9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – September 24th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• Why our urban spaces need to be reimagined

GS Paper 2

• Why telling Russia to abandon war is in India’s interest
• The success of the novel PM SHRI schools scheme will depend on the quality of educators
• In 2022, We Get That 1885 Feeling – on draft Telecommunication Bill, 2022
• The Global South’s assertion in geopolitics

GS Paper 3

• External risk factors for the Indian economy: Global storm: Overseas risk is main policy challenge
• Sebi working on new ASBA-like payment system for secondary trades: Buch
• The seed of idea: How millets can help mitigate climate impacts on food
• Burning fuel to carry fuel: Govt’s ethanol programme to face transport challenges
• Weather modifications by China need more discussions on its ethics

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• India achieves significant landmarks in reduction of Child Mortality
• In Odisha’s Nayagarh, a data-driven solution to child marriage
• India announces the launch of the “Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries” developed by co-leads and active inputs from Brazil, Canada, EC and the UK
• The tomistoma does not usually attack humans but that is happening now; here is why
• Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment for 2022-23
• What banking system liquidity going into ‘deficit mode’ means
• Why CUET-UG ‘normalises’ marks, and how it differs from other scoring systems
• Saturn’s mysterious rings & extreme tilt: Former moon may be responsible
• Community seed bank initiative traces & restores heritage rice varieties in Tamil Nadu
• G4 countries highlight ‘urgent need’ for reform in the U.N. Security Council

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

Why our urban spaces need to be reimagined

News:  A day’s heavy rainfall in Delhi has led to water-logged streets, crawling traffic, broken-down vehicles among others. There was also a similar situation in Bengaluru.

This shows that there a lack of urban planning in India and this need to be corrected.

What are the reasons for lack of urban planning?

Lack of civic infrastructure: Cities in India have come up with economic areas and planning but they lack in civic infrastructure. The important elements of urban planning such as storm water drains, etc. are ignored.

Flexibility: There is also very little urban planning flexibility in the master plans on which cities are developed.

Further, cities have also performed poorly in the Ease of Living Index 2020. For example, Bengaluru scored 55.67 out of 100 and Delhi scored 57.56.

Master plans are not developed with much thought. They have limited urban planning flexibility, which didn’t take into account, how market forces and migration will impact the plans.

What steps have been taken by other countries in urban planning?

The Garden City movement evolved in UK to provide healthier living spaces for workers, a bit away from city centers of work. These areas were planned with open spaces, public parks and boulevards. Once a garden city reached its maximum capacity, another city would be developed nearby.

In the US, the garden city movement evolved into the neighborhood concept. It planned residential houses and streets around community centers and schools.

London has a metropolitan green belt around the city to balance pollution and congestion and maintain biodiversity.

The concept of 15 minute city has been developed in the Paris. The idea is that every Parisian should be able to do their shopping, work, and fulfil their cultural needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride.

What can be the course of action for the city developments in India?

Master plan: Every Indian city should have a Master Plan which would be updated every decade or two. Those plans should consider the development of cities along with poverty mitigation and affordable housing and livability for urban migrants.

Land Use pattern: Urban land use pattern needs to get better. Currently India’s urban growth is informal and unplanned. This lead to weak enforcement of building codes and insufficient urban services and infrastructure required for the growth.

Outdated planning practices: The outdated planning services have made the land utilization poor in the recognized towns and urban neighbourhoods.

For example, one-fourth land of Mumbai is open public spaces while half of it is underutilized spaces around buildings.

If these public spaces are utilized properly then it will lead to achieve similar ratios as globally benchmarked cities in public land availability.

Urban density: There is need also a need to think about the urban density.

A higher urban density will lead to overutilization of public spaces and increase in the emission. High emission will make our cities prone to extreme heat and flooding.

Climate change: According to the World Bank, climate change may reduce India’s GDP by 3 per cent and it may also reduce the living standards of its citizen by 2050.

Therefore, a proper structural engineering along with conservation should be made priority. For example, lakes in Bangalore can be converted into Bangkok-style ferries.

Insufficient Institutional capacity: India lacks town planning education in the country. There are only 26 institutes that provide this course and produce only 700 town planners each year.

It is expected that India would ideally require 3,00,000 town and country planners by 2031. Therefore, more institutes are need along with NITs and IITs to have standalone planning department.

