9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – December 2nd, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Why tracking migration is important for nutrition schemes?
• State elections and the troubling return of the old pension scheme

GS Paper 3

• How can India make a soft landing amid global economic crash?
• The battle to bring freshwater turtles back from the brink
• Safer roads for a greener, more sustainable environment
• Coming clean on coal
• Fighting the naval battle
• Before infection spreads – AIIMS episode shows big cyber-security review is needed
• Stats Of The Union – Economic gap between regions in India is growing. It will have consequences in other areas
• Air To Everywhere – North’s fewer farm fires were thanks to tech, incentives & some good politics. There’s a wider green lesson

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Zombie Virus’: See 50,000 years old virus found in Siberia
• Explained | What is the Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute?
• e-Rupee: Here’s a Quixplained on India’s first official digital currency
• World’s first intra-nasal vaccine for COVID developed by India has got approval from the CDSCO for restricted use in emergency situations in the age group of 18 and above
• Joint Exercise Agni Warrior with Singapore Armed Forces Concludes at Devlali (Maharashtra)
• Centre to cut funds if land is not allotted for housing scheme
• Agnikul inaugurates India’s first private space vehicle launch pad in Sriharikota
• Explained | How do personality rights protect celebrities?
• Union Minister for Civil Aviation Launches Digi Yatra for Three Airports in The Country

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Why tracking migration is important for nutrition schemes?

News– The article explains the challenges faced by the government in reducing malnutrition due to high migration in some areas.
During a study, it was found that the number of children with acute malnutrition peaked in April. A UNICEF study in Nandurbar district in Maharashtra found the same thing. Both these districts have a high population of people who migrate in search of jobs.

What are the challenges created by migration for tackling malnutrition?

Multiple government schemes work on the assumption that people are going to stay in villages. This assumption does not work in high migration areas.

In nutrition surveys, the lack of migration data inflates the number of children being measured because new births keep adding to it. It leads to data that does not reflect the actual situation.

The pregnant women and children are not reflected in data used by administration for government interventions in areas where people are migrated.

The migrated children are also not properly vaccinated.

What is the way forward?

The government needs to understand the interplay between nutrition, livelihood and poverty for long-term interventions to reduce malnutrition.

A plan is needed that focuses on targeting the most vulnerable.

State elections and the troubling return of the old pension scheme

News: The poll promises in ongoing state elections are always debatable. The Himachal Pradesh election witnessed a promise of revival of the old pension scheme (OPS) for state government employees.

Before this, three state governments had already notified the PFRDA of their switch to the OPS: Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and Jharkhand.

About the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and National Pension Scheme

The OPS was a defined-benefit scheme with an entitlement defined (by the fifth pay commission) at 50% of the last salary drawn.

Due to its drawbacks, State governments shifted to a new pension scheme (NPS) without any coercion (except in West Bengal).

National Pension Scheme: The NPS is like pension systems elsewhere in the world. It is based on the amounts contributed by the employee and employer over the working life of the employee, and the market yield obtained on the consolidated pension fund. The NPS is regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

Note: Pensions for defence personnel are paid by the central government. This is the sole exemption from NPS, and continues to be paid on the defined-benefit system.

Why does the OPS is bad for state economics?

a) In addition to inflation indexation through dearness allowance adjustments, OPS wage was indexed to pay-scale revisions prescribed by successive pay commissions, b) The OPS benefits only retirees, on the other hand, it squeezes the state’s exchequer from which welfare benefits flow to the common person, c) By implementing the scheme at present, the state governments is likely to become insolvent by the time their defined benefits become due.

What should be done?

Municipalities and panchayats in India are subject to legislation passed at the state level. Instead of implementing OPS, the government should improve the state exchequer by transferring funds to municipalities to improve the condition of roads and sanitation, increase municipal school teacher salaries and public health services.

GS Paper 3

How can India make a soft landing amid global economic crash?

News– The article explains the current situation of the Indian economy. It also exp-lains the future economic prospects.

What is the current global economic situation?

There was no disruption of economic activities by Covid-19 pandemic for the second consecutive quarter. Covid is unlikely to affect economic growth for coming times with the exception of China which is following the zero-Covid policy.

There are also some downsides. Geopolitical tensions, high inflation in many parts of the world and sharp increase in policy rates will impact economic growth.

How did the Indian economy perform in the July -September quarter?

Economic growth slowed down to 6.5% because of a fading low base effect.

