UPSC Daily Current Affairs| Prelim Bits 15-05-2025

Tsarap Chu Conservation Reserve

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Environmental ecology | Bio-diversity

Why in News?

Recently, the state government of Himachal Pradesh notified the Tsarap Chu Conservation Reserve under Section 36A(1) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

• The remote and cold Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh is now home to India’s largest protected area.
• Geographical spread – It spreads over 1,585 square kilometres.
• It is bounded by important protection sites
  • North - Union Territory of Ladakh
  • East – The Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary extending up to Malang Nala and Lungar Lungpa
  • South - Kabjima Nala
  • West - Chandratal Wildlife Sanctuary
• It is also located at the confluence of the Unam River and Charap Nala and thus is the catchment area of ​​the Charap Nala.
• Ecological importance – It is an important wildlife corridor connecting the Kibber and Chandratal sanctuaries, which is extremely important for biodiversity.

Tsarap Chu joins Darlaghat, Naina Devi, Potter Hill, and Shilli as Himachal Pradesh’s 5^th conservation reserve.

• It is also prime snow leopard habitat, with a high density of snow leopards.

The snow leopard is often called the ‘ghost of the mountains’. It is a stealthy predator, found in snowy and rocky terrain at an altitude of 3,000 to 5,000 metres. The species is found in relatively high numbers in the Spiti Valley, and its presence reflects the health of the entire ecosystem.

• Tibetan wolf, bharal (blue sheep), Himalayan ibex, kiang (wild ass), and the Tibetan argali are also found in the region.
• Rare bird species such as Rose Finch, Tibetan Raven, and Yellow-billed Chough enrich the ecology of the region.

• Regulation – It will be managed through a Conservation Reserve Management Committee, which will also include representatives from local Panchayats.

• The committee will manage the area while balancing the needs of local communities and wildlife conservation priorities.

• Significance – Declaring this area as a conservation reserve will encourage activities such as wildlife conservation and research, trekking, eco-tourism, and photography, thereby providing a new base for the livelihood of the local communities.

Reference

Down To Earth| Notification of Tsarap Chu Conservation Reserve

Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains

Prelims: Physical Geography| Current events of national and international importance

Why in News?

A recent study, reveals how hidden mountain chain of Gamburtsev Mountains emerged more than 500 million years ago when the supercontinent Gondwana formed from colliding tectonic plates.

In Antarctica, some peaks, like the towering Transantarctic Mountains, rise above the ice. Others, like the ancient Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains in the middle of East Antarctica, are completely buried.

• It is an ancient subglacial mountain buried beneath the highest point of the East Antarctica ice sheet.
• Discovery - They were first discovered by a Soviet expedition using seismic techniques in 1958.

Typically, a mountain range will rise in places where 2 tectonic plates clash with each other. For example, the Himalayas are still rising today as the Indian and Eurasian plates continue to converge, a process that began about 50 million years ago.

• New findings – It supports the idea that the Gamburtsev Mountains 1st formed during this ancient collision.

• Evidence - Tiny zircon grains found in sandstones deposited by rivers flowing from the ancient mountains more than 250 million years ago were analysed.
• These sandstones were recovered from the Prince Charles Mountains, which poke out of the ice hundreds of kilometres away.

Zircons are often called “time capsules” because they contain minuscule amounts of uranium in their crystal structure, which decays at a known rate and allows scientists to determine their age with great precision.

• The Gamburtsev Mountains began to rise around 650 million years ago, reached Himalayan heights by 580 million years ago, and experienced deep crustal melting and flow that ended around 500 million years ago.
• Because they’ve been preserved by a deep layer of ice, the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains are one of the best-preserved ancient mountain belts on Earth.

 The Denman Glacier on East Antarctica’s coast uncovered rocks that may be related to these ancient mountains.

Reference

The Hindu| Revelations of Hidden Mountain of Antarctica

National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)

Why in news?

Recently the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) dismissed an insolvency petition against PepsiCo India Holdings.

