafts, agriculture, natural, textiles, foodstuff and manufactured. Okay keeping in view to offer protection to such genuine products from fake products and from other products the law called geographical indications of goods registration and protection act of 1999 was legislated. See it came into force from 15th September 2003. In order to get the GA tag application for registration has to be made under chapter 3 of this act. See such an application can be made by any association of persons or producers or any organization or authority representing the interest of the producers of the concerned goods. Know that as per section 18 of the act the registration of a geographical indication shall be for a period of 10 years but it may be renewed from time to time in accordance with this law. See a geographical indication or GA tag the product will be of a given quality reputation or other characteristics. These are essentially attributable to its geographical origin. The quality and reputation once recognized will provide a good visibility. So once a product receives a GA tag there are several benefits out of it. The first benefit is it confers legal protection to the geographical indications in India. Secondly this prevents unauthorized use of registered geographical indication by others then the legal protection to GI in turn boost exports. Thus it promotes economic prosperity of producers of goods produced in a geographical territory. Not only this it provides better visibility and market opportunities for the GA tag the product. Okay so these are all the benefits of a product which receives a GA tag. Now let us see few important points about the Kannadi Paya discussed in this news article. See this is a traditional mat oven by tribal women. The mat is oven using slivers from special reed bamboo or thin walled bamboo which are found in the forest of the western gods. The specialty of the mat is its unique designs appealing excellence and light reflective properties. The square designs oven uniquely on this mat are called as Kannadi. These designs reflect light differently due to unique arrangements of the warps and the wits. See they also create different designs when viewed from different angles. This is what we call as appealing excellence. The mat is also famous for health benefits because it provides warmth in cool season and a cool effect in summer. This is cool to hear at this time right and it is believed that those sleeping on this eco-friendly mat will not suffer from rheumatism and back pain. See rheumatism here refers to the disease marked by inflammation and pain in the joints muscles or fibrous tissues. So that's all about this news article. In this analysis we discussed about GA tag its benefits then the special features of the Kannadi Paya mat made by the tribal women of the parts of Kerala. See this particular discussion is very much relevant for your preliminary examination because GI related questions can be asked and note that this Kannadi Paya has not yet got the GA tag it is yet to receive it okay. So with these key points in mind now let's move on to the next news article discussion. Let us take up this editorial article it points out measures to save biodiversity. As one of the measures author who is a UNESCO regional head notes that biosphere reserves should be the focal point. In this manner he emphasizes on the importance of the ecology of South Asia and suggests to increase the number of biosphere reserves in South Asia. So in this manner let us see what are biosphere reserves, what promises they hold and the biosphere reserves in India. Before that the syllabus relevant to this news article is given here for your reference kindly go through it. See basically biosphere is that part of the earth in which living organisms exist or that part of the earth which supports life. So a biosphere supports biodiversity that is it supports varieties of plants animals and microorganisms generally found in that area and thus is of ecological importance okay. Therefore its protection and conservation are of significance but they face wide range of threats. The first and foremost is the destruction of habitat. Habitat are the natural homes of flora and fauna having their food and surroundings for that species to survive. So if that is damaged the species will not survive and needs to their extinction. See the destruction of habitat includes deforestation, pollution, encroachment etc etc. The second threat is increasing human population. It is a problem as it increases the human interference and over exploitation of natural resources. See it leads to man and animal conflict. The third threat is the introduction of new species or the invasive species. This affects the natural habitat of the endemic species and endanger their existence. Endemic species are those species of plants and animals which are found exclusively in a particular area. Such species are not naturally found anywhere else. This endemicity could exist at the levels of zones states or country that is a particular type of animal or plant may be endemic to a zone a state or a country okay. See in addition to all these we have the climate change. So all these affect the environmentally significant areas. This is where biosphere reserves come into picture. What are biosphere reserves? Biosphere reserves are large areas of protected land that are unique. They are representative ecosystem of terrestrial area and coastal or marine area. The land is protected for the conservation of wildlife plant and animal resources along with the protection of traditional life the tribals living in the area. See biosphere reserves are the special environments for both people and nature and the biosphere reserve is an in situ conservation which means that the endangered species are protected in their natural habitat so that the entire ecosystem is protected. Also note that a biosphere reserve may also contain other protected areas in