9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – December 3rd, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Can China and India settle the conflict over the Line of Actual Control?
• As CJI constitutes an all-women bench, what’s the status of women in law?
• Winning the world, softly
• Connecting India’s East with the Indo-Pacific

GS Paper 3

• Maritime stocktaking
• Measuring food insecurity
• Why India needs timely and reliable data on crop production

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Pension scheme: Why the EPF Federation has concerns over the Supreme Court’s ruling
• Adivasis at bottom rung of India’s development pyramid, finds Tribal Development Report 2022
• Explained | How will global layoffs impact India?
• Tourist guides to front ‘unique India experience’ at G-20 meeting venues
• Wormhole or Einstein-Rosen bridge Theory: Bifrost now a reality, or so
• Natovenator polydontus: A goose-necked dinosaur from Mongolia, built like a diving bird
• DigiYatra: These airports in India now have facial recognition technology. How does it work?
• Most drones crossing border originate from Pak Rangers outposts: Agencies
• After complaints, Centre set to prioritize wages for MGNREGS site supervisors
• Ministry of Power launches scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 4500 MW for five years under of SHAKTI Policy
• Divya Kala Mela; an event to showcase the products and craftsmanship of Divyang artisans

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Can China and India settle the conflict over the Line of Actual Control?

News: China has objected to the military drill that is being conducted between India and the US.

What did China say and why does the current objection of China hold no importance?

China said that the current military drill Operation “Yudh Abhyas” that is being conducted 100 km from the LAC at Auli, is a violation of the 1993 and 1996 India-China border agreements. 

As per the agreement, there is a requirement that the two sides should not hold, or should give adequate notice of military exercises in “mutually identified zones”.

However, this agreement does not hold any importance as China has itself violated the agreement with its large-scale intrusions across the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh in April 2020.

It has also violated other agreements signed in 2005, 2012 and 2013. All these laid down that boundary issues between the two countries will be resolved peacefully, and that neither side would use or threaten to use force.

Therefore, India no longer has the confidence that China wants to resolve the border issue.

What is the way forward?

First, India and China now need a new border agreement to settle the border issues through peaceful means. However, it is doubtful whether China wants it.

Second, India needs to build up its ties with the US and QUAD nations to counter Chinese presence in the South Asian region.

Third, India can also make an alliance with Pakistan that benefits India and attempts to establish a rivalry in the Indian Ocean region.

As CJI constitutes an all-women bench, what’s the status of women in law?

News: The proportion of women enrolling in LLB courses or in judiciary is very low which is an important issue that requires attention. 

What is the status of women in the judiciary? 

According to the data from All India Survey on Higher Education for 2019-20, only 33 per cent were women enrolled out of 400,000 LLB students. 

Moreover, India has not had a woman as a Chief Justice since Independence. The proportion of women in the Supreme Court is low at 12.5 per cent.  

Recently, the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has constituted an all-women bench which is only the third time in the history of SC where an all-women bench has been constituted. 

The position of women is better in lower judiciary but their proportion falls as we move to higher judiciary. 

As per the data, out of 19,288 judges employed in the subordinate courts, 6,765 (35 percent) were women and out of 6765, 55 percent women were employed as civil judges. 

However, in the high courts, only 13.2 per cent women occupied the position of judge. Further, there are state-wise disparities in the appointment of women judges in the lower judiciary and the high courts.  

As per the data, out of the 36 states and Union Territories, 17 had a smaller proportion of women in the lower judiciary than the national average. 

States with lesser number of women employed in the subordinate courts are –Gujarat (19.5%), Jharkhand (23%), Bihar (24.2%). 

States which are in a better position of women employed in the subordinate courts are – Telangana (52.8%), Andhra Pradesh (46.2%) and Punjab (45.8%). 

The data reveals that five states did not have a single woman judge whereas seven states have less than 10 per cent women in the judiciary. Only three states (Sikkim, Telangana and Delhi) had over a fourth of women judges in the high court. 

Further, the number of women has increased in the high courts but their representation has hardly changed.  

Therefore, these data highlight a grim picture of the women employed in the judiciary in India. So, there is a need to look into the issue and give proper representation and equal rights to women.  

