9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – October 20th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• The politics of madrasa survey

GS Paper 2

• US sanctions targeting China’s semiconductor industry are a gamble aimed at maintaining American hegemony
• Why the Election Commission’s strategy to name and shame voters won’t help
• Held up by the Chinese – On UNSC Sanctions Committee Proposal
• Dilip Mahalanabis: The ORS pioneer who helped save millions of lives

GS Paper 3

• Flight risks: Helicopter safety standards have to be strictly enforced, otherwise they are not of much use
• India’s trade policy challenges in a changed world
• A new lease of LIFE for climate action
• Durable and robust institutions are amust for long-run growth

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Reserve Bank flags bigtech risks to financial stability
• What is carbon dating, and how does the Varanasi court order impact the dispute?
• Govt. to launch Swadesh Darshan 2 with chosen destinations from 15 States
• India-Africa Security Fellowship Programme’ at MP-IDSA launched during India-Africa Defence Dialogue on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022
• Union Minister launches draft of National Credit Framework(NCrF) for public consultation
• Lothal, ‘oldest dock in the world’, to get heritage complex: Features, significance of the project
• Hyderabad wins the prestigious ‘World Green Cities Award 2022’
• New materials developed can help move towards stable LEDs emitting bright light
• What are the Iranian kamikaze drones, allegedly deployed by Russia in Ukraine?

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

The politics of madrasa survey

News- The article explains the issues raised by some state government moves to undertake the survey of madrasas. It also tells about the findings of the Sachar committee report.

What are the concerns regarding the survey?

There are concerns about the ideological aspect of this survey.

There are questions regarding the majoritarian agenda behind the survey.

Whether it is inspired by prejudice towards the Muslims.

What are the main arguments about madrasas in India?

The first is that Muslims are economically backward because most of them are educated in madrasas.

The second argument is that madrasas are nurseries of radical Islam. This view gained momentum globally after the 9/11 attack.

What are the findings of the Sachar Committee report?

It found that only 3% of Muslim children of school-going age go to madrasas at the national level.

It also drew a distinction between madrasas and maktabs. Maktabs are neighbourhood schools, often attached to mosques. They offer religious education to children who attend other schools to get mainstream education. The share of Muslims who attend madrasas and maktabs is not more than 6.3%

Muslims are aspirational. The Muslim parents wants good education for their children. But there are financial constraints on them.

The report therefore recommended scholarships for Muslim students so that they don’t drop out of school.

The authors of the Sachar Committee report deliberately chose to stay away from discussions over party politics or issues of secularism or communalism and the implications of these for the

welfare of Muslims. They pretended as if no causal relationship exists between ideology and development.

What is the history of madrasas?

They emerged after 1857 mutiny to save Muslim identity from colonial intervention. They suspected the imposition of Christian values.

Deoband and Aligarh Muslim University did not seek sate support. They focussed on autonomy.

They also opposed the partition.

GS Paper 2

US sanctions targeting China’s semiconductor industry are a gamble aimed at maintaining American hegemony

News:  The US has recently come up with tough export regulations targeting China’s semiconductor industry. These barriers are affecting other countries as well.

What are the reasons behind imposing such sanctions?

Hegemony: America wants to maintain its hegemony by imposing sanctions on China. This sanction may also benefit the allies of America. However, it will impact the global trading and the financial order as economy today is interdependent.

Humiliation: America has come up with the sanctions just before the Party Congress in China to humiliate it. It also shows neo-colonial mentality of America. However, it is expected that China will also retaliate.

What will be the consequences of such sanction?

Partnership: The current sanction will further degrade the relationship of US-China. Moreover, it can also improve the partnership of other countries with the US as countries around the world is looking forward to import technology and finance from the US. This sanction can also see China’s increasing effort towards BRI, etc.

Global supply chains: The sanction will affect the global supply chain order and create uncertainty. It may create opportunity for countries like India but the gains from this opportunity will not be much as it will affect the world trading system.

Strategic consequences: China poses a threat to invade Taiwan but invading Taiwan will be determined by military the possibility of its success. So, it is not clear whether American steps can weaken China or can affect the technology development in China.

Climate change: It is the most pressing issue that require global attention. However, this issue has now gone into backyard.

Therefore, there are multiple angles of these sanctions and it is tough to come to a conclusion of the consequences. However, one consequence of the sanction is very clear that is the disruption in the global trade.

