9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – February 26th, 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• Education should be priority, not banning of hijab

GS Paper 2

• The perfect storm: On Russia’s Ukraine gambit
• India’s stand on Ukraine is shaped by its national interest
• Inflection point for the West-led global order
• Shouldn’t regulators have constitutional status?
• Why’s Buddha frowning
• India seeks alternative to coking coal imports

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• A glimpse of the golden period of Nathdwara Painting
• Most carbon capture & utilization technologies may be counterproductive: Study
• Union Minister for Culture inaugurates one of its kind conference on Indian temple architecture ‘Devayatanam’
• Ministry of Education launches Bhasha Certificate Selfie campaign
• C-DOT bags 3 awards for its indigenously designed & developed innovative Telecom solutions at 12th Annual Aegis Graham Bell Awards
• Govt has approved continuation of the Immigration Visa Foreigners Registration Tracking (IVFRT) Scheme till 2026
• Explained: Who gets VIP security cover, and how?
• Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces Contingent Arrives in India For Joint Exercise “EX Dharma Guardian-2022”
• Ministry of Culture organized the first event of the series Dhara – an Ode to Indian Knowledge System

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

Education should be priority, not banning of hijab

News: Face coverings with varying levels of restrictions are a fact of life for 58% of Hindus and 88% of Muslim women in India. Imposing them on young girls in educational institutions seems particularly worrisome. This is the reason educational authorities chose to ban the hijab in educational institutes.

What is the earlier incident of demand for removal of the veil or ghunghat?

Manju Yadav, a schoolteacher from Haryana, started a campaign to get women leaders together to abandon their ghunghats. This campaign faced initial hurdles but gained momentum when one of the largest khaps, the Malik Gathwala Khap, asked women to give up ghunghat.

Why mobilization to protest veiling is not easy in the Muslim community?

Even the celebrities like Sania Mirza and Shabana Azmi have faced issues due to religious clothing norms.

Timing of reforms is very important. When women have to select between their own community and education, the former is always given importance. Women Flavia Agnes pointed out that after anti-Muslim riots in Mumbai, Muslim women’s groups canceled anti-domestic violence programs for fear of giving more ammunition to harass Muslim men.

Then Hijab incident has been portrayed as being as essential tenet of Islam. This conflation between religion and dress code can make education difficult for Muslim women.

Why education should be given prominence for the empowerment of women, especially Muslims?

Education is crucial for women for resisting gender oppression. For example, about 67% of women with less than class V education practice ghunghat or purdah, as compared to 38% of college educated women. The National Statistical Office estimated gross attendance ratios for Muslim women to be 43% compared to 63% of all Indian women.

The timing of Hijab controversy is incorrect, as schools had been closed for 2 years following the Covid pandemic. This can aggravate inequalities in learning outcomes, which had been highlighted by National Council of Applied Economic Research.  For e.g. 68% of forward caste students aged 8-11 can read short paragraphs compared to 47% of Muslim children.

It is thus time to empower Muslim women by ensuring access to education, employment, and public safety.

GS Paper 2

The perfect storm: On Russia’s Ukraine gambit

News: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and possible sanctions by the US will impact India adversely.

What is the impact on the Indian economy?

This could deter Indian interests, be it in terms of trade financing, investment flows, and even banking transfers.

Visible impacts

Oil prices surged to an eight-year high of around $105 a barrel.

Indian Stock markets are down sharply.

Rupee depreciated close to the 76 to a dollar mark.

There is a surge in the price of gold.

Future challenges for India

Getting alternative sources for fertilizers and sunflower oil may not be as easy

Pharmaceuticals and tea could face some challenges, as will shipments to CIS countries.

Freight rate hikes could make overall exports less competitive, too.

The biggest concern, for India, however, remains the impact of oil prices on inflation.

Read more here: https://blog.forumias.com/the-russia-effect-putins-invasion-of-ukraine-has-bleak-implications-diplomatically-economically-india-wont-escape-them/

How it will impact India’s defence supplies?

It will have severe implications for India’s defence supplies. Because, military platforms of Russian origin constitute at least over 50% of India’s overall military assets and cut across all three services.

Over 90% of the Indian army’s 3,000-plus main battle tanks are Russian T-72 and T-90S.

India was also in advanced talks to procure another 464 Russian T-90MS tanks.