 Source: Business Standard                               

 Source: Business Standard  

 Source: Business Standard 

Winning the world, softly

News– The article explains the soft power enjoyed by India in ancient times. It also explains the steps needed to enhance India’s soft power.

What shows the Indian arc of influence in ancient times?

Mahabharat’s Gandhari was from Gandhar now called Kandahar.

Iran derives its name from the term Airyanemvaeja or the land of the Aryans.

Angkor Wat, the world’s largest Vishnu temple, is not situated in India but in Cambodia.

Varuna was even adopted by the Greeks as Uranus.

Two Indian monks, Kashyapa Matanga and Dharmaraksha, carried the first Buddhist texts into China while Bodhidharma took martial arts to Shaolin.

Indonesia’s 20,000 Rupiah note prominently displays Ganeshji on it.

In Thailand, the Chakri dynasty kings still assume the title of King Ram and their royal emblem is Garud.

In Malaysia, the Hikayat Seri Rama is performed with shadow puppets even today. It is the Malay adaptation of Ramayan.

What is the way forward to increase the soft power of our country?

Iyengar Awards: International Day of Yoga has been recognised by the UN. The most famous practitioner of yoga was BKS Iyengar. The government can create an Iyengar Awards as the Oscars of yoga.

Buddhist tourism: Most of the significant Buddhist sites are in India and Nepal. There is a lack of nodal agency that ensures a coordinated approach from heritage site management to international connectivity. Religious tourism can be an instant brand enhancer.

Film industry: India produces 1,600 films annually. Government can provide budgetary assistance for Indian films to be marketed abroad once they have tasted success in India.

Health sector: India has some of the finest alternative therapies – ayurveda, pranayama, panchkarma, naturopathy. The practice of meditation is also becoming mainstream in stress management. Government needs to work on a PPP basis to create world-class alternative therapy centres abroad.

Sanskrit Inc: India should also be concerned that Sanskrit will soon be appropriated by countries like Germany where tens of chairs in Sanskrit are being established. It is time to develop an Indian centre that can preserve Indic knowledge and India’s pre-eminence.

Indian cuisine: The world is enthusiastically embracing turmeric lattes, masala tea, pure ghee, vegetarianism and veganism. India needs to invest in a travelling Indian food festival that takes India’s cuisine around the planet. Strategic partners like hotel chains and airlines can be involved.

Strengthening of ICCR: The country needs to rejuvenate, rebrand and re-engineer ICCR’s 38 Indian Cultural Centres to play to our strengths. Both the quality and quantity of centres must improve.

Connecting India’s East with the Indo-Pacific

News– The article explains the construct of the Indo-Pacific from the perspective of north-eastern India.

Since 2018, India’s ‘Look East’ and ‘Act East’ policies have moved into the phase of Indo-Pacific policy and strategy. But the New Delhi interpretation of Indo-Pacific is different from the perceptions of this policy in Northeastern and eastern India.

How should the construct of the Indo-Pacific include the perspective of the north-east?

Security aspects– Security conditions have improved significantly in recent times. However, the core issues behind the insurgency have remained unresolved. The way forward was to address them substantially and accelerate the pace of development.

There exists a contrast in security assessments of the authorities and others.

The official perspective was that the phenomena of smuggling, drug trafficking, transnational border crime, insurgent activity, and the influx of refugees represented serious non-traditional threats. China was viewed as a ‘constant player’ behind these nefarious activities.

Local communities have concerns over the insensitive handling of those engaged in lawful exchanges with the neighboring countries.

A balanced view indicates that considerable scope exists for more effective and people-sensitive border management in the future.

Developmental aspects– The Northeast is on the right path to economic development. There is a need for improvement in roads linking northeastern towns. Job creation for thousands of graduates produced by local universities is required.

Manipur needs to be promoted as the hub of medical tourism for other Indian States and neighbours such as Myanmar. The State’s research and development facilities to leverage the region’s biodiversity should be expanded.

Accelerated development requires increased investment by Indian corporates and foreign investors as well as better management.

Why is there a need to focus upon the cultural aspect of Indo-pacific construct?

There is a need to move beyond geopolitics and geo-economics. Neighbours should focus on “the geo-cultural dimension” of the Indo-Pacific. Expanded people-related cooperation would lead to wider acceptance of the Indo-Pacific and consolidation of the Quad.