Hence, renewing our cities will require us to rethink various urban topics, including urban design, urban healthcare, affordable housing, sustainability and inclusion among others.

GS Paper 2

Why telling Russia to abandon war is in India’s interest

News: Russian President has taken a decision for “partial mobilisation”. Russia aims to mobilize as many as 3 lakh reservists — individuals who have completed their mandatory conscript service.

What does India say to Russia about war?

Recently, the Indian Prime Minister met the Russian President on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand in Uzbekistan. He stressed that today’s era is not of war, but an era of democracy, diplomacy and dialogue.

Indian PM said, “It is not for revenge against the West, or for opposing the West against the East. It is a collective time for our sovereign equal states to cope together with challenges we face.””

Days later, the French President and US National Security Advisor(NSA) supported Modi’s comments and asked the Russian President to end the war on Ukraine immediately. The US NSA even said that All countries should follow the principle of the Indian PM.

View of China on the Ukraine crisis: For the first time, China signalled in SCO meeting that it is seeking to distance itself from Russian actions. This might weaken the Russia-China axis, which has been a worry for the West, particularly for India.

Why Russia wants mobilisation, and what are the challenges faced by Russian defence production?

US institute of war has said that “partial mobilization…reflected many problems Russia faces in its faltering invasion of Ukraine that Moscow is unlikely to be able to resolve in the coming months”. It also predicted that the “mobilization will not deprive Ukraine of the opportunity to liberate more of its occupied territory into and through the winter.”

Why does India want Russia to end its war?

India is dependent on Russia for 60 to 70% of its defence requirements, and Russian arms supplies are under severe stress due to war. This resulted in the delay in Russian arms supply to India and Russia started using dated pieces of equipment in Russian devices.

This is a cause of worry for India as India still has “two friction points” along the LAC in eastern Ladakh and a stalemate at Depsang plains and at Charding La nullah in Demchok.

For the third winter, India mobilised about 60,000 troops along the India-China border. So, ending the war in Ukraine is India’s high priority as well.

The success of the novel PM SHRI schools scheme will depend on the quality of educators

News: The goals of PM SHRI schools are enough to bridge the education gap caused by the pandemic if implemented properly. However, there are also challenges associated with it.

What are the goals of PM SHRI schools and how can they be useful?

PM SHRI schools promise to enclose all aspects of the NEP.

Medium: PM SHRI schools can become a medium to bring change brought by the new education policies (NEP and NCF).These schools will need to find the solution of learning losses caused due to pandemic and ensure fruitful outcomes that can help the nation’s economy.

Mentoring: Every region will have PM SHRI schools that will mentor other schools in their areas. It will also have range of learning experiences, good infrastructure among others.

Teaching methods: These schools will include a variety of pedagogies and assessment systems along with vocational education.

Employment: These schools will provide linkages with counselors and local industry to provide employment opportunities to its students.

Environment friendly: The schools will be energy-efficient with natural farming patches, equipped with rainwater harvesting systems and will enable the study of traditional environment-friendly practices.

Career guidance: Career guidance and mentoring will be provided by the alumni and parents will also be trained to become home mentors.

Community centers: The school will become community centres after the regular hours and converge with existing schemes like PM Poshan, Samagrah Shiksha and Ayushman Bharat.

The goals of PM SHRI look encouraging but improving the quality of education is challenging in countries like India that have large socio-economic gaps.

What are the problems associated with the current education system?

First, poor status, low salaries and inadequate working conditions discourage talented people from entering the teaching profession.

Second, there is also lack of investment in high-quality teachers, training and resource materials along with the lack in teacher training schools in India.

Therefore, there is need for teacher training programme to train the educators in the pedagogical practices proposed by the NEP

In 2022, We Get That 1885 Feeling – on draft Telecommunication Bill, 2022

News: The government has recently come up with a draft of Telecommunication Bill, 2022.

The draft bills look similar to the colonial Telegraph Act of 1885 and there are many other problems associated with the draft bill

What are the problems associated with the draft Telecommunication Bill, 2022?

OTT: The provision to include OTT can weaken technical protections available to users. It can even lead to smaller online service providers such as Telegram or Signal not offering services in India.

Further, regulation of OTT platform can lead to the same problem of CERT-In cyber security. It led to the closure of Indian servers by several global VPN providers

SC Judgments: The draft has ignored recent judgment in the domain of privacy protection and freedom of expression.

