Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: FDI in India
Mains level: Features of India's FDI Policy
The Government of India has reviewed the extant Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy for curbing opportunistic takeovers/acquisitions of Indian companies due to the current COVID-19.
Context
- The Indian policy revision is meant for sectors and enterprises other than defence, space, atomic energy and sectors and activities “prohibited for foreign investment”.
- It was understood that the Indian decision was a response to the news of an incremental purchase of shares in HDFC by the People’s Bank of China.
FDI is an all-season hot topic for both prelims as well as mains. Reading the newscard will make you aware of its scope. We can expect a mains question like – Recent amendment in the FDI Policy aims for curbing opportunistic takeovers/acquisitions of Indian companies. Elucidate.
Background
FDI in India
- Foreign investment was introduced in 1991 under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), driven by then FM Manmohan Singh.
- There are two routes by which India gets FDI.
- Automatic route: By this route, FDI is allowed without prior approval by Government or RBI.
- Government route: Prior approval by the government is needed via this route. The application needs to be made through Foreign Investment Facilitation Portal, which will facilitate single-window clearance of FDI application under Approval Route.
- India imposes a cap on equity holding by foreign investors in various sectors, current FDI in aviation and insurance sectors is limited to a maximum of 49%.
- In 2015 India overtook China and the US as the top destination for the Foreign Direct Investment.
What is the amendment about?
- The govt. has amended para 3.1.1 of extant FDI policy as contained in Consolidated FDI Policy, 2017.
- In the event of the transfer of ownership of any existing or future FDI in an entity in India, directly or indirectly, resulting in the beneficial ownership, such subsequent change in beneficial ownership will also require Government approval.
The present position and revised position in the matters will be as under:
Present Position
- A non-resident entity can invest in India, subject to the FDI Policy except in those sectors/activities which are prohibited.
- However, a citizen of Bangladesh or an entity incorporated in Bangladesh can invest only under the Government route.
- Further, a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan can invest, only under the Government route, in sectors/activities other than defence, space, atomic energy and sectors/activities prohibited for foreign investment.
Revised Position
- A non-resident entity can invest in India, subject to the FDI Policy except in those sectors/activities which are prohibited.
[spot the difference]
- However, an entity of a country, which shares a land border with India or where the beneficial owner of investment into India is situated in or is a citizen of any such country, can invest only under the Government route.
- Further, a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan can invest, only under the Government route, in sectors/activities other than defence, space, atomic energy and sectors/activities prohibited for foreign investment.
In response to China
- China accused that India’s recently adopted policy goes against the principles of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
- It tends to violate WTO’s principle of non-discrimination, and go against the general trend of liberalisation and facilitation of trade and investment.
Impact
- The amended policy brings every kind of Chinese investors to India within the ambit of government approval reducing the space for private business negotiations.
- The decision would face difficulties, especially if the government tried to attribute nationality to venture capital funds.
Back2Basics: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
- An FDI is an investment in the form of a controlling ownership in a business in one country by an entity based in another country.
- It is thus distinguished from a foreign portfolio investment by a notion of direct control.
- FDI may be made either “inorganically” by buying a company in the target country or “organically” by expanding the operations of an existing business in that country.
- Broadly, FDI includes “mergers and acquisitions, building new facilities, reinvesting profits earned from overseas operations, and intra company loans”.
- In a narrow sense, it refers just to building a new facility, and lasting management interest.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not Much
Mains level: Highlights of the policy
The Ministry of Power has issued a draft proposal for amendment of Electricity Act, 2003 in the form of the draft Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
Draft Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill 2020
Major amendments proposed in the Electricity Act are as follows:
Viability of DISCOMs
- Cost reflective Tariff: To eliminate the tendency of some Commissions to provide for regulatory assets, it is being provided that the Commissions shall determine tariffs that are reflective of cost so as to enable Discoms to recover their costs.
- Direct Benefit Transfer: It is proposed that tariff be determined by Commissions without taking into account the subsidy, which will be given directly by the government to the consumers.
Sanctity of Contracts
- Establishment of Electricity Contract Enforcement Authority: Such an authority headed by a retired Judge of the High Court is proposed to be set-up with powers of the Civil Court to enforce performance of contracts related to purchasing or sale or transmission of power between a generating, distribution or transmission companies.
