 A very good evening aspirants. Welcome to the Hindu newspaper analysis brought to you by Shankar IAS Academy. Today's date is 1st of December 2023, displayed here on the list of news articles that we are going to discuss today. So with that much delay, let us get into the first news article discussion. Take a look at this news article. According to this article, the National Green Tribunal, NGT has noted that petrochemical firms in Manali industrial area have not yet studied the feasibility of introducing zero liquid discharge system to prevent marine pollution. Here Manali industrial area is an industrial area in Chennai. So the NGT slapped fines on these industries. This is the crux of the news article given here. So in this news article discussion today, let us focus on the zero liquid discharge ZLD system. See, zero liquid discharge or ZLD is an advanced water treatment process. The process involves recovering and treating all wastewater for reuse. And as the name indicates, the process ensures zero liquid discharge at the end of the treatment cycle. So to put it in simple words, this process ensures that no liquid effluent is released into the environment. This system can be used to reduce liquid effluent discharge from various industries. For example, the system can be easily integrated into power plants, textile industry, chemical and petrochemical industries and meteorological industries. If you notice here, all these industries are highly water polluting. So use of the ZLD system with these industries will bring down water pollution. Also note that the ZLD system can also be used by the municipalities for wastewater treatment. So with this basic understanding, let us see how this functions. See, first there is the pretreatment process. It includes screening, coagulation, biological coagulation and settling or clarification. The pretreatment is done to remove the majority of the solid waste. Then there is the filtration process. This process includes reverse osmosis, RO, ultrafiltration, UF and nano filtration enough. This is done to remove even the tiniest of the solid waste from the water. Even the salts dissolved in the water are removed through RO and NF. After the filtration process, the clean water without any solid waste or dissolved salts are taken out. This water is then reused. The by-product of the filtration process is a sludge or brayan which is liquid with a high amount of dissolved salts. This concentrated brayan or solution produced from the filtration process is further treated through evaporation and crystallization. By evaporating the water content, solids and salts are separated, forming crystals that can be collected and disposed of properly. This water that is evaporated is then condensed and can be reused. So these are the steps involved in the IZLT system. So all the water is removed and treated and it is reused. The dry solid waste and the crystallized salts are removed, compacted and disposed of appropriately. Now this process ensures safe disposal. In some cases the IZLT system also has a system of the recovery of valuable resources like salts, minerals and chemicals from the dry waste. So this is how the IZLT system itself functions. So the main advantages of the systems include firstly zero effluent pollution. This leads to environmental protection. Secondly water conservation due to the reuse of the water. Thirdly ecologically beneficial in the long run due to reusing water and recovering resources. Fourthly public health will be ensured due to proper treatment of wastewater. So these are all the advantages associated with this system. So these learned points. Now let us move on to the next news article discussion. Look at this news article. According to the news article India is said to launch an X-ray polar repeater satellite from the Satin Dhawan space station. So in this news article discussion we are going to see some of the important points about the X-ray polarimeter satellite. But to understand its functioning you have to understand what is polarization. See we all know that light waves like all waves in the electromagnetic spectrum or transverse waves. So basically the light waves oscillate perpendicular to their direction of propagation. Here polarization refers to the orientation of these oscillations relative to the direction of the waves motion. Now look at this image as you can see when the unpolarized light passes through the polarization filter it becomes polarized. That is its oscillations become aligned to a single direction. Now this basic phenomenon is called polarization. Now let us see what a polarimetry mean. See polarimetry involves the study and measurement of the polarization state of light or other electromagnetic waves. Now you may have a question why do we have to study polarization of electromagnetic waves. Now look at this image this is your simple polarimetry setup. See each material interacts with the polarized light in a very specific way. By passing a polarized light through a sample and studying the change in polarization caused by the sample we can have an understanding of the physical and chemical properties of the sample. In this technique if we study the polarization of x-rays instead of light waves it is called x-ray polarimetry. X-ray polarimetry is mainly used in astrophysics and astronomy. It is used in the study of various celestial objects. It helps astronomers analyze the polarization of x-rays emitted from distant celestial bodies. So analyzing the polarization provides insights into the nature composition and magnetic fields of various astronomical objects like neutron stars and black holes. Now I hope you have a basic understanding about what is the x-ray polarimetry. Now moving on let us see about x-ray polarimeter satellite that is to be launched by India. It is in short called as X-PoSat. See the X-PoSat will be placed in a low earth non-sun synchronous orbit. It will be placed in the 650 kilometer orbit by ISRO's workhouse PSLV. X-PoSat will be India's first dedicated polarimetry mission. The mission has a lifetime of five years. The satellite will carry two scientific payloads. The payloads includes x-ray polarimeter in short called as POLIX and x-ray spectroscopy and timing in short called as X-Spec. In the primary payload, POLIX will measure the polarimetry parameters in medium x-ray of astronomical origin. This payload is being developed by Raman