Meanwhile, a large portion of India’s air force fighter squadrons comprises Russian aircraft, like 272 Su-30MKI.

The Indian navy has a Russian aircraft carrier (INS Vikramaditya) and nine Russian diesel-electric submarines, among other platforms.

All of these require periodic upgrades, maintenance, spare parts and ancillary support. This entire supply chain will become very difficult to obtain under the new sanctions’ regime.

More importantly, India’s plans for S400 missile systems and other possible acquisitions will be effectively dead.

Why India is heavily dependent on Russia for defence supplies?

First, India has tried to diversify its defence imports over the last 15 years. For instance, the purchase of Rafale fighters from the French. But price competitiveness, relatively generous technology transfers, and familiarity between Indian and Russian forces meant that Russian platforms remained the preferred choice.

Second, the well-thought Make in India defense plan was ill-executed, and has had hardly any big successes.

What is the way forward?

First, Russia getting closer to China and even Pakistan squeezing in, India needs to find alternatives now. Incentivising Western arms manufacturers and revisiting indigenization are obvious steps.

Second, the Government needs to pre-emptively cut domestic fuel taxes to remove inflationary expectations.

India’s stand on Ukraine is shaped by its national interest

News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin underlined that India will for now stick to a path of strategic ambivalence on the Ukraine crisis.

Why India should maintain strategic ambivalence on the Ukraine crisis?

All the stakeholders are equally important for India. For instance,

Russia remains India’s biggest and time-tested supplier of military hardware. At the height of the crisis with China in Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh traveled to Moscow to ensure that there would be no cut-back in military supplies.

Russia has boosted India’s defense capability against China with the S-400 air defence system.

Russia is also a reliable ally in the UN Security Council. India-Russia ties have ensured that India was not entirely left out of the conversation on Afghanistan, and in Central Asia, while also providing some leverage with the US.

At the same time, the US, the European Union, and the UK are all vital partners, and India’s relations with each of them are very important.

Moreover, in the UNSC, France had backed India on many issues.

India was also relied on western support to deal with an aggressive China on the Line of Actual Control.

Further, distance from the theatre of conflict no longer insulates any country from its effects. India’s economy has already felt the shock of this “regional” conflict. For example, the ongoing evacuation of thousands of students.

What is the way forward for India?

India must talk continually to all sides, and engage with all of its partners, keeping in mind that there is no justification for the violation of any country’s territorial sovereignty. The best course is for all parties to step back and focus on preventing all-out war.

Inflection point for the West-led global order

News: Russia has recently launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The article says, the balance of power is in flux. Now, the future of the West-led global order will be defined by how effectively it responds to the crisis in Ukraine.

How Russia is determining the contours of global order?

One, Russian troops were preparing to launch an assault on Ukraine after the Russian President recognized the rebel-held areas as an independent region.

Two, though the Russian President said he is open to dialogue but by escalating the issue, he made dialogue difficult to sustain. The Russian Foreign Ministry even suggested that the idea that Russia is to blame for the crisis in Ukraine is an invention by the West.

How the west has not been able to present a united front?

One, the western countries had imposed a new round of sanctions and the German Chancellor suspended certification of Nord Stream 2, a major gas pipeline. However, it had no impact on Russia.

Two, United States President has suggested that the USA and its allies would respond in a united way, with no clear course of action. The head of the European Council has continued to insist on the need to be united.

But Germany has been reluctant to allow North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to ship German-origin weapons to Ukraine. French President has been talking of the European Union taking decisions independent of the USA. It is an attempt to showcase its ‘strategic autonomy’.

Also, the current President of the USA has not been able to build the trans-Atlantic engagement around common objectives.

Why current scenario in the world is a turning point?

First, for Russia, this is a moment to use Ukraine to highlight the broader demands of restructuring the post-Cold War European security order. The west is found with a lack of will and lack of leadership, which is leading to a lackadaisical response to one of the most serious security crises in decades.

Second, the EU is dependent on Russia for energy, which has to be factored into strategic considerations and its response to the crisis.

Third, Russia has repeatedly made it clear that it remains willing to take significant strategic risks by using force to attain its diplomatic objectives. Which the West is not ready to do. However, in this power politics, smaller and weaker nations like Ukraine are struggling to preserve their existence.