- Establishment of adequate Payment Security Mechanism for scheduling of electricity: It is proposed to empower Load Dispatch Centres to oversee the establishment of adequate payment security mechanism before scheduling dispatch of electricity, as per contracts.
Strengthening the regulatory regime
- Strengthening of the Appellate Tribunal (APTEL): It proposed to increase the strength of APTEL to seven apart from the Chairperson so that multiple benches can be set-up to facilitate quick disposal of cases.
- Doing away with multiple Selection Committees: It is proposed to have one Selection Committee for selection of Chairpersons and Members of the Central and State Commissions and uniform qualifications for appointments of Chairperson and Members.
- Penalties: In order to ensure compliance of the provisions of the Electricity Act and orders of the Commission, section 142 and section 146 of the Electricity Act are proposed to be amended to provide for higher penalties.
Renewable and Hydro Energy
- National Renewable Energy Policy: It is proposed to provide for a policy document for the development and promotion of generation of electricity from renewable sources of energy. It is also proposed that a minimum percentage of purchase of electricity from hydro sources of energy is to be specified by the Commissions.
- Penalties: It is being further proposed to levy penalties for non-fulfilment of obligation to buy electricity from renewable and/or hydro sources of energy.
Miscellaneous
- Cross border trade in Electricity: Provisions have been added to facilitate and develop trade in electricity with other countries.
- Franchisees and Distribution sub licensees: It is proposed to provide that the Distribution Companies, if they so desire, may engage Franchisees or Sub-Distribution Licensees to distribute electricity on its behalf in a particular area within its area of supply. However, it will be the DISCOM which shall be the licensee, and therefore, ultimately responsible for ensuring quality distribution of electricity in its area of supply.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: IED
Mains level: Not Much
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), Mumbai, have developed a global model to predict the ionospheric electron density with larger data coverage—a crucial need for communication and navigation.
We can gauge these days that PIB is coming with ample news which is visibly important and are focused on basic GS concept. Ionospheric Electron Density is one such concept. Its significance for prelims cannot be denied.
Ionospheric Electron Density (IED)
- The ionosphere exists between about 90 and 1000 km above the earth’s surface.
- Radiation from the sun ionizes atoms and molecules here, liberating electrons from molecules and creating a space of free electron and ions.
Studying IED
- The ionospheric variability is greatly influenced by both solar originated processes and the neutral atmosphere origin.
- Scientists have tried to model the ionosphere using theoretical and empirical techniques; however, the accurate prediction of electron density is still a challenging task.
- In recent years, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are showing potential to handle more complex and non-linear problems.
What are Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs)?
- ANNs are computing systems vaguely inspired by the biological neural networks that constitute animal brains.
- Such systems “learn” to perform tasks by considering examples, generally without being programmed with task-specific rules.
- For example, in image recognition, they might learn to identify images that contain cats by analyzing example images that have been manually labeled as “cat” or “no cat” and using the results to identify cats in other images.
- They do this without any prior knowledge of cats, for example, that they have fur, tails, whiskers and cat-like faces.
- Instead, they automatically generate identifying characteristics from the examples that they process.
Significance of IED
- Due to the ability of ionized atmospheric gases to refract high frequency (HF, or shortwave) radio waves, the ionosphere can reflect radio waves directed into the sky back toward the Earth.
- Radio waves directed at an angle into the sky can return to Earth beyond the horizon.
- This technique, called “skip” or “skywave” propagation, has been used since the 1920s to communicate at international or intercontinental distances.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: UNESCO heritages in India
Mains level: Not Much
The Union Ministry for Culture has launched the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India.
Various art forms (either tangible or intangible) are hotspots for Prelims. We can expect a direct description based question. For example, a question based on Manipuri Sankirtana was asked in CSP 2017.
National List of ICH
Following UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, this list has been classified into five broad domains in which intangible cultural heritage is manifested:
- Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage
- Performing arts
- Social practices, rituals and festive events
- Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- Traditional craftsmanship
Why need such a list?
- India houses a repository of unique ICH traditions, 13 of which have also been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
- The National ICH List is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage.
- The list aims to raise awareness about the various intangible cultural heritage elements from different states of India at the national and international level and ensure their protection.
