 Good evening aspirants. I have an announcement to make as prelims is nearing our Academy. That is Shankara's Academy has launched a Mark test program that is a free all India Mark test program that test starts on 15th of May 2022 The test will be held in both online and offline modes across 13 centers The link for registration for the online mark test is given in the description use this opportunity and check your progress With this good news, let us get into the daily news analysis session by Shankara's Academy for the date 10th of May 2022 displayed here are the list of articles We will be discussing today before getting into the news analysis We have a previous year question discussion session today as a part of previous year question discussion session We have two questions from the 2019 paper both these questions are from geography Let us take up the first question. Let me read out the question first on 21st of June the Sun This is the question four statements are given. We have to find the correct statements Statement D. I says that does not set below the horizon at the Arctic Circle Statement B does not set below the horizon at the Antarctic Circle statement C Shines vertically overhead at noon on the equator and finally statement D Shines vertically overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn. See this question is directly taken from the sixth standard NCRT book titled the earth our habitat from the third chapter titled motions of earth This is UPSC signaling us the aspirants to not leave out any NCRT books. Let me read out the actual text from the book Okay on 21st of June the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun The rays of the Sun falls directly on the Tropic of Cancer as a result the areas receive more heat The areas near the poles receive less heat as the rays of the Sun are Slanting the North Pole is inclined towards the Sun and the places beyond the Arctic Circle Experience continuous daylight for about six months So since the places beyond the Arctic Circle Experience continuous daylight on June 21st We can infer that the Sun actually does not set below the horizon at the Arctic Circle So the correct option is option E. See June 21st is the summer solustice See climate variation in Earth is caused due to Earth's inclination That is the Earth's axis of rotation which is tilted 66.5 degree with respect to its orbital plane around the Sun and Earth's Revolution around the Sun. This image is also taken from the same NCRT Here you can note that on June 21st in the areas above the Arctic Circle The Sun does not go below the horizon while in the southern hemisphere in the areas below Antarctic Circle there is complete darkness as Sun doesn't come above the horizon Similarly on December 22nd when the sunlight falls directly on the Tropic of Capricorn The area above the Arctic Circle receives no sunlight while the area below Antarctic Circle Receives sunlight all throughout the day That is the Sun doesn't go below the horizon in the areas below Antarctic Circle on 22nd December. 22nd December is also called as winter solustice There are also equinoxes which occur on 21st March and 23rd September when the sunlight falls directly on the equator At this position neither the poles is tilted towards the Sun So the whole Earth experiences equal days and equal nights So never ignore the NCRTs because UPSC might pick direct statement from the NCRT books Now let us conclude the discussion regarding this question and take up the next question This is also a geography based question. Let me read out the question first Which of the following national parks lies completely in the temperate alpine zone? The options given are Manas National Park, Namdapar National Park, Niora National Park, Valley of Flowers National Park. Before going into the answer Let us see what temperate alpine zone is. See in mountainous areas the decrease in temperature with increasing altitude leads to the corresponding change in natural vegetation This leads to a succession of natural vegetation built in the same order as we see from the tropical region to the tundra region. The wet temperate type of forest are found between the height of 1000 and 2000 meters. Evergreen broadleaf trees such as oaks and chestnuts predominate here Between 1500 and 3000 meters temperate forest containing coniferous trees like pine, teodor, silver fir, spruce and cedar are found. These forests are mostly the southern slopes of Himalayas At higher elevation temperate grasslands are common. At even higher altitudes generally more than 3600 meters above the mean sea level temperate forest and grassland give way to alpine vegetation Silver fir, junipers, pines and britches are the common trees found in the alpine forest However, the trees get progressively standard as they approach the snowline So the temperate alpine zone is located between 500 meters up to the snowline. In India temperate alpine zone is found along the western Himalayas. So among the given national parks the valley of flower national park fits the profile of the Temperate alpine zone. This national park is located in the North Chamoli district of Uttarkhand This national park is part of the western Himalayas and it is located at the altitude around 3500 meters. So this national park encompasses a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of Zanskar and Greater Himalayas. So this national park sits perfectly in the temperate alpine zone So the correct answer here is option D valley of flowers national park. So with this let us also see some facts about Valley of flowers national park. Nanda Devi biosphere reserve which is a Unesco world heritage site encompasses the Nanda Devi national park and the valley of flowers national park. The valley of flower national park comprises the catchment area of Rishi Ganga and the eastern tributary of Dhauli Ganga which flows into the Alaknanda river at Joshi Moth. It is home to over 650 flower species including the blue poppy, cobra lily and brahma kamal. See brahma kamal is the state flower of Uttarkhand This flower is also called the king of the Himalayan flowers. The flower is highly valued in the Tibetan medicine and Ayurveda