9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – August 30, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Shambuka to Indra Meghwal, inequality hurts it all
• Online gaming needs a synchronized policy framework
• The return of the Nuclear Weapons on the global platform
• Curing the patriarchal mindset of the legal system
• The Real Crime
• Towards the centenary of Independence

GS Paper 3

• A major test looms for our real estate reforms
• Challenges of sub-national fiscal correction
• The new facets of terrorism

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Explained: Reliance Jio 5G in the 4 metros by Diwali, how will its ‘standalone’ architecture work?
• Crime against women rose by 15.3% in 2021: NCRB
• IAF to raise first LCH squadron at Jodhpur in October
• Defence import bans linked to domestic manufacturing
• Integration of One District One Product (ODOP) initiative with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) will help in further expanding the frontiers of ODOP: Union Minister
• Tribe categorisation work delays benefits under SEED
• Explained: The significance of NASA’s Artemis mission, the beginning of a new age of human exploration of the Moon
• Zombie ice from Greenland will raise sea level 10 inches

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Shambuka to Indra Meghwal, inequality hurts it all

News: This article discusses about the issues associated with the caste system in India.

What are the problems associated with Caste system?

Even today, caste determines a person’s occupation. It makes the Labour an obligation, instead of a choice.

The work is divided on the basis of caste. A caste is often associated with a particular kind of work. Low castes mostly do low profile work.

This segregation stands in the way of creating holistic knowledge. It prevents knowledge creation and kills imagination and innovation.

The monetary value of labour is determined by the caste of the labourer and not on the social need for labour.

Caste discrimination makes our democracy full of problems.

B.R. Ambdedkar rightly stated ‘’political democracy has been achieved by the freedom struggle and take over from the British, but social democracy is far away”

Online gaming needs a synchronized policy framework

News: This article discusses the issues associated the online gaming and its economic benefit to India.

What is the current situation of online gaming in India?

1) This industry is valued at about $2 billion currently and is expected to reach $5 billion by 2025.

2) Foreign investors have invested more than $1.6 billion in just the last 18 months.

3) Industry estimates suggest that the industry provides 50,000 jobs directly and many more jobs indirectly.

4) The Union ministry of electronics and information technology has been holding consultations to bring in positive and comprehensive regulations for online gaming.

5) Our Prime Minister called for making games in India and gave slogan of ‘Create in India’ and ‘Brand India’.

What are the problems associated with online gaming?

Indian online gaming firms are facing difficult problems, like

First, the group of ministers (GoM) suggested a crippling goods and services (GST) regime on casinos, horse racing and online gaming.

The GST structure is such that players will pay GST not only for the service provided to them but also for their own money that goes into creating prize pools.

Reports suggest that this situation has arisen as the GoM may have equated games of skill with gambling for taxation purposes.

What is the difference between online gaming and gambling?

Supreme Court and various high courts have held that games that have a predominance of skill involved in their outcomes are classified as games of skill, while games based on the predominance of chance are gambling.

Online games of skill are protected under the Constitution while gambling is outlawed in most states.

To avoid such confusion, the central government has thought to bring uniform regulations for online gaming.

What can be the further course of action?

This industry needs a rational and synchronized framework under which our tax policy is consistent with a positive vision for online gaming.

There must be a convergence of government policies across domains to support and incubate any new and innovative industry.

The return of the Nuclear Weapons on the global platform

News: The article discusses the changing scenario of the global nuclear order and its implications on India.

An international conference to review the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty concluded at the United Nations in New York last week. There was no consensus on the treaty.

History of the development of Nuclear Program in India

One of the immediate consequences of the Cold War was that the US attempted to reduce the influence of India’s nuclear and missile programmes.

India conducted a nuclear test in May 1998 and tried to manage the global consequences of the test.

The India-US civil nuclear initiative of July 2005 finally produced a framework that brought to an end to India’s extended conflict with the NPT system.

The completion of India-US nuclear deal a few years later gave India the freedom to develop its nuclear arsenal and resume civilian nuclear cooperation with the rest of the world.

It was blocked since India’s first nuclear test in May 1974.

