 Good evening aspirants. Welcome to the Hindu Daily News Analysis brought to you by Shankarai's Academy for the date 27th of September 2022. The articles taken up for discussion are displayed here. You can have a look. With this, let's get into our discussion. Take a look at this article. It says that Cubans have approved a family law code that would allow same six couples to marry and adopt. It also redefines rights for children and grandparents. And this was approved through a referendum. This is the crux of the news article given here. In this context, let us understand about the different types of democracy. See, democracy is of two types. One is direct democracy and the other one is indirect democracy. Let us see how one is different from the other. See, direct democracy refers to the system in which citizens has the right to take part in the decision making processes. See, it requires direct participation from the citizens of the country in day to day decision making and administration of the government. So, the citizens of the country have a direct say in formulating the laws and affairs that influence them. It is also called as pure democracy or participatory democracy. Know that Switzerland is one of the countries where direct democracy is prevalent. Now, on the contrary, indirect democracy implies a democracy in which the citizens choose their representative. And this representative actively participates in the administration of the government and act on the citizens' behalf. Know that it is also called as representative democracy. And India is the common example of indirect democracy. See, in India, we elect the representatives through elections and these representatives will represent the people in the parliament. This is the basic information about the forms of democracies. Now, let us move on to see about the different devices of direct democracy. See, to exercise the supreme power of decision making in formulating laws for the countries, people use four different devices of direct democracy. They are one referendum, two initiative, three recall and finally plebiscite. Now, we will see a brief about each one of them. First of all, let us take referendum. It is a procedure whereby a proposed legislation is referred to the electorate for settlement by their direct votes. In simple words, it is an occasion where all people of a country can vote on a particular political question. The next one is initiative. It is a method by means of which the people can propose a bill for enactment. Any proposed law can be put on the ballot in an election. Sometimes, initiatives are first submitted to a legislature. If they are passed there, they become law without the need for a popular vote. If they fail, they may be submitted directly to a vote by the public, who may overwrite the action of the legislature. And the third one is recall. It is a method by means of which the voters can remove a representative or an officer before the expiry of his or her term. This is done when he fails to discharge his duties properly. It is based on the principle that office holders or agents of the popular will and therefore they should be constantly subjected to control by the electorate. And the final one is plebiscite. It is a method of obtaining the opinion of people on any issue of public importance. It is generally used to solve the territorial disputes. For example, after the partition of India and Pakistan in the year 1947, the Indian government made consistent efforts to persuade the Nawab of Junagadh to accede to India, but he did not agree. The Nawab wanted to join Pakistan. So, to resolve this issue, on 24th February 1948, a plebiscite was held in Junagadh. And in that plebiscite, 99% of the predominantly Hindu population of Junagadh voted to join India. And this is how Junagadh became part of India. These are all the four devices of direct democracy. Through this discussion, we came to know about the important difference between direct and indirect democracies. And also about the four devices of direct democracy. With this, let's move on to the next article discussion. See this article here. It says that Indian government is pushing companies like Samsung, GeoMe and Apple to make smartphones compatible with its homegrown navigation system. As per the article, this move is in line with PM Modi's drive for self-reliance. But the tech giants worry that this move will cause elevated costs and disruptions as it requires hardware changes in their products. This is the crux of the news article given here. So now we are going to see about NAVIC in Prillam's perspective. So what is NAVIC? First of all, it is expanded as Navigation with Indian Constellation. Know that NAVIC is the operational name of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, IRNSS. As the name suggests, NAVIC is an independent regional navigation satellite system developed by India. To put it simply, it is nothing but India's version of GPS. We all know about GPS, right? It is the navigation system of US. Now, with this basic information, let us see in detail about NAVIC. Firstly, let us see the area of coverage. See, it is designed to provide accurate position information services to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary. This is the primary service area of NAVIC. There is an extended area also. It generally lies between primary