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

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• Understanding the Durga Puja economy
• Choose safe surrender over infant abandonment
• Mahatma Gandhi, the peacemaker

GS Paper 2

• On abortion, Supreme Court has listened to women
• Russia’s prolonged confrontation with the West is putting India’s strategic interests under stress

GS Paper 3

• Where communities plant trees
• The link between inflation and climate change
• Natural gas: The bridge on India’s path to energy atmanirbharta
• The race to provide exhaustive satellite broadband services in India
• Free grain scheme needs to be backed by imports to cushion wheat prices
• India’s cyber infrastructure needs more than patches

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) launches Telecom Technology Development Fund scheme
• President of India Announces Results of Swachh Survekshan 2022
• PM’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors – YUVA 2.0 – Launched
• What is Black cocaine, seized by the NCB in Mumbai?
• Proposed trade promotion body to drive Indian exports
• UGC clears ‘professors of practice’ in all colleges, universities: who are they and what will they do?
• Tokenisation for credit and debit card transactions: What is it, and how does it help you?
• To tackle malnutrition, mothers in Nandurbar learn breastfeeding method devised at IIT-B

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

Understanding the Durga Puja economy

News– The article explains the impact of Durga Puja on overall economic prospects of the state. It also explains future prospects for the West Bengal Economy.

Durga Puja was recently included by UNESCO in its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

What are some facts related to the economy of Durga Puja?

It is not easy to estimate the true size of the Durga Puja economy. It has a multidimensional character.  A large quantity of sales happens through the unorganised retail market.

There are some estimates about the size of the Durga Puja economy. A 2013 ASSOCHAM study estimated the size of the Durga Puja industry at ₹25,000 crore. It is around 3.7% of West Bengal’s GDP at that time.

A recent study by the British Council estimates the size at 32377 crores. It accounts for around 2.5% of West Bengal’s economy.

Durga Puja has been affected by socio-economic-political shocks. The 1943 famine in West Bengal had a negative impact on it. Recently the pandemic led to huge losses for the Durga Puja economy.

What are the future prospects for the Bengal economy?

K’-shaped post-pandemic economic recovery is envisaged by different experts.

The people who were well-off could not spend due to pandemic restrictions. They might spend generously. It will also help people from the lower strata of society.

It may boost the informal economy. The people from lower strata of society may avoid the formal sector due to GST related issues.

The higher Puja sales may not be an indicator of a strong economy. Better sales compared to previous years may be a sad reflection of poor income of average Bengali.

Choose safe surrender over infant abandonment

News– The article explains the difference between abandonment and surrender of children. It also gives suggestions to reduce the incidents of abandonment of children by their parents.

Recently a two-year-old girl was found alone in a government bus in Tamil Nadu.

Data by the National Crime Records Bureau shows that 709 criminal cases of exposure and abandonment of children under twelve years were registered in the year 2021.

What are the legal provisions for abandonment and surrender of children?

The Juvenile Justice Act provides that no first information report shall be registered against any biological parent in the process of inquiry relating to an abandoned and surrendered child.

The purpose of this provision is to ensure that all efforts are made to trace the parents of the child without initiating any criminal action.

What is the difference between abandonment and surrender of a child?

Abandonment– An abandoned child means a child who is deserted by parents.

Surrender– It means that parents are not willing to continue to have their children with them. It is due to physical, emotional and social factors beyond their control.

Why is surrender better than abandonment?

Abandonment endangers the child’s life. Surrender ensures that the Child Welfare Committee will take care of the child until he or she is matured or adopted by someone.

A child is considered eligible for surrender only after a prescribed process of enquiry and counselling

The disclosure of the identity of surrendered children is prohibited. All reports related to the child are to be treated confidentially by the CWC.

No case is registered when a child is surrendered to the Child Welfare Committee constituted

under the Juvenile Justice Act.

What is the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act?

The Court passed an interim order to allow an unmarried woman petitioner to abort her pregnancy of 24 weeks arising out of a failed live-in relationship. It should be recommended by the medical board.

What is the way forward?

ASHAs and anganwadi workers have a strong network in villages. They know about unwanted pregnancy. There is a need to educate and sensitize them.

Juvenile Justices prescribe authorities to whom a parent may approach if he wants to surrender his child. It shall be the duty of such an authority to produce the child before the CWC within 24 hours. Wide publicity needs to be given to these provisions of the JJ Act.