Today, India’s independent foreign policy appears to be growing as it has not bought a single reactor from the US nor has it become a much feared “junior partner” to the US.

What are new challenges being faced by the global nuclear order after the failure of the Tenth Review Conference?

First, it is the deepening divide between America and Russia which are the main sponsors of NPT. Even at the height of the Cold War there was always one major area of cooperation between the US and the Soviet Union, strong support for the NPT.

The Ninth Review conference in 2015 was ended without an agreement. It was because of major differences over establishing a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction.

Second, the non-nuclear state parties usually complained about the lack of progress in implementing the disarmament provisions of the NPT.

The major powers now put greater emphasis on the strategic utility of nuclear weapons rather than reducing their number.

Third, the invasion of a non-nuclear weapon state (Ukraine) by a nuclear weapon power (Russia) has generated a whole series of new questions.

• There are real fears that China might decide to show its nuclear power while seizing the territory of its neighbours.
• America’s Asian allies worry about the US’s ability to reinforce the “nuclear umbrella”.

Fourth, China’s political campaign against the AUKUS arrangement has found some importance in South East Asia. China argued that the AUKUS agreement violates the provisions of the NPT.

• China continued with the campaign against the AUKUS even though the NPT permits non-nuclear states to develop nuclear naval propulsion.
• Indonesia and Malaysia also raised concerns about the implications of the AUKUS deal for the NPT.

Fifth, nuclear power is coming back into the consideration around the world amidst the growing challenge of climate change.

• A draft noted that nuclear technologies can contribute to addressing climate change, mitigating and adapting to its consequences, and monitoring its impact.
• A group of 12 countries emphasised the importance of nuclear power in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN.

What kind of implications does the unfolding global nuclear discourse present for India?

India must find ways to end the current halt in its civilian nuclear power generation. India commissioned Asia’s first nuclear power station more than 50 years ago is stuck today with a total generating capacity of barely 7,000 MW.

India’s historic civil nuclear initiative was meant to open up international collaboration to boost the production of atomic electric power.

Civil Nuclear Liability Act, 2010 has made impossible for private players whether internal or external to contribute to the India’s nuclear program.

The law needs to be revisited as it is of urgent need for India’s strategy to rapidly raise the contribution of nuclear power to India’s energy.

Curing the patriarchal mindset of the legal system

News: Recently, The Kerala High Court stayed the order of the sessions court in Kerala in a case of alleged sexual harassment.

Observations of the Session Court

The Session court granted anticipatory bail to an accused in a case of alleged sexual harassment. The court observed that Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) would not be used for the offense, as the de facto complainant was dressed in sexually provocative dresses.

Section 354A of the IPC covers the offenses; “Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty”

What are the major issues in the observations made by the session court?

As per the author Faisal C.K., Under Secretary (Law) Kerala government, the following are the issues with the observations:

(1) The Sessions Court’s ratio decidendi (reason) is a reflection of the patriarchal mindset. Therefore, the observation violates a woman’s constitutional right to dignity, life and personal liberty, and privacy.

(2) The Sessions court judge’s comment is a violation of the guideline given by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court in Aparna Bhat vs The State Of Madhya Pradesh (2021) held that “the use of reasoning/language which diminishes the offense and tends to trivialize the survivor [in gender violence cases] is especially to be avoided under all circumstances.”

(3) Further, these reasons cannot be ground for granting bail or other such relief to the accused person.

(4) The award-winning author, Githa Hariharan, points out that It is not easy for women to approach the court. The process is hard for women. It is even harder when women do not have financial or emotional support from their family, custom, or the present reading of the law.

(5) Further, the representation of women in the Indian judiciary too is poor. Since the inception of the Supreme Court in 1950, the apex court has seen only 11 women judges.

What should be the course of action?

There should be the inclusion of feminist jurisprudence in the curriculum for law students. This would act as a remedial measure to cure the patriarchal mindset of the socio-legal system.

This is because the feminist philosophy of law identifies the pervasive influence of patriarchal norms on legal structures and demonstrates their effects on the material conditions of women. Further, these are aimed to introduce reforms to correct gender injustice, exploitation, or restriction.

There should be sensitization of legal practitioners and judicial officers about feminist jurisprudence.