For example, the first and second Puttaswamy judgments required surveillance reform.

It provided disapproval of systems of mass surveillance and the requirement of judicial supervision.

But clause 51 of the bill allows GoI to direct any service provider to provide any information for the arrested person even without any civil or criminal proceedings.

Further, Shreya Singhal judgment was related to freedom of expression which provided that there should be disclosure of orders to block website.

The recent Anuradha Bhasin judgment deals with the safeguards for internet shutdowns.

Therefore, it seems that the bill has ignored all these judgments related to privacy protection and freedom of expression.

Net Neutrality: There is no mention of net neutrality in the draft bill.

Wording: The wordings of Clause 53 and clause 24(2) are same as the wording of Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.

What can be the further course of action?

First, the draft focuses only on growth in connectivity and the constitutional objective in the regulation has not been given attention.

Therefore, there is a need to look into the constitutional aspect in the regulation of telecommunication.

Second, there should have been more focus on the democratic quality of connectivity.

The Global South’s assertion in geopolitics

News– The article explains the changing international politics. It tells about the strategy of major powers in changing geopolitics. It also explains the global south strategy to maintain its neutrality.

What is the present geopolitical scenario?

Case of USA– The United States wants to maintain its primacy in the international system.

The US’s national security documents mention its strategic interest. It wants to curb China’s rise, weaken Russia’s capabilities, maintain good relations with Europe. It also advocates for building satellite alliances with countries which conform to U.S. interests and values.

Case of China– China has emerged as an economic power. It wants to challenge US primacy through building counter institutions like AIIB.

Case of Russia-Russia with its military capability has the capacity to challenge the USA in global politics. Russia aggression against Ukraine is a watershed moment in geopolitics.

It is used by the USA to maintain its primacy in global affairs. Europe is now firmly behind the USA. The increasing Sino-Russia strategic partnership without limits is a threat to the west.

Case of global south- The countries of the south especially India and China are being blamed for failing sanctions against Russia.

Southern countries want a quick and peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict. They oppose the sanctions against Russia.

They are advocating neutrality. Their reason for neutrality is their dependence on Russia for oil and energy needs. They also have memories of colonialism and recent interventions such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

What steps are being taken by major powers to maintain their global status?

China is expanding military footprints in Asian countries. It is following expansionary policy in the neighbouhood. It is also violating the maritime zone in South China Sea and other water bodies.

The US response against neutrality has been to pressurise the southern countries that are not following the sanction regime. Recently the US Congress passed a bill to punish African countries that engage with Russia.

What is the strategy of Southern countries to maintain neutrality?

African Foreign Minister, in a press Conference with U.S. Secretary of State said no African country could be bullied and described this U.S. Bill as offensive legislation. She called for diplomacy.

China is waiving debt owed by 17 African countries as India did in 2003.

Stronger countries of the Global South such as India have used their leverage to negotiate with multiple sides. India increased oil purchases from Russia.

It has a military Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with the U.S. At the same time, it has developed the International North-South Transport Corridor connecting Russia and India via central Asia and Iran with three sanctioned states.

It participates in military exercises such as the U.S.-led RIMPAC and Russian led Vostok exercises.

The South’s choices are extending slowly to geoeconomics. The fear of the U.S. strategy of

freezing dollar reserves has made the South cautious. This is leading the South to gradually find ways of bypassing the dollar in bilateral trade by using local currencies. They are using currency swap arrangements.

GS Paper 3

External risk factors for the Indian economy: Global storm: Overseas risk is main policy challenge

News: In line with major global markets, Indian financial markets were struck recently. Similarly, the rupee-dollar exchange rate has also hit a record low at Rs 80.99.

What are the major external risk factors for the Indian economy?

1) Unclear trajectory of major central banks trying to pull back inflation. Hardening of interest rates will trigger a sharp economic slowdown in major economies, 2) Most currencies weakened against the dollar and Japan’s central bank made its first foreign exchange market intervention in over two decades, 3) Inflation is unlikely to quickly go downwards even as demand falls. This is because of ongoing energy supply readjustments that have pushed economic activity and inflation in different directions.

How European countries are facing economic challenges?

Europe: Ever since the Ukraine crisis, European gas and electricity prices have risen 105% and 75%, respectively. Further, Europe’s economic activity is rapidly slowing as the energy shock undermines manufacturing.