- This initiative is also a part of the Vision 2024 of the Ministry of Culture.
Pls go through this link for complete details of 13 ICH : https://www.indiaculture.nic.in/national-list-intangible-cultural-heritage-ich
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN)
Mains level: BBN and its significance in the formation of our solar system
Indian researchers have discovered hundreds of Li-rich giant stars produced during BBN indicating that Li is being produced in the stars and accounts for its abundance in the interstellar medium.
Most of the space based theories and missions are focussed on the formation of our solar system. BBN is the most basic auxillary among them.
What is Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN)?
- BBN is the production of nuclei other than those of the lightest isotope of hydrogen during the early phases of the Universe.
- Primordial nucleosynthesis is believed by most cosmologists to have taken place in the interval from roughly 10 seconds to 20 minutes after the Big Bang.
- It is calculated to be responsible for the formation of most of the universe’s helium in various isotopic forms.
- Essentially all of the elements that are heavier than lithium were created much later, by stellar nucleosynthesis in evolving and exploding stars.
Lithium in space
- Lithium (Li), is one of the three primordial elements, apart from Hydrogen and Helium (He), produced in the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN).
- However, the present measurement of Li in the interstellar medium and very young stars is about 4 times more than the primordial value.
- Thus, identifying sources of Li enrichment in our Galaxy has been a great interest to researchers to validate BBN as well as a stellar mixing process.
- In general, stars are considered as Li sinks. This means that the original Li, with which stars are born, only gets depleted over stars’ life-time as Li burns at relatively very low temperatures.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Blazars
Mains level: Black Holes, Blazars
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore have conducted the first systematic study on the gamma-ray flux variability nature on different types of Blazars.
Strange terminologies from space-based studies are very important from prelims point of view. We can expect a statement based question seeking to identify the term which is being referred to in the paragraph.
What are Blazars?
- At the center of most galaxies, there’s a massive black hole that can have mass of millions or even billions of Suns that accrete gas, dust, and stellar debris around it.
- As these material falls towards the black hole, their gravitational energy gets converted to light forming active galactic nuclei (AGN).
- A minority of AGN (~15%) emit collimated charged particles called jets travelling at speeds close to the speed of light.
- Blazars are AGN whose jets are aligned with the observer’s line of sight.
- Some blazars are thought to host binary black holes in them and could be potential targets for future gravitational-wave searches.
Studying blazars
- Blazars are the most luminous and energetic objects in the known universe were found to be emitters of gamma-rays in the 1990s.
- It is only with the capability of Fermi Gamma-ray space telescope (launched in 2008) to scan the entire sky once in three hours one is able to probe the flux variability characteristics of blazars on a range of time scales.
- Gamma-ray band is one of the bands of the electromagnetic spectrum on which there is limited knowledge on the flux variability of blazars.
- Major problem while studying them is to localize the site for the production of gamma-rays.
Significance
- The study of blazars could provide clues to the processes happening close to the black hole, not visible through direct imaging.
- Exploring blazars will provide key inputs to constrain the high energy production site as well as the high energy emission processes.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kisan Rath
Mains level: Supply-chain dynamics of Agricultural produce and its bottlenecks
The Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has launched a mobile application to facilitate farmers & traders in searching for transport vehicles for movement of Agriculture & Horticulture produce.
Initiatives as such are less likely to be asked in the prelims as the name and purpose create no different analogy. But for the sake of information and mains perspective, it is vital to remember ‘Kisan Rath’ while emphasizing on Agricultural marketing reforms.
“Kisan Rath” mobile app
- The app aims to facilitate Farmers and Traders in identifying the right mode of transportation for movement of farm produce ranging from foodgrains, fruits & vegetables, oilseeds, spices, fibre crops etc.
- Primary transportation would include movement from Farm to Mandis, FPO Collection Centre and Warehouses etc.
- Secondary Transportation would include movement from Mandis to Intra-state & Inter-state mandis, Processing units, Railway station, Warehouses and Wholesalers etc.
- It also facilitates traders in transportation of perishable commodities by Reefer (Refrigerated) vehicles.
Utility of the app
- Transportation of Agri produce is a critical and indispensable component of the supply chain.