Shared culture, history and mutual social threads that tie the region with India are also an important component towards fostering regional cooperation”.

How member states should consolidate the construct of Indo-pacific?

First, the growing significance of the Bay of Bengal region permeates the thinking of scholars. The concept of the Indo-Pacific seems distant. Therefore, member-states need to invest more in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation to enhance its effectiveness.

Second, for implementing India’s Indo-Pacific strategy, voices from Northeast and eastern India must be heard.

GS Paper 3

Maritime stocktaking

News– The article explains the importance of the navy for the security of our country. It also explains the achievement in the maritime sector.

Why is a strong navy needed for our country?

Border impasse at LAC and China expansionist activities in South China sea necessitate a strong navy.

In the 1971 conflict with Pakistan, the Indian navy was actively involved. INS Vikrant mounted sustained attacks on East Pakistan airfield, ports and riverine traffic. Maritime dominance had expedited Pakistan’s surrender.

What are significant achievements of India’s maritime past?

The navy of 10th century South Indian emperor Rajendra Chola defeated the Sumatran empire to establish chola power.

The century Maratha admiral Kanhoji Angre Konkan fleet constantly harassed the British, Dutch and Portuguese.

Bombay Wadia master shipbuilders was a ship-building pioneer who constructed warships for Britishers.

What are naval assets added by our country in the recent past?

In the 1960s, Indian naval leadership started indigenous warship production.

Mazagon Docks delivered the first license-built frigate, INS Nilgiri, in 1972.

The commissioning of India largest indigenously designed aircraft carrier called INS Vikrant is a major achievement for our navy.

The Indian navy has launched over a hundred warships; ranging from patrol boats to destroyers and from hydrographic vessels to nuclear submarines.

Recent induction of US built shipborne helicopters and maritime-reconnaissance aircraft will boost Navy surveillance and anti-submarine capabilities.

What are the shortcomings in inducting the naval assets?

Many of INS Vikrant major systems like gas-turbine engines, guns, missiles and radars are imported. Another concern is foreign origin of aviation-related activities such as workshops and landing-aids.

The time interval between ordering, launch and commissioning of Vikrant was excessive by international standards.

What is the way forward to strengthen the navy? Given the political leadership’s global aspirations; navy has made significant contributions to make India a QUAD member or as a regional “net security provider”.

The navy role must be spelt out. Its force architecture should be defined as well as funded.

There is a need for a comprehensive “maritime vision” and articulate it in a “National Strategy for Maritime Security”.

Measuring food insecurity

News-India ranked at 107th out of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2022.

There are some question marks on data used by FAO to measure the hunger prevalence in India which is used in GHI score

What is food security?

It exists when all people at all times have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. It should meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

What are the arguments favouring the authenticity of data by FAO that is used to calculate GHI score?

India ranking results from the use of Indian government official statistics called NFHS survey. This data confirms that there persist high rates of child mortality and chronic malnutrition in India.

A falling child mortality rate is not a consolation for the fact that a larger proportion of children still suffers from chronic malnutrition.

The indicator used by FAO to measure food security was scrutinised and approved by countries through the UN Statistical and UN Economic and Social Council.

Prevalence of malnutrition is not simply based on survey data collected by FAO using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale(FIES). It is computed using data on national food balances and consumption at household level. The most recent food consumption data available for India is from 2011. FAO does not have access to updated data, including the 75th round of the same survey on consumer expenditures conducted in 2017-18.

There is a lack of understanding regarding how FAO FIES data are processed to ensure valid, reliable measures of severity of food security across countries.

In 2013, FAO started the “Voice of the Hungry” project by engaging the global community because the international community did not have a way to identify and monitor food insecure households and individuals in a comparable manner across countries.

These efforts resulted in development of statistical protocols that ensure different translation and interpretations of FIES survey questions in 180 languages.

All the methodological details regarding the way FAO measures food security are public knowledge.

For the last four years, FAO has been actively collaborating with the Ministry of Statistics to include FIES data into official national data collection initiatives and to align with national SDG indicators.

Why India needs timely and reliable data on crop production

News: According to the National Statistical Office’s (NSO) latest GDP estimates for July-September, manufacturing contracts 4.3% and agriculture growing 4.6% year-on-year.