Mahatma Gandhi, the peacemaker

News:  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine represents the biggest threat to peace in the world since the end of the Cold War. Many people believe that humanity will never attain peace.

However, Gandhi considered the problem of peace as an ethical instead of political issue.

The letter published in Harijan on December 9, 1939 explains Gandhi’s psychology as a moral leader at the time of war.

What was Gandhi’s strategy for peace?

The letter shows that he was a man of peace who could struggle for nonviolence and dialogue among nations even during the hard times.

Therefore, Gandhi was a consistent thinker on peace and it would be wrong to say that there were gradual changes in his opinions on war and peace.

Gandhi always had a peace strategy even when he wrote on violence over cowardice.

Gandhi wrote: “I do believe that where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence…But I believe that nonviolence is infinitely superior to violence, forgiveness is more manly than punishment… But… forgiveness only when there is the power to punish…

Gandhi never dissociated nonviolence from violence and his position is understood when he said that an action may wear the appearance of violence and yet be absolutely nonviolent.

However, there are critics about Gandhi’s non-violence strategies. Hannah Arendt has said that if Gandhi’s non-violence has met with a different enemy (Stalin’s Russia, Hitler’s Germany) other than British, the outcome would have been worse.

Gandhi believed that in the absence of a concrete ethical foundation, the politics could not function democratically and non-violently. He further believed that the essential task of the politics was to bring moral progress.

He believed that the strategy of peacemaking leads to moral rightfulness of non-violence whereas Hitler believed in eliminating morality from politics.

That is why Gandhi remains an original thinker in the matter of peace building and also a successful peace builder.

He believed that nonviolence is a truth that follows from the unity and interdependence of humanity and life. He said that violence damages and weaken all forms of life while nonviolence uplifts all.

Gandhi believed that awareness is required for a critical self-examination and a move from egocentricity towards a ‘shared humanity’.

Therefore, in an age of increasing ‘globalisation of selfishness’, there is an urgent need to read and practise the Gandhian social and political philosophy in order re-evaluate the concept of peace.

GS Paper 2

On abortion, Supreme Court has listened to women

News– The article explains the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act. It also explains the issues with the current legal framework for termination of pregnancy.

What are the issues faced by single women who want to terminate their pregnancy?

They are subjected to shaming, harassment and violation of their privacy by medical practitioners before being provided abortion services.

Women face stigma in Indian society on account of being single, unmarried and divorced.

What are the challenges for women in the current legal framework?

The amended provision of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act in 2021 extended the time limit for termination of pregnancy from 20 to 24 weeks. Only some categories of women like survivor of rape, women in disaster are eligible for pregnancy upto 24 weeks. It is not available to single mothers

According to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act of 2012, medical practitioners, who provide for abortion, should report sexual assault of a minor. This provision stops adolescent girls from having a safe abortion. They fear that their identity will be disclosed.

What are the positive aspects of Supreme Court ruling?

Unmarried women and single mothers–

According to the Supreme Court ruling, single and unmarried women would also get the benefits of abortion upto 24 weeks.

Transgenders-Supreme Court ruled that abortion rights under MTP Act are also available to cis-gender women.

POCSO Act challenges– The Court held that for the limited purposes of providing medical termination of pregnancy under the MTP Act, medical practitioners need not disclose the identity and other personal details of the minor as required under the POCSO Act.

Marital rape– Supreme Court also recognized marital rape. It held that victims of marital rape are also eligible for an extended window of 24 weeks for termination of pregnancy.

The Supreme Court upheld the right of all women and girls to make reproductive choices for themselves, without undue interference from the state.

Russia’s prolonged confrontation with the West is putting India’s strategic interests under stress

News: Recently, India once again abstained from a major United Nations resolution on Ukraine. Along with India, China, Brazil, and Gabon also abstained the resolution.

What is the present course of the Ukraine crisis?

There is a significant escalation of the conflict from Russia by ordering a general mobilisation to reverse the Russian military setbacks in Ukraine, renewing the threat to use nuclear weapons, and annexing the occupied territories.

What are the challenges faced by Russian defence production?

Why India needs to ask Russia to stop the war?

India has been signalling its growing unease with Russia’s Ukraine policy in the last few weeks.

Further, India’s growing partnership with the US and European states is coming under stress.