for its healing properties. It is extensively used by the local population to treat cuts and bruises. The valley is home to a diverse range of wildlife including Asiatic blackbeers, blue sheep, brownbeers, blackened brownbeers and yellow-throated Martins. The Himalayan golden eagle, Himalayan snow cock, sparrow, snow pigeon and Himalayan monal are among the birds that can be found in this national park. That's all regarding this discussion. With this let us conclude the previous year question discussion and take up the Articles we are going to discuss today. Now let us take up the first article. Look at this news article. This news article is with reference to emigrants and remittances. This news article talks about the importance of emigrants, the remittance received by India and the provisions of the Immigration Bill 2021. Let's discuss about all these things in detail now. Before getting into the discussion, the syllabus regarding this discussion is highlighted here for your reference. You can go through it. First, we will start with remittance. See, a remittance is a money sent to another party usually in another country. That is the money received by a person in India from another country is known as remittance. See, many of you might have your family members or neighbors in a foreign country, right? The money they are sending to their family is known as remittance. We can often see in news the phenomenon of Indian origin executives becoming CEOs of top US companies. For example, Sundar Pichai became the CEO of Google, Arvind Krishna became the CEO of IBM Group and Satya Nandela became the CEO of Microsoft. This highlights the contribution of Indian talent to the US economy. These people are highly skilled people. But note that the role played by Indian semi-skilled migrant labor in the global economy is no less illustrious. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, there are over 13.4 million non-resident Indians worldwide. That is, there are 1.3 crore NRAs worldwide. Out of these 1.3 crore people, 64% people, that is, nearly 83 lakh people, live in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Note here that Gulf Cooperation Council countries include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Here, note that the highest number of NRAs work in the United Arab Emirates followed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Important point to note here is that almost 90% of the Indian migrants who live in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are low and semi-skilled workers. That is, they do menial jobs when compared to the high-skilled people like CEOs. Other significant countries of destination for overseas Indians are the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. See, every year about 2.5 million workers, that is, 25 lakh workers from India move to different parts of the world on employment visas. They not only involve in nation building of their destination countries, but they also contribute to India's socio-economic development through their remittances. According to a report by the National Statistical Office, urban households receiving remittances have approximately 23% better financial capacity than non-remittance receiving households. Also, rural households receiving remittances have approximately 8% better financial capacity than non-remittance receiving households. Now let's see some facts regarding remittances. As per the 2021 World Bank Group report, annual remittances transferred to India are estimated to be $87 billion, which is the highest in the world. India is followed by China, which received $53 billion. Then comes Mexico, which also received $53 billion. Then there is Philippines receiving $36 billion and Egypt receiving $33 billion. In 2021, remittances transferred to India had seen a raise of 4.6% compared to 2020. Kindly note that remittances in India have been substantially higher even when compared to the foreign direct investment, that is, FDI. Also, the flow of remittances is much more less fluctuating than that of FDI. See, besides being a win-win situation for both the destination and the source country, labour migration is a good hedging strategy against unfortunate or unsystematic risk for any economy. That is, for many countries, remittances have been a vital support to the domestic economy after a shock. For example, after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, overseas Nepalese increased remittances to an estimator 30% of their GDP. But the issue for India here is that the remittances contribution to GDP is just 3%. It is much lower than that of countries like Nepal, whose contribution to GDP is 24.8%. Even in case of Pakistan, it received remittances whose contribution to GDP is 12.6%. Sri Lanka received 8.3% and Bangladesh received 6.5%. So, now let us see what can India do to increase the percentage of remittance to GDP. For this, both the cost of recruitment of such workers and the cost of sending remittances back to India should come down. The safety and well-being of migrant labourers should be of top priority for the government. See, nowadays, reducing informal or untargeted migration and formalizing all remittances is being given due focus by the government. Recruitment agencies should also be regulated using information technology for ensuring protection of migrant workers leaving India. Note that an integrated grievance redressal portal, MADAD, was launched by the government in 2015. The portal received 78,000 grievances registered so far by the Indian migrants. But the good news is that more than 95% of the cases have been resolved. Also, the Indian government proposed a new immigration bill in 2021. It aims to integrate immigration management and streamline the welfare of immigrant workers. It proposes to modify the system of immigration check-required category of workers applying for migration to 18 notified countries. See, the immigration check-required category mainly comprises of those who have not passed class 10, and they face the challenge of risky informal immigration and subsequent hardships abroad. The bill makes it mandatory for all category of workers to register before departure to any