- Kisan Rath will ensure smooth and seamless supply linkages between farmers and the market.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Nanomaterials, Semiconductors
Mains level: Applications of nanomaterials
Researchers are exploring ways to develop plasmonic semiconductor nanomaterials for removal of toxic organic compounds from water by harvesting solar light.
Nanotechnology is a pathbreaking technology which can create many new materials and devices with a wide range of applications, such as in nanomedicine, nanoelectronics etc. PSN is one such application. Topics like PSN are most likely to be asked in the competitive examinations.
Plasmonic Semiconductor Nanomaterials
- PSN are metal-like materials with free electrons on the surface that oscillate collectively when hit by light.
- It uses solar light to increase the photocatalytic efficiency to degrade pollutants as well as generate renewable Hydrogen.
- These materials can easily adsorb toxic ions like arsenic and fluoride, which are often found in water in North East India and convert it to its not toxic forms when they are exposed to sunlight.
- PSN can be used for hydrogen energy generation, a process which has shown high photon to hydrogen conversion efficiency under visible and near infra-red light.
What are Semiconductors?
- Semiconductors are materials which have a conductivity between conductors (generally metals) and nonconductors or insulators (such as most ceramics).
- Its resistance falls as its temperature rises; metals are the opposite.
- They can be pure elements, such as silicon or germanium, or compounds such as gallium arsenide or cadmium selenide.
Back2Basics: Nanomaterials
- Nanomaterials are materials of which a single unit small-sized (in at least one dimension) between 1 and 100 nm (the usual definition of nanoscale).
- Materials with structure at the nanoscale often have unique optical, electronic, or mechanical properties.
- They are created from the gas phase by producing a vapour of the product material using chemical or physical means.
- Examples of nanomaterials include carbon nanotube, nanoparticles, metal rubber, quantum dots, nanopores and many more.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in India
Mains level: EIA and its stages
To address unprecedented situation arising from the global outbreak of COVID-19 and to ramp up availability or production of various drugs, the MoEFCC has made an amendment to EIA Notification 2006.
EIA is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse. Its a hot topic for mains.
What is the amendment about?
- All projects or activities in respect of bulk drugs and intermediates, manufactured for addressing various ailments, have been re-categorized from the existing Category ‘A’ to ‘B2’ category.
- Projects falling under Category B2 are exempted from the requirement of collection of Baseline data, EIA Studies and public consultation.
- The re-categorization of such proposals has been done to facilitate decentralization of appraisal to State Level so as to fast track the process.
Projects Categorization and Clearance under EIA
- Environmental clearance is required in respect of all new projects or activities listed in the Schedule to the 2006 notification and their expansion and modernization, including any change in product –mix.
- Since EIA 2006 the various developmental projects have been re-categorised into category ‘A’ and category ‘B’ depending on their threshold capacity and likely pollution potential.
- They require prior EC respectively from MOEFCC or the concerned State Environmental Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs).
- Where state-level authorities have not been constituted, the clearance would be provided by the MOEFCC.
Back2Basics: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in India
- EIA is a management tool to minimize adverse impacts of developmental projects on the environment and to achieve sustainable development through timely, adequate, corrective and protective mitigation measures.
- The MoEFCC uses EIA Notification 2006 as a major tool for minimizing the adverse impact of rapid industrialization on the environment and for reversing those trends which may lead to climate change in the long run.
- EIA has now been made mandatory under the Environmental (Protection Act, 1986 for 29 categories of developmental activities involving investments of Rs. 50 crores and above.
EIA stages
- Screening: This stage decides which projects a full or partial assessment need study.
- Scoping: This stage decides which impacts are necessary to be assessed. This is done based on legal requirements, international conventions, expert knowledge and public engagement. This stage also finds out alternate solutions that avoid or at least reduce the adverse impacts of the project.
- Assessment & evaluation of impacts and development of alternatives: This stage predicts and identifies the environmental impacts of the proposed project and also elaborates on the alternatives.
- EIA Report: In this reporting stage, an environmental management plan (EMP) and also a non-technical summary of the project’s impact is prepared for the general public. This report is also called the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
- Decision making: The decision on whether the project is to be given approval or not and if it is to be given, under what conditions.
- Monitoring, compliance, enforcement and environmental auditing: This stage monitors whether the predicted impacts and the mitigation efforts happen as per the EMP.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: CollabCAD tool and its utility
Mains level: Not Much
Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and National Informatics Centre (NIC) jointly launched CollabCAD.