Contact driven services such as trade, hotels and transport continued to be key drivers of economic growth. This sector has been impacted by recurrent lockdowns.

Private consumption was quite strong. It was growing by 9.7%. It is now 11.2% above pere-pandemic level.

Manufacturing GDP slowed sharply due to the base effect and margin pressure on manufacturing companies.

Despite climate-related disturbances, agriculture growth was satisfactory. Rain was lopsided and led to drop in rice acreage.

Food inflation, particularly in cereals, was high. It was due to abnormal weather.

Healthy tax revenues have allowed higher investment by the government. Investments grew 10.4% in the second quarter.

What are the future economic prospects?

The contact-intensive service is likely to maintain its momentum.

The resilience of domestic demand will shape the contours of GDP growth in upcoming quarters as global economic prospects are weak.

Manufacturing sector will likely face challenges as poor growth in the global economy has started to impact export growth.

Prospects for rabi crops look good because of favorable soil moisture conditions and health reservoir level. Overall, agriculture is expected to grow at 3% this year.

Consumer inflation is likely to be averaging at 6.8% this year.

Strong corporate balance sheets will protect them against the global economic slowdown. It will also provide an opportunity to kick-start the investment cycle once uncertainty ends.

The battle to bring freshwater turtles back from the brink

News– The article explains the issues of turtle trafficking in India.

Recently, West Bengal Police seized 270 kg of turtle calipee in Malda district.

What is the status of turtles in India?

India has 29 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises. The main difference between the two is that turtles are primarily aquatic whereas tortoises are terrestrial and spend more time on land. More than half of the turtle species are threatened and 11 are protected under Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act.

Recently, the Conference of the Parties adopted India’s proposal to transfer two species of freshwater turtles found in the country. These are the red-crowned roofed turtle and the Leith’s Softshell Turtle to Appendix I of CITES.

What are issues associated with trafficking of turtles?

According to the study, at least 111310 tortoises and freshwater turtles were trafficked from September 2009 to September 2019.

They are being illegally traded as pets, for food, or to prepare medicines. India is reported to be one of the world’s major sources and consumers of turtles and tortoises.

The TRAFFIC India report stated that an unknown proportion of illegal wildlife trade presumably goes undetected,

People who live in the Barasat and Bongaon areas of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district are responsible for more than 50% of the country’s consumption of turtles.

The pet market for trade is serviced mostly by air now. Agencies do not have the intelligence about them.

What are some successful initiatives by government agencies to protect turtles from trafficking?

The WCCB has carried out a pan-India crackdown on turtle smuggling. Between December 2016 and January 2017, it launched ‘Operation Save Kurma’ to prevent poaching, transportation and illegal trade of live turtles and tortoises.

Two more such initiatives, called ‘Operation Turtshield-I’ and ‘Operation Turtshield-II’ from 2019 to 2021 were taken up to tackle the illegal trade of live turtles.

What are some success stories related to conservation of turtles?

Conservationists face the challenge of rehabilitating the animals rescued from the illegal trade back to their natural habitats. Organisations such as the Turtle Survival Alliance have assisted in the rehabilitation of over 30,000 rescued turtles over the past 10 years.

The Turtle Survival Alliance, along with the Forest Departments of U.P. and M.P., has also been credited for conserving critically endangered red-crowned roofed turtles in the Chambal landscape. Attempts have also been made to conserve the critically endangered black softshell turtle in its natural habitat — temple ponds of Assam.

Safer roads for a greener, more sustainable environment

News– The article explains the linkages between road safety and clean environment.

How do road accidents lead to environmental pollution?

Most vehicles contain toxic metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium, which are detrimental to the environment. Fuel and fluid leaks are seen at crash sites.

Severe road crashes lead to automobile wreckage. It becomes a part of unusable end-of-life vehicles. This gives rise to scrappage.

What are issues with vehicle scrappage in India?

India is estimated to have about 22.5 million end-of-life vehicles by 2025.

India’s National Automobile Scrappage Policy, launched in 2021, is still in its nascent stages.

There is absence of widespread, systematic facilities dedicated to their proper recycling. vehicles after road crashes as well as old end-of-life automobiles are left to rot by the wayside.  These end up at landfills or at informal recycling facilities where they are dismantled unscientifically. This leads to the leakage of hazardous constituents such as oils, coolants and glass wool.

How are road safety and environmental sustainability intertwined concepts?

In 2020 alone, speeding was responsible for 91,239 road crash fatalities. It comprises 69.3% of all road crash deaths registered.