What India needs to do about the Ukraine crisis?

India itself confronting territorial expansionism on its frontiers. So, India must come to terms with the essential question in Ukraine, especially about changing borders through the use of force.

GS Paper 3

Where communities plant trees

News: Women in Kodalpali, a village in Nayagarh district (tribal district) of Odisha have been protecting their forests for the past three decades.

They take the responsibility to walk and to ensure that nobody falls trees there. They fight with intruders and they also seize their axes and bicycles.

What are the reasons for protecting forests by the tribal community in Kodalpali?

According to villagers, forests provide all needs from firewood to building material to tubers and medicinal plants.

Even during the period of Covid-19 nobody in the village fell ill. Forest is the source of life and so they protect it.

However, the tribal community has set some rules to access the forest. For example, fuelwood is to be collected only on Sundays, green trees are not to be felled, no grazing during the monsoon, etc.

Their efforts have helped them in getting community forest rights.

What are community forest rights?

Community forest rights is a provision of the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

This gives villages the right to patches of government forests that they have been traditionally using for exclusive use of resources and protection.

According to the data of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, community rights have been granted over some 4.5 million ha of forestland. It is approximately 8 per cent of land under forest cover under government control.

The ministry counts in this all-community rights including rights granted to the use of waterbodies or minor forest produce and not only forestland rights.

The villages of Odisha mainly Kodalpali and Sinduria now have the right to collect, process, use and sell minor forest produce.

This also includes the right to value addition, storage and transportation of products within and outside village boundaries.

What can be further course of action for those villages in Odisha?

Villages now need a plan for the management of this tree-diverse area.

It can help them to earn profit not just from timber but also from all the other richness that forest wealth provides.

Trees in forests survive only when village communities are given control in forest management. They can also help in moving India towards a wood-based economy.

The link between inflation and climate change

News– The article explains the inflation scenario for the Indian economy.

What are the risks for higher inflation?

Rupee is depreciating.

Grain stocks are fast depleting.

Adverse weather conditions due to climate change.

What are the prospects for the Indian Rupee?

Increase in interest rate by the US Federal Reserve will depreciate Indian Rupee.

The depreciation will lead to imported inflation through crude oil, gas and fertilizer.

If RBI tries to keep Rupee artificially high, it will adversely affect Indian exports. It will widen the CAD. Widening of CAD will further put a pressure on Indian Rupee.

Rupee falling is going to continue for at least one year. Inflation in the USA is at a higher level. The US Federal Reserve will continue to increase interest rates for two to three years.

What is the scenario for grain stocks?

The Cabinet’s decision to extend the PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana by another three months will put pressure on grain stocks. It will lead to a higher fiscal deficit. Gujarat elections may further compel the government to extend it upto December.

Doubling the free ration under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana depleted the grain stocks. Wheat procurement has decreased. The Government will have to raise MSP to replenish the wheat stocks.

Rice stocks are ample. But an uneven Monsoon this year may lead to less than estimated rice crop.

What is the case with climate change?

Climate change is an increasing cause of concern. It will lead to extreme events like drought and heatwaves. It will create inflationary pressures.

Government policy of free water, electricity and subsidised urea are further damaging the natural environment.

What is the way forward?

We will have to invest more in climate-smart agriculture, in precision farming, with high productivity and less damage to natural resources.

Right policy ecosystem needs to be created for scaling technology.

We need to fix the issue prices of PDS supplies at half the MSP. There is a need to limit the PDS coverage to 30 percent of the bottom population.

Source- https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/retail-inflation-quickens-to-an-almost-eight-year-high-less-impact-on-low-income-households-says-finance-ministry/article6540

Natural gas: The bridge on India’s path to energy atmanirbharta

News:  The ministry of petroleum had constituted a committee recently to review the domestic natural gas pricing regime.

However, there are concerns associated with the formation of committee.

What are the concerns associated with the committee?

First, the committee was given an impossible task between “market-oriented pricing” and “administered” pricing. For that, the committee was directed:

to develop a market-oriented, transparent and reliable pricing regime.

to examine the issues related to ensuring a fair price to the end consumer.

Therefore, it is not clear how the committee will bring relations between the two.

Second, there have been several committees in the past and the recommendations made by one committee have not replaced the older ones. Therefore, it is doubtful that how will this new committee will benefit.