CollabCAD
- It is a computer-enabled software system which provides a total engineering solution from 2D drafting & detailing to 3D product design.
- It helps the user to build models in virtual 3d space and create and engineering drawings for the shop floor which makes it a complete package for smart manufacturing.
- The aim of this initiative is to provide a great platform to students of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) across the country to create and modify 3d designs with free flow of creativity and imagination.
- This software would also enable students to create data across the network and concurrently access the same design data for storage and visualization.
Back2Basics: Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)
- The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of the country.
- AlM’s objectives are to create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship across the country at school, university, research institutions, MSME and industry levels.
- At the school level, AIM establishes Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) in all districts across India. ATLs provide tinkering spaces to children to hone their innovative ideas and creativity.
- At the university, NGO, SME and Corporate industry levels, AIM is setting up world-class Atal Incubators (AICs) that would trigger and enable successful growth of sustainable startups in every sector.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: "DekhoApnaDesh" Webinar
Mains level: Various initiaitves tourism promotion
The Ministry of Tourism has launched its “DekhoApnaDesh” webinar series to provide information on the many destinations and the sheer depth and expanse of the culture and heritage of India.
Tourism and tourist sites carry a high incidence of possible prelims questions. Take time to quickly revise the Swadesh Darshan , PRASHAD Schemes. Click here for the repository of all such initiaitives.
About DekhoApnaDesh
- Under this, a series of webinars will showcase the diverse and remarkable history and culture of India through a documentary series on various cities.
- It will be including various monuments, cuisine, arts, dance forms, natural landscapes, festivals and many other aspects of the rich Indian civilization.
- The core of the webinar is based on tourism awareness and social history.
- The webinar will be available in the public domain through the Ministry’s social media handles- “Incredible India” on Instagram and Facebook.
- The first webinar, which was part of a series that shall unfold, touched upon the long history of Delhi as it has unfolded as 8 cities.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SWAYAM prabha initiaitive
Mains level: DIgital learning initiaitives and their outreach in India
The HRD Ministry has taken several prompt, new and unique initiatives to ensure that the education of learners should not get affected by the challenging situation arising out of COVID 19. One of them is Swayamprabha TV channels.
There are various web/portals/apps with peculiar names such as YUKTI, DISHA, SWAYAM etc. Their core purpose is similar with slight differences. Pen them down on a separate sheet under the title various digital HRD initiatives.
SWAYAM Prabha
- The SWAYAM Prabha is a group of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting of high-quality educational programmes on a 24X7 basis using the GSAT-15 satellite.
- The channels are uplinked from BISAG, Gandhinagar. The contents are provided by NPTEL, IITs, UGC, CEC, IGNOU, NCERT and NIOS.
- The INFLIBNET Centre maintains the web portal.
- Every day, there will be new content for at least 4 hours which would be repeated 5 more times in a day, allowing the students to choose the time of their convenience.
The DTH Channels shall cover the following:
Higher Education: Curriculum-based course contents at post-graduate and under-graduate level covering diverse disciplines such as arts, science, commerce, performing arts, social sciences and humanities, engineering, technology, law, medicine, agriculture, etc.
School education (9-12 levels): Modules for teacher’s training as well as teaching and learning aids for children of India to help them understand the subjects better and also help them in preparing for competitive examinations for admissions to professional degree programmes.
Curriculum-based courses: These channels can meet the needs of life-long learners of Indian citizens in India and abroad.
Back2Basics: SWAYAM Portal
- SWAYAM is a Hindi acronym that stands for “Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds” is an Indian Massive open online course (MOOC) platform.
- It is an initiative launched by the Ministry of HRD, under Digital India to give a coordinated stage and free entry to web courses, covering all advanced education, High School and skill sector courses.
- It was launched on 9th July 2017 by Honorable President of India.
- The platform offers free access to everyone and hosts courses from class 9 till post-graduation.
- It enables professors and faculty of centrally funded institutes like IITs, IIMs, IISERs, etc. to teach students.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Harvesting festivals across India
Mains level: Not Much
The nation today celebrates the festival of harvest, Vaishakhi under diverse names. Vaisakhi celebrates the solar new year, based on the Hindu Vikram Samvat calendar.