country in the world. See, this will ensure better protection for them and will provide support and safeguard in case of vulnerabilities. The proposed immigrant management authority will be the overarching authority to provide policy guidelines. See, to increase the contribution of remittances to GDP, the number of immigrants need not increase. Instead, increasing the skill set of such workers will do more favor for India. That is, the author suggests to increase the skill set of workers rather than the numbers. If this happens, more people will be involved in better jobs and their contribution will obviously increase. So, provisions of the bill such as registration of all immigrants, skill upgradation and training and pre-departure orientation are in the right direction. This will provide a comprehensive data set for the efficient management of Indian migrants. Skilling of migrant workers has the potential to boost the domestic economy and low-cost interventions such as foreign language training can be of great help for such workers. See, besides workers, about 0.5 million students also migrate from India every year for education. The bill, that is the immigration bill 2021, also covers such students along with the workers. That's all regarding this news article. See, in this discussion, we saw the importance of immigrants to Indian economy. Then we saw some of the suggestions made by the author for increasing India's remittance as a percentage of GDP. With this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. See this text and context article here. It is about algorithms used by search engines and it also covers the working mechanism of algorithms and how they are developed. Apart from this, the article also talks about the concerns revolving around these algorithms. So, in this discussion, we will see the important points mentioned in this text and context article. Before getting into the discussion, the syllabus regarding this discussion is highlighted here for your reference. You can go through it. Now, let us get into the discussion. First of all, what is algorithm? See, an algorithm is a set of instructions for solving a problem or accomplishing a task. One common example for an algorithm is a recipe, which consists of specific instruction for preparing a dish or meal. When it comes to computers, every computerized device uses algorithm to perform its function in the form of hardware or software-based routines. So, basically, an algorithm is a series of instructions. It is as simple as that. As we saw earlier, it can be used to perform a calculation, find answers to a question, or even solve a problem. So, how is algorithm relevant to search engines? See, search engines use a number of algorithms to perform different functions before displaying relevant results to an individual's search request. So, if you are searching meaning for a word algorithm in the search engine, before displaying the meaning for the word, the search engine uses a number of algorithms to perform certain functions. Before proceeding further, what comes to your mind when I say search engine? Google Right, obviously. This is because Google captures a significant part of the general search market and it is a global dominant player. In January, market leader Google generated 61.4% of all core search queries in the United States, according to a database company, Statista. And what contributes to its dominance? See, Google's search engine provides results to consumers with the help of its ranking system. And this ranking system are composed of a broad set of algorithms that sort through web pages in its search index to find the most appropriate results in the fastest time. This is true. The moment you click the search icon, Google will provide you with millions of web pages or data in less than one second. See, adding to this, you should know that Google's search algorithm considers several factors such as the words and expressions of the user's query, relevance and usability of a page, expertise of sources and the user's locations and settings. OK, so this is why it is the dominant player in the search engine market. Some other alternatives are also available for the users to explore. This includes Microsoft's Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo and OneSearch. Even though so many search engines are there, Google is still ruling the market. This is because the algorithms used to deliver results will vary from one search engine to another. So when a user inputs a query, the result will also differ. Moreover, results from different search engines would be rarely similar even when searching for the same item. This is because the algorithms take into account multiple factors like the location and all, and this gives Google an edge in the search engine market. Now let us see how these algorithms are developed. Generally, algorithms are often built using historical data and they are built for specific functions. Once they are developed, they go through frequent updates from the companies to enhance the quality of search engine results. Most large search engine providers depend on machine learning to automatically improve their user's search experience. And this is actually done by identifying patterns in previous decision to make future ones. Over the years, Google has developed search engine algorithms and updated them constantly with some major updates like Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, RankBrain, Medic, Pigeon and Payday. See, they are meant to enhance some function or to address some issues. In March, it introduced another update to improve the search engine's ability to identify high quality product reviews. See, all this may sound purely technical. But if you look deep into it, you will find that search engines have a huge control over you which sites consumers can find. That is, search engines will indirectly decide which sites consumers can find. Any changes or updates in the algorithm can also mean that traffic is steered away from certain sites and businesses. And this can have a negative effect on the revenue of these sites and businesses. Apart from this obvious concern, what are all the other