Simulation exercises in Europe have demonstrated that cutting motorway speed limits even by 10 km/h can deliver 12% to 18% fuel savings for current technology passenger cars. It can lead to significant reduction in pollutant emissions, particularly Nitrogen Oxides and particulate matter, from diesel vehicles.

What is the Zero-Fatality Corridor solution for road safety by the SaveLIFE Foundation?

All road safety initiatives undertaken and recommended by the SaveLIFE Foundation are designed to be impactful and environment-friendly.

It was deployed on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in 2016. It helped bring down road crash fatalities by 52%, as of 2020.

Initiatives included guarding natural hard structures such as trees using crash barriers to prevent direct collisions. It also includes  installing retro reflective signage on the trees to make them more visible to commuters.

Missing or inadequate signages are another leading cause of road crashes. It is a common standard practice to use asbestos for creating these signages.

Asbestos has an adverse impact on the environment. The ZFC programme opts only for long-lasting, high-quality, non-hazardous material for signage. Aluminium Composite Panels are employed for signages. It is free of toxic gas or liquids during the production process. It is also recyclable separately.

What is the way forward?

Roads and the environment are inseparable spaces. They are not just our shared resources but also our joint responsibility. T

herefore, safer roads and a sustainable environment can be ensured only through the joint efforts of road-owning agencies, enforcement officials and the public.

Coming clean on coal

News: The Union Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy, RK Singh, highlighted the importance of coal-fired plants in meeting developmental requirements.

What did he say?

He said that India is planning to gradually lower the use of coal for electricity generation but on the other hand India is also looking to expand its coal power capacity for its developmental needs.

He said that the share of this fossil fuel in the energy mix will come down in percentage terms but not in absolute measure.

What is the current usage of coal in India and future estimation?

India’s 50 percent electricity is generated from coal-fired plants which is expected to come down to 30 per cent in the next 10 years.

However, India is planning to increase its electricity generation capacity to 865 GW from 407 GW. Therefore, 40 GW of this additional power will come from coal-based plants.

This energy generation from coal-based plant was also a concern in the CoP-26 meeting last year where countries accused India and China.

What were the decisions made in CoP regarding the usage of coal?

Countries in the CoP-26 decided to “phase down” their coal-based electricity generation.

However, the final draft of the agreement wasn’t successful and India and China were accused of opposing anti-coal stance. Even this year’s CoP-27 did not come with an appropriate conclusion regarding elimination of coal.

Moreover, the current geopolitical situation has changed the energy demand scenario of the world.

How the current geopolitical situation has changed the energy demand?

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has altered the demand of the energy sector worldwide. The conflict has caused the EU to restart its coal plants which were once importing clean gas from Russia.

According to the International Energy Agency, the EU’s coal consumption rose by more than 10 per cent in the first six months of 2022 and it is further expected to rise in the coming months.

Even though EU governments have said that the use of coal is temporary, its usage at a time when countries are planning to eliminate the use of fossil fuel is concerning.

What can be the course of action for India?

India has made remarkable efforts in expanding its renewable energy but due the unstable nature of renewable energies the dependence will be on coal-based plants. Further, new coal plants are more efficient as they emit less GHG.

Therefore, India must begin work on plans for an energy generation which has a negligible role for coal to achieve the net zero target by 2070.

Fighting the naval battle

News: The Exercise Malabar was conducted recently by the navies of four quadrilateral countries — Australia, India, Japan and the United States of America.

What is the importance of Malabar exercise?

This year’s Malabar exercise was hosted by Japan with focus on countering China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to take over Taiwan or to enforce its claims over the South China Sea and East China Sea.

Malabar exercise creates “inter-operability” by making the four partner navies cooperate in fighting the opponent.

This exercise helps countries to show their capability in fighting one of the major threats, i.e., Chinese PLA Navy, or PLAN. It also helps India to show the capabilities of its Navy in detecting the submarine of the opponent among others.

This kind of simulated “locate-identify-destroy drills” is carried by QUAD Navies every year.

What does the law say regarding the war on the sea?

India signed and ratified the United Nations Commission on Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS) which lays down laws for the seas. UNCLOS contains the law of Mare Liberum (law of the Open Seas).

According to the law of Mare Liberum, seas are mankind’s common heritage and everyone enjoys freedom of action on the high seas.

Further the law says that if two nations declare war on each other, they can destroy or seize each other’s vessels anywhere in the world.

