Dispelling population myths triggered by a working paper

Regarding the increase in the Muslim population, there is a false statement in the working paper that the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) provided to the prime minister.

Composition of the Population of various communities highlighted by EAC:

• Hindu population increased by 701 million in terms of absolute numbers between 1950 and 2015. There were 146 million more Muslims in the world.
• Proportional Changes: From 84.7% in 1950 to 78.06% in 2015, the percentage of Hindus in the population decreased by 6.64 percentage points. From 9.84% in 1950 to 14.09% in 2015, there was a 4.25 percentage point increase in the percentage of Muslims.
• The Muslim population is still much smaller than the Hindu population in spite of these developments.

Issue of Misinterpretation and Sensationalism of Data:

• Misleading Media Reports: A number of politicians and media outlets have sensationalized the EAC-PM working paper’s results, falsely claiming that India’s Muslim population is quickly expanding and a threat to the country’s Hindu population.
• These interpretations mislead the public on population challenges and feed a polarizing political narrative.
• Constraints of the Paper: According to the working paper, comprehending shifts in religious demography is a multifaceted topic. Nevertheless, there isn’t enough data in the research to back up this assertion.

The true story behind this Data:: Influence of Socio-Economic Factors:

• Economic possibilities, healthcare, and educational chances are socioeconomic factors that have a substantial impact on population increase. More often than not, lower socioeconomic development in a community is the cause of higher fertility rates, not religious beliefs.
• Policies and Development metrics: Compared to the Hindu community, the Muslim community in India has a higher rate of population growth, mainly because it falls behind in some population and marriage policies that impact socioeconomic development metrics.

Need for Exact Data:

• Contextual investigation: To prevent misunderstandings about changes in the population, a thorough investigation is necessary. It is necessary to take socioeconomic, cultural, and political aspects into account in order to comprehend the complex causes of population fluctuations.
• Religious Composition: Since Partition, the percentage of India’s six major religious groupings has stayed largely same, according to the Pew Research Center (2021).
• Fertility Rates: Recent rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) show notable drops in Muslim fertility rates.

Demographic Dividend in India will remain only theoretical unless our manpower becomes more educated, aware, skilled, and creative.” What measures have been taken by the government to enhance the capacity of our population to be more productive and employable? (2016)

RBI launches PRAVAAH, Retail Direct mobile app and FinTech Repository

• Three major efforts have recently been implemented by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI): the FinTech Repository, the RBI Retail Direct smartphone application, and the PRAVAAH portal.
• These programs seek to empower retail investors, expedite regulatory procedures, and offer insights into the fintech industry.

PRAVAAH Portal:

• The Platform for Regulatory Application, Validation, and AutHorization, or PRAVAAH portal, is a centralized web-based platform that allows people and organizations to apply for RBI regulatory clearances.
• Ensuring efficiency and transparency in the authorization process, the site encompasses 60 different application forms across many regulatory departments and offers features like online application submission and progress tracking.

RBI Retail Direct Mobile App:

• Retail investors can easily access government securities (G-Secs) trading straight from their smartphones with the RBI Retail Direct Mobile App.
• The software, which is available for both Android and iOS, makes transactions in primary and secondary markets easier, enabling individual investors to take a more active role in the securities market.

FinTech Repository:

• In order to improve regulatory comprehension and policy development in the quickly changing fintech ecosystem, the FinTech Repository seeks to provide comprehensive data on Indian fintech firms.

In the context of the Indian economy, ‘Open Market Operations’ refers to:

(a) borrowing by scheduled banks from the RBI

(b) lending by commercial banks to industry and trade

(c) purchase and sale of government securities by the RBI

(d) None of the above

Sharavathi River

The State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and the Department of Mines and Geology have been instructed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to cease any illicit sand mining in the coastal zone of the Sharavathi River.

About Sharavathi River

• It starts in Karnataka and flows through the whole state.
• It is one of the few rivers in the nation that flow westward, and the Western Ghats make up a sizable portion of its basin.
• Origin: In the Thirthahalli taluk, the river begins in Ambutheertha.
• mythology: An old mythology states that the god Rama shot his bride Sita a thirst-quenching arrow called an Ambu into the earth. The river called “Sharavati” got its name from the name of the water that spurted out, “Thirtha,” where “Shara” means arrow.

Geography and Length:

• The river empties into the Arabian Sea near Honnavar in the Uttara Kannada district after a distance of roughly 128 km (80 mi).
• The Sharavati River created Jog Falls, which are about 25 km away from Siddapura.

Tributaries and Basin:

• Major tributaries: Nandihole, Haridravathi, Mavinahole, Hilkunji, Yennehole, Hurlihole, and Nagodihole.
• River basin: divided between Uttara Kannada and Shimoga districts.
• Pre-Cambrian rocks, including the Dharwar system and peninsular gneiss, dominate the basin.

Which of the following is/are the possible consequence/s of heavy sand mining in riverbeds? [2018]

1. Decreased salinity in the river
2. Pollution of groundwater
3. Lowering of the water-table

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

1. With reference to the management of minor minerals in India, consider the following statements : [2019]
2. Sand is a ‘minor mineral’ according to the prevailing law in the country.
3. State governments have the power to grant mining leases of minor minerals, but the powers regarding the formation of rules related to the grant of minor minerals lie with the Central Government.
4. State Governments have the power to frame rules to prevent illegal mining of minor minerals.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

CARBON FIBER

The Vice President recently laid the cornerstone for the Bengaluru-based Center for Carbon Fiber and Prepregs while touring the facilities of National Aerospace Limited (NAL).

Context:

• One of the things that has prevented carbon fiber from being widely used is its potential cost premium over alternative materials.

Key Takeaways

• Carbon fiber, sometimes referred to as carbon graphite or graphite fiber, is a substance made of robust, thin carbon crystalline filaments. These fibers are primarily made of carbon atoms and have a diameter of 5 to 10 micrometers.

The properties of carbon fibers include:

• High stiffness
• High tensile strength
• High strength-to-weight ratio
• High chemical resistance
• High-temperature tolerance
• Low thermal expansion
• Because of these characteristics, carbon fiber is widely used in a variety of industries, including aerospace, civil engineering, the military, motorsports, and other competitive sports. But in comparison to other comparable fibers like plastic, basalt, or glass fibers, they are somewhat pricey.
• To create a composite, carbon fibers are typically mixed with other materials. For instance, carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, which has a very high strength-to-weight ratio and is incredibly hard but slightly brittle, is created when it is baked after being infiltrated with a plastic resin. In order to create reinforced carbon-carbon composites, which have an extremely high heat tolerance, carbon fibers are additionally composited with other materials, such as graphite.
• Parts for airplanes and spaceships, race car bodies, bicycle frames, fishing rods, car springs, sailboat masts, golf club shafts, and many more components requiring high strength and low weight are made of carbon fiber-reinforced materials.