Third, the composition of the committee suggests the government has plans to further tighten controls over natural gas pricing as four of the six members in the committee are from the public sector.

Therefore, there might be a negative impact of the government’s objective to move forward “towards a gas-based economy”.

What are the problems associated with the India for moving towards a gas-based economy?

Harsh topography: India has natural gas reserves. IHS CERA has estimated that India has approximately 64 TCF undiscovered gas resources.

The problem is with the location of these reserves as they are located in harsh topography and complex geology.

Cost: Gas reserves are difficult to locate and even if they are located it is difficult to bring to market on economically feasible terms. This is because the cost of creating the development and production infrastructure is huge.

Administered pricing: The administered pricing is another obstacle that might end investor’s interest in exploration of gas. Petroleum companies have also reduced their exploration budgets under pressure to shift away from fossil fuels

There are geologic, technical, and economic obstacles also in achieving commercial success for gas exploration.

What are the issues associated with gas pricing in India?

Initially, licenses were issued to PSUs on a nomination basis. The price of the gas produced was set by the Ministry of Petroleum on a cost-plus basis. At that time the government had the exclusive right to set prices.

However, in later years private sectors got involved and prices were linked to replace substitute fuels.

Later in 2014, a committee recommended that domestic prices of gas to be tied to the weighted average price of gas in the UK, US, Canada and Russia.

However, the problem with the recommendation was that those countries were exporters of gas whereas India had a gas deficit and was an importer.

In 2016, another committee suggested that the gas produced from deep waters to be capped to the minimum of the weighted average import price of fuel oil, naphtha and coal.

However, this suggestion did not take into account the seasonality of LNG demand /supply and LNG prices in India.

Therefore, there is a great difference between the domestic price of gas from deep waters and the price present in the Asia Pacific region.

What can be the course of action for India?

First, it should clear up the existing complexity and permit all producers of gas except producers from nomination blocks to determine prices through direct and transparent negotiations with different consumer segments.

Second, Subsidies should be given directly by the government through the exchequer and the gas producers must not be asked to bear that brunt.

Third, gas producers should be granted marketing and pricing freedom. Only then gas might provide a solid bridge.

The race to provide exhaustive satellite broadband services in India

News:  There has been a growing demand for providing satellite broadband connectivity in India. Companies like Jio, Oneweb, Hughes are preparing to provide these services.

Further, the development in satellite communication has made satellite broadband connectivity accessible even in the remote areas.

What are the developments made in global satellite communication?

There are two biggest developments in the global satellite communication space.

They are the emergence of LEO (low-earth orbit constellations) that provide global coverage and lower latency service and HTS (High Throughput Satellites Service) which offers unmatched capacity and flexibility.

Therefore, by using these developments different private companies are planning to provide satellite broadband services in India.

How satellite broadband services will change the Internet platform in India?

Satellite broadband services can connect the most remote parts of the country which are difficult to connect through fibers.

For example, Hughes India along with its partners is planning to provide high-speed satellite connectivity to 5,000 remote gram panchayats that lack terrestrial connectivity for fiber as part of BharatNet project.

Bharatnet project aims to make e-governance applications like telemedicine, access to land records, treasury, police stations, Internet access, and many other services easier in rural India.

Further, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) service providers will provide internet connectivity In Flight and Maritime Connectivity (IFMC).

However, there are certain challenges associated with satellite broadband services.

What are the challenges with satellite broadband services?

Slow internet: Satellite data transfer provides very slow Internet speeds and limited satellite bandwidth because of the distances the signals have to travel.

Connectivity: Connection time can also be impacted by the surroundings, the length of message, and the status and availability of the satellite network.

Users might not be able to connect to a satellite at all if they are located under heavy greeneries like trees.

The Emergency SOS via satellite might not also work in places above 62° latitude like northern parts of Canada and Alaska.

Latency: Satellite Internet latency can also be a problem. Minor changes in weather can have a massive impact on both the speed and latency of satellite data.

Free grain scheme needs to be backed by imports to cushion wheat prices

News: Recently, the government has extended the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY-Phase VII) for a further period of 3 months i.e. October to December 2022.

What is Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)?

What are the advantages of extending PMGKAY?