For example, if India and China were at war, Mare Liberum permits both to legally destroy each other’s shipping in the Atlantic or the Southern Ocean. Moreover, India currently faces threat from its neighbours’ Navy.

What threat does India face from the Navy of its neighbours?

India faces a threat currently from two neighbours – Chinese Navy and Pakistan’s Navy.

The Chinese Navy is certainly a major concern as it has been increasing its presence in the Indian Ocean and it is also the fastest growing navy of the world. However, there is a little threat from Pakistan’s Navy.

According to a report, if the Indian Navy brought all its power on the Pakistan Navy fleet, it would cease to exist within 24-48 hours. Therefore, Pakistan would never try to engage with India in the sea.

However, it would rely on its shore-based air force to fight which might be a concern for the Indian Navy.

Therefore, the introduction of enhanced long-range surface-to- air missiles (LR-SAM) serve the purpose. It provides air defence capability to the India Navy and it also allows the Indian Navy to approach the Pakistani coast with greater efforts.

Earlier there were threats from Pakistani long-range maritime patrol (LRMP) aircraft but India’s LR-SAM has more potential than LRMP as LR-SAM has 70-kilometre range compared to LRMP’s range of about 50 kilometres.

Furthermore, the LR-SAM system has been inducted in INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant with launching facilities for MiG-29K fighters from their decks. Therefore, this has decreased the threat arising out of Pakistan’s LRMP.

What is the way ahead?

Even though Pakistan’s Navy does not possess a concern but Chinese PLAN has been increasing its base in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and in the East African States.

Therefore, grouping such as QUAD and AUKUS needs to have proper strategies to counter China in the Indo-Pacific.

Before infection spreads – AIIMS episode shows big cyber-security review is needed

News: The recent massive ransomware attack has crippled the e-hospital services of AIIMS, Delhi for seven days.

What is ransomware and which agencies in India deal with cyber-attacks?

Why health sector such as AIIMS is targeted by ransomseekers?

India’s healthcare providers are a prime target for cybercriminals. About 28% of the global attacks on healthcare providers in 2021 targeted Indian health care.

What are some general targets for Ransomware attacks?

Ransomware attacks target municipal systems, health care (including the UK’s National Health Service), financial services (many banks have been hit), and other businesses.

Cyber assaults have shut down power grids (in Ukraine and Australia), stock exchanges, nuclear facilities (Iran), telecom networks (Georgia), airlines, and government websites (too many to name), etc. In addition, there have been innumerable breaches of intellectual property (IP) and personal data.

Why India is vulnerable to cyber-attacks?

India at present is implementing various Digital India initiatives. These are vulnerable to cyber attacks. For instance, a) Every bank branch is connected to the banking system, and to the Unified Payments Interface stack, and linked to non-banking financial companies, stock exchanges, toll fastags, and fintech providers, b) Passport information is processed by private service providers, c) Civil aviation system is totally digital, d) Aadhaar connects to multiple sectors, e) The national power grid is “smart” and connected to dozens of different generators and distributors, f) Gas distribution networks are “smart” and g) There are the defence and aerospace establishments and other government institutions connected to private servers.

How do various governments use Ransomware attacks?

Various governments have used ransomware attacks against other governments/agencies. For instance,

a) Google claims it has been targeted by hackers operating from Chinese government institutions to steal IP, b) The North Korean government has been accused of ransomware attacks, c) The attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities was coordinated by two governments, d) Cyber-attacks on Ukrainian and Georgian infrastructure coincided with physical conflict with Russia.

What should be done to prevent cyber-attacks?

Following proactive outreach programmes: Instead of reacting to breaches as and when discovered, agencies like the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team must institute proactive outreach programmes to prevent incidents occurring across public and private spaces.

Backup and disaster recovery policies also have to be instituted and upgraded continuously.

All these along with regular policy reviews should be part and parcel of the Digital India initiative.

Stats Of The Union – Economic gap between regions in India is growing. It will have consequences in other areas

News: According to an economic theory, the incomes of countries and regions tend to converge over time. This is because areas with low-hanging fruit tend to attract capital and other resources that allow them to catch up. But India’s regions might be an exception to this trend.

How India is an exception to the subnational economic convergence theory?

A national survey on incomes by an economic think tank shows that the gap between states in southern and western India and many of those in the north, central and east is wide. A 2016 paper by IDFC Institute observed that India is the only major economy going against the trend of subnational convergence.