In a liberal democratic state, the choice of dress is a ‘self-regarding act’ over which the individual’s will is sovereign. It is an integral part of an individual’s freedom of privacy and dignity. Therefore, a person’s dress or the dressing style of a woman cannot be a license to outrage her modesty.

There should be the inclusion of more and more women at all levels of the judiciary to ensure that the decision-making process is more responsive, inclusive, and participatory at all levels.

The Real Crime

News: Recently, the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) released its latest Crime in India report for 2021 which provides the dismal story of justice delivery in India.

From 2020 to 2021, kidnapping and abduction cases increased by 20% and crimes against women, children, and senior citizens increased by 15%, 16%, and 5% respectively.

What are the issues in India’s criminal justice system?

A rise in serious crimes hasn’t been accompanied by proportionate systemic upgrades.

Nearly 20% of sanctioned policing posts are vacant, according to the Bureau of Police Research and Development.

The conviction rates are very poor in murder, sexual offenses, rioting, and kidnapping. For example, the conviction rate is just 28% in rape and 42% in murder cases.

There is high pendency of cases at the level of the judiciary.  More no. cases come to the court than disposed-off by the courts during the year. For example, violation of Covid-related social distancing norms prompted a deluge of such cases. Courts disposed of 4 lakh cases in 2020 and 2021, but another 5lakh are pending trial.

What should be the course of action?

As per statistical analysis, there is a need for more and better-trained police and judges.

Governments must withdraw all those cases which are not very serious and important at present, like covid-related cases, thousands of cases relating to possession of small amounts of marijuana, etc.

The process of prosecution and investigation of offenses should be reformed. Further, the government must undertake efforts like a serious review of criminal codes.

Towards the centenary of Independence

News: The prime minister in his Independence Day speech spoke about the priorities for the next 25 years leading up to the centenary of independence.

Five things focussed: an India (1) that becomes a developed country, (2) that is free of a colonial mindset, (3) that is proud of its heritage, (4) that is united and integrated, and (5) whose citizens place duty above rights.

What are the challenges to the achievement of the above-mentioned focus areas?

(1) The PM’s five-point priorities for the next 25 years, do not focus on nurturing democracy, or on social harmony and respect for diversity of religion and language prevalent in India.

(2) Some surveys showed India’s democracy is considered to be in danger. This is being considered not just by outside observers, but also by India’s population, as depicted by some surveys.

(3) According to the latest report of the Varieties of Democracy Project, which rates democracies in the 0 to 1 range, India’s performance has dropped from 0.67 or higher from 1990 to 2013 to 0.41-0.44 in 2020 and 2021. The index registered a sharp dip to 0.40 between 1975 and 1976, because of the Emergency.

(4) As per some experts, India has moved from a vibrant democracy, which refers to a greater restraint in the use of police powers particularly against political opponents, to an electoral autocracy.

What should be other focus areas in the next 25 years?

(1) India has huge social diversity. This social diversity underlies the wide variety of cultures that is hosted by India. Therefore, the Union government policies must respect this social and cultural diversity.

(2) The Central and state governments work to strengthen our democracy like opposition parties must not be threatened with police power, etc. This vibrant democracy would support social harmony.

(3) Every Indian should not only respect but also take pride in the diversity of Indian society in terms of the variety of languages, religions, religious practices, and social norms.

(4) The government should focus on the prevalent economic diversity across India. For instance, Kerala has plantation agriculture, the northeast has different agriculture, and Punjab and Haryana have different. Therefore, all of these areas cannot have the same policies for agricultural marketing.

(5) The government must close the growing gap in per capita income between the states. For example, in 2019-20, the per capita income in the north-western, southern, and western states was 2.6 times larger than in the northern, central, and eastern states. This has happened because a large proportion of the fruits of liberalization have accrued to the western, southern, and north-western states.

(6) The employment generation should also be another key priority because close to 90% of the increase in the number of people of the working age in the next 25 years will take place in the populous northern states. There should be a focus on human resource development, particularly in the slow growth states. This can be done with a focus on the quality of education and health care.