About the credibility of NSO estimates

The credibility of NSO estimates on Manufacture

The estimates of NSO is in stark contrast to the S&P Global’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). According to PMI, the manufacturing sector registered an expansion of 17 months in a row.

Reason for divergence: a) Most companies reported higher input costs in the recent quarter, this might be caused by the divergence between the NSO and PMI data, b) The PMI is based on a panel survey of just around 400 manufacturers. But the NSO’s estimates are based on gross value added.

The credibility of NSO estimates on Agriculture

The estimates of Agriculture are in stark contrast with the other reports. Such as,

-According to the Agriculture Ministry’s first advance estimates, the production of kharif foodgrains and oilseeds (during July-September) was lower compared to last year.

-Most field reports suggested deficient precipitation in this monsoon, drought conditions in the Gangetic plain and excess rains in September-October would adversely impact the kharif crop.

-The high fodder and feed costs, and lumpy skin disease virus infecting cattle across many states have impacted non-crop segments such as livestock, forestry and fishing.

Overall, it’s difficult to reconcile the NSO’s agricultural growth estimate with the reported reality on the ground.

What should be done?

Timely and reliable information on crop production is a necessary public good — for policymakers as much as farmers and agri-businesses. Hence, India should,

Address the credibility of data: India is becoming a digital superpower. So, it should rely more on satellite imagery, remote-sensing vegetation indices and hand-held chlorophyll meters, instead of the traditional patwari-girdawari system for estimating crop area and yields.

Follow the approach of the US: The US Department of Agriculture releases monthly reports providing crop-wise output, domestic consumption, export and import forecasts and updates.

Overall, India should understand the impacts of overestimation and underestimation of production.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Pension scheme: Why the EPF Federation has concerns over the Supreme Court’s ruling

Source: The post is based on the article “Pension scheme: Why the EPF Federation has concerns over the Supreme Court’s ruling” published in the Indian Express on 3^rd November 2022.

What is the News?

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is yet to issue any guidelines after the Supreme Court’s judgment on higher pensions.

About the SC’s judgment on EPFO pension scheme and the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS), 1995

The SC allowed another opportunity to EPFO members who have availed of the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS), to opt for higher annuity over the next four months.

About the 2014 amendment to EPS

It introduced mainly three changes a) It allowed members along with their employers to contribute 8.33 per cent on their actual salaries, b) It raised the pensionable salary cap to Rs 15,000 a month from Rs 6,500 a month, and c) It allowed members to contribute an additional 1.16% of their salary exceeding Rs 15,000 a month towards the pension fund.

The government gave all EPS members six months to opt for the amended scheme. If members, not opted for the scheme, then the extra contributions already made to the pension fund were to be diverted to the Provident Fund account of the member, along with interest.

What will be the impact of SC judgment?

Impact on EPF members and employers: a) Higher annuity for EPF members after retirement, b) In times of higher inflation and actual salaries having risen way beyond the pensionable salary cap of Rs 15,000. This would provide a better social security cover for workers after retirement.

Impact on EPFO: As per the amendment, existing members had to contribute the additional 1.16% if they opted for pension linked to actual salaries. So, the EPFO will have to find ways to fund this additional contribution.

What can be done by the government?

The government have to rework the contribution distribution between provident fund and pension. Till the time of legislative amendment, the administrators of the fund have to operate the pension fund for the opting members using any existing corpus.

Adivasis at bottom rung of India’s development pyramid, finds Tribal Development Report 2022

Source: The post is based on the article “Adivasis at bottom rung of India’s development pyramid, finds Tribal Development Report 2022” published in Down To Earth on 2nd December 2022

What is the News?

Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation(BRLF) has released the Tribal Development Report 2022. It is claimed to be the first of its kind report since 1947.

Note: BRLF was set up by the Government of India in 2013 as an independent society under the Union Ministry of Rural Development to scale up civil society action in partnership with central and state governments.

What is the Tribal Development Report 2022?

The report focuses on the status of tribal communities at an all-India level and central India in particular.

Note: Central India is home to 80% of the tribal communities in the country.

What are the key findings of the report?

Tribal Population: India’s tribal communities form 8.6% of the country’s population according to the 2011 Census.

– Of the 257 Scheduled Tribe districts, 230 (90%) are either forested or hilly or dry. But they account for 80% of India’s tribal population.