Instead of convergence, there is a divergence in the incomes of Indian states. For instance, Karnataka’s per capita income was at Rs 2,055 a year in 1989-90. This was almost two times that of Bihar. In 2019-20, the gap had widened to over five times with Bihar’s annual per capita income at Rs 29,794 and that of Karnataka at Rs 1,55,869. This trend generally holds across states.

Why India is an exception to the subnational economic convergence theory?

India’s fiscal architecture and related institutions such as the finance commission are designed to mitigate the fallout of economic convergence. This is done by allocating the divisible pool of taxes in a manner that brings about a degree of equity between states.

But the combination of economic and fertility divergences makes India an exception to economic divergence. For example, India’s national population will increase to 311 million between 2011 and 2036. Of this increase, only 9% will come from the five southern states. On the other hand, these southern states currently contribute 30% of national income with just 20% of the population.

How India can ensure a subnational economic convergence?

India’s subnational economic divergence is a trend that deserves more study and policy attention. This is because an uneven economic structure usually has consequences that ripple out into other areas. So, India should focus on attaining economic convergence.

Air To Everywhere – North’s fewer farm fires were thanks to tech, incentives & some good politics. There’s a wider green lesson

News: This year winter witnessed a significant reduction in farm fires in both Punjab and Haryana. North India’s citizens had slightly better winter air as well.

About the recent reduction in farm fires

Farm fires are down by 30% and 48% over last year in Punjab and Haryana respectively. This may be Punjab’s lowest farm fire count since 2012. This reflects the concerted attempt by Punjab and Haryana officials to deter farmers from setting fields on fire.

This is done by

a) In-situ straw management: This is done through super-seeders, which plough the straw back into the soil. Super-seeder machines gained popularity over the previous generation happy-seeders is a promising development.

b) Ex-situ baling of the straw for sale to biogas plants, industries with captive power plants, and fodder suppliers were heavily promoted this year.

c) Other measures: Centre’s Commission for Air Quality Management, in which the affected NCR states are stakeholders, has released ample funds.

The key then is to sustain these gains next year and the years after.

What needs to be done to reduce farm fires further?

ICAR’s bio-decomposer appeared to not find much favour, given the short window between kharif harvest and rabi sowing this year. This has to be promoted.

India should focus on even bigger environmental challenges. Such as weaning off coal, using a mix of technology, promoting government-backed incentives and funds to address environmental challenges.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Zombie Virus’: See 50,000 years old virus found in Siberia

Source: The post is based on the article “Zombie Virus’: See 50,000 years old virus found in Siberia” published in Economic Times on 1st December 2022.

What is the News?

French scientists have warned of the onset of another outbreak after they revived a 48,500-year-old zombie virus buried under a frozen lake in Russia.

What is a Zombie Virus?

Zombie virus is the term given to a virus that is frozen in ice and therefore dormant. Zombie viruses have been dormant for many years due to being trapped inside the ice and have come to life after the ice melted.

What have French researchers found?

European researchers have recently found 13 “zombie viruses” from Russia’s Siberian permafrost. 

One among these 13 zombie viruses has been named as Pandoravirus yedoma after the mythological character Pandora. This virus was 48,500 years old, a record age for a frozen virus returning to a state where it has the potential to infect other organisms. 

This has broken the previous record held by a 30,000-year-old virus discovered by the same team in Siberia in 2013.

What is the cause of the revival of zombie viruses?

One-quarter of the Northern hemisphere is underlain by permanently frozen ground, referred to as permafrost.

Due to climate warming, irreversibly thawing permafrost is releasing organic matter frozen for up to a million years, most of which decomposes into carbon dioxide and methane, further enhancing the greenhouse effect.

Part of this organic matter also consists of revived cellular microbes (prokaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes) as well as viruses that remained dormant since prehistoric times.

What will be the impact of these zombie viruses?

All of the “zombie viruses” have the potential to be infectious and hence pose a “health danger” after researching the live cultures.

It is believed that pandemics like Covid-19 will become more common in the future as melting permafrost releases long-dormant viruses.

Explained | What is the Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute?

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained | What is the Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute?” published in The Hindu on 2nd December 2022.

What is the News?

The Supreme Court will hear arguments about the maintainability of a petition filed by the Maharashtra government challenging some provisions of the State Reorganisation Act,1956 and demanding 865 villages from five districts of Karnataka.

What is the Maharashtra and Karnataka dispute began?