Why the Election Commission’s strategy to name and shame voters won’t help

News:   The Election Commission of India has signed MoUs with over 1,000 corporate companies. The undertaking is to monitor electoral participation of their workforce and publish on their websites and notice boards those who do not vote.

The Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat has also said that the employees of state public sector units and government departments who don’t vote will also be tracked.

What are the concerns associated with MoUs?

Violates Fundamental Rights: The Supreme Court (PUCL vs Union of India, 2013) also known as NOTA judgment has held that abstention from voting and negative voting are protected under the fundamental right as freedom of expression (Article 19).

It has further said that free and fair election is a basic structure of the Constitution. Therefore, an arbitrary distinction between a voter who casts and a voter who does not cast his vote is violative of Article 14.

Violates Representation of People Act, 1951 and IPC: Section 79 D of the RPA, 1951 defines “electoral right” which says the right of a person to… vote or refrain from vote at an election”. The same provision exists in the Indian Penal Code under Section 171A (b).

Further, it also raises issues of voters’ rights, and secrecy of voting, etc. as protection of elector’s identity and affording secrecy is integral to free and fair elections

What can be the course of action?

The objective of increasing the participation of the voters in the election can be achieved through systematic voter education. It has already applied by the ECI since 2010 and the programme is called SVEEP (Systematic Voters Education for Electoral Participation).

This program motivates the youth and has also seen the involvement of school and colleges including business enterprises to create awareness amongst voters.

Therefore, it is not wise to use compulsion in voter but persuasion and motivation by education is the best method.

Held up by the Chinese – On UNSC Sanctions Committee Proposal

News:  China recently placed a “hold” on a joint India-U.S. proposal to designate Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Shahid Mehmood under the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) 1267 list of terrorists affiliated to Al Qaeda and ISIS.

What is 1267 committee?

It was set up in 1999 (updated in 2011 and 2015). It maintains the list of terrorist group affiliated to Al Qaeda and ISIS.

It allows that any UN member state can propose the name that could be added to a consolidated list of terrorist group.

However, placing a hold by a member country prevents the name to be added to the list.

What does ‘’placing a hold’’ mean?

The rules of 1267 committee states that names of the terrorist can only be added as per no objection procedure, followed by the member nations of UNSC.

If any member of UNSC places a hold on the listing of the name then that name cannot be added to the consolidated list of terror groups.

Since China is a permanent member of UNSC, it has used its veto multiple times.

Further, if any country places a hold on the proposed name, then 1267 committee is bound to resolve such issued within six months. The holding country has to decide whether to accept the listing or place a permanent objection to it.

What are the reasons behind placing a hold by China?

One of the important reasons could be the close bilateral ties between Pakistan and China.

For example, China kept placing a hold on the UNSC terror listing proposals for Masood Azhar in 2009, 2010, 2016-18. It claimed it had inadequate information. However, China withdrew its hold in 2019.

Further, as per Chinese ambassador, China places a hold because it needs time to study these specific cases. He further said that placing a hold does not mean that China has changed its position on counter-terrorism cooperation efforts.

Moreover, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Khamboj had asked to end the practice of placing holds and blocks on listing requests.

What are other efforts are taken by India?

India has consistently tried to build international consensus on cross-border terrorism.

Its effort was seen when Pakistan was placed on grey list under the Financial Action Task Force due to its inability to curb terror financing and money laundering from 2012-2015 and 2018-2022.

Finally, India and the U.S. have built their own separate list of most wanted terrorists with a view to eventually receiving global cooperation on banning them.

Dilip Mahalanabis: The ORS pioneer who helped save millions of lives

News- The article explains the contribution of Dilip Mahalanabis for application of ORS to treat Cholera and acute diarrhoeal diseases

What is Oral Rehydration therapy?

Oral Rehydration Therapy involves providing drinking water with modest amounts of sugar and salts, specifically sodium and potassium. It treats dehydration due to fluid losses from diarrhoea.

Earlier fluids were administered through an intravenous route for the management of cholera. Only sips of water without food were provided. It worsened the underlying malnutrition problems.

How ORT proved to be beneficial for the world?

An estimated 54 million diarrhoeal deaths were averted by ORT alone between 1978 and 2000.

A Lancet editorial in 1978 termed it as potentially the most important medical advance in India.