service area and area enclosed by the rectangle from latitude 30° south to 50° north and from longitudes between 30° east to 130° east. Secondly, let us see about the satellite system. The constellation currently consists of 8 satellites that have been in orbit since 2018 with an additional satellite on the ground as standby. Out of the 8 satellites, 3 of them are located in geostationary orbit and the remaining 5 satellites are placed in inclined geosynchronized orbit. I have given the satellites in this table, just give it a glance. Thirdly, let us see about the services provided. See, IRNSS provides two types of services. The first one is the standard positioning service. See, this service is for civilian use and can be used by all users. Now, coming to the second service. This service is called restricted service. This one is encrypted and can only be used by authorized users, that is for military purposes. Fourthly, let us see about the components of NAVIC. See, NAVIC consists of a space segment and a support ground segment. A space segment is nothing but the 8 satellites in geostationary orbit and geosynchronized orbit. The ground segment consists of many components which are listed here. These components in the ground segment are responsible for the maintenance and the operation of IRNSS constellation. Now, finally, let us see about the applications of NAVIC. See, the IRNSS operates in both dual frequencies, that is, the L-band frequency and the S-band frequency. So, it provides a position accuracy of better than 20 meters in the primary service area. Unlike GPS, which is solely dependent on the L-band, NAVIC's utilization of dual frequencies make it more accurate for positioning. And because of this advantage, NAVIC has many applications. Some of them include terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management, terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travelers, and finally, visual and voice navigation for drivers. This is all regarding NAVIC. In this discussion, we came to know about NAVIC, its components, its application, etc. With this, let's move on to the next news article discussion. Have a look at this text and context article. This article reports about the changes made to the scheme for the development of semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in India. This is the crux of the news article given here. In this context, let us discuss what are semiconductors. Then, we will see about the reasons why Taiwan is solely dominating global semiconductor production. We will also see the changes made by the Indian government to the scheme for the development of semiconductors in India. And finally, we will cover about the specific challenges that are faced by the semiconductor industry in India. The syllabus for this discussion is highlighted here for your reference. You can have a look. First, let us see about semiconductors. A semiconductor is a material that usually comprises of silicon. This material conducts electricity more than an insulator but less than a pure conductor. Just have a look at this graph. You can see that the semiconductor has intermediate range of electrical conductivity between a conductor which conducts current well and an insulator which is a poor conductor of electricity. These semiconductors are used in development of electronic chips, computing components and various computational devices. Now, coming to the question, what it is made of? Semiconducting materials range in price and availability from abundant silicon to expensive rare earth elements. Here, these rare earth elements are a set of 17 metallic elements. They include 15 lanthanides on the periodic table plus candium and yttrium. Note that these rare earth elements are generally very difficult to mine. This is because it is unusual to find them in concentrations high enough for economical extraction which generally makes it unviable for mining. Have a look at this chart. This chart shows a history of rare earth element production between 1950 and 2021. You could observe the top competitors in this segment or USA and China. Also know that the most used semiconductor materials are silicon, germanium and gallium arsenide. Of the three, germanium was one of the earliest semiconductor materials used. Note that the number of valence electrons in a semiconductor material determines its conductivity. For example, germanium has four valence electrons which are electrons located on the outer shell of the atom. But now, silicon has taken the place of germanium as the most used material in semiconductor industry. Also know that semiconductors are created by adding specific amounts of impurities to the original element. The conductance or inductance of the element depend on the type and intensity of the added impurities. See, inductance is an impedance or resistance while conductance is reciprocal of resistance. So, depending on the type of impurities added to the semiconductor it can be either used as a conductor or inductor. There are lot of conventional devices and components built by using semiconductors. They are computer memory components, integrated circuits, diodes and transistors. Now, coming to the challenges in the manufacture of semiconductors. First challenge is the complex semiconductor chip making process. It is a complex process because of the multiple steps in