it like the wildlife sanctuary natural parks etc etc. A biosphere reserve has three components. What are they? They are core areas buffer zones and transition areas. Now what is a core area? A core area comprises a strictly protected zone. It includes the habitat for numerous plant and animal species and may contain centers of endemisome. So this one contributes to the conservation of landscapes ecosystems species and genetic variation. Therefore the core zone is to be kept free from human pressures that are external to the system. See the green colored zone is the core area in the image. Now let us see about the buffer zones. The buffer zones are the area that surrounds or adjoins the core areas. The activities are managed here help in protection of cold zone in its natural condition. So compatible activities with sound ecological practices that can reinforce scientific research monitoring training and education are done. Such activities include restoration limited recreation tourism fishing grazing etc. Then last let us see about the transition area. The transition area is the outermost part of a biosphere reserve. It is where communities foster socio-culturally sustainable and ecologically sustainable economic and human activities. So this is where people are doing their own activities. So it includes settlements like towns and cities, crop lands, managed forests etc. So with this knowledge about the biosphere reserves let us now know about its advantages. See biosphere reserves help to maintain the biodiversity and culture of that area. Secondly through the biosphere reserves we can save the endemic species. Thirdly it helps in reforestation. Reforestation is restocking of the destroyed forest by planting new trees. Sometimes this happens naturally also particularly if the deforested area is left undisturbed it re-establishes itself. This is facilitated by declaring the area as biosphere reserves. Fourthly and more importantly biosphere reserves are living examples of how man and nature can coexist while respecting each other's needs. So biosphere reserves actors learning places for sustainable development. Because of these advantages UNESCO has a separate international recognition program for biosphere reserves. It is the UNESCO's man and biosphere program which is the MAB program. So under this the definition of biosphere reserve could also be like the areas of terrestrial and coastal or marine ecosystem which are internationally recognized within the framework of UNESCO's MAB program. The program was initiated by UNESCO in the year 1971 and it has three-fold function. One is obviously conservation of both biodiversity, ecosystem and cultural heritage. The second is associating conservation with development and to promote sustainable development based on local community efforts and sound science. And the third is the logistics which is carried out through an international network of research and monitoring. See these three functions are pursued through three main zones or components of biosphere reserves. Now for the logistics function world network of biosphere reserves has been established. The network represents world's major ecosystem types and landscapes. It includes both natural and semi-natural ecosystems. These are those ecosystems which are devoted to conserving biological diversity, promoting research and monitoring as well as seeking to provide models of sustainable development in the service of mankind. That means the biosphere reserves need to meet a minimal set of criteria and adhere to a minimal set of conditions before being admitted to the world network. Generally countries established biosphere reserves and get the recognition of man and biosphere. So the first biosphere reserve of the world was established in the year 1979. So far the network of biosphere reserves has increased to 727 in 131 countries across the world. See an interesting fact is about 257 million people live in biosphere reserves worldwide. So what about India? India is a part of the man and biosphere reserve program. Additionally India separately also has a scheme called biosphere reserve that is being implemented by the government of India since 1986. Under this ecologically unique and biodiversity rich regions are legally protected as biosphere reserve. Mainly the scheme provides financial assistance to states for maintenance, improvement and development of certain items. The assistance is in 90 to 10 ratio in the northeastern region states and 3 Himalayan states and it is at the ratio of 60 to 40 to the other states. So under India's program 18 biosphere reserves have been declared out of which 12 biosphere reserves have been recognized by the UNESCO on world network of biosphere reserves. See look at the table given here the 18 biosphere reserves are given. In this the red ones are the biosphere reserves recognized by UNESCO. The first biosphere reserve designated by India and recognized by the man and biosphere program was the Nilgiri biosphere reserve. India designated it in 1986 and got international recognition that is map recognition in the year 2000. Know that the Nilgiri biosphere reserve stretches across the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. And the recent biosphere reserve to be recognized was the Panna biosphere reserve in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It was recognized in the year 2020. So these are the basics about biosphere reserve. Now as I said earlier author focuses on South Asia. There are 168 biosphere reserve sites in Asia and Pacific region and 30 in South Asia. The first biosphere reserve in South Asia was established in Sri Lanka in the year 1977. It is the Hurlu biosphere reserve. The author stresses on the biosphere reserves in South Asia because it has very diverse set of ecosystems. India has glaciers which are surrounded by lakes, alpine ecosystems and it has coastal ecosystem rich in mangroves, coral reefs etc. But the