concerns associated with algorithm used by Google? See, as per the DuckDuckGo blog post, Google's trackers have been allegedly found on majority of the top million websites. What does this mean? This means Google is not only tracking what you search for, but it is also tracking which websites you visit. And it is using all your data for ads that follow you around the internet. See, most of Google's revenue stem from advertisements. Another most important thing is that editorialized results informed by the personal information Google has on people puts people in the filter bubble based on what Google's algorithm think they are most likely to click on. Here, personal information means information like their search, browsing and purchase history. These are clearly privacy concern and the hidden concern is the violation of right to make informed decision. In this way, this is manipulation, right? See, these search algorithms can be used to personalize services in ways that are difficult to direct, leading to search results that can be manipulated to reduce choice or artificially change consumers' perception. Additionally, firms can also use these algorithms to change the way they rank products on websites, prioritizing their own products and excluding competitors. So, what is done to prevent these concerns? See, these concerns have caught the eye of regulators and as a result, these search algorithms have come under scrutiny. The European Commission has fined Google 2.42 billion euros for abusing its market dominance as a search engine by giving an illegal advantage to other Google products. Moreover, the European Union has proposed the Digital Services Act in that transparency measures for online platforms on a variety of issues including the algorithms used for recommending content or product to users are expected to come into force and any day users have the choice of not getting manipulated by tech giants. They can always use other search engines. See, there is this duck-duck-go. It is a privacy-focused firm. In addition to providing an alternative to Google's search engine, it offers mobile apps and desktop browser extensions to protect users' privacy while browsing the web. So, users can opt for alternatives like this also. That's all about this discussion. See, in this discussion, we first saw what is an algorithm. Then we saw what is a search engine. Then we saw how algorithms are relevant to a search engine. Then we saw how algorithms are developed. Finally, we saw what are the concerns with the algorithms. And before concluding we saw what are the steps taken by European Union to prevent these concerns. That's all regarding this discussion. With this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. For our next day discussion, let us take up this news article. The news article is about National Investigation Agency. The news is that yesterday, National Investigation Agency conducted research in 20 locations in Mumbai connected with the Underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim and his close associates. So, in this background let us quickly go through the National Investigation Agency. See, the National Investigation Agency or NIA is the primary counter-terrorist task force of India. The agency is required to deal with the investigation of terror-related crimes across states without special permission from the states under written proclamation from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Remember, the agency came into existence with the enactment of the National Investigation Agency Act 2008 by the Parliament of India on 31st December 2008, which was passed after the deadly attack in Mumbai. I hope you all remember the Mumbai Terror Attack. See, after such an attack, revealed the failure of the intelligence and the ability to track such activities by existing agencies in India, hence the Government of India, realized the need for a specific body to deal with terror-related activities in India thereby establishing the National Investigation Agency. So, remember, National Investigation Agency is a statutory body and it comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its headquarters is in New Delhi. Recently, the National Investigation Agency Act 2008 was amended in 2019. The amendment mainly made three changes and let us see these changes made by the amendment. Firstly, schedule offenses. Schedule offenses means that the NIA can investigate and prosecute offenses under the Act specified in the schedule of the National Investigation Agency Act. See, the schedule originally had the Atomic Energy Act 1962, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967, and the Anti-Highjacking Act 1982, among other entries. The amendment allowed the National Investigation Agency to investigate in addition cases related to human trafficking, counterfeit currency or banknotes, manufacture or sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism, and offenses under the Explosive Substances Act 1908. Moving on. Secondly, the jurisdiction of the National Investigation Agency was widened. See, the original Act allowed the National Investigation Agency to investigate and prosecute offenses within India. The amended Act empowered the agency to investigate offenses committed outside India, subjected to the international treaties and domestic laws of other countries. The central government may direct the National Investigation Agency to investigate such cases as if the offense has been committed in India. The NIA Special Court in New Delhi will have jurisdiction over such cases. The third is with respect to NIA Special Courts. See, the 2008 Act constituted the Special Courts for conducting the trail of offenses under the Act. The 2019 amendment allowed the central government to designate special courts for the trail of scheduled offenses under the Act. For this, the central government is required to consult the chief justice of the High Court under which the sessions court is functioning, before designating it as a special court. When more than one special court has been designated for an area, the senior most judge will distribute cases among the courts. State governments too may also designate