Vaishakhi
- Vaisakhi also known as Baisakhi is a historical and religious festival in Sikhism.
- It is usually celebrated on 13 or 14 April every year which commemorates the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
- In Sikhism, Vaisakhi marks the start of the Khalsa in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh.
Other names
- Maha Bishuba Pana Sankranti (Odisha)
- Bikhu or Bikhauti (Kumaon region of Uttarakhand)
- Bisu (Tulu region of Karnataka)
- Bohag Bihu (Assam)
- Puthandu (Tamil Nadu)
- Vishu (Kerala)
Note: Harvest festivals are significant events. Do try to remember their names as one can expect a match the pair question.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Operation Lifeline UDAN
Mains level: Not Much
To ensure a steady supply of essentials, even in the most remote locations, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry launched ‘Lifeline Udan’.
Don’t get confused or correlate this with Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) Scheme. The name clearly indicates that it is an HADR like operation. Whats HADR? Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
Op. Lifeline Udan
- Under this operation, flights are being operated to transport essential medical cargo to remote parts of the country amid the lockdown to support India’s fight against Covid-19.
- The flights have been operated by Air India, Alliance Air, Indian Air Force, Pawan Hans and private carriers.
- The cargo compulsorily supplies goods such as regents, enzymes, medical equipment, testing kits and PPE, masks, gloves and other essential items as applicable by the State and UT Governments.
- Air India is shouldered to operate dedicated scheduled cargo flights to other countries for transfer of critical medical supplies, as per the requirement.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: YUKTI portal
Mains level: Coronovirus outbreak and its mitigation
Union Ministry for HRD has launched a web-portal YUKTI (Young India Combating COVID with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation).
There are various web/portals/apps with peculiar names, ex. DISHA, SWAYAM. Note them down with their one line purpose. UPSC Prelims may quiz you on these.
YUKTI web-portal
- YUKTI is a unique portal and dashboard to monitor and record the efforts and initiatives of MHRD.
- The portal intends to cover the different dimensions of COVID-19 challenges in a very holistic and comprehensive way.
- The primary aim of the portal is to keep academic community healthy, both physically & mentally and to enable a continuous high-quality learning environment for learners.
Utility of the portal
- The portal allows various institutions to share their strategies for various challenges which are there because of the unprecedented situation of COVID-19 and other future initiatives.
- It will give inputs for better planning and will enable MHRD to monitor effectively its activities for coming six months.
- It will establish a two-way communication channel between the Ministry of HRD and the institutions so that the Ministry can provide the necessary support system to the institutions.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: ‘Bharat Padhe Online’ campaign
Mains level: Not Much
Union HRD Ministry has launched a week-long ‘Bharat Padhe Online’ campaign for Crowdsourcing of Ideas for Improving Online Education ecosystem of India.
‘Bharat Padhe Online’ campaign
- Students and teachers are the main target audience of this campaign.
- Students who are currently studying in schools or higher educational institutions are the ones engaging with the existing digital platforms offering various courses etc. on a daily basis.
- They can share what is lacking in the existing online platforms and how it can be made more engaging.
- The educators across the country can also come forward to contribute with their expertise and experience in the field of education.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Acrylosorb
Mains level: Advanced materials and thier applications
Scientists at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) have designed and developed a highly efficient superabsorbent material for liquid respiratory and other body fluid solidification and disinfection for the safe management of infected respiratory secretions.
Chitra Acrylosorb Secretion Solidification System
- It is a highly efficient superabsorbent material for liquid respiratory and other body fluid solidification and disinfection.
- AcryloSorb can absorb liquids at least 20 times more than its dry weight and also contains a decontaminant for in situ disinfection.
- Containers filled with this material will immobilize the contaminated fluid by solidifying it (gel-like), thus avoiding spillage and will also disinfect it.
- The canister containing the solidified waste canister can then be decomposed as all other biomedical waste by incineration.
How it works?
- In the developed system, suction canisters, disposable spit bags have been designed with “AcryloSorb” technology.
- They are lined inside with the AcryloSorb material.
- The AcryloSorb suction canisters will collect the liquid respiratory secretions from ICU patients or those with copious secretions treated in the wards.