Fourth, the incoherent response of the West has not only strengthened Russia, but also China. The Russia-China ‘axis’ is getting stronger, and the two nations are ready to take on the West.

Fifth, in 1972 when U.S. President Richard Nixon shook hands with the Chinese Premier, it changed the global order and allowed China to emerge as the leading global economic power while helping the U.S. in winning the Cold War. Now, the great power politics is unfolding in Europe, which will have greater consequences for the world.

Shouldn’t regulators have constitutional status?

News: The recent controversy at National Stock Exchange (NSE) raises many questions of misgovernance.

Who is at fault regulators or the design?

The flaw is in the design, and not always the regulators themselves. They can resist their ministry only up to a point.

The problem exists as in India there are asymmetric relationships. It has three types of regulators. At the top level, are those created by the Constitution. Then, those created by Parliament and at the bottom are the ones created by the ministries. The second and the third are thus at a great disadvantage, as they cannot perform their duties independently.

What changes are required to make regulatory bodies perform independently?

First, there is a need for a symmetrical relationship between ministers and regulators. Regulators should not be a subordinate department of the ministry.

Second, All regulatory agencies should make constitutional bodies like the Election Commission, the Supreme Court, and the CAG. They should be made independent of the minister, and their funding should be assured from the Consolidated Fund of India instead of budgetary allocations.

Third, The heads of all these agencies should have cabinet ranking. This would help them discharge their functions independently.

Why’s Buddha frowning

News: Ukraine had given up its nuclear weapons in 1994 as per the Budapest accord and its security was guaranteed by Russia, the USA, and Europe. The news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine brings the question;  would Russia have dared this had Ukraine been a nuclear state?

This episode of the invasion of Ukraine highlights the importance of India developing nuclear weapons and declaring itself a nuclear state. However, there are different school of thought in India, with different opinions on that.

What are the schools of thought on India’s nuclear weapons?

First belongs to Homi Bhabha-era, they believe India should have built its nukes even before China. Former foreign secretary Maharajakrishna Rasgotra even commented that the USA had offered help in this matter to India.

Second school believed Nuclear weapons are ugly, immoral, and unusable to humanity. But after Pokharan-2 in 1998, this school has faded, and now it talks of minimum deterrence including agreements like Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Third, India would have been served better with nuclear ambiguity as India Gandhi had already demonstrated India’s nuclear capacity in Pokharan-1 in 1974. The 1998 nuclear tests also gave Pakistan the opportunity to test and declare itself as a Nuclear weapon state.

Fourth, mere demonstration of 1974 was not enough. (A) Because India did not declare itself as a Nuclear weapons state. (B) It exposed India to sanctions.

Did India gain or lose by declaring itself a nuclear state?

This move is often criticized as it enabled Pakistan to conduct and declare itself a nuclear state. But there were indications that Pakistan already had nuclear designs in the late 1980s. For example, the USA did not renew its nuclear-free certificate to Pakistan after 1989.

And that year itself, Rajiv Gandhi signaled its top scientists to make India a nuclear state. Then India conducted Pokharan 2 in 1998 followed by Pakistan’s Chagai tests.

Now, India has been accepted as a legitimate nuclear weapons power. It is admitted to most multilateral arrangements, rid of all the sanctions, and an American strategic ally. Thus, It was not at all a bad idea to become a nuclear power.

India seeks alternative to coking coal imports

News

India and Russia had last year signed a memorandum of understanding for a strategic partnership in mining and steel, with a special focus on coking coal.

The conflict in Ukraine can affect implementation of this pact and also India’s coking coal imports from Russia. Because the developed world is exploring the option of further economic sanctions on countries pursuing economic ties with Russia.

What is the magnitude of coking coal import in India?

India’s coking coal imports have risen from about 30 million tonnes to over 50 million tonnes in the last decade.

Coking coal is one of the most critical inputs for the steel Industry that accounts for 40% of the total cost of production of steel. Currently, most steel producers in India are import-dependent for coking coal.

What are the countries on which India is dependent on for coking coal?

India imports most of its coking coal from Australia currently. India is also trying to diversify its supplies through negotiations with suppliers in Brazil and a few central Asian countries.

What will be the effect of the Ukrainian crisis on India’s coking coal import?