sessions courts as special courts for the trail of scheduled offenses. That's all regarding this discussion. See, in this discussion, we saw the basics about National Investigation Agency and the changes made in the 2019 amendment of the National Investigation Agency's Act. With this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Take a look at this news article. This news article talks about the India-Germany ties. The article says that Modi's visit to Germany on May 2nd in the middle of ongoing Ukraine war came at a crucial junction. This is because despite the fact that the United States and Europe has imposed sanctions on Moscow and provided military assistance to Ukraine, New Delhi has refused to play by the rules set by the western powers. It has not only avoided condemning Moscow by abstaining on the critical wards on the war at the United Nations, but India has also continued to engage with Moscow to increase its import of cheap crude. India also maintained its longstanding and traditional defense stage with Russia. So, such moves have raised eyebrows and sparked some criticism in the quest. New Delhi, on the other hand, insists that its stance on the war is unbiased and should be respected by its allies and friends. So, here the question of whether the Prime Minister's visit to Germany alter the perception of India's stance on Ukraine is critical. We shall see the answer for this question in this discussion. Along with this, we will also go through India-Germany ties and some of the important points mentioned in the article. Before getting into the discussion, the syllabus regarding this discussion is highlighted here for your reference. You can go through it. Now, let us start the discussion. First, we will see what is the importance of Germany for India. See, after the Second World War, India was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Germany. Today, India regards Germany as an important partner in its search for a new political role in the region and the world, as well as for its ambitious economic reforms program. The relationship based on common values of democracy and rule of law grew much stronger in the 1990s following India's economic liberalization and the end of the Cold War. Germany and India today cooperate closely on the issues of United Nations Security Council expansion within the framework of the G4. Know that India and Germany have a strategic partnership since 2000, which has been further strengthened with the first inter-governmental consultation held in New Delhi in May 2011. Since 2011, bilateral inter-governmental consultation have been held every two years alternatively in Germany and India. The talks aim to further deepen the country's many areas of bilateral cooperation. One such meeting was held on May 2, 2022, for which PM Modi visited Germany. Apart from this, the two countries have several institutionalized arrangements to discuss bilateral and global issues of interest through strategic dialogues, foreign office consultations, joint commission on industrial and economic cooperation, defence committee dialogue, and joint working group on counter terrorism. Thirdly, Germany is India's most important trading partner in the European Union. And it is the sixth most important trading partner worldwide. And most importantly, Germany share in developmental cooperation with India remains a major component of bilateral relations. For example, German development cooperation supports the economic participation of women and setting up of practice-oriented vocational training system and provides stimulus for innovative approaches, for example, in social policies or promoting startups. In that way, Germany is an important bilateral partner in Europe for India. So, here the article suggests that New Delhi has to bring in more nuance in its approach with Europe. See, with India's prominence being completely isolated by the West is certainly not the best case scenario. However, with the assertive China on the global stage, particularly along India's borders, New Delhi has to manage a delicate balancing act. And such a balancing act must reinforce India's right to pursue its national interest and strategic autonomy in foreign policy. Moving to the challenges in the Indo-Germany ties, see the only challenge between the two countries is economic cooperation. This is mainly due to the problem of lack of bilateral investment treaty between the two countries. Germany indeed has a bilateral trade and investment agreement with India but through the European Union. So, Germany lacks the authority to negotiate with India one-on-one. Also, despite Germany being skeptical of India's trade liberalization policies, Germany advocates for more liberal labour liberation. This is also an issue. So, this moves us to the question of way forward. What can be done to improve the India-German ties? See, it remains a fact that India-German relations have yet to achieve its full potential. One possible reason for this is the lack of understanding of each other's strategic culture and domestic policies. Even though Mr Modi's visit does not change anything, but Germany has invited our PM to the G7 meeting in June this year. This can be interpreted as an attempt to disassociate India away from its stance on Russia. So, in an era of evolving geopolitical alliances and realignments, India and Germany could emerge as a key player in crafting the New World Order. That's all with this discussion. With this, let us conclude the news analysis discussion session and take up the practice problems question. As a part of practice problems question discussion, we have only one question today and this question is a quiz question for you. Take your time, read the question. If you have any doubts regarding the question, just go back and listen to the discussion. If you know the answer, post the answers in the comment section. The main questions based on today's discussion is displayed here. Write the answers and post them in the comment section. If you like today's video, like, comment and share it with your friends. For more updates regarding UPSC preparation, subscribe to Shankara IS Academy YouTube channel. Thank you.