Maharashtra and Karnataka have sparred over the inclusion of some towns and villages along the state border ever since the State Reorganisation Act was passed by the Parliament in 1956. The Act was based on the findings of the Justice Fazal Ali Commission, which was appointed in 1953.

In 1957, Maharashtra submitted a petition to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs stating its objection to Marathi-speaking areas being included in Karnataka. It claimed 814 villages and the three urban settlements of Belagavi, Karwar and Nippani as part of the Bombay Presidency before Independence. It filed a petition in the Supreme Court in 2004, staking a claim over Belagavi.

Meanwhile, Karnataka has consistently argued that the inclusion of Belagavi as part of its territory is beyond dispute. It has cited the demarcation done on linguistic lines to substantiate its position. Karnataka has argued for the inclusion of areas in Kolhapur, Solapur and Sangli districts (falling under Maharashtra) in its territory.

What was the Central Government’s response?

The Union government set up a commission under retired Supreme Court judge Justice Mahajan in 1966. The report was expected to be a binding document for both states and put an end to the dispute.

The report recommended that 264 villages be transferred to Maharashtra and that Belagavi (Belgaum) and 247 villages remain with Karnataka.

Maharashtra rejected the report, while Karnataka welcomed it. Karnataka argued that either the Mahajan Commission Report should be accepted fully, or the status quo maintained.

Why do tensions rise in Belagavi in winter?

In 2007, Karnataka started building the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha (Legislative Assembly) in Belagavi to assert its control over the region. The building was inaugurated in 2012, and the winter legislature sessions are held here annually.

The border issue springs up every time the Karnataka Assembly session is held in Belagavi. 

What is the recent controversy?

A war of words broke out between Karnataka and Maharashtra over the border row after the Karnataka CM said the government was seriously considering a resolution to include Jath taluk in western Maharashtra’s Sangli district in Karnataka.

e-Rupee: Here’s a Quixplained on India’s first official digital currency

Source: The post is based on the article “e-Rupee: Here’s a Quixplained on India’s first official digital currency” published in Indian Express on 2nd December 2022.

What is the News?

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) — digital rupee or e-rupee(e₹).

What is CBDC or the digital rupee?

CBDC is a legal tender issued by the RBI in digital form. It is the same as the fiat currency and is exchangeable one-to-one with the fiat currency. Only its form is different — it is not paper (or polymer) like physical cash. 

It is a fungible legal tender for which holders need not have a bank account.CBDC will also appear as ‘liability’ (currency in circulation) on the RBI’s balance sheet.

What are the types of e-rupee?

Based on usage and the functions performed by the digital rupee, and considering different levels of accessibility, the RBI has demarcated the digital rupee into retail and wholesale categories.

Retail e-rupee: It is an electronic version of cash primarily meant for retail transactions, which can potentially be used by almost everyone, and can provide access to safe money for payment and settlements.

Wholesale CBDC: It is designed for restricted access to select financial institutions. It has the potential to transform the settlement systems for financial transactions undertaken by banks in the government securities (G-Sec) segment and inter-bank market, and make the capital market more efficient and secure in terms of operational costs, use of collateral, and liquidity management.

How can an individual use the e-rupee?

E-rupees will be issued in the same denominations as paper currency and coins and will be distributed through the intermediaries, that is banks. Transactions will be through a digital wallet offered by the participating banks, and stored on mobile phones and devices.

Transactions can be both person-to-person (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M). For P2M transactions (such as shopping), there will be QR codes at the merchant location.

A user will be able to withdraw digital tokens from banks in the same way s/he can currently withdraw physical cash. S/he will be able to keep his/her digital tokens in the wallet and spend them online or in person or transfer them via an app.

How is this different from other wallets?

Not very different in terms of how it will be used. However, UPI-based apps like Google Pay and Paytm have a daily and per-transaction spending limit. The RBI has not fixed any limit on holding digital rupees in wallets. Digital rupee transactions above Rs 2 lakh are likely to be reported for tax matters.

How is RBI introducing the CBDC now?

RBI has now launched a pilot of CBDC which will initially cover four cities — Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar.

The pilot will work in a closed user group (CUG) comprising participating customers and merchants. Select customers from the selected cities will get CBDC wallets with notes printed digitally with the RBI Governor’s signature.

The scope of the pilot may be expanded gradually to cover more banks, users and locations.

World’s first intra-nasal vaccine for COVID developed by India has got approval from the CDSCO for restricted use in emergency situations in the age group of 18 and above

Source: The post is based on the article “World’s first intra-nasal vaccine for COVID developed by India has got approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for restricted use in emergency situations in the age group of 18 and above” published in PIB on 2nd December 2022.

