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RaghukulCS
March 1, 2021

Daily Prelims Newsletter For UPSC
| RaghukulCS

27 FEB 2021

Environment………………………………………………………..1

Kaipad Farming ………………………………………………..1

Science and Technology……………………………………….1

NSIL (New Space India Limited) …………………….1

Economy……………………………………………………………….2

Reccession In India……………………………………………2

Polity and Governance………………………………………..2

Postal ballot …………………………………………………….2

Art and Culture……………………………………………………3

Rukmini Devi Arundale…………………………………..3

Places in News……………………………………………………3

Syria………………………………………………………………..3

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Environment

Kaipad Farming

Why in News?

Kaipad farming, a mode of paddy cultivation in Kerala which was almost abandoned by farmers mostly owing to labour shortage, is on the revival path due to the huge demand for the paddy cultivated.

About Kaipad Farming:

Kaipad system is organic farming system in which rice cultivation and aquaculture go together in coastal brackish water
Kaipad means coastal brackish water marshes in local parlance.
Kaipad Rice is a GI tag rice from Kerela.
No chemical fertilizers are used in the rice, fish and shrimp farming in the fields. They are naturally rich in organic content.
It was declining due to :
- Labour shortage
- Huge production Cost
- Mangroves havecome up in areas that were left idle for several years which are otherwise suitable for this mode of farming.

Science and Technology

NSIL (New Space India Limited)

Why in News?

Recently, PM has congratulated NSIL on successful launch of Amazonia 1 sattelite of Brazil.

About NSIL:

NSIL is a Central Public Sector Enterprise and commercial arm of ISRO.
It was established in 2019 under the administrative control of Department of Space (DOS).
- The Department of Space (DoS) is a department under GoI responsible for administration of the Indian space program. It is directly under PMO.
Key Functions:
- Mass-produce the SSLV and the PSLV in partnership with the private sector in India through technology transfers.
- Use R&D carried out by ISRO for commercial purposes through Indian industry partners.
- Marketing of technologies, products and services, both in India and abroad

Economy

Reccession In India

Why in News?

As per the NSO, India’s economy is out of recession but there is still a long way to go to return to growth rates prior to the pandemic.

About Recession:

It is a macro economic term that refers to a slowdown or a massive contraction in economic activities for a long enough period, i.e., a situation of negative growth for two successive quarters (6 months).

Previous Recessions observed in India:

1957-58: BoP Crisis due to increasing imports and reduced exports.
1965-66: Recent wars with Pakistan and China along with two consecutive drought years.
1972-73: OAPEC(Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries) proclaimed an oil embargo and oil prices shot up by 400%, thus import bill increased.
1979-80: Second oil shock due to low oil production in the world.
2020-21: Corona Pandemic related lockdown.

Related Information:

Depression is period of severe and prolonged recession.
It is characterised with output falling for at least 12 months and GDP falling by over

Polity and Governance

Postal ballot

Why in News?

The Election Commission has stated that postal ballots facility would not be extended to NRIs for the upcoming state and UT elections.

About Postal ballot system:

Ballot papers are distributed electronically to electors which are to be returned to the election officers via post.
It is hence referred as Electronically transmitted postal ballot
Presently, only the following voters are allowed to cast their votes through postal ballot:
- Service voters i.e., armed forces, the armed police force of a state and government servants posted abroad,
- Voters on election duty,
- Voters above 80 years of age or PwD,
- Voters under preventive detention.
Representation of the People Act, 1951mentions the eligibility and exceptions of above-mentioned voters.

Art and Culture

Rukmini Devi Arundale

Why in News?

On Feb 29, her birth anniversary was observed.

About Rukmini Devi Arundale:

Rukmini Devi Arundale was an Indian Bharatnatyam dancer and was also associated in field of theosophy and animal welfare.
She was the first woman to be anominated member of the Rajya Sabha.
He founded Kalakshetra Foundation to revitalise the ancient Indian craft of textile printing.
- Presently, it is recognised as an ‘Institute of National Importance’ by an Act of Parliament.

Key Points about Bharatnatyam:

Bharatnatyam is one among the eight classical dances of India recognised by Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest classical dance form that originated in Tanjore district in Tamil Nadu, India.
The origin of this dance can be traced to the Bharata Muni’s Natyashastra.
The Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikesvara mentions about the technique and grammar of body movement in Bharatanatyam Dance.
This dance form is associated with Devadasi system whereby the young girls were ‘gifted’ by their parents to the temples and married to the chief deity. This dance was performed for the deity.
In Bharatnatyam dance, one dancer takes on many roles in a single performance.
This form of dance includes both slow and moving; and fast and fluid; dance steps and hence is said to symbolise Fire aspect of nature.
Apart from movements of the leg, hip and arm expressive eye movements and hand gestures are also used to convey emotions.
A person conducts the dance recitation and is called the Nattuvanar.
The performance starts with Alarippu and ends with