As per the Current Science article in 2019, “ORT remains the greatest contribution from the Indian subcontinent towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals”.

How did ORT get recognition across the world? ORT for the management of severe diarrhoea was developed in the latter half 1960s.

There was belief among professionals that ORT should be supervised by doctors.

Seventh cholera pandemic started in Indonesia in 1961 and spread to East Pakistan (Bangladesh) by 1963 and to India in 1964.

It spread to refugee camps of Bangladeshis in India during the 1971 war. Mahalanabis’ team was treating cases of the cholera epidemic in a refugee camp in West Bengal.

He decided to use ORS. He mixed salt and sugar solution (ORS) in drums and administered it to the cholera patients in the camps. It was evident after some time that therapy was working and it was possible to administer it through volunteers. ORS reduced mortality due to cholera or acute diarrhoeal diseases in these camps from 40 per cent to 5 per cent.

It was then recognised by WHO. It launched a worldwide campaign in 1978 to reduce mortality related to diarrhoea, with ORT as one of the key elements.

What were the other contributions of Dilip Mahalanabis?

He served in the Diarrhoeal Disease Control Programme at the WHO.

In 1990, he established the Society for Applied Studies (SAS) in West Bengal with a vision of “Improved Health and Quality of Life” in India and other developing countries, especially for children and women.

GS Paper 3

Flight risks: Helicopter safety standards have to be strictly enforced, otherwise they are not of much use

News: The recent tragic chopper crash in Kedarnath that killed six passengers and the pilot adds to the list of growing helicopter fatalities over the years.

What are the major reasons for helicopter fatalities in India?

a) Checks on airworthiness and other standards such as operators flouting guidelines by flying too low or operating in poor weather are causing major helicopter fatalities in the region.

b) Despite the regulator repeatedly identifying serious violations of rules, unsafe practices continue. In hilly terrains or other ecologically sensitive areas, poorly regulated commercial choppers pose an even greater danger.

c) Issues in pilot training: Helicopters offer very little margin for error, especially single-engine choppers that have to be flown visually. Both in the Kedarnath crash and the crash in Bombay High, the pilots had recently moved to fly an aircraft type new to them. . Inadequate acclimatisation is extremely risky in challenging weather conditions.

d) The issue of old choppers continuing to be in service: Old choppers are continuing in service in many parts. Even the air force, is continuing saddled with obsolete Chetaks and Cheetahs of the 60s-70s vintage.

Overall, India is seeing a mix of pilot errors, poor machine maintenance and a weak regulatory framework resulting in helicopter fatalities in India.

What needs to be done to reduce helicopter fatalities in India?

Kaushik Committee reports of 1991 and 2005 called for more accountability on the part of operators. This has to be followed in letter and spirit.

India’s trade policy challenges in a changed world

News: Global merchandise trade volume is predicted to decline sharply because of slowdown in the major economies and increase in the prices of fuel and food.

However, a slowdown in global trade is not new and the trade had slowed down in the past as well due to the restructuring of global value chains (GVCs).

What has led to the decline in the Global Value Chains (GVCs)?

The decline in GVC in the early years of the last decade was due to the natural disasters in East Asia.

It further declined due to the US China trade war at the end of that last decade.  This trade war led to “China plus one” strategy for GVC diversification.

It further declined due to the pandemic and the current Ukraine crisis is making the condition worse.

The Ukraine war has affected the GVC as both Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers of critical elements and minerals.

What steps have been taken by the countries around the world to tackle the declining GVCs?

Countries around the world have come up with various initiatives to boost trade such as the expansion of free trade agreements (FTAs) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

European Union Countries along with other countries have entered into these agreements in order to boost the trade.

EU has emphasised the need for increasing its FTA negotiations in the wake of the Ukraine crisis as it will benefit its economic growth and geopolitical standing.

What can be the course of action for India for improving its position in GVCs?

First, India needs to diversify its traditional markets and trade partners to achieve its target export growth.

• Further, a comprehensive policy framework that focuses on creating a good business environment and ensuring proper regulatory reforms with improvement in infrastructure and logistics is needed.
• This can contribute to making India an attractive location for export oriented Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and help MNCs in their GVC diversification strategy.

Second, India needs more FTA negotiation which will make GVC participation easier.