Tribals most deprived: Tribals are at the bottom of the country’s development pyramid even after 75 years of independence.

Be it sanitation, education, nutrition, or access to drinking water and education, despite 70 years of independence, they are the most deprived.

Reason for deprivation: Tribal areas are areas that have faced a lot of disturbance and conflict. This is one of the reasons why many government welfare schemes and policies are unable to take off in these areas.

Tribal rights and environment: During British colonial rule, the bond between Adivasis and their relation of symbiosis with their immediate environment was ruptured.

– After the enactment of the Forest Conservation Act in 1980, the conflict came to be seen as between environmental protection and the needs of local Adivasi communities, driving a wedge between people and forests.

– It was in the National Forest Policy of 1988 that domestic requirements of local people were explicitly recognised for the very first time.

– The Policy emphasized safeguarding their customary rights and closely associating Adivasis in the protection of forests. But the movement towards a people-oriented perspective has not been matched by reality on the ground.

What is the way forward suggested by the report?

It is important to understand the special characteristics of tribal communities to frame policies for them.

There are many tribal communities that prefer isolation and silence. They are shy and are not going to reach out to the outside world on their own. 

Hence, policymakers and leaders of the country need to understand this trait and then work towards the welfare of Adivasis so that they connect with them in a better way.

Explained | How will global layoffs impact India?

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained | How will global layoffs impact India?” published in The Hindu on 3rd December 2022.

What is the News?

Many U.S. multinational companies have announced massive layoffs, which already crossed 60,000 in September and October 2022.

What is Layoff?

A layoff is the temporary or permanent termination of employment by an employer for reasons unrelated to the employee’s performance.

What are the reasons for Global Layoffs?

Cost reduction: One of the main reasons why workers get laid off is because the company decides to cut back on costs in some way. The need can arise from the fact that the company is not making enough profits to cover its expenses or because it needs substantial extra cash to address paying off debt.

Overhiring during the Pandemic: During the pandemic, there was a surge in demand as people were in lockdown, and were spending a lot of time on the internet. The overall consumption saw an upsurge following which the companies went to increase their output to meet the market requirements.

– However, as the curbs were eased and people started stepping out of their homes, consumption fell, resulting in heavy losses to these big tech companies.

Fear of recession: As the demand is coming back to pre-Covid levels and seeing the debt bubble almost about to burst and fearing recession, these companies are cutting down their costs by closing down low-performing projects and laying off the excess and high-cost resources they hired to accelerate growth.

Russia-Ukraine War: The war has also contributed to these layoffs as it has made the market more volatile. This is clearly visible from stock market volatility.

Inflation: Rising inflation has also impacted several world economies severely leading to a crisis in the job market as well. 

What is the outlook for the Indian IT Industry?

The Indian IT services firms are among the largest employers in the organized sector and any global economic trend is bound to have an impact on their growth projections. 

Managements look at headcount numbers critically when they want to cut costs and protect profit margins as they are accountable to investors.

Though there isn’t a discernible trend yet, there are a few signs which may signal what is to be expected in the next few months. For instance, all top companies except Wipro saw a rise in revenue and net profit.

The attrition rates or the number of employees per 100 quitting on their own, of the top two firms, TCS and Infosys, show that these rates are still high, which means that there is enough business for the sector for competitors to draw away employees with promise of higher salaries.

What about layoffs in Indian Startups?

News of layoffs in the Indian start-up front is predominantly in EDtech, or the educational technology front. A lesser share of internet users visiting educational websites since the decline of the pandemic is cited as one reason.

Tourist guides to front ‘unique India experience’ at G-20 meeting venues

Source: The post is based on the article “Tourist guides to front ‘unique India experience’ at G-20 meeting venues” published in The Hindu on 3rd December 2022.

What is the News?

One thousand tourist guides would fan out across the 55 locations where G-20 meetings would be held over the next one year to facilitate the travel of foreign delegates and “ensure a unique Indian experience” for them.

How will India promote tourism during its G20 Presidency?

India has assumed the G20 Presidency. As part of this process, the government of India has embarked on a massive exercise to showcase India and training tourist guides or tourist facilitators to foreign delegates.

The training of the tourist guides is being done through the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management and Regional Directors from the Ministry of Tourism.