Research Institute in short called as RRI of Bangalore in collaboration with the UR Rao satellite center URSE. POLIX is expected to observe about 40 bright astronomical sources of different categories during the planned timeline of five years. The X-Spec payload will give spectroscopic information. This payload would observe several types of sources like X-ray pulses, black hole binaries, low magnetic field neutron stars, active galactic nuclei and magnetas. So this is about the payloads in the X-PoSat mission. Now let's conclude this discussion by saying the significance of the mission. See the X-ray polarization measurements like the degree of polarization and the angle of polarization mainly from celestial objects like black holes, neutron stars and active galactic nuclei will help us in understanding their physics better. Also the mission will help in developing X-ray polarimetry skills in India. It will lay the groundwork for future progress. These are all some of the very important points that you have to remember about X-ray polarimetry and the X-PoSat satellite. So with these learnt points now let us move on to the next news article discussion. Look at this science page article. This article talks about stopping the spread of AIDS with science backed protocols. So in this newspaper analysis we are going to see about the basics of HIV and AIDS from the problem's perspective. So what is HIV and AIDS? See HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is a lentivirus which is a sub-classification of the retrovirus. Remember these retroviruses are a type of virus that use a special enzyme called reverse transcriptase to translate its genetic information into DNA. That DNA can then integrate into the host cells DNA thereby changing the entire genome of the cell. So if this HIV is left untreated then it can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. Remember HIV attacks and destroys the CD4 cells of the immune system. This loss of CD4 cells makes it difficult for the body to fight of infections, illnesses and certain cancers. So without treatment HIV can gradually destroy the immune system causing health decline and the onset of AIDS. Now look at this picture to have a better understanding. Hope now you could get a better idea. Now let us see how it is transmitted. See firstly HIV is transmitted from one person who is a carrier to another when certain bodily fluids are shared between them. It includes blood, semen, pre-semmel fluid, vaginal fluid, rectal fluid and breast milk. Moreover it can also be transmitted during unprotective sex through sharing needles from injecting drugs or tattooing by getting stuck with a needle that has the blood of someone with HIV on it then through pregnancy and through breast feeding. The transmission of HIV from a birthing parent with HIV to their child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding is also possible. It is called prenatal transmission of HIV. Talking about the symptoms of HIV and AIDS. See HIV and AIDS progresses through various stages. In the stage one it is called acute HIV infection stage. In the stage the symptoms can be similar to the flu or other viral illnesses. They are fever, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, night sweats and diarrhea. Moreover know that many people have no symptoms when they are first infected with HIV. Then gradually stage one progresses over a few weeks, two months to become chronic or asymptomatic HIV infection that is stage two with no symptoms. This stage can last 10 years or longer if they are not treated almost all people infected with HIV will develop AIDS that is stage three. Know that people with AIDS are also at high risk for certain cancers especially lymphomas and a skin cancer called Kaposi sarcoma. In this stage the symptoms depend on the particular infection and which part of the body is infected. Overall the general symptoms in people with HIV infection and AIDS are weight loss, fever, sweats, rashes and swollen limb glands. Talking about the prevention and treatment. See even though curing of AIDS is in nascent stage there is no effective cure for AIDS but they can be prevented from protective sex, proper checking of blood for HIV before transfusion and etc. Moreover a widely used diagnostic test for AIDS is ELISA or enzyme linked immunosorbent assay test. Know that effective anti-retroviral medications are now available to keep the viral load low and prevent multiplication of HIV. So when people with HIV takes drugs they can lead a normal life without developing opportunistic infections. That's all regarding this news article. So in this news article discussion we saw in detail about the HIV and AIDS with these learned points. Now let us move on to the next news article discussion. This news article talks about India's fiscal deficit according to the recent data published by the comptroller general of audits. The government's fiscal deficit at the end of October stood at 8.03 lakh crore rupees or 45 percentage of the full year budget estimate. In the same period the government's total expenditure was 23.94 lakh crore rupees and total receipts was 15.9 lakh crore rupees. So this is the crux of the news article given here. So today we shall focus only on the fiscal deficit. What is fiscal deficit? See a fiscal deficit is a shortfall in the income of a government as compared to its expenditure. It is the difference between the total income of the government and the total expenditure incurred by it. Normally the fiscal deficit of a country is expressed as a percentage of its GDP. In the introduction itself we saw right government's total expenditure was 23.94 lakh crore rupees compared to its receipts which was just 15.9 lakh crore rupees. Now this is a very apt example for fiscal deficit. Here the expenditure is very higher than the receipts. So what do we do when we spend more than we earn? We borrow money from our friends and relatives, right? Likewise when fiscal deficit occurs the government borrows money from the market, that is people, by increasing GSECs and treasury bills. So in any given year the fiscal deficit of the government will be equal to its market borrowing. So with this basic understanding, let us see the steps that can be taken to reduce the fiscal deficit. See in order to bring down the fiscal deficit our government has three options. First step that can be taken is reducing government