• India has already made FTA agreements with the UAE and Australia this year. However, these two agreements may not contribute to India’s enhanced GVC participation.
• Therefore, India needs to negotiate trade agreements that focus on liberalisation of almost all trade investment along with the participation in GVC.
• India should become a member of at least one regional trade agreement such as the RCEP, Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) or Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) trade pillar.

Third, India needs to evolve its negotiated position and develop domestic policies aligned with the global policies.

• The domestic policies must be inclusive and sustainable as labour and environment standards have become an integral component of all international trade agreements.

Fourth, India needs to shift its focus from liberalisation to those services that are an integral part of manufacturing sector exports.  For this, India needs to adopt an integrated approach for goods and services negotiation in its FTA.

Fifth, India needs to reduce the Most Favoured Nation tariff in manufacturing and for inputs in sectors of GVC. It should be in line with the objective to achieve ASEAN tariff levels.

Sixth, India needs institutional changes. It has already announced to set up a separate trade body that will include relevant expertise to focus on trade issues.

A new lease of LIFE for climate action

News- The article explains the Lifestyle for Environment perspective announced by PM Modi at CoP26

What is happening across the world?

World is facing multiple crises.

COVID-19 has been a great disruptor. The Ukraine war has further led to an energy and food crisis.

Planet is facing an existential crisis in the form of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Ninth of warmest year has been recorded in the past decade. Extreme weather events like heatwaves and droughts are increasing.

The UNDP HDI report has warned that global human development measures have declined across most countries in the past two years.

Commitments by countries at Paris will not keep warming below the 1.5°C target.

What is the Lifestyle for Environment perspective announced by PM Modi at CoP26?

It relies upon small individual actions to fight climate change. Some of these actions are saving

energy at home; cycling and using public transport; eating more plant-based foods and wasting less. It also leverages our position as customers and employees to demand climate-friendly choices.

Along with individual actions; we need guiding frameworks, information sharing and the scale of a global movement.

Many of its goals can be achieved by persuasion techniques that encourage positive behaviour like discouraging food wastage by offering small plates.

According to the UNEP, more than two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to household consumption and lifestyles.

The LIFE mission also recognises that accountability is relative to contribution. Collective emissions by the poorest 50% are less than 1% of wealthiest people. The most vulnerable and marginalised members of society will not be asked to consume less. They will be supported to participate in the green economy.

What is the case for India’s leadership on climate change?

India has a proven track record of achieving national goals through collective actions. Swachh Bharat Mission mobilised individuals and communities for public health and sanitation. If we start jan andolan with participation of 1.3 billion people, it will generate enormous momentum.

India is well positioned to provide leadership on climate change. It has shown its willingness through Panchamrit targets announced by Mr. Modi at COP26, support for the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and South-South cooperation platforms.

It also resonates with global climate justice calls by India. Global climate justice puts obligations on developed countries to support climate adaptation and mitigation. The average carbon footprint of a person in a high income country is more than 80 times higher than that of a person in a least developed country. It is common sense and fair to call on the developed world to shoulder a proportionate share of this transition.

Durable and robust institutions are amust for long-run growth

News- The article explains the need for the right set of institutions to achieve economic growth in India.

Why are institutions important for economic growth?

Economic growth depends on the outcome of many factors. An important factor is institutions.

Growth depends upon the capacity and durability of institutions. The most cited example is the role played by resilient institutions in South East Asian economies.

What are the institutions?

Institutions are rules of the game in society. These rules of games are constraints that shape human interaction. These constraints are both formal and informal.

Institutions reduce transaction cost from imperfect and asymmetric information.

What factors should be considered while designing institutions?

Institutions are dynamic forces. They are continuously shaped by the environment in which they operate. Economic performance depends on efficient institutional design. States have a very important role in ensuring it.

Institutions have a high level of inertia to change and adapt to new environments. Hence, utmost care must be taken while designing and reforming institutions. Robust institutional design requires a level of reflexivity in terms of their ability to change and adaptation to shocks.

What is the way forward for India?

An important element for achieving the Vision for Indian Economy in 2047 is institutional design.

The unique aspects of the Indian economy must be assimilated while designing institutions. We must incorporate federal realities to achieve synergy between centre and states.

The challenges to achieve it are two folds-

First is related to the creation of new institutions to address rapid structural changes in the Indian economy. It requires clarity of vision and objectives.