• NCLAT – It is a quasi-judicial body that act as an appellate authority over decisions made by National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
• It serves as a specialized tribunal to resolve corporate disputes.
• It was established in 2016 under the Companies Act, 2013.
• Composition - It consists of a chairperson and other members with judiciary and law backgrounds.
•  Jurisdiction – It has only appellate jurisdiction (hears appeals against NCLT decisions).
• Functions – It hears appeals against,
  • The orders of the NCLT (related to company law and insolvency),
  • The orders of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI),
  • The orders of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).

• PepsiCo India Holdings Case (2025) - NCLAT dismissed an insolvency petition against PepsiCo.
• It upheld NCLT Chandigarh's earlier rejection of SNJ Synthetics's plea.
• It ruled that Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) provisions "cannot be turned into debt-recovery proceedings".
• It determined that insolvency proceedings cannot be initiated solely based on interest claims when principal has been repaid.

References

1. The Hindu| NCLAT dismisses insolvency plea against PepsiCo India
2. NCLAT| About NCLAT

India’s New Doctrine of War Against Terror

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance| Security Issues

Why in news?

Prime Minister recently unveiled a new military doctrine against terrorism following Operation Sindoor.

• New military doctrine – It includes three principles that will guide the nation’s response against terror.

Three Principles of Doctrine of War Against Terror

• Decisive retaliation - Response will be on India's terms where India will determine the timing, scale, and nature of its response to terrorist attacks.
• No Nuclear blackmail - No tolerance for terror that hides under nuclear blackmail rather India will act decisively on the terrorist hideouts.
• No distinction between terrorists and sponsor - It removes previous distinctions between terrorist organizations and state sponsors, that India will not differentiate between the government sponsoring terrorism and the masterminds of terrorism.
• It aims to dismantle state sponsored terrorism by discouraging funding to terrorism.
• India's approach to terrorism, will be new normal that retaliation against terrorism is India's policy against terrorism.
• The doctrine represents a qualitatively higher level of aggression and lowers the threshold for future responses to terrorist attacks.
• PM has placed this doctrine within the framework of the global war on terror.

The framework of the Global War on Terror (GWOT) refers to the strategic, legal, military and diplomatic structures established primarily by the United States and its allies after the September 11, 2001 attacks to combat terrorism worldwide.

• The doctrine maintains India's long-standing position that "terror and talks cannot go together" regarding relations with Pakistan.
• This new approach follows and escalates from two previous major responses to terrorism such that,
  • The surgical strike after the Uri terror attack (September 2016) and the Balakot strike after the Pulwama terror attack (February 2019).

Reference

The Indian Express| PM unveils new doctrine

Afrikaners

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance

Why in news?

Recently United States of America recognised a group of Afrikaners, as the refugees.

• Afrikaners – They are white South African citizens who have descended from predominantly Dutch colonists who had first arrived in the mid-17th century.
• Demography - Afrikaners in South Africa amount to 7% of the country’s population, but own 70% of the country’s land.
• The vast majority of them are farmers and they speak a language called Afrikaans.
• Afrikaners, who had benefited from apartheid policies, lost political control Post-Apartheid South Africa.
• They were subjected to affirmative action programs designed to uplift the historically disadvantaged Black population.
• Some Afrikaners, cited increased violent crime, particularly farm attacks, and racial tensions as reasons to emigrate.
• Land reform in South Africa – In 2025, South African passed Expropriation Act No. 13 of 2024, which aims to address historical land inequalities stemming from the apartheid era.
• It allows the state to seize land without compensation for public purposes in certain circumstances
• Refugee status - The refugee status given through an executive order on February 2025, titled "Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa.

Under U.S. refugee law, a person (or group) can claim refugee status if they face persecution based on race.

• They now have a direct pathway to US citizenship and are eligible for government benefits.
• They will need to find work and "accept entry level employment," with the possibility of advancing to higher-level jobs over time.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR) is yet to recognize Afrikaners as a refugee because it recognizes one as a refugee based on widespread, state-sanctioned or tolerated harm, not based on  isolated incidents or policy grievances.

Reference

The Indian Express| Afrikaners