Higher all-India average retail price: the all-India average retail price of wheat is now about Rs 31/kg, compared to Rs 27 last year at this time. Prices of atta and rice have, likewise, risen from Rs 30 to Rs 36 and from Rs 35 to Rs 38 per kg, respectively. This is due to a failed wheat crop and uncertainty over the Kharif rice about to be harvested.

What are the concerns associated with extending PMGKAY?

Low rice and wheat stocks: Public rice and wheat stocks, at just over 60 million tonnes on September 1. This is a five-year-low and two-thirds of their level a year ago. This is as against the annual average of 62.5 mt during 2013-14 to 2019-20.

Godowns are no longer overflowing: The PDS turned out to be the only effective social safety net during the pandemic, which also provided an opportunity for disposing of the excess grain lying in government warehouses. But now that situation is changed.

What can be done?

Since the government has extended the scheme, the government must seriously consider importing wheat. Wheat from Russia can be imported at a low cost to supply for the scheme.

India’s own wheat crop will not be ready before March end. Having 2-3 mt of imported wheat in reserve will help to keep market prices under control till then.

India’s cyber infrastructure needs more than patches

Context: Cybercrime is increasing with the increased use of information and communication technology (ICT). However, the capacity of the enforcement agencies to investigate cybercrime remains limited.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), from 12,317 cases of cybercrime in 2016, there were 50,035 cases registered in 2020.

In Arjun Pandit Rao Khotkar vs Kailash Kushanrao Gorantyal case, SC settled the rules on admissibility of electronic evidence.

The Court held that a certificate under Section 65B(4) of the Indian Evidence (IE) Act was a mandatory pre-requisite for the admissibility of (secondary) electronic record if the original record could not be produced.

States are responsible for creating the infrastructure for the cybersecurity, whereas center is responsible for providing the uniformity in the legislations.

What are the challenges in dealing with cyber or computer-related offences?

No separate procedural code: There is no separate procedural code for the investigation of cyber or computer-related offences. The nature of electronic evidence is entirely different compared to traditional crime.

A five-judge committee suggested Draft Rules for the Reception, Retrieval, Authentication and Preservation of Electronic Records. However, it is yet to be given a statutory force.

Recruitment of technical staff for the investigation of cybercrime is not happening at the required pace. Any person with academic background in the arts, commerce, literature, or management cannot identify digital evidence.

Authority to investigate: As per Information technology Act, an offences registered under the act, cannot be investigated, by an officer, below the rank of an inspector. However, there are not enough inspectors in a district for that purpose.

Examiner of Electronic Evidence: While most State cyber labs are sufficiently equipped to analyse hard disks and mobile phones, many are yet to be notified as ‘Examiner of Electronic Evidence’ (by the central government) to enable them to provide expert opinion on electronic records.

Trans-national cybercrimes: It is very difficult to investigate the Trans-national cybercrimes. In these cases, blocking of an objectionable website or suspect’s account is the only option available with the authorities.

What should be the future course of action?

First, the broad ‘guidelines for the identification, collection, acquisition and preservation of digital evidence’ are given in the Indian Standard IS/ISO/IEC 27037: 2012. Which are issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The guidelines are sufficient to ensure that electronic evidence is neither tampered with nor subject to spoliation during investigation.

Second, a sufficient capacity build up is required to handle cybercrimes. It could be done either by setting up a separate cyber police station in each district or range, or having technically qualified staff in every police station.

Third, Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 should be amended and make the officers of the rank of sub-inspector, eligible to investigate the cybercrimes.

Fourth, the central government has proposed launching a digital rupee using block chain technology soon. State enforcement agencies need to be ready for these technologies. Cyber forensic laboratories of States should be upgraded by providing modernisation funds by the centre.

Fifth, Data localisation must be implemented to deal with the transnational crimes happening in India.

Sixth, the Indian police receives a CyberTipline reports on online Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) from the U.S.’s non-profit agency, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). India should develop its in-house capacity and/or makes intermediaries accountable to identify and remove online CSAM for immediate action by the police.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) launches Telecom Technology Development Fund scheme

Source: The post is based on the article “Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) launches Telecom Technology Development Fund scheme” published in PIB on 1^st October 2022.

What is the News?

Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), a body under the Department of Telecommunications, officially launched Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) Scheme.

What is the reason for launching Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) Scheme?

The Universal Service Obligation Fund(USOF) is the pool of funds generated by the 5% Universal Service Levy that is charged upon all telecom fund operators on their Adjusted Gross Revenue.