the supply chain such as designing software for the chips and patenting them through the intellectual property rights etc. The second major challenge is the cost of setting up semiconductor producing units. Generally, the requirement for initial investment for the setting up of semiconductor industries is very huge. So, the Indian government recently made some changes to the already existing scheme for the development of semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in India. This is to overcome the above mentioned challenges that we have already discussed. First of all, let's know about this scheme. See, it is a $10 billion production linked subsidy scheme. This is to encourage semiconductor manufacturing in the country. Indian government also announced another physical support scheme for the development of this sector. This is known as Design Linked Initiative. This is to drive global and domestic investment related to design software IP rights etc. Objective of these two schemes is to position India as a global hub for electronic manufacturing with semiconductors as the foundational building block. Also note that to develop semiconductor manufacturing sector in India, semiconductor mission ISM was planned to be set up. If you want to know more about this Indian semiconductor mission, watch our Hindu news analysis dated 12th February 2022. Now, coming to the changes made to this scheme. See, previously the center was offering to fund 30% of the product cost for 45 nanometer to 65 nanometer chip production. Then 40% for 28 nanometer to 45 nanometer and 50% for chips 28 nanometer or below. Now, the scheme is modified to provide uniform 50% physical support for all nodes. Besides, it will provide 50% of capital expenditure for other steps of the process of production. Thus, the new scheme provides equal funding for all steps of the semiconductor manufacturing process. Now, coming to the specific problem faced by India and the manufacturing of semiconductors. See, semiconductor manufacturing requires gallons of ultra pure water in a single day. This prerequisite makes it difficult for semiconductor industries to function during peak summer months in India. This is one of the major India specific challenge with regarding to the semiconductor manufacturing. Another important question that arises while discussing about semiconductors is why are these changes in the semiconductor industry made suddenly? See, the chip making industry is a highly concentrated one. The big players are Taiwan, South Korea and US. In fact, according to a New York Times estimate 90% of the 5 nanometer chips are mass produced in Taiwan. This is by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, TSMC. There exists a tech war between the US and China post the COVID in order to retain control over the chip supply chain. The US has pressurized TSMC and others not to make chips for China. This is done specifically to cripple the Chinese electronic industry. So, from this episode, we can conclude that the monopoly of semiconductor production by certain countries is dangerous for all other import dependent countries like India. So, India is trying to become self-reliant at least to some extent in semiconductor production. These initiatives are directed to achieve this particular objective. Let me explain how far this TSMC stands in the global market. Have a look at this pie chart. You can see that the TSMC focuses solely on manufacturing and has been the go-to producer for many cutting-edge semiconductors. And in terms of revenue also, this Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company only stands first. Now, the question is why is Taiwan dominating in semiconductor manufacturing? See, currently, TSMC and its South Korean rival Samsung are the only foundries capable of manufacturing the most advanced 5 nanometer chips. The know-how of manufacturing minute semiconductors are resting only with these two companies. Thus, we can conclude that the technology is required for 5 nanometer chips manufacturing is mostly with Taiwan. Hence, Taiwan is dominating in semiconductor manufacturing. Now, coming to the question, what is this 5 nanometer chips? See, reducing the size of a processor is done to improve the efficiency of processors. Typically, this means shrinking down the size of the transistors. This is to allow the companies to pack more of the transistors into a given small area of the chip. That is, when there is more transistors, a processor can do more calculation. Thus, a small nanometer size indicates that there has been a significant improvement in the manufacturing technology. Now, coming to the main advantage of this 5 nanometer chip is it provides about 20 times faster speed than 7 nanometer processors. And also, it results in 40% reduced power consumption. Also know that this PSMC is already gearing up for the next generation 4 nanometer chips. This will reportedly start production in 2022. With this, we have come to the end of this particular discussion. Through this discussion, we came to know about semiconductors and its geopolitical significance. And also about the latest initiatives of the Indian government to increase the production of semiconductor manufacturing in India. With these key learned points, now let us move on to the next article discussion. Take a look at this news article. This news article