What is the News?

World’s first intra-nasal vaccine for COVID named “iNCOVACC” has got approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for restricted use in emergency situations in the age group of 18 and above.

What is iNCOVAC Vaccine?

iNCOVAC (BBV154) is the World’s first intra-nasal vaccine.

Developed by: Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL)

The product development and Clinical trials of the vaccine were funded by the Department of biotechnology and BIRAC under the Mission COVID Suraksha Program.

Click here to read more about the vaccine

What are the other decisions taken by the Government?

Formation of Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council(BRIC) 

BRIC will be an apex autonomous body of the Department of Biotechnology(DBT). It has been formed by subsuming 14 Autonomous Institutions of DBT.

Aim: To achieve centralized and unified governance to maximize the impact of biotech research.

Joint Exercise Agni Warrior with Singapore Armed Forces Concludes at Devlali (Maharashtra)

Source: The post is based on the article “Joint Exercise Agni Warrior with Singapore Armed Forces Concludes at Devlali (Maharashtra)” published in PIB on 2nd December 2022.

What is the News?

The 12th Edition of Exercise Agni Warrior between the Singapore & Indian Army has concluded at Field Firing Ranges, Devlali (Maharashtra).

What is Exercise Agni Warrior?

Exercise Agni Warrior is a bilateral exercise between the Singapore & Indian Army.

Aim: To enhance mutual understanding of drills & procedures and improve interoperability between the two armies.

The exercise involved showcasing joint firepower planning, execution and use of new-generation equipment by the artillery arm of both armies. 

What are the other exercises between India and Singapore?

Exercise SITMEX: It is a trilateral annual maritime exercise between India, Singapore and Thailand.

Exercise SIMBEX: It is a bilateral naval exercise between the Indian and Singapore Navy.

Centre to cut funds if land is not allotted for housing scheme

Source: The post is based on the article “Centre to cut funds if land is not allotted for housing scheme” published in PIB on 2nd December 2022.

What is the News?

The Central Government has said that the states which are unable to provide land to landless beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana(PMAY-G) by December 15 will find their targets for this financial year redistributed to other States.

This means that the Centre will withdraw its share of funds allocated to errant States under the PMAGY.

What is Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana(PMAY-G)?

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What has been the progress of the PMAY-G Scheme?

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana(Gramin) was launched in April 2016 with a target of constructing 2.95 crore houses. This number was deduced from the Socio-Economic Caste Survey, 2011.

The initial deadline for the scheme was March 2022, which owing to the COVID pandemic was extended by another two years till March 2024. 

As per the statistics available from the Union Ministry of Rural Development, 2.06 crore houses had been constructed till November 2022. 

What has been the major issue with the scheme?

Providing land to the landless PMAY-G beneficiaries for the construction of houses is of utmost importance since they are among the most deserving beneficiaries on the permanent wait list of the scheme.

The original figure of 4.48 lakh landless beneficiaries has shrunk to 2.56 lakh since the beginning of the scheme because of financial assistance provided to purchase land. However, 43% of landless beneficiaries are yet to be provided with land.

Tamil Nadu has the largest landless beneficiaries on the wait list followed by Maharashtra, Assam and Odisha.

Agnikul inaugurates India’s first private space vehicle launch pad in Sriharikota

Source: The post is based on the article “Agnikul inaugurates India’s first private space vehicle launch pad in Sriharikota” published in Indian Express on 1st December 2022.

What is the News?

Chennai-based space tech startup Agnikul Cosmos inaugurated India’s first private space vehicle launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre(SDSC) in Sriharikota.

What is Agnikul Launchpad Facility?

Agnikul launchpad facility has been designed and will be fully operated by space startup Agnikul Cosmos.

The facility has two parts: the Agnikul launchpad and the Agnikul mission control centre, which are four kilometers apart.

The launchpad has been designed to accommodate and support liquid stage-controlled launches.

Agnikul is planning to launch its Agnibaan rocket from this launchpad.

What is Agnibaan Rocket?

Agnibaan is a two-stage launch vehicle that is capable of taking payloads of up to 100 kilograms to a low-earth orbit around 700 kilometres from the surface of the Earth. 

The Agnibaan rocket will be powered by the company’s 3D-printed Agnilet engines. 