The draft telecom bill has said that the USOF shall be referred to as the “Telecommunication Development Fund”. The USOF has largely been used to aid rural connectivity. But the objective of TDF is also to boost connectivity in underserved urban areas, R&D, skill development etc.

What are the salient features of Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF)?

Aim:

-To fund R&D in rural-specific communication technology applications and form synergies among academia, start-ups, research institutes, and the industry to build and develop the telecom ecosystem.

-To promote technology ownership and indigenous manufacturing, create a culture of technology co-innovation, reduce imports, boost export opportunities and creation of Intellectual Property.

-To develop standards to meet countrywide requirements and create the ecosystem for research, design, prototyping, use cases, pilots, and proof of concept testing

Function: The scheme entails grants to Indian entities to encourage and induct indigenous technologies tailor-made to meet domestic needs.

President of India Announces Results of Swachh Survekshan 2022

Source: The post is based on the following articles

“President of India Announces Results of Swachh Survekshan 2022” published in PIB on 1^st October 2022.

“Telangana scoops Swachh Survekshan Gramin, 2022 award” published in The Hindu on 3^rd October 2022.

What is the News?

The President of India has announced the Swachh Survekshan, 2022 rankings.

What is the Swachh Survekshan Awards?

What are the key Swachh Survekshan Awards given?

Population above 1 lakh: Indore has been ranked the cleanest city in India for the sixth consecutive year. Surat and Navi Mumbai were ranked as the second and third-cleanest cities.

Population below1 lakh: Panchgani and Karad from Maharashtra bagged the first and third positions respectively, while Patan from Chhattisgarh bagged the second position.

The Cleanest States with more than 100 urban local bodies (ULBs): Madhya Pradesh emerged as the ‘Cleanest State.’

Cleanest state award in the less than 100 ULBs category: Tripura emerged as the Cleanest State in this category.

Star Rating Protocol of Garbage Free Cities: Indore further cemented its position by emerging as India’s first 7-star Garbage Free city, while Surat, Bhopal, Mysuru, Navi Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam, and Tirupati earned 5-star Garbage Free certifications.

What is Swachh Survekshan Gramin (SSG)?

This award ranks States and districts on the basis of their performance attained on Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G).

What are the key Swachh Survekshan Gramin given?

Large States category: Telangana was ranked first for the cleanliness of its villages. Haryana was placed second followed by Tamil Nadu.

Smaller States and Union Territories category: Andaman and Nicobar secured the first position, followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Sikkim.

PM’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors – YUVA 2.0 – Launched

Source: The post is based on the article “PM’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors – YUVA 2.0 – Launched” published in PIB on 1^st October 2022.

What is the News?

The government has recently launched YUVA 2.0 – Prime Minister’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors.

What is YUVA scheme?

About YUVA 2.0 (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors)

It is an Author Mentorship programme to train young and budding authors (below 30 years of age) in order to promote reading, writing and book culture in the country, and project India and Indian writings globally.

Launched by: Department of Higher Education under Ministry of Education.

Theme of YUVA 2.0: ‘Democracy (institutions, events, people, constitutional values – past, present, future)’

Implementing Agency: National Book Trust of India

How does the scheme function?

Under the scheme, a total of 75 authors will be selected through an All India Contest. These young authors will be trained by eminent authors/mentors. Under the mentorship, the first set of published books will be launched.

The books prepared under this scheme will be published by the National Book Trust of  India. Further, it will also be translated into other Indian languages ensuring the exchange of culture and literature, thereby promoting ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.

What are the advantages of the YUVA 2.0 scheme?

-The scheme will help to develop a stream of writers who can write on a spectrum of subjects to promote Indian heritage, culture and knowledge system.

-The scheme will also provide a window for the aspiring youth to articulate themselves and present a comprehensive outlook of Indian Democratic values on domestic and international platforms.

What is Black cocaine, seized by the NCB in Mumbai?

Source: The post is based on the article “What is Black cocaine, seized by the NCB in Mumbai?” published in the Indian Express on 30^th September 2022.

What is the News?

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) recently arrested a Bolivian woman from Mumbai airport for allegedly carrying black cocaine.

What is black cocaine?

It is a rare drug, is a mixture of regular cocaine and other chemicals of administrated quantity. It neutralises the smell of cocaine so that it can pass through checkpoints easily.

