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 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS What is Karman line? Explain. On July 11, British businessman Richard Branson beat rival Jeff Bezos to reach the edge of space, giving space tourism an official kickstart. But experts and space enthusiasts are in doubt whether the height to which he travelled can be termed ‘space’. The most widely accepted boundary of space is known as the Kármán line, 100km above mean sea level. But the United States uses 80km as the cutoff point. Branson’s Virgin Galactic flight reached a height of 86km while Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin flight is expected to go about 106km high. The Kármán line has been compared to international waters, as there are no national boundaries and human laws in force beyond the line. Above this level, there would be free space. It was named after aerospace pioneer Theodore von Kármán The 1967 Outer Space Treaty says that space should be accessible to all countries and can be freely and scientifically investigated. Defining a legal boundary o

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS   What is wetland? Explain the Ramsar concept of 'wise use' in the context of wetland conservation. Site two examples of Ramsar sites from India. Wetlands are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic eco-systems where the water is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. In these areas, water covers the soil or is present either at or near the surface of the soil throughout the year.  Wetlands serve as source of drinking water, reduce flooding and the vegetation of wetlands filters domestic and industrial waste improves water quality. Ramsar Conservation i.e. the international Convention on Wetlands, that provides wise use of wetlands and their resources. Its mission is "The conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world". Thus the term 'wide use'

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS What are the social networking sites and what security implications do these sites present? Social networking sites can be defined as any web or mobile based platform that enables an individual or agency to communicate and also enables exchange of user generated content.  e.g. Facebook, twitter, WhatsApp etc. These sites have become part of daily life of almost every individual. Even though they have many advantages, they also poses security in various form like cyber terrorism, fraud, spreading violence etc. According too world economic forum in its Global Risk Report 2013, the rapid spread of false information through social media is among is among the emerging risks. Nation faces numerous security challenges and social networking sites act as platform for that. Various security implications of SNSs are: 1. Cyber Terrorism : It is the biggest threat of SNS. SNS have became platform for terrorist coordination and communication or propaganda of hate s

UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS What do you understand by run-off-river hydroelectricity project? How is it different from any other hydroelectricity project? Run-of-river hydro electricity is a type of hydro electric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. It is considered ideal for rivers that can sustain a minimum flow or those regulated by reservoir upstream. It is a power station utilizing the run of the river flows for generation of power with sufficient bondage for supplying water for meeting diurnal or weekly fluctuations of demand. e.g. Nathpa Jhakri Dam, Baglihar Dam etc. Points of difference from other hydroelectricity projects are: 1.  Conventional hydro project requires reservoirs, whereas it either has little or no water storage. 2.  Absence of reservoir, eliminates the chances of methane and carbon dioxide emissions caused by decomposition of organic matter. 3. Absence of reservoir, decreases the chances of flooding of the upper part of the riv

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS Examine how the decline of traditional artisanal industry in colonial India crippled the rural economy. Before the advent of colonialism in India, the country was center of Industrial activities in the world. India's rural economy thrived and agriculture and handicrafts supplemented each other. The British gradually annexed the princely states one after another. The courts in India employed a large variety of people including painters, craftsmen, poets, folk artists, priests etc. when the kings lost their authority and power these professionals were deprived of their patrons and hence rendered jobless. On their part the British government made no serious efforts.  The British government saw India primarily as the supplier of cheap raw material and market for the finished goods coming from London. Therefore they systematically destroyed  the rural economy by adopting policies that discouraged local artisans and favored  big industrialist who entere

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS "To ensure effective implementation of policies addressing water, sanitation and hygiene needs, the identification of beneficiary segments is to be synchronized with the anticipated outcomes". Examine the statement in the context of the WASH scheme. As the world transits from Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are taking policy center stage in many countries. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is for instance a manifestation of this importance. WASH sectors being concurrent subjects, policies have been formulated by both the Central government and respective State governments. However WASH policies formulated by the State governments have low robustness as compared to that of national policies. The capacity for policymaking of State governments thus need to be further strengthened. Identification of the beneficiary segments is a key component of policy. Therefore, policymakers have grad