(7) India should take advantage of the changing trends of globalization, technology development, a promising environment for small start-ups, and so on. These are far more important to attain than attaining the status of a developed country or gross domestic product growth targets.

GS Paper 3

A major test looms for our real estate reforms

News: This article discusses about the provisions under Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 and various steps taken by the government in the real estate.

According to an estimate by a realty consultancy firm, the construction of about 240,000 homes remains stalled in the National Capital Region (NCR).

What are the steps taken by the Government in real estate sector?

The Centre set up a special fund to complete stalled affordable housing projects across the country.

The National Buildings Construction Corp Ltd and developers with proven track records also took over unfinished projects.

Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 had a blueprint for the sector’s regulatory architecture.

What are different provisions under Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016?

First, All builders had to register their projects with a state’s Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA).

Second, they have to be clear on other undertakings and keep the funds pooled from homebuyers of one project in an escrow account so that none of it could be diverted.

Third, they had to abide by clear delivery timelines failing which they had to refund buyers or pay interest on their money for delays.

Fourth, Customers could also approach consumer courts under RERA which was given the power to crack down on builders with fines or prison terms.

The judiciary classified advance paying homebuyers as creditors, letting them to form a group and to drag corrupted builders to bankruptcy courts.

Challenges of sub-national fiscal correction

News: Recently, the RBI released data on the States’ outstanding debt, which has registered an upward movement.

There has been an increase in the Debt-GSDP ratio (gross state domestic product) between 2013 and 2022.

They could be partly due to increased public expenditure due to the implementation of the Ujjwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY), farm loan waivers, other freebies, etc. Further, the revenue mobilization efforts have failed.

What are the arguments for the grant of the freebies?

States push back on this issue on the grounds of welfare provisioning and protection of the vulnerable sections of the population.

What are the different federal issues between the state and central governments?

(1) First, There have been a set of issues related to Goods and Services Tax (GST) such as the rate structure, inclusion and exclusion of commodities, revenue sharing from GST, and associated compensation.

(2) Second, State-level expenditure patterns, especially related to the welfare schemes of States. This is a key issue related to the quantity and quality of public expenditure by the State governments.

(3) Third, the conception and the implementation of central schemes.

However, the most pressing issue at hand is the State-level expenditure patterns. There are two kinds of public expenditures: 1) Mandatory spending: governed by formulas or criteria set forth, and 2) Discretionary spending: governed by annual or other periodic appropriations.

Center is pushing for more fiscal discipline by reducing the scope for discretionary spending and limiting States to focus on mandatory expenditures. Whereas, states are looking for more fiscal space for increasing discretionary spending.

What are the issues associated with discretionary spending?

(1) Once started, some of the discretionary expenditure, used to increase demand in the economy, continues for longer periods leading to fiscal stress. This is because it is hard to decrease government spending, especially due to the resistance from the public.

(2) In a federal system, States’ fiscal stress gets spilled over to the Centre, leading to a situation of overall magnified fiscal slippages.

(3) As the economy is recovering from the crisis, there exists a need to adhere to the path of fiscal correction both by the Centre and by the States.

(4) Many States indulge in higher levels of expenditures towards maintaining what they call their ‘models of welfare provisioning’.

(6) Sustained increase in welfare expenditure by the States leads to fiscal expansion, which necessitates additional resource mobilization. However, limited success in additional resource mobilization forced the state governments to resort to borrowing. Fiscal expansion financed through debt and the resultant debt accumulation have important impacts on the economy.

What should be the course of action?

The funds raised through borrowings must be used for capital formation. This would contribute to the real income of future generations and add to the repayment capacity of the government as well.

There is a need for fiscal correction or fiscal consolidation at the State level. This can be done by raising additional resources at the sub-national levels, and simultaneously, ensuring expenditure prioritization.

The Central government must demonstrate its commitment to fiscal discipline in order to ensure a cooperative federal structure.

The new facets of terrorism

News: Recently, two acts of terror were carried out in the U.S. and Russia. In the US, an attempt was made to murder Salman Rushdie, the famous author of the controversial ‘The Satanic Verses’. In Russia, Darya Dugina, a nationalist leader and one of the supporters of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, died in a car bomb explosion.

What are the causes of worry?