A major part of the training would include language skill programmes in nine foreign languages like French and German. Other focus areas would be etiquette, knowledge of local attractions and monuments, cuisines, handicrafts and souvenirs.

Apart from this, the Tourism Ministry has asked the Archaeological Survey of India to draw up a list of local monument-specific guides who would be trained as and when meetings are held in those particular cities.

The focus would be on UNESCO world heritage sites and the 100 centrally protected monuments. For example, training to boatmen would come in handy in places like Udaipur which is known for its lakes.

Wormhole or Einstein-Rosen bridge Theory: Bifrost now a reality, or so

Source: The post is based on the article “Bifrost now a reality, or so” published in Business Standard on 3rd December 2022.

What is the News?

A team of physicists has created the first-ever wormhole, a tunnel that connects two distant points in space and time. This wormhole is like the magical Bifrost bridge in Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

What is Bifrost?

The Bifrost is nothing but an Einstein-Rosen bridge or a wormhole — theorized in 1935 by Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen. 

What is Wormhole or Einstein-Rosen bridge Theory?

A wormhole is like a tunnel between two distant points in our universe that cuts the travel time from one point to the other. Instead of travelling for many millions of years from one galaxy to another, under the right conditions, one could theoretically use a wormhole to cut the travel time down to hours or minutes.

Because wormholes represent shortcuts through space-time, they could even act like time machines. A person might emerge from one end of a wormhole at a time earlier than when s/he entered its other end.

Is Wormhole theory fact or fiction?

Because of interesting features, many science fiction writers use wormholes in novels and movies. But the presence of wormholes has not yet been established through observation or inference by astronomers.

However, scientists often see wormholes described in the solutions to important physics equations such as Einstein’s theory of space-time and general relativity.

Natovenator polydontus: A goose-necked dinosaur from Mongolia, built like a diving bird

Source: The post is based on the article “Natovenator polydontus: A goose-necked dinosaur from Mongolia, built like a diving bird” published in Indian Express on 3rd December 2022.

What is the News?

Scientists have discovered a dinosaur fossil in Mongolia that was likely a semi-aquatic diving predator. This dinosaur has been named as Natovenator polydontus.

What is Natovenator polydontus?

Natovenator polydontus is a semi-aquatic diving dinosaur that lived about 72 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period.

Features: It was built like a diving bird with a streamlined body while possessing a goose-like elongated neck and a long flattened snout with a mouth bearing more than 100 small teeth. It almost surely was covered in feathers.

– Natovenator was adapted to a semi-aquatic lifestyle in a freshwater ecosystem, perhaps floating on rivers and lakes, paddling with its front limbs and using its flexible neck to catch fish and insects or diving underwater to capture its prey.

DigiYatra: These airports in India now have facial recognition technology. How does it work?

Source: The post is based on the article “DigiYatra: These airports in India now have facial recognition technology. How does it work?” published in Indian Express on 3rd 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?

Click Here to read

How is DigiYatra being implemented?

The project is being implemented by the DigiYatra Foundation — a joint-venture company whose shareholders are the Airports Authority of India (26% stake) and Bengaluru Airport, Delhi Airport, Hyderabad Airport, Mumbai Airport and Cochin International Airport. These five shareholders equally hold the remaining 74% of the shares.

How can people avail of the DigiYatra facility?

Participation in the Digi Yatra scheme is voluntary for domestic passengers at present. Those opting for it will have to download the app, register, link Aadhar details, take a selfie and upload a boarding pass before travel.

With Digi Yatra, a passenger can skip the queue and use a dedicated e-gate, scan a bar-coded boarding pass and look at the facial recognition system to enter the terminal. A similar contactless processing is carried out at the security check and the boarding gate.

What about passenger data security?

In view of privacy concerns, there is no central storage of personally identifiable information.

The passenger 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 data will be removed from servers within 24 hours.

What is Facial Recognition Technology?

Click Here to read

Most drones crossing border originate from Pak Rangers outposts: Agencies

Source: The post is based on the article “Most drones crossing border originate from Pak Rangers outposts: Agencies” published in The Hindu on 3rd December 2022.

What is the News?

Most cases of violation of international borders by drones originating from Pakistan in the past one year have taken place in the Amritsar sector of the Border Security Force(BSF).