If the Ukraine crisis affects the pact with Russia it will negatively affect India’s goal of diversifying its supplies.

Both Russia and Ukraine are manufacturers and exporters of steel in addition to being suppliers of raw materials including coking coal and natural gas. The unfolding Russia-Ukraine crisis will impact supply-demand dynamics and overall global economy.

Though India possesses large deposits of coking coal in the Jharia region of Jharkhand, most of it remains unexplored due to continuous fire in the mining areas. In this scenario Russian supplies of coking coal can prevent India from frequent fluctuation of prices of this key raw material.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

A glimpse of the golden period of Nathdwara Painting

Source: This post is based on the article “A glimpse of the golden period of Nathdwara Painting” published in Livemint on 26th February 2022.

What is the News?

A new book features 60 miniature works from the Nathdwara Painting.

What is Nathdwara Painting?

Nathdwara Painting refers to a painting tradition and school of artists that emerged in Nathdwara, a town in Rajasthan.

Nathdwara school is a subset of the Mewar school of painting and is seen as an important school in the 17th and 18th-century miniature paintings. 

Nathdwara paintings are of different sub-styles of which Pichhwai paintings are the most popular. 

Most works produced in this style revolve around the figure of Shrinathji as a manifestation of Krishna and refer to the incident of him holding the Govardhan hill on his last finger.

Note: Shrinathji is a form of Krishna, manifested as a seven-year-old child (Balak).

What are Pichhwai Paintings?

Pichhwai literally meaning ‘that which hangs from the back’ are large devotional Hindu painted pictures, normally on cloth, which portray Krishna. The purpose of Pichhwais, other than artistic appeal, is to narrate tales of Krishna to the illiterate.

Most carbon capture & utilization technologies may be counterproductive: Study

Source: This post is based on the article “Most carbon capture & utilization technologies may be counterproductive: Study” published in Down To Earth on 26th February 2022.

What is the News?

According to a study, most Carbon Capture and Utilization(CCU) technologies that suck carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and convert it into fuel or other valuable products, might fail to help the world reach Net Zero emissions by 2050.

What are Carbon Capture and Utilization(CCU) technologies?

CCU technologies either capture carbon dioxide directly from the air or absorb it from polluting sources. The technologies then use the captured carbon dioxide in processes such as making fuel, plastics and concrete. 

Contrary to straightforward carbon capture technology, CCU does not store the carbon dioxide for long periods but converts it into fuels or uses it to drive other industrial processes such as oil extraction or growing plants.

What does the study say about CCU Technologies?

Most CCU technologies might fail to help the world reach Net Zero emissions by 2050. This is because the majority of these systems are energy-intensive and the resultant product can also release CO2 into the atmosphere.

Hence, the countries should narrow down on the handful of technologies that show more promise and channel investment in them. 

For example, CCU technologies that capture carbon dioxide from biogenic sources such as plants and soil to boost crop growth in a greenhouse could work.

India and CCU Technologies

The Indian government has announced that it would establish two Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) centers.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation(ONGC) has signed an MoU with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) by injecting CO2 captured from IOCL’s Koyali refinery, Gujarat.

However, experts have said that India should concentrate on replacing cement with carbonated slag construction blocks. This could be a game-changer.

Union Minister for Culture inaugurates one of its kind conference on Indian temple architecture ‘Devayatanam’

Source: This post is based on the article “Union Minister for Culture inaugurates one of its kind conference on Indian temple architecture Devayatanam” published in PIB on 25th February 2022.

What is the News?

The Union Minister for Culture inaugurated one of its kind conference on Indian temple architecture, ‘Devayatanam’.

What is Devayatanam?

Organized by: Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) of Ministry of Culture.

Purpose: It is a conference on the journey of Indian Temple Architecture.

Aim:

– To deliberate upon the philosophical, religious, social, economic, technical, scientific, art and architectural aspects of the temple.

– To initiate a dialogue on the evolution and development of the various styles of temple architecture such as the Nagara, Vesara, Dravida, Kalinga and others.

What are the key highlights from the conference?

Hindu temples are a combination of art and science which includes Shilpa sastra, vasthu sastra, geometry and symmetry.

For instance, Temples of Hampi are already featured in the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Further, the Government has proposed Hoysala temples of Belur and Somnathpur to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Major Styles of Temples: There are three major styles of setting up temples in India known as Nagara, Dravidian and Vesara. 