The fanaticism of religious fundamentalists has no expiry date: Salman Rushdie was attacked for the words that he had written 34 years ago. Thereafter, Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him in 1989. Terrorists driven by religious fanaticism are daring, suicidal, and vengeful individuals.

It is very difficult to protect a target because terrorists integrate into the maze of ethnicities of the United States and emerge only to kill. Here, the attack was made by a 24-year-old “sleeper”, an offender who was not on the FBI records as a terror suspect.

Democracies and autocracies are known to use the same tools of intelligence gathering etc. But the recent attacks have made a mockery of all security drills and knowledge that has been accumulated by security agencies over the years. In the last decade, technology, software, and tools are used to tackle infiltration.

U.S. agencies gather and go through volumes of personal data of citizens and people around the world and deploy tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify terrorists or their sympathizers. However, these new-age tools offer no guarantee of pre-emption and early detection.

Similarly, the Moscow incident puts a question mark on the efficacy of Russian intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

Russia also apprehended a suspect recently, who had allegiance to an Islamic terror group. He is alleged to have been preparing to enter India and harm an unnamed dignitary or high-value person. Therefore, threats are real to India as well.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Explained: Reliance Jio 5G in the 4 metros by Diwali, how will its ‘standalone’ architecture work?

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: Reliance Jio 5G in the 4 metros by Diwali, how will its ‘standalone’ architecture work?” published in Indian Express on 30th August 2022.

What is the News?

Reliance Jio has announced the launch of its 5G services in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai by Diwali this year with an aim to expand and cover the entire country by December 2023.

Note: Reliance has said that it will launch its 5G services on a “standalone” 5G architecture, against the “non-standalone” approach that other operators are betting on.

What are the two different modes of 5G networks?

5G networks are deployed mainly on two modes: standalone and non-standalone. 

– In the standalone mode, the 5G network operates with dedicated equipment and runs parallel to the existing 4G network.

– In the non-standalone mode, the 5G network is supported by the 4G core infrastructure.

What are the key differences between standalone and non-standalone 5G networks?

5G Capabilities: Standalone mode provides access to full 5G capabilities and new network functionalities such as slicing that provides greater flexibility to operators to efficiently use their spectrum holdings.

– On the other hand, non-standalone networks are generally considered to be a stepping stone, and global precedent suggests operators that have launched non-standalone 5G networks eventually transition to standalone networks. 

Initial Cost: Given that the non-standalone networks are built on existing infrastructure, the initial cost and the time taken to roll out services through this track is significantly less than standalone networks. 

5G Devices compatibility: Most smartphones currently have capability to connect to non-standalone 5G networks — which are essentially 5G airwaves transmitted through 4G networks.These smartphones will require software updates by their original equipment manufacturer(OEMs) to be able to connect to standalone networks.

Crime against women rose by 15.3% in 2021: NCRB

Source: The post is based on the article “Crime against women rose by 15.3% in 2021: NCRB” published in Indian Express on 30th August 2022.

What is the News?

National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) has released a report titled “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India” and “Crime in India(CII)” report 2021.

What are the key highlights from Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India Report?

Suicides in 2021: At 120 deaths per million population, 2021 saw the highest rate of deaths from suicide since 1967, the earliest year for which this data is available. 

– The second highest rate of suicide ever reported in the country was in 2010, when it was 113.5 deaths per million population.

– This highlights the impact the pandemic appears to have made on the emotional well-being of Indians.

Statewise: For the third consecutive year, Maharashtra topped the country in terms of the number of suicides reported in 2021.

Category wise: The daily wage earners remained the largest profession-wise group among suicide victims in 2021, accounting for 25.6%.

– The fastest increase in deaths by suicide was observed among students and small entrepreneurs supporting anecdotal accounts of prolonged stress induced by the pandemic.

What are the key highlights from Crime in India(CII) Report 2021?

Crime against women: Cases of crime against women rose to 15.3% from 2020.The crime rate registered per lakh women population is 64.5 in 2021 compared with 56.5 in 2020.

– A majority of cases under IPC were registered for ‘cruelty by husband or relatives’ (31.8%) followed by molestation (20.8%), kidnapping (17.6%) and rape (7.4%).

– Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of crimes against women from states while among the metropolitan cities, Delhi reported the highest number of cases.

– Nagaland stood out with the lowest number of crimes against women registered in the past three years.

– The highest rate of crime against women in 2021 was registered in Assam (168.3%).

Conviction rate in rape cases: The conviction rate in rape cases across India remained abysmally low at 24.8% in 2021 with only 156 cases convicted and around 22,313 cases currently under trial.

Note: According to NCRB data, rape-murders make up less than 1 per cent of the total rapes in the country annually. I

Domestic Violence Act: Only 507 cases were registered in the country under the Domestic Violence Act in 2021 — 0.1 per cent of the total cases of crime against women. The highest number of cases (270) were filed in Kerala.

Dowry Deaths: Around 6,589 cases of dowry deaths were registered last year with the highest number of such deaths registered in UP and Bihar.

IAF to raise first LCH squadron at Jodhpur in October

Source: The post is based on the article “IAF to raise first LCH squadron at Jodhpur in October” published in The Hindu on 30th August 2022.

What is the News?

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to formally raise its first unit of indigenous Light Combat Helicopters(LCHs) in Jodhpur in the first week of October.

What are Light Combat Helicopters(LCHs)?

Light Combat Helicopter(LCH) is an Indian multi-role attack helicopter designed and manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL). 

The LCH has been ordered by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army.

Features: LCH has several stealth features and has armour protection, night attack capability, and crash-worthy landing gear to give it better survivability.

It is powered by two Shakti engines and has a maximum take-off weight of 5,800 kg. 

With a maximum speed of 268 km per hour ,it has a range of 550 km.

Armed with air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, LCH also has a 20 mm gun and 70 mm rockets. 

What are the roles LCH can perform?

The LCH is well suited for anti-tank role wherein it can fly low and fast to attack enemy armour columns and destroy them.

It is also suitable for scout roles wherein it can fly ahead of advancing columns of the Army and detect enemy presence. 

It is also suitable for air defence roles and destruction of enemy air defence assets. It can also be used in urban warfare missions and combat search and rescue operations.

Defence import bans linked to domestic manufacturing

Source: The post is based on the article “Defence import bans linked to domestic manufacturing” published in Livemint on 30th August 2022.

What is the News?

Defence Minister has approved the third Positive Indigenisation List(PIL) of 780 strategically important Line Replacement Units(LRUs), sub-systems and components. There is a timeline beyond which they will only be procured from the domestic industry. 

What is a Positive Indigenisation List(PIL)?

Positive indigenisation list essentially means that the Armed Forces—Army, Navy, and Air Force—will only procure all of these items from domestic manufacturers after the timelines indicated in the list.

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What are the benefits of Positive Indigenisation?

The indigenous development of these items will bolster the economy, reduce the import dependence of DPSUs, help harness design capabilities of the domestic defence industry and position India as a leader in these technologies.

What are the steps taken by the government to boost indigenisation in defence? Government has taken several steps in recent years to boost self-reliance, including:

– Liberalization of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy allowing 74% FDI under automatic route; 

– Creating a separate budget for buying locally made military hardware 

– Notifying lists of weapons, equipment and sub-systems that cannot be imported.

– Launch of Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme involving start-ups & Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs); 

– Launch of an indigenisation portal namely SRIJAN to facilitate indigenisation by Indian Industry including MSMEs; 

– Reforms in Offset policy with thrust on attracting investment and Transfer of Technology for Defence manufacturing by assigning higher multipliers and 

– Establishment of two Defence Industrial Corridors, one each in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Integration of One District One Product (ODOP) initiative with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) will help in further expanding the frontiers of ODOP: Union Minister

Source: The post is based on the article “Integration of One District One Product (ODOP) initiative with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) will help in further expanding the frontiers of ODOP: Union Minister” published in PIB on 29th August 2022.

What is the News?

The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry has called for the integration of One District One Product (ODOP) initiative with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

What is One District One Product (ODOP) Initiative?

One District One Product (ODOP) Initiative is aimed at manifesting the vision of the Prime Minister of India to foster balanced regional development across all districts of the country. 