Second is related to reforming existing institutions. It requires consultations and engagements with participating agents.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Reserve Bank flags bigtech risks to financial stability

Source: The post is based on the article “Reserve Bank flags bigtech risks to financial stability” published in Economic Times on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

According to a report by the Reserve Bank of India(RBI), large non-financial technology firms referred to as “Big Techs” pose challenges to financial stability owing to their technological advantages, large user base, widespread use by financial institutions and network effects.

What are Big Techs?

Big techs include companies such as Alibaba, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Tencent.

They usually hold service licenses through subsidiaries or Joint Ventures with varying levels of ownership control and jurisdictional regulatory advantages.

What are the risks by Bigtech firms to financial stability?

Firstly, the complex governance structure of big techs limits the scope for effective oversight and entity-based regulations.

Secondly, Big techs can impact the risk and maturity transformation functions through their direct exposure to the provision of financial services. This may sometimes translate or lead to shadow banking activities, undermining financial stability.

Thirdly, Bigtechs are a barrier in creating a level playing field to promote innovation in the fintech space.

Fourthly, Bigtechs given their pervasive adoption as third-party service providers, generally become the underlying platform on which a host of services are offered.

– This uniquely positions the big techs to easily acquire cross-functional databases. This can be exploited for generating innovative product offerings, making them dominant players in the market.

Lastly, besides the technological advantages, the big techs typically also have the financial muscle to withstand competitive pressures.

What are the steps taken by India against this?

In India, efforts have been made for local storage of payment data and to bring critical payment intermediaries into the formal framework.

Initiatives are also underway to increase the payment acceptance infrastructure and create a data protection law.

What is carbon dating, and how does the Varanasi court order impact the dispute?

Source: The post is based on the article “What is carbon dating, and how does the Varanasi court order impact the dispute?” published in Indian Express on 20th October 2022.

What is the News?

Varanasi district court has rejected the plea to conduct carbon-dating of the disputed structure known to have been found inside the premises of the Gyanvapi Mosque.

What is Carbon Dating?

Carbon dating is a widely-used method to establish the age of organic materials, things that were once living. It can be estimated by measuring the amount of carbon-14 isotope present in the subject.

How does it work?

Plants and animals get their carbon from the atmosphere, they too acquire C-12 and C-14 in roughly the same proportion as is available in the atmosphere.

Plants get their carbon through photosynthesis; animals get it mainly through food. When they die, their interactions with the atmosphere stops.

While C-12 is stable, the radioactive C-14 reduces to one-half of itself in about 5,730 years — known as its ‘half-life’.

The changing ratio of C-12 to C-14 in the remains of a plant or animal after it dies can be measured and can be used to deduce the approximate time when the organism died.

Limitations: The Carbon Dating method cannot be used to determine the age of non-living things like rocks.

Also, the age of things that are more than 40,000-50,000 years old cannot be arrived at through carbon dating.

This is because, after 8-10 cycles of half-lives, the amount of C-14 becomes almost very small and is almost undetectable.

What are the other types of dating methods?

Radiometric Dating Methods: In this method, decays of other radioactive elements that might be present in the material become the basis for the dating method.

Two commonly employed methods for dating rocks are:

– Potassium-Argon Dating: The radioactive isotope of potassium decays into argon and their ratios can give a clue about the age of rocks.

– Uranium-Thorium-Lead Dating: Uranium and Thorium have several radioactive isotopes, and all of them decay into the stable lead atom. The ratios of these elements present in the material can be measured and used to make estimates about age.

Govt. to launch Swadesh Darshan 2 with chosen destinations from 15 States

Source: The post is based on the article “Govt. to launch Swadesh Darshan 2 with chosen destinations from 15 States” published in The Hindu on 20th October 2022.

What is the News?

Government will launch the Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0 with chosen destinations from 15 States.

What is the Swadesh Darshan Scheme? 

Swadesh Darshan Scheme is a Central Sector scheme launched in 2014-15 by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture for the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits.

Aim: To promote, develop and harness the potential of tourism in India.

Under the scheme, the Ministry of Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance – CFA to State Governments, and Union Territory Administrations for the infrastructure development of circuits.

The scheme was envisioned to synergise with other government schemes such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill India and Make in India with the idea of positioning the tourism sector as a major engine for job creation.

Some of the prominent circuits launched under this were the Buddhist tourist circle, Ambedkar Tourist Circle and the North-East Tourist Circle.

What is Swadesh Darshan 2.0?