So, it is being used by drug peddlers coming to India from South American countries.

How do drug peddlers camouflage cocaine into black cocaine?

Black cocaine is a mixture of regular cocaine base with various substances to camouflage typical appearance (e.g. charcoal), to interfere with colour-based drug tests (cobalt salts form deep red complexes in solution), to make the mixture undetectable by drug-sniffing dogs as activated carbon may sufficiently absorb trace odours.

The pure cocaine base is then recovered from the mixture by extraction using common organic solvents such as methylene chloride or acetone. A second process is required to convert the cocaine base into powdered cocaine hydrochloride.

Proposed trade promotion body to drive Indian exports

Source: The post is based on the article “Proposed trade promotion body to drive Indian exports” published in the Livemint on 3^rd October 2022.

What is the News?

As a part of the government’s plan to revamp the department of commerce, the government proposed a dedicated trade promotion body.

What is the need for the proposed trade promotion body?

a) India’s exports are facing challenges due to a demand slowdown in key economies amid rising interest rates and geopolitical tension, b) It is part of the government’s strategy to make the department of commerce future-ready and take India’s exports from $650 billion to $2 trillion by FY31, c) At present, India have multiple export promotion council. Japan and Korea have benefitted from one key organization or single umbrella trade body like KOTRA in South Korea or JETRO in Japan.

What are the key features of the proposed trade promotion body?

The trade promotion body will act as a single data source for exporters and buyers. It will act as a marketplace for exporters, connecting them to buyers. It will also train exporters and organize buyer-seller events with a focus on strengthening supplies and bolstering demand.

Coverage: The trade promotion body will cover 13 elements, including ‘brand India’, government-to-government liaising, industry liaising and exporter training. The body will drive the overall export promotion strategy and export targets and monitor execution.

It is in line with the government’s broad goal of projecting 100 Indian brands as global champions and placing India in the top three of the global services trade by 2047 in sectors such as tourism, IT&ITeS, business services, healthcare and wellness and education.

Operational autonomy: The body will enjoy operational independence and oversight from the department of commerce.

Composition: The trade promotion body will have government and private sector talents.

Key responsibilities: This includes hiring the best private sector talent, operational independence and target-setting and monitoring for sectors, states, and foreign missions, etc.

What are the challenges in setting up the proposed trade promotion body?

The government has already created a Centre for Regional Trade. So, there is no clarity on how the trade promotion body will be implemented and structured.

What should be done to make the proposed trade promotion body effective?

a) The government must ensure its independence in functioning, b) Trade promotion councils and bodies should have representation from across the country, not just in a few chambers of commerce in Delhi. For example, in textiles, it is important to have representatives from Coimbatore and Tiruppur.

UGC clears ‘professors of practice’ in all colleges, universities: who are they and what will they do?

Source: The post is based on the article “UGC clears ‘professors of practice’ in all colleges, universities: who are they and what will they do?” published in the Indian Express on 3^rd October 2022.

What is the News?

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued new guidelines under which higher education institutes can create a new teaching position called Professor of Practice.

Note: A similar post already exists in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

What are the key features of UGC guidelines on Professors of Practice?

A professor of practice can be anyone with a background in a diverse range of areas from technology, science, social sciences, media, literature, armed forces, law, fine arts, etc.

Eligibility: An individual will have to be a “distinguished expert” who has “made remarkable contributions in their professions”, and has at least 15 years of service or experience.

Academic eligibility: No formal academic qualification is necessary in order to be considered for this position if a person has been an “exemplary” professional in their field of work.

Note: Currently, under the UGC’s minimum qualifications for appointment of teachers and other academic staff, an individual needs a PhD to be recruited as a professor or associate professor, and also needs to have cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET).

Selection process: Universities and colleges will carry out appointments on a nomination basis. However, these posts cannot exceed 10% of the sanctioned faculty strength of an institute.

It is open to the institutions themselves to decide the sector from which they want to rope in professionals. However, the position is not open for those in the teaching profession — either serving or retired.

Role: They will be involved in the development and designing of courses and curriculum, and will deliver lectures as well. They can also carry out joint research projects or consultancy services in collaboration with regular faculty members.

Note: It will not affect the number of sanctioned posts and the recruitment of regular faculty members.