Note: Agnilet is the world’s first single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine fully designed and manufactured in India. It was successfully test-fired by Agnikul at IIT Madras in 2021.

– It is a “semi-cryogenic” engine that uses a mixture of liquid kerosene and super cold liquid oxygen to propel itself.

Explained | How do personality rights protect celebrities?

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained | How do personality rights protect celebrities?” published in The Hindu on 2nd December 2022.

What is the News?

The Delhi High Court has passed an interim order to prevent the unlawful use of Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan’s name, image and voice. The court through its order restrained persons at large from infringing the personality rights of the actor.

What are Personality Rights?

Personality rights refer to the right of a person to protect his/her personality under the right to privacy or property. 

These rights are important to celebrities as their names, photographs or even voices can easily be misused in various advertisements by different companies to boost their sales. 

Therefore, it is necessary for renowned personalities/celebrities to register their names to save their personality rights.

Are personality rights different from publicity rights?

Personality rights are different from publicity rights.

Personality rights consist of two types of rights: 1) Right of publicity or the right to keep one’s image and likeness from being commercially exploited without permission or contractual compensation which is similar (but not identical) to the use of a trademark and 2) Right to privacy or the right to not have one’s personality represented publicly without permission. 

On the other hand, publicity rights fall into the realm of the ‘tort of passing off’. Passing off takes place when someone intentionally or unintentionally passes off their goods or services as those belonging to another party. Often, this type of misrepresentation damages the goodwill of a person or business, resulting in financial or reputational damage. Publicity rights are governed by statutes like the Trade marks Act 1999 and the Copyright Act 1957.

Does the use of names on the internet affect personality rights?

​​The Delhi High Court in 2011 made an observation in the case of Arun Jaitley vs Network Solutions Private Limited and Ors. in which Mr Jaitley filed a suit seeking a permanent injunction against the defendants from misuse and immediate transfer of the domain name. 

The Court stated that the popularity or fame of an individual will be no different on the internet than in reality. The Court decided in the favour of Mr Arun Jaitley stating that the name also falls in the category wherein it besides being a personal name has attained distinctive indicia of its own.

What about consumer rights?

While celebrities are protected from commercial misuse of their name and personality, there have also been instances where consumers are misled owing to false advertisements or endorsements by such personalities. 

Due to such cases, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has made a notification in 2022 to keep a check on misleading adverts and endorsements of consumer products by imposing a penalty on the endorser.

Union Minister for Civil Aviation Launches Digi Yatra for Three Airports in The Country

Source: The post is based on the article “Union Minister for Civil Aviation Launches Digi Yatra for Three Airports in The Country” published in PIB on 1st December 2022.

What is the News?

The Union Minister for Civil Aviation has launched Digi Yatra from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi for three airports in the country namely New Delhi, Varanasi and Bengaluru. 

What is Digi Yatra?

Digi Yatra is conceived to achieve contactless, seamless processing of passengers at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology(FRT).

With this, passenger data will be processed automatically based on a facial recognition system at various checkpoints at the airport.

Nodal Body: The project is being implemented by the DigiYatra Foundation — a joint-venture company registered under the Companies Act, 2013.

Note: Currently, Digi Yatra can be used only for domestic flights.

How to get a Digi Yatra ID?

After downloading the Digi Yatra app, passengers can get this ID by sharing details such as name, email address, mobile number, and details of an identification document (Aadhaar, driving license, voter ID etc.). 

After entering this information, a Digi Yatra ID will be created. This ID has to be shared while booking tickets. Airline companies, in turn, will share this ID and passenger data with the departure airport.

How to use the Digi Yatra facility at the airport?

At the airport e-gate, scan the bar-coded boarding pass; the facial recognition system installed there will validate your identity as well as the travel document. After this, one can go inside, and follow the regular procedure to clear the security and board his/her flight.

What are the benefits of Digi Yatra?

No storage of data: There is no central storage of Personally Identifiable Information (PII).The passenger’s ID and travel credentials are stored in a secure wallet on the passenger’s smartphone itself. The uploaded data will utilize blockchain technology and all the data will be purged from the servers within 24 hours of use.

Faster movement: ​​With the elimination of ID checks at check-in, passengers will be experiencing faster movement to boarding gates. For example at Dubai Airport where this technology is used, passenger saves time up to 40%.

Reduces Frauds: This will also reduce frauds and only legitimate passengers will be allowed to board the plane.

Enhanced security: The app will be tracking the air passenger with the PNR, enhancing security.