Swadesh Darshan 2.0 is the revamped version of the scheme.

The scheme has been revamped with the mantra of “vocal for local”. It moves away from theme-based tourist circuits and focuses on reviving destination tourism.

It aims to develop sustainable and responsible destinations with a tourist and destination-centric approach.

Under the scheme, two to three destinations each have been selected from 15 states. Some of the prominent places identified are Jhansi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, Gwalior, Chitrakoot and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh and Ajanta and Ellora in Maharashtra.

Tourism Sector in India

According to the third Tourism Satellite Account for 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20, the contribution of tourism to the employment of the country is 14.78%, 14.87% and 15.34 % respectively. 

The total jobs generated by tourism are 72.69 million (2017-18), 75.85 million (2018-19) and 79.86 million (2019-20). 

India-Africa Security Fellowship Programme’ at MP-IDSA launched during India-Africa Defence Dialogue on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022

Source: The post is based on the article “India-Africa Security Fellowship Programme’ at MP-IDSA launched during India-Africa Defence Dialogue on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022” published in PIB on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

The Second India-Africa Defence Dialogue (IADD) was held on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

What is India-Africa Defence Dialogue(IADD)?

India and Africa share close and historical ties. India’s approach towards Africa is guided by the Kampala Principles enunciated by the Prime Minister of India in 2018.

The first-ever India-Africa Defence Dialogue(IADD) was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in conjunction with DefExpo in 2020.

Knowledge Partner: Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses(MP-IDSA) is the knowledge partner for the India-Africa Defence Dialogue.

About Second India-Africa Defence Dialogue(IADD) 2022

Held at: Gandhinagar, Gujarat 

Theme: ‘India-Africa: Adopting Strategy for Synergising and Strengthening Defence and Security Cooperation’.

Outcomes of the dialogue

Gandhinagar Declaration: The Gandhinagar Declaration was adopted as the outcome document of the second edition of the IADD. It charted out new areas for enhancing the India-Africa defence and security partnership.

Fellowship programme: MP-IDSA will host the Fellowship Programme. The fellowship will give an opportunity to African scholars to pursue research on defence and security issues in India. The fellows would be attached to the MP-IDSA for a period of 1-3 months. A stipend would also be provided to the scholar.

Union Minister launches draft of National Credit Framework(NCrF) for public consultation

Source: The post is based on the article “Union Minister launches draft of National Credit Framework(NCrF) for public consultation” published in PIB on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

The Union Minister of Education and Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship have launched the draft of the National Credit Framework(NCrF) for public consultation.

What is the Draft National Credit Framework(NCrF)?

NCrF has been developed to enable the integration of academic and vocational domains to ensure flexibility and mobility between the two

It aims to formulate a unified credit accumulation and transfer for general and vocational studies, and from school to higher education.

It will be launched as a part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates that there should be “no hard separations” between vocational and academic streams.

The NCrF will be operationalised through the Academic Bank of Credits(ABC).

Aadhaar will be used for student registration, and each candidate will be assigned an academic bank account number, where degrees and credits will be accumulated.

What are the proposed benefits of NCrF?

Students: NCrF will ensure flexibility in the duration of study/courses through provisions of multiple entries and exit/work options as well as pave the path for creditisation of all learning hours, including academic, vocational and experiential learning. It will also give the provision for lifelong learning – anytime anywhere learning.

Institutions: NCrF will bring about a unification of higher education institutions to promote multidisciplinary education, creating a diverse and rich student knowledge base.

Government: NCrF is expected to assist the government to increase the enrolment of students, helping to fulfil the national vision of complementing the demographic dividend and transforming India into the Skill Capital of the World. 

Industry: NCrF will allow students to attain NSQF-approved foundational skills developed by industry and be more employable. The provision of micro-credentials will allow integration of quick educational upgradation/up-skilling.

Lothal, ‘oldest dock in the world’, to get heritage complex: Features, significance of the project

Source: The post is based on the article “Lothal, ‘oldest dock in the world’, to get heritage complex: Features, significance of the project” published in Indian Express on 20th October 2022.

What is the News?

The Prime Minister has reviewed the construction of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) site at Lothal,Gujarat.

About Lothal

Lothal was one of the southernmost sites of the Indus Valley civilization located in the Bhāl region of what is now the state of Gujarat. 

The port city is believed to have been built in 2,200 BC.