problem is such ecologically important regions are facing threats and many of them did not get recognition under the man and biosphere program. Plus there are some South Asian countries which do not even have one biosphere reserve recognized under the man and biosphere program. For example, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan do not even have one biosphere reserve recognized under the map program. So the author concludes the suggestion of recognizing more biosphere reserves in India and designating biosphere reserves in Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. So that's all about this news article. So in this discussion we covered what are the biosphere reserves then its structure then we saw about the importance of biosphere reserves. Also we saw about the biosphere reserves in India and those which are recognized under the man and biosphere reserve program which is UNESCO recognized biosphere reserves. See each and every point in this discussion is going to be very much relevant for your problems as well as means. You can use all these points to enrich your main answers as well as straightforward questions can be asked from this topic. So utilize each and every point in this discussion to revise an environment topic which is very much important for your problems exam. With these key points in mind now let's move on to the next news article discussion. Take a look at this news article. See according to the news article our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi will be traveling to Tokyo for a second in-person Quad summit. This is on May 23, 2022 and he will be holding bilateral talks with USC. So this is the crux of the news article given here. In this context let us quickly go through Quad in Prilam's perspective. See Quad is an informal strategic forum. The members of Quad include India, Japan, Australia and United States of America. See all these countries are maritime democracies. The group met for the first time in the year 2007 on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that is Asian okay. In 2007 there was no formal name given but in 2007 the idea was mooted by Japanese President Shinzo Abe okay. But there was pressure from China on the Australian government to prevent it from joining Quad. Again in 2012 President Shinzo Abe gave impetus to the idea. He emphasized the idea of Asia's democratic security diamond comprising the US, Japan, India and Australia. Finally in the year 2017 during the Asian summits in Manila all four former members led by Abe Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump agreed to revive the Quadrilateral Alliance in order to safeguard the maritime commons from the Indian Ocean to Western Pacific. See they aimed to ensure free and open trade that might be threatened due to Chinese excess. This is how Quad came into being. Now let us see the objective of Quad. See the main objective of the Quad is to secure a rules-based global order. Also it has to ensure freedom of navigation and a liberal trading system. Although these are the main objectives of Quad through subsequent meetings the objective of Quad has wide end. The leaders now exchange views on contemporary global issues, critical and an emerging technologies, connectivity and infrastructure, then cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief then not only this climate change, pandemic and education all these are being discussed. So Quad is evolving as it moves forward. So in simple words Quad is an opportunity for like-minded countries to share notes and collaborate on projects of mutual interest. Members share a vision of an open and free Indo-Pacific. See each is involved in development and economic projects as well as in promoting maritime domain, awareness and maritime security. So that's all about this news article. See Quad is an important topic for your problems that is why this is being discussed today. So utilize this opportunity and revise the key points mentioned in this discussion. With these key points in mind now let's move on to the next news article discussion. See this article here it says that most limited is working towards pilot deployments of hydrogen-based vehicles by 2025 to 2026 in India and according to the article it is said that India won't lag behind any advanced countries in hydrogen-based vehicles. So this is all about the article. In this context we will learn more about hydrogen powered aircrafts. See the aviation industry is responsible for around 2.5 percentage of global carbon dioxide emissions. This is significant because carbon dioxide makes up around half of the effective radiative forcing produced by air flight. Effective radiative forcing are those factors that drive a rise in global average temperature. And for your information the other factor that contributes to the rising global temperature is contrails which is the waterway portrayals left by the aircraft. See hydrogen fuel is being seen as a potential answer to the environmental problems of air travel. Since water would be the only emission from hydrogen powered aircraft it is viewed as a potential answer to the environmental problems. Now here I have a little task for you. Go on find what fuels is used in the air planes generally. Okay now coming back. See the method of hydrogen production informs how environmental friendly it is. Yes it is a environmental friendly fuel but nevertheless it has the potential to be a fully sustainable and genuinely clean energy source. Now coming to the hydrogen powered planes. Note that hydrogen was used in flight many decades ago where it provided buoyancy. However the Hindenburg disaster of 1937 where the dirigible full of hydrogen gas caught fire killing 36 people effectively entered this type of hydrogen use for flight. See modern hydrogen planes can broadly be split into two types. One is those that use propellers powered by electricity from hydrogen fuel cells. And other one is those