Type of engagement and duration: It can be either a full-time or a part-time engagement for at least four years. Initially, the hiring will be for one year. Based on performance, extensions may be given. The total service should not exceed four years under any circumstances.

What are the objectives of the UGC guidelines on Professors of Practice?

Address the understaffing of Indian higher education institutes: Recruiting industry experts and professionals will help “augment faculty resources” in universities and colleges.

Addressing concerns about the quality of graduates: Today’s industry looks for graduates with specific skill sets. But the higher education system is churning out graduates who fall short of the required skills.

The professor of practice will promote the integration of academic scholarship with practical expertise and experience. All this will create industry-ready graduates.

Tokenisation for credit and debit card transactions: What is it, and how does it help you?

Source: The post is based on the article “Tokenisation for credit and debit card transactions: What is it, and how does it help you?” published in the Indian Express on 3^rd October 2022.

What is the News?

The Reserve Bank of India’s card-on-file (CoF) tokenisation norms have kicked in from October 1.

What is tokenisation?

Tokenisation can be performed only by the authorised card network and recovery of the original Primary Account Number (PAN) should be feasible for the authorised card network only.

How did India decide to carry out tokenisation?

In September 2021, the RBI prohibited merchants from storing customer card details on their servers with effect from January 1, 2022, and mandated the adoption of card-on-file (CoF) tokenisation as an alternative.

After multiple extensions, the RBI decided not to give any further relaxation in implementing these norms from October 1.

So from now on any purchases done online or through mobile apps, merchants, payment aggregators and payment gateways will not be able to save crucial customer credit and debit card details such as three-digit CVV and expiry date.

How will tokenisation work?

A debit or credit card holder can get the card tokenised by initiating a request on the app provided by the token requester. The token requester will forward the request to the card network which, with the consent of the card issuer, will issue a token corresponding to the combination of the card, the token requester, and the device.

The customer will not be charged for availing of the tokenisation service.

Note: According to the RBI data, till the end of July 2022, while the number of credit cards issued stood at around 8 crore, debit cards in the system were 92.81 crores.

What do customers gain from tokenisation?

a) Tokenised card transaction is considered safer as the actual card details are not shared with the merchant during the transaction. For example, in case of any data breach or hacking attempt at the merchant’s end, the customer’s card details will be protected, b) The token requestor cannot store Primary Account Number (PAN), or any other card details, c) Card networks are also mandated to get the token requester certified for safety and security that conform to international best practices/globally accepted standards, and d) Tokenisation lends greater credibility to seamless and secure payments experience.

To tackle malnutrition, mothers in Nandurbar learn breastfeeding method devised at IIT-B

Source: The post is based on the article “To tackle malnutrition, mothers in Nandurbar learn breastfeeding method devised at IIT-B” published in the Indian Express on 3^rd October 2022.

What is the News?

A set of modified breastfeeding techniques developed at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B), is helping the children in Nandurbar district, Maharashtra to tackle malnutrition.

About the modified breastfeeding technique

Need: High exclusive breastfeeding rate wasn’t helping in reducing malnutrition among children. Due to incorrect breastfeeding techniques, the milk wasn’t reaching the babies’ stomach was the main reason behind it.

Based on: The technique is improvised on the “cross-cradle hold”, mentioned in WHO guidelines for low birthweight babies. With the U-shape contouring of the breast, the mother’s fingers are parallel to the baby’s lips.

This helps with the proper attachment of the baby’s mouth to the lower part of the areola, which makes it easy for the baby to swallow.

Developed by: IIT-B’s Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA).

Promotion: Several animated tutorials on the techniques has been developed and are being translated into 20 Indian languages.

Benefits of this technique: The government’s module says 500 grams of weight gain per month. But this technique has helped in weight gain of around 900 grams a week for newborns in the Nandurbar district.

Note: The National Nutrition Mission guidelines of the Centre recommend 28 grams of weight gain per day.

How Nandurbar district in Maharashtra benefit from this technique?

Videos are used to educate Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) supervisors who, in turn, sensitise the mothers. The ICDS staff are trained with dummy babies and breast-shaped props. The outcome of this technique are,

a) 90% of babies gained more than 25 grams/day in weight in their first three months with these techniques, b) For the first time, the district is witnessing a 30-40 gram per day weight gain among newborns, as compared to 10-12 gram earlier.