– Dashavatara Temple in Devgarh(UP) is of Nagara style which is prevalent between the Himalayas and the Vindhya mountains. 

– Kailasanathar temple in Kanchi (Tamil Nadu) is Dravidian style temple, developed on the land of Krishna and Kaveri River and 

– Papanatha temple from Karnataka is one of the examples of Vesara style (Vesara is a hybrid form of Nagara and Dravidian style).

Ministry of Education launches Bhasha Certificate Selfie campaign

Source: This post is based on the article “Ministry of Education launches Bhasha Certificate Selfie campaign” published in PIB on 26th February 2022.

What is the News?

The Ministry of Education has launched a campaign ‘Bhasha Certificate Selfie’ to encourage cultural diversity and promote multilingualism and foster the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.

What is Bhasha Certificate Selfie Initiative?

Aim: To promote Bhasha mobile app by encouraging people to upload their selfies with the certificate from their social media accounts using the hashtag #BhashaCertificateSelfie.

The initiative aims to ensure that people acquire basic conversational skills in Indian languages. To achieve this, a target of 75 lakh people acquiring basic conversational skills has been set.

What is Bhasha Sangam mobile app?

Developed by: It is a mobile application developed by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with MyGov India. 

Aim: To foster the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat by enabling people across India to learn different languages of different states of India and come closer to their culture.

Using the app, people can learn 100+ sentences of daily use in as many as 22 scheduled Indian languages.

C-DOT bags 3 awards for its indigenously designed & developed innovative Telecom solutions at 12th Annual Aegis Graham Bell Awards

Source: This post is based on the article “C-DOT bags 3 awards for its indigenously designed & developed innovative Telecom solutions at 12th Annual Aegis Graham Bell Awards” published in PIB on 26th February 2022.

What is the News?

The Centre for Development of Telematics(C-DOT), the premier Telecom R&D centre of the Government of India, has bagged three awards at the 12th Annual Aegis Graham Bell Awards.

​​What is the Aegis Graham Bell Award?

Aegis Graham Bell Award is a tribute to the father of telephony and great innovator, Alexander Graham Bell. 

The Aegis School of Business, Data Science and Cyber Security has initiated this award to promote innovations and recognize the outstanding contributions by the innovators. 

This award in India is supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Skill India and National Informatics Centre.

Why was C-DOT given the Aegis Graham Bell Award?

C-DOT was given this award for three innovations which are: 

Indigenous Early Warning Platform for Disaster Management & Preparedness: This system can effectively send location-based disaster alerts in vernacular language to the people in disaster-prone areas during various natural hazards like Cyclones, Floods, Pandemic over multiple media.

C-DOT SAMVAD – A Unified Platform for Secure Messaging and Calling Solution. This platform offers secure messaging, voice and video calls, video conferencing in a secured manner. 

C-DOT Quarantine Alert System(CQAS): It is a comprehensive solution for effective monitoring of the Covid quarantined persons and detection of quarantine breaches based on geofencing and caters to both smart-phone and feature phone users.

Govt has approved continuation of the Immigration Visa Foreigners Registration Tracking (IVFRT) Scheme till 2026

Source: This post is based on the article “Govt has approved continuation of the Immigration Visa Foreigners Registration Tracking (IVFRT) Scheme till 2026” published in PIB on 25th February 2022.

What is the News?

The government has approved the continuation of the Immigration Visa Foreigners Registration Tracking (IVFRT) Scheme till 2026.

What is Immigration Visa Foreigners Registration Tracking(IVFRT) Scheme?

Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs

Aim:

– To modernize and upgrade Immigration and Visa services. 

– To provide a secure and integrated service delivery framework that facilitates legitimate travellers while strengthening national security.

– To interlink and optimize functions relating to immigration, visa issuance, registration of foreigners and tracking of their movements in India.

What are the achievements of IVFRT Scheme?

Firstly, the number of Visa and OCI cards issued has increased from 44 lakh in 2014 to 64 lakh in 2019.

Secondly, the average visa processing time of 15 to 30 days (during the pre-IVFRT period) has been reduced to a maximum of 72 hours in e-visas, with 95% of e-visas issued within 24 hours.

Thirdly, International traffic to and from India grew from 3.71 crores to 7.5 crores during the last 10 years.