The idea is to select, brand and promote one product from each district of India that has a specific characteristic feature or is native to that particular region/district and to enable profitable trade in that product and generate employment.

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What is Open Network for Digital Commerce(ONDC)?

Click Here to read

How will integration of ODOP and ONDC initiative help?

The integration of ONDC with ODOP would help in further expanding the frontiers of ODOP by bringing buyers and sellers together on a democratic platform. 

Tribe categorisation work delays benefits under SEED

Source: The post is based on the article “Tribe categorisation work delays benefits under SEED” published in The Hindu on 30th August 2022.

What is the News?

The Ministry of Social Justice Ministry has so far received 402 online applications from across the country to avail benefits under Scheme for Economic Empowerment of Denotified/Nomadic /SemiNomadic(SEED).

However, none of the applications have been approved yet with multiple officials explaining that the exercise to bring all DNT, NT and SNT communities under SC, ST and OBC categories is holding up the implementation of the scheme.

What is a SEED Scheme?

The scheme is meant for the upliftment of Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs/NTs/SNTs).

Aim: To provide 1) free competitive exam coaching to these students 2) provide health insurance to families 3) uplift clusters of these communities through livelihood initiatives and 4) provide financial assistance for housing. 

Implementation: The scheme will be implemented through an online portal that will issue a unique ID to each applicant so they can apply and track the status of their application online.

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Why are the applications received under SEED Scheme not been approved yet?

The application has not been approved as there is a problem in accurate categorisation of DNTs/NTs/SNTs under the list of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. 

The Development and Welfare Board for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC) is working with the list of DNTs/NTs/SNTs enumerated by the Idate Commission  which listed 1,262 such communities and categorized them under SC/ST or OBC and others. 

However, there are several inaccuracies in the categorisation by the Idate Commission.For instance, some communities like the Banjara people were under the SC list in Delhi, the ST list in Rajasthan and the OBC list in Uttar Pradesh. 

Note: This categorisation of DNTs/NTs/SNTs is essential for the implementation of SEED because there is no schedule in the Constitution providing for their reservation.

Explained: The significance of NASA’s Artemis mission, the beginning of a new age of human exploration of the Moon

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: The significance of NASA’s Artemis mission, the beginning of a new age of human exploration of the Moon” published in Indian Express on 30th August 2022.

What is the News?

NASA has postponed the Artemis 1 mission launch. The mission has been postponed due to an issue with one of the RS-25 engines, which powers the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

What is Artemis Mission?

Source: Al Jazeera

Click Here to read

Why is NASA going back to the moon again?

According to NASA, it is going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers.

With Artemis’s missions, NASA also plans to land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon.

What new things scientists have discovered about the moon in recent decades?

​​Scientists have discovered that the Moon is not as dry as they had thought.

There is frozen water at the bottom of eternally dark craters at the poles. This can provide drinking water for future astronauts visiting the Moon, and water can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen.

The oxygen could provide breathable air; oxygen and hydrogen could be used as rocket propellants. Thus, the Moon, or a refueling station in orbit around the Moon, could serve as a stop for spacecraft to refill their tanks before heading into the solar system.

Moreover, the ices, if they were ancient accumulations over several billion years, could even provide a scientific history book of the solar system.

Zombie ice from Greenland will raise sea level 10 inches

Source: The post is based on the article “Zombie ice from Greenland will raise sea level 10 inches” published in Indian Express on 30th August 2022.

What is the News?

According to a study, zombie ice from the massive Greenland ice sheet will eventually raise the global sea level by at least 10 inches (27 centimeters) on its own.

What is Zombie Ice?

Zombie or doomed ice is ice that is still attached to thicker areas of ice but is no longer getting fed by larger glaciers. That’s because the parent glaciers are getting less replenishing snow.

Without replenishment, the doomed ice is melting from climate change and will inevitably raise the sea level.

What is the significance of this study?

The ten inches rise in global sea level predicted by this study is more than twice as much sea level rise as scientists had previously expected from the melting of Greenland’s ice sheet. 

For instance, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its 2021 report projected a range of 2 to 5 inches (6 to 13 centimeters) for likely sea level rise from Greenland ice melt by the year 2100.