- The container will be spill-proof and can be sealed after use, making it safe and fit for disposal through the usual incineration system for biomedical wastes.
Significance of Acrylosorb
- Sealable and disposable spit bags can be provided for solidifying the sputum and saliva of ambulant patients with respiratory infections, which can then be incinerated.
- Thus it reduces the risk for the hospital staff, the need for personnel for disinfecting and cleaning the bottles and canisters for reusing them and makes the disposal safer and easier.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: iGOT portal, DIKSHA Portal
Mains level: Not Much
The Union govt. has launched a training module for management of COVID-19 named ‘Integrated Government Online training’ (iGOT) on DIKSHA platform of MHRD.
About iGOT
- It is training module for management of COVID-19 on DIKSHA platform for the capacity building of frontline workers to handle the COVID-19 pandemic efficiently.
- Courses on iGOT have been launched specially for Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics, Hygiene Workers, Technicians, Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANMs), State Government Officers, Civil Defence Officers, Various Police Organisations.
- They are also available to NCC corps, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), NSS volunteers, Indian Red Cross Society, Bharat Scouts and Guides and other volunteers at the stage.
Back2Basics: DIKSHA Portal
- HRD ministry has launched Diksha Portal (diksha.gov.in) for providing a digital platform to a teacher to make their lifestyle more digital.
- It aims to serve as National Digital Infrastructure for Teachers.
- The portal will cover the whole teacher’s life cycle – from the time they were enrolled as student teachers in Teacher Education Institutes (TEIs) to after they retire as teachers.
- It will enable, accelerate and amplify solutions in the realm of teacher education. It will aid teachers to learn and train themselves for which assessment resources will be available.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kendriya Bhandar
Mains level: Not Much
Kendriya Bhandar which functions under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has taken the unique initiative of providing “Essentials Kits” to needy families during the ongoing lockdown.
About Kendriya Bhandar
- The Central Govt. Employees Consumer Cooperative Society Ltd. is popularly known as Kendriya Bhandar.
- It was set up in 1963 as a welfare project for the benefit of Central Govt. employees and public at large.
- It is functioning under aegis of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and was registered with Delhi Registrar of Cooperative Societies.
- Subsequently, it was registered with Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Govt. of India as a Multi-State Consumer Cooperative Society in September 2000.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Ionosphere, CIP
Mains level: Relation between atmosphere and seismic activity
Scientists of Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) an autonomous institution of the DST have extensively studied the signatures of recent large earthquakes into the ionosphere with an ambitious aim to derive the seismic source characteristics from the ionosphere.
CLAIMS
- The research is a part of the interdisciplinary program ‘Coupled Lithosphere-Atmosphere- Ionosphere-Magnetosphere System (CLAIMS)’ of IIG.
- CLAIMS focuses on energy transfer to the atmosphere during solid Earth processes such as earthquakes as well as tsunamis.
Key terms: Co-seismic Ionospheric Perturbations (CIP)
- In general, the Earth crust uplift during an earthquake produces compressional (i.e. pressure) waves in the overlying atmosphere.
- These waves propagate upward in the region of exponentially decreasing atmospheric neutral density, and thus, wave amplitude increase with atmospheric heights.
- On arrival at ionospheric heights, the waves redistribute ionospheric electron density and produce electron density perturbations (disruption) known as CIP.
Objective of CLAIMS
- The spatial distribution of near field co-seismic Ionospheric perturbations (CIP) associated with this event could reflect well the ground deformation pattern evolved around the epicentre.
- These CIPs were derived using the Global Positioning System (GPS) measured Total Electron Content (TEC).
- The CIP distribution was estimated at Ionospheric piercing point (IPP) altitude.
Other factors affecting CIP
The major effective non-tectonic forcing mechanisms at ionospheric altitudes are the-
- orientation between the ambient geomagnetic field and seismic induced neutral wave perturbations.
- orientation between the moving satellite line of sights and the wave perturbations.
- ambient ionospheric electron density gradient.
Back2Basics
Ionosphere
- The ionosphere is the ionized part of Earth’s upper atmosphere, from about 60 km to 1,000 km altitude.
- It is a region that includes the thermosphere and parts of the mesosphere and exosphere.
- It is ionized by solar radiation.
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