that burn hydrogen through an existing it modified jet engine as with petroleum you can see that. See aesthetically most hydrogen planes will be similar to traditional ones except the longer to accommodate the larger liquid hydrogen fuel tank. Now let us see what mainly is needed for a hydrogen powered aircraft. See propeller powered hydrogen planes will have four main components. First one is a storage system for liquid hydrogen. The second one is fuel cells to convert the hydrogen to electricity. Thirdly a device to control the power of the fuel cells. And fourthly a motor to turn the propeller. And also know that hydrogen planes can be either manned or unmanned such as with hydrogen powered high altitude platforms. With this information now let us see to what level it is environment friendly. Although hydrogen may offer an emission free fuel this doesn't mean that it is necessarily green. Much of the hydrogen used today is produced by reforming methane from natural gas which produces carbon dioxide. This type of hydrogen is often referred to as grey hydrogen. So carbon capture and storage can be used with this production method to remove the carbon dioxide that is produced creating what is called blue hydrogen. However green hydrogen is certainly the most environmentally friendly type of hydrogen produced. This method uses the electrolysis of water to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. If the electric current that is used for this is produced using renewable energy such as wind then it becomes a pollutant free clean energy source. And apart from this production method challenges other challenges include factors such as the density and onboard storage of hydrogen fuel then the supporting infrastructure and cost. So that's all about this news article. See if you keenly observe this discussion we have discussed about what is blue hydrogen, grey hydrogen, green hydrogen and all these know are very much important for your preliminary point of view. See this science related topic is very much going to be useful for your upcoming preliminary examination. So note down each and every point in this discussion and utilize it for your revision. So with these key points in mind now let's move on to the next part of the news article discussion which is the preliminary practice question discussion. Now look at this first question it is regarding our quad discussion. Here two statements are given and which of the following statements given here are correct with respect to the quad. See as I said whenever two statement questions are asked go through both the statements before arriving at the answer okay. See here both the statements are correct. This is because in a statement in the year 2021 which is named as the spirit of the quad the quad members described a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. In addition to this they also described a rules-based maritime order in the east and south China seas. So the correct answer for this question is option C both 1 and 2. Now look at this second question it is also a two statement question so we are going to go through both statements before arriving at the answer. See the first statement is incorrect this is because hydrogen can also be produced by reforming methane from natural gas. Just have a look at this image you can see the different types of hydrogen that is produced from different sources like green hydrogen blue hydrogen gray hydrogen etc etc. Now coming to the second statement it is correct. See this we saw in our discussion itself right hydrogen powered planes can either be manned or unmanned. So now read the full question it is asking for correct statements so your answer here will be option B two only is the correct statement. Now look at this last question it is regarding the biosphere reserve. See three statements are given so try to apply elimination technique here okay. Now look at the first statement humans are restricted from using doing activities and settling in biosphere reserves this is absolutely incorrect. One of the aims of the biosphere reserves is to protect traditional life of the tribals living in that area along with protecting wildlife plants and animal resources right. Even the main function of the man and biosphere program is conservation of cultural heritage and promoting sustainable development based on local community efforts and sound science. That is why in buffer zone activities are allowed unless they harm the ecosystem okay. Human settlements are allowed in transition zone okay. So statement one is incorrect using this you can eliminate two options right option A and B can be eliminated. So after eliminating option A and B you can straight away go to statement three because you definitely know statement two is correct from the options given. Now looking at the third statement world network of biosphere reserve does not represent semi-natural ecosystem this is definitely incorrect. See world network of biosphere reserve represents both natural and semi-natural ecosystem that is a semi-natural ecosystem means an ecosystem with most of its processors and biodiversity intact though it is altered by human activity in strength of abundance relative to the natural state. So statement three is incorrect and what will be the answer here the question is demanding for correct statements so your answer here will be option C two only that's all for today's practice question. Now displayed here is a quiz question this is regarding our GA tag discussion see go through this question and post your answers in the comment section the correct answer for this question will be put up in the comment section within 24 hours. Now displayed here is a main practice question go through the question and post your answers in the comment section. If you like this video do like share and comment and don't forget to subscribe to the Shankar Reyes Academies YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.