expenditure or spending. See government can cut down expenditure by reducing unnecessary expenses, enhancing efficiency in public service delivery and ensuring that government's programs or subsidies and projects are cost effective. The second option is increasing the revenue generated by the government. Government can increase its revenue by implementing tax reforms, broadening the tax base, improving tax collection efficiency, closing loopholes in the tax system and introducing new revenue sources. Government can also generate funds through disinvestment of non-static public assets. The last option is increasing the country's GDP. Fiscal deficit is normally expressed as a percentage of GDP. So when the GDP increases and if government spending stays the same, the fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP can decrease. This is because the denominator GDP in the calculation becomes larger, making the fiscal deficit seem smaller in comparison. Let me explain this using an example. Imagine a country with the GDP of 100 crore rupees and the country's fiscal deficit is 20 crore. The fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP would be fiscal deficit is equal to 20 crore divided by 100 crore which is equal to 0.20 or 20 percentage. Now suppose the GDP increases to 120 crore rupees due to economic growth but the fiscal deficit remains the same at rupees 20 crore. Now let's calculate the fiscal deficit as a percentage of the increased GDP. Here fiscal deficit is equal to 20 crore the whole divided by 120 crore rupees which is equal to 0.1667 or approximately 16.67 percentage. Here even though the fiscal deficit remained constant, the fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP expressed from 20 percentage to 16.67 percentage because the GDP increased. So to reduce the fiscal deficit, the government can take steps to increase the country's GDP. So these are all some of the steps that the government can take to reduce fiscal deficit. Here note that all these steps are taken by government to reduce fiscal deficit is collectively called fiscal consolidation. So these are all some of the important points that I have to remember about fiscal deficit. With these learnt points, now let us move on to the next news article discussion. Take a look at this friend page article. This article reports about the state assembly poll that happened yesterday in Telangana. The article says that the polling was carried out peacefully and the voters turnout stood at nearly 64 percentage. The news article points out that this is low voter turnout when compared with the previous election in Telangana. This is the crux of the news article given here. So using this as an opportunity, let us understand about some of the provisions related to election in the constitution and in the representation of People's Act 1951. So we are going to understand it using an main's question. Let me read out the question for you. Compare the provisions under representation of People's Act 1951 with that of the provisions related to the election in the constitution of India. See this question can be asked in GS paper too under the syllabus Indian constitution features and significant provisions and in the salient features of the representation of People's Act. Now coming back to the question, it is a very straightforward question. So let us move on to the introduction part. In the introduction part you can write like this. India is a constitutional democracy and follows a parliamentary system of government. So holding regular free and fair election is essential to uphold the democratic principles. Article 324 of the Indian constitution provides for an independent election commission to conduct free and fair elections in the country. The commission conducts election to the parliament, the state legislature, the office of the president and the office of the vice president. There is also a state election commission. It conducts election to the local bodies. So in this way you can give a very generalistic introduction about the elections in India. Now coming to the main part of the body, here it is enough to write a certain points that compares the provisions related to the election in the Indian constitution with that of the provisions in the RPA Act 1951. Firstly as I said earlier the constitution provides for election commission to conduct free and fair elections under article 324. The constitution deals with the powers and functions of the chief election commissioner and election commissioner. On the other hand the RPA 1951 provides the details about the structure of administrative machinery for conducting elections that speaks about the duty of chief electoral officer, district electoral officers, returning officers and election observers. Secondly the constitution under article 235 mandates to maintain a single general election role for every territorial constituency. The constitution mentions that the same electoral role will be used for election to parliament and the state legislature whereas the RPA 1951 mandates to provide free copies of electoral roles to all the contesting candidates. The act also outlines the process for preparing electoral roles. Thirdly the constitution under article 326 says that the elections should be conducted on the basis of adult suffrage. This means that every person who is a citizen of India and who is not less than 18 years of age they can vote in elections. On the other hand the RPA 1951 mentions about the eligibility and ineligibility for voting. The act says that a person shall not vote in more than one constituency and the act also says that a person is not allowed to vote at any election if he is confined in a prison. Fourthly the constitution under article 327 empowers the parliament to make provisions with respect to elections. As per this article the parliament can make provisions related to preparation of electoral roles, qualification of members, delimitation of constituencies and any other matters. Based on this provision only the parliament enacted RPA 1951. This act outlines various provisions regarding qualification of members of parliament and legislative assemblies. It also outlines provisions for the disqualification of membership of parliament and state legislature. Fifthly the constitution under article 324 simply mentions to conduct free and fair elections. It interested this role with the election commission