Lothal was a thriving trade center in ancient times with its trade of beads, gems and ornaments reaching West Asia and Africa. 

The meaning of Lothal (a combination of Loth and (s) thal) in Gujarati is “the mound of the dead”.

Archaeologist SR Rao led the team which discovered a number of Harappan sites at the time, including the port city of Lothal.

Features of Lothal: Lothal had the world’s earliest known dock, connecting the city to an ancient course of the Sabarmati river.

– National Institute of Oceanography in Goa discovered marine microfossils and salt, gypsum crystals at the site indicating that seawater once filled the structure, and it was definitely a dockyard.

– In later excavations, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) unearthed a mound, a township, a marketplace and a dock. 

About National Maritime Heritage Complex(NMHC) 

Click Here to read

Hyderabad wins the prestigious ‘World Green Cities Award 2022’

Source: The post is based on the article “Hyderabad wins the prestigious World Green Cities Award 2022” published in TOI on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

Hyderabad city won the overall ‘World Green City Award 2022’ and ‘Living Green for Economic Recovery and Inclusive Growth’ award at the International Association of Horticulture Producers(AIPH) World Green City Awards 2022 held in Jeju,South Korea.

What is the World Green City Award?

The Green City Award was instituted by the International Association of Horticulture Producers(AIPH).

Purpose: The award recognises the role of city authorities in promoting and supporting greater inclusion of nature and plants in urban environments.

– The awards bring global recognition to the value of plants in providing solutions for common city problems and create an enabling environment to shape and nurture a strategic shift in city governance/planning.

Why was Hyderabad given this World Green City Award?

The award was given to Hyderabad for its large-scale tree-planting program known as “Telangana Ku Haritha Haram” which was carried out from 2015 to 2016. The program aims to increase the tree cover of the state by about 33%.

The city was also recognized for its efforts in implementing various initiatives that rely on the use of nature and plants to create better urban environments. 

These programs help fulfil the local aspirations of the people for improved environmental, social and economic resilience.

New materials developed can help move towards stable LEDs emitting bright light

Source: The post is based on the article “New materials developed can help move towards stable LEDs emitting bright light” published in PIB on 20th October 2022.

What is the News?

Scientists have developed a material through which we can move towards bright, stable and affordable light-emitting diodes(LEDs).

What are LEDs?

LED is a semiconductor device that emits infrared or visible light when charged with an electric current. 

Cost-efficient and bright light-emitting diodes(LEDs) are commonly desired for general light sources. However, attaining desired stability and brightness of LEDs has been challenging for scientists.

What has been developed now?

Scientists at the Center for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences(CeNS), an autonomous research institute under the Department of Science and Technology(DST) found that simple plasma treatment of inorganic material of cesium lead halide nanocrystals can lead to an enhanced stabilization of many folds showing the promise of bright and stable LEDs. 

Note: Plasma treatment induces the cross-linking of the organic molecules, oleylamine, present on the surface of the nanocrystals. This creates a stronger network of ligands, providing better encapsulation and higher PL intensity.

What are the Iranian kamikaze drones, allegedly deployed by Russia in Ukraine?

Source: The post is based on the article “What are the Iranian kamikaze drones, allegedly deployed by Russia in Ukraine?” published in Indian Express on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

Ukraine’s capital region was struck by kamikaze drones.

What are Kamikaze Drones?

These are small unmanned aircraft that are packed with explosives that can be flown directly at a tank or a group of troops that are destroyed when it hits the target and explodes.

They are called Switchblade because their bladelike wings spring out on launch.

Countries possessing such drones: Although the Kamikaze might be the most advanced form of this genre of drones, Russia, China, Israel, Iran and Turkey all have some version of it.

Key Features of the Kamikaze Drones

Lightweight: Weighing just five-and-a-half pounds, including its small warhead, the Switchblade can be taken into battle in a backpack and fly up to 7 miles to hit a target.

Difficult to detect: These small lethal drones are difficult to detect on radar. They can even be programmed to hit targets without human intervention, based on facial recognition.

Can Adjust Blast Radius: The drone has a feature that allows the operator to adjust the blast radius. So, it can kill the driver of a vehicle but not a passenger, for example. The weapon can be “waived off” up to two seconds before impact.

Cameras for Centralised View of Area of Operation: The Switchblade also has cameras that show a target seconds before impact.