Explained: Who gets VIP security cover, and how?

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: Who gets VIP security cover, and how?” published in Indian Express on 26th February 2022.

What is the News?

Dera Sacha Sauda chief has been provided Z plus category security by the Haryana government. This decision has generated considerable interest as the person was serving a 20-year sentence and was released on furlough.

What is VIP Security?

The protection given to someone who holds a position of consequence either in the government or in civil society is informally called “VIP security”.

Who decides the level of security protection an individual needs from the Centre or a state?

The level of security is decided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the case of the Center and by the state government in the case of states.

The assessment is based on inputs received from intelligence agencies, which include the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing at the level of the Centre and the state intelligence department in the case of the state government.

Who gets the security cover automatically?

Certain individuals, by reason of positions they hold in government, are automatically entitled to security cover. They include the Prime Minister and his immediate family, Home Minister, officials such as the National Security Advisor.

What are the different types of security cover provided?

There are largely six types of security cover: X, Y, Y plus, Z, Z plus, and SPG (Special Protection Group). 

The SPG cover is meant only for the PM and his immediate family.

The number of personnel guarding the protectee differs from category to category. For example, the X category on average entails just one gunman protecting the individual. On the other hand, Z-plus category protectees have 10 security personnel for mobile security and two (plus 8 on rotation) for residence security.

Which officers provide security cover?

Protectees get residence security from state police, but mobile security from a Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

For VIPs other than the PM, the government has mandated the National Security Guard (NSG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to provide security cover. In case a state accords security, the state police provides protection.

Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces Contingent Arrives in India For Joint Exercise “EX Dharma Guardian-2022”

Source: This post is based on the article “Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces Contingent Arrives in India For Joint Exercise “EX Dharma Guardian-2022”” published in PIB on 26th February 2022.

What is the News?

Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces have arrived in India For Joint Exercise “EX Dharma Guardian-2022”.The exercise will be conducted at Belagavi,Karnataka.

What is Exercise Dharma Guardian?

Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN is an annual joint military exercise conducted between India and Japan since 2018.

The exercise aims to share experience gained during various Counter Terrorism Operations in respective Countries.

The exercise will include house interventions drills, raid on terrorist hideouts in semi urban terrain, unarmed combat & close quarter combat firing where both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats.

What are the other exercises between India and Japan?

SHINYUU Maitri– It is a bilateral exercise between the Indian Air Force and the Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF).

JIMEX- It is a bilateral maritime exercise between India and Japan.

Sahayog-Kaijin – Joint bilateral exercise between the Indian Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard.

Ministry of Culture organized the first event of the series Dhara – an Ode to Indian Knowledge System

Source: This post is based on the article “Ministry of Culture organized the first event of the series Dhara – an Ode to Indian Knowledge System” published in PIB on 25th February 2022.

What is the News?

The Ministry of Culture has announced ‘DHARA, an Ode to Indian Knowledge System’ as a part of the Science Week Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate.

What is the purpose of DHARA?

DHARA comprises a series of lecture demonstrations by eminent scholars across the world to revisit our history and celebrate the achievements of India and the contribution of great scholars, mathematicians, scientists, and leaders to its heritage. 

The lectures commenced with ‘Mathematics in India’ which will focus on India’s contribution to Mathematics through the ages.

Contributions of Indian Mathematicians

Sulbasutras(∼ 800 BCE): It is the oldest extant text. It explicitly states and makes use of the so-called Pythagorean theorem, besides giving various interesting approximations to surds. 

Pingala’s Chandassastra (∼ 3rd cent. BCE): It lays foundations for various combinatorial techniques. (Knowledge of combinatorics is necessary to build a solid command of statistics).

Aryabhata (c. 499 CE): He described algorithms for extracting square root and cube root based on the decimal place-value system. He also presented the differential equation of the sine function in its finite-difference form and a method for solving the linear indeterminate equation. 

Brahmagupta(c. 628): He discussed the arithmetic operations with zero. He also introduced the profound ‘bhavana’ law of composition for solving quadratic indeterminate equations. 

Madhava (c. 1340–1420): He pioneered the Kerala School of astronomy and mathematics. He also discovered the infinite series for pi (π)—the so-called Gregory-Leibniz series)—and other trigonometric functions.