talks about the flow of pollutants into the lakes present near Bangalore. This creates havoc on the aquatic ecosystem such as killing of fishes present in the lakes. The reason for the death is cited as the reduction of dissolved oxygen levels in the lakes. This is due to the entry of chemical pollutants. This is the crux of the news article given here. In this context, let us discuss what is nitrification, then about dissolved oxygen levels. And also, we will discuss the difference between chemical oxygen demand versus biological oxygen demand. First of all, let's start with the term nitrification. See, nitrification is a microbial process that converts ammonia and similar nitrogen compounds into nitrite and then into nitrate. This is a chlorine water system that contains chloramines. Now what is this chloramines? Chloramines are disinfectants used to treat drinking water. They are formed when ammonia is mixed with chlorine that is added to treat dirty water. What happens is because of pollution and nitrification, water contamination is caused. And because of this, the dissolved oxygen level decreases. And when the dissolved oxygen level reduces below 4% the fishes die. What is this dissolved oxygen level means? See, dissolved oxygen is a measure of how much oxygen is dissolved in the water. And know that this is the amount of oxygen available to living aquatic organisms. Now, coming to the term biological oxygen demand. See, BOD is defined as the amount of molecular oxygen required for the biological oxidation of organic matter in water. In simple words, BOD is the amount of oxygen that the microscopic bacteria need to break down the biodegradable organic matter. Yes, the bacteria break the organic matter into products such as water and CO2. Thus, biological oxygen demand testing is very useful in managing pollution control of any water body. Also, it is helpful in assessing the self-purification capacity. So, we can say that if BOD is higher more oxygen is required and signifies lower water quality. BOD is low. It means less oxygen is being removed from water. So, water is generally purer. Thus, this BOD test provide a good estimate of the quality of water from the perspective of its oxygen content. Then, what is this COD means? Chemical oxygen demand or COD is a test that measures the amount of oxygen required to chemically oxidize the organic material and inorganic nutrients such as ammonia or nitrate present in the water. It is used to confirm wastewater discharge. Then, it is also used to quantify the biodegradable fraction of wastewater effluent ratio between BOD and COD. So, the major difference between the two is that BOD is just a measurement of the oxygen needed by the microorganisms to degrade or oxidize the organic matter in the water. Whereas, when you take COD it is the measurement of dissolved oxygen requirement for the chemical oxidation of both the organic and inorganic matters. And, same as BOD, higher the COD value, the more serious the pollution of organic matter by water. That is why both COD and BOD levels increase tremendously when chemicals and untreated industrial effluents enter the water. Also know that COD or BOD measurements are used as an indicator of the size of the wastewater treatment plant required for this specific location. With this, we have come to the end of this discussion. Through this discussion, we came to know about the term dissolved oxygen and also about the main difference between biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand. With this, let's move on to the next part of our discussion that is prelims practice question discussion. We have today two different questions. Coming to the first question. It is a two statement question and we have to find the correct statements. Let me read out the question first. Consider the following statements. BOD in water indicates the water is very pure. Statement two, BOD and COD are inversely related. Which of the above statements are correct? Coming to the first statement. The first statement here is incorrect because when the BOD level is higher in water it indicates that there is more oxygen demand by the microorganisms. It also means that there is more organic matter to be decomposed. Hence, higher BOD indicates that the water is very impure. So statement one is incorrect. Now coming to the second statement. This statement is also incorrect because BOD and COD are directly related. This means that when BOD and COD increases the water becomes impure. We can say like this that COD is always greater than BOD. So coming to the answer of the question the answer is option D. Neither one nor two. Now coming to the second question. Countries are provided and the navigation systems of these countries are also provided. The question asked for the correctly matched pairs. The answer for this question is option B. Only two pairs. Because pair one and pair three are interchangeably matched. Baidu is the navigation system of China while Glowsnoss is the navigation system of Russia. This image shows the navigation systems of different countries. Pause the video and have a look. Main's question is displayed here. Interested aspirants can write the answer and post it in the comment section. If you like this video please like, comment and do share it with your friends. 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