What are Drones?

​​The term “drone” refers to unmanned aircraft (UA), which were initially designed for use in the aerospace and military sectors. They are now used in the mainstream due to their increased efficiency and safety.

The level of autonomy of a drone can range from remotely piloted in which a human is in charge of its movements to advanced relying on a system of sensors and LIDAR detectors to determine its movement.

How India is regulating the use of drones?

Abolishing several approvals and permissions, the Government notified drone regulations in 2021 to make India a hub for drone research and development. 

Now, a remote pilot license is not required for the non-commercial use of micro and nano drones, and no permission is needed to operate drones in green zones. 

Drones can be used as unmanned flying taxis with payloads of up to 500 kilograms. Further, the companies that operate drones have also been allowed foreign ownership.

The government also approved the Production-Linked Incentive(PLI) program for drones and their components for three fiscal years.

How serious is the threat of drone attacks from Pakistan?

The threat of drone attacks from the Pakistani side is very real. Sighting of drones near the India-Pakistan border and the Line of Control (LoC) has been frequent. Some of them have carried weapons to the Indian side.

In 2019, security personnel reported 167 sightings of drones from Pakistan, according to the official figures. In the pandemic hit in 2020, there were 77 sightings.

After complaints, Centre set to prioritize wages for MGNREGS site supervisors

Source: The post is based on the article “After complaints, Centre set to prioritize wages for MGNREGS site supervisors” published in The Hindu on 3rd December 2022.

What is the News?

The Union Rural Development Ministry has devised a protocol to prioritize payment to Mates or site supervisors under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA).

What are the issues site supervisors or mates are facing under MGNREGA?

Under MGNREGA, wages of unskilled workers are to be paid within 15 days and if there is a delay, the Centre has to compensate them. 

On the other hand, mates – who are the frontline supervisors of the MGNREGA programmes – are listed as semi-skilled workers because of the specialist nature of their job.

Their wages come from the “material component”, 60% of which is paid by the Union government. This component is now being released erratically, caught up in bureaucratic delays and chronic fund crunch. 

Owing to the delay, in many States, the Mates have started listing themselves as unskilled workers to get their wages on time.

What are the changes brought in by the government to address this delay in payments to mates?

Since Mate payments are made under the “material component”, often State governments clear the vendor bills related to the supply of raw materials for the construction before clearing Mates’ payments. 

Under the new system, State governments need to clear payments to Mates or supervisors before clearing vendor bills. It is also proposed that reports on day-wise pendency in payment to Mates may be generated.

Ministry of Power launches scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 4500 MW for five years under of SHAKTI Policy

Source:  The post is based on the article “Ministry of Power  launches scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 4500 MW for five years under of SHAKTI Policy” published in PIB on 1st December 2022

What is the News?

The Ministry of Power has announced a Scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 4500 MW on a competitive basis for five years on Finance, Own and Operate(FOO) basis under SHAKTI Policy.

This scheme is expected to help the states that are facing power shortage and also help generation plants to increase their capacities.

What is SHAKTI Policy?

SHAKTI or Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India was launched by the Ministry of Power in 2018.

The main objectives of this policy are to 1) Make coal available to all the Thermal Power Plants of the country in a transparent and objective manner and 2) At the same time ensure that the benefits of linkage coal are transferred to the end consumers.

Significance: The policy is supposed to be beneficial not just for the infrastructure sector, but also for the public sector banks which have huge loans unpaid at the end of the power companies.

It also aims to reduce the dependence on imported coal and promote domestic industries.

Divya Kala Mela; an event to showcase the products and craftsmanship of Divyang artisans

Source: The post is based on the article “Divya Kala Mela; an event to showcase the products and craftsmanship of Divyang artisans” published in AIR on 3rd December 2022.

What is the News?

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment has inaugurated the Divya Kala Mela in Kartavya Path at India Gate, Delhi.

What is Divya Kala Mela?

Organized by: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

Aim: To provide a platform for the products and craftsmanship of Divyang(person with disability) artisans, craftsmen and artisans from across the country. 

Significance: This type of platform will bring self-reliance to the lives of Divyangjan. It will provide them with a big platform to display and sell their products. Further, it will give them an opportunity to connect with big businessmen.