whereas detailed provisions regarding election notification, election scheduling, nomination process, registration of political parties and counting of votes or dealt by RPA act 1951. The act also ensures fair election by mandating the contesting candidates to furnish information about assets and liabilities and election expenses. And finally the constitution empowers the election commission to deal with disputes regarding election symbol and political parties whereas RPA 1951 empowers the high court and supreme court to deal with election related disputes. This means that the act outlines the procedure to deal with disputes that arise during the election process. The act even deals with corrupt practices involved in elections and electoral offenses. So this is about the body of the answer. You can split the points and present it using a tabular form as well. It will be very attractive. Now moving on to the conclusion part here you have to provide a way forward regarding election in India. You can write like this India is performing well and good when it comes to conducting elections. The introduction of electronic voting machine and VVPAT machines had eased the progress of conducting elections in India. They also provide in transparency and accountability in conducting elections but some issues like cash for vote and criminalization of politics should be addressed to further strengthen the democratic principle of conducting free and fair election in India. So this way you can end the answer for the question. So with these learnt points now let us move on to the next news article discussion. Look at this news article. Yesterday the central bureau of investigation CBI conducted searches in the residence of a Trinamul Congress MLA in Kolkata. The search was conducted over his involvement in the school recruitment scam. During searches the CBI recovered cash from the MLA's residence. However the MLA said that the particular cash was obtained from the sale of land. This is about the news article given here. So in this news article discussion we shall revise about CBI. See the central bureau of investigation or CBI is one of the national investigative agencies in India. It was set up in 1963 based on the recommendation of the Santanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption. The CBI was created by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Initially the CBI functioned under the same Home Ministry. However the CBI was later transferred to the Ministry of Personal, Pension and Public Grievances. So the CBI is now an attached office under the Union Ministry of Personal, Pension and Public Grievances. Here note that the CBI derives its power from the Delhi Special Police establishment at 1946 and it is not a body created under such an act. So the CBI is not a statutory body. Talking about the composition of CBI, CBI is headed by a director. He is assisted by a special director or an additional director. The director of CBI is responsible for the administration of the organization. Note that the director of CBI has been provided with the security of tenure for two years. Now talking about the appointment of CBI director, the CBI director is appointed by the central government based on the recommendation of a selection committee. The selection committee is headed by the prime minister. The other members of the committee includes leader of a position in Lokshaba, Chief Justice of India or Supreme Court judge nominated by him. Note that in 2014 the government made amendments in the Delhi Special Police establishment act. This amendment brought changes in the composition of the selection committee. The amendment states that when there is no recognized leader of opposition in the Lokshaba then the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lokshaba would form part of the selection committee. Talking about its functions, the CBI plays an important role in the prevention of corruption and maintaining integrity in government administration. It also provides assistance to the Central Vigilance Commission and Lokpal. Some of other functions of CBI are displayed here. You can go through it. So these learned points, now let us 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 asks you to find which of the following are a part of capital receipts. Now look at this first statement, amount borrowed from Japan for construction of metro. This statement is actually correct. It comes under capital receipts. Now look at the second statement, government building new schools and hospitals. This does not come under capital receipts. So this statement is incorrect. Statement 3 says amount received by the private association of LIC. This statement is correct. It comes under capital receipts as it involves reduction in government assets. Now the fourth statement says Sri Lanka paying interest for the amount borrowed from India. This is not a capital receipt. Interest payments will be coming under revenue receipt. So the correct answer here is option B1 and 3 only. Moving on, here certain pollutants are listed and you have to find how many of them are in the drinking water in some parts of India. Here the correct answer is option C1, 3 and 5 only. India's drinking water faces the problem of fluoride, uranium, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, chromium and heavy metals. Sorbitol is an artificial sweetener and formaldehyde is used in coating and etc. They are considered as a water pollutant in India. So here the correct answer for the question is option C1, 3 and 5 only. Moving on, here you have to arrange the electromagnetic wave in the increasing order of wavelength. Here the correct answer is option B. First comes gamma rays, then x-ray, then ultraviolet ray, then infrared ray and then micro waves. Moving on, look at this question about CBI. Three statements are given and you have to find how many statements given here are correct. Here the correct answer is option A only 1 because currently CBI is functioning under Ministry of Personal Pension and Public grievances and CBI derives its power from DSPEA but it is not created under the act. So it is not a statutory body. So here the correct answer is option A only 1. So with this we came to the end of the news article discussion. If you like the video, hit like, do comment and don't forget to subscribe to Shankar IAS Academy YouTube channel. Now thank you so much for listening.