UK: The UK’s inflation, at 9.9%, is almost five times its inflation target.

What are the economic challenges for India?

Economic policymaking in India will have to factor in an abnormal global scenario. At present, there is no clear signal about the near future behaviour of either revival or price stability of the Indian Economy.

RBI’s monetary policy committee will have an upcoming bi-monthly meeting that has to contend with risks coming largely from overseas.

Sebi working on new ASBA-like payment system for secondary trades: Buch

News: SEBI is working on a new payment system for the secondary market which could prevent brokers from accessing their client funds.

The new payment is system will be on the lines of the Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA) process.

What will be the advantages of the new payment system for secondary market?

Movement of funds: This system will help in the movement of funds from an investor’s bank account only after the confirmation of trade. Therefore, money will never leave the account until the settlement is done.

Settlement mechanism: The new payment system is linked with new T+1 settlement mechanism. This mechanism would lead to efficient use of capital and will also help in further developing India’s capital markets.

Standardization: The new payment system will also lead to standardization of process.

What are the challenges with the proposed payment system?

Broking industry: The proposed system could impact the broking industry because many brokers earn a float on the funds parked.

• It could even push up the cost of trading as brokers might look for alternative sources of income.

Brokers not backed by banks: The system will pose complex challenges for brokers who are not backed by banks.

• It will be difficult for standalone brokerages to get access to a client’s bank account.

However, it will not be challenging for brokers who are backed by bank as blocking of funds has been happening for more than two decades in the banks.

Operational difficulties: There will be more transparency but it will lead to difficult in operations where there is in one-time payment.

• It will also lead to many occasions of blocking and unblocking money for the multiple trades a customer takes in a day.
• There also issues of failure rates and sometimes more time are required for blocking funds.

Intraday traders: It will become a challenging task for people taking many intraday trades because the new system might require the client to give multiple instructions to bank. However, the use of technology can help to solve this issue.

The seed of idea: How millets can help mitigate climate impacts on food

Context– The article explains the need for increasing millet production in context of climate change. It also discusses the methods to improve the yield of millet.

What are the impacts of climate change?

Climate change is impacting agriculture production, food stability and nutritional security.

Increasing temperature, erratic rainfall and prolonged drought are having severe effects on plant growth. It is causing shorter grain filing periods, reduced yield and biomass of grains.

However, Indian agriculture needs to safeguard the nutritional requirements of over a billion people. Thus, growing millets can be a way forward.

What are the benefits of promoting millets?

Nutritional benefits– They are a rich source of macronutrients and micronutrients like calcium, protein and iron.

They have a low glycemic index that prevents type 2 diabetes.

They can help to prevent cardiovascular diseases, lower blood pressure.

Climate resilient– They have higher photosynthetic efficiency. Their potential yield is unaffected by higher carbon dioxide levels.

Water efficient– They require less water. It is about one-third of rice, wheat and sugarcane.

Cultural significance-Millets have a rich cultural history in India. They have been a traditional source of nutrition for southern and northeastern India. In rainfed farming areas, millet cultivation provides livelihood to 50% of tribal and rural population.

What is the market scenario for millets?

It is overall positive.

MSP for millets has been continuously increasing.

India declared 2018 as the “National year of millets”.

2023 was declared as the “International year of millets” by the UN.

What is the way forward?

We have to enhance millet cultivation. There is a need to increase crop area under millet cultivation.

We need to research programmes to develop seeds for millets that are high-yielding, stress-resistant, have higher biomass and nutritional value.

These varieties need to be popularised through frontline demonstration and extension activities.

Millets should be included in PDS (Public Distribution System).

There is a need to promote agribusiness startup incubation centres and increase popular awareness of benefits of millets among consumers.

We need to have a national regulatory policy and institutional framework to bolster the entire value chain for millets.

Burning fuel to carry fuel: Govt’s ethanol programme to face transport challenges

News– The article explains the need to have a new logistical arrangement for transporting ethanol. It also proposes solutions for transporting it.

India’s ethanol production for blending with petrol has soared to an estimated 450 crore litres in the current 2021-22 supply year.

The government has set the target of 20 per cent blending by 2025-26 that is projected at 1,016 crore liters by NITI Aayog. It is creating new logistical challenges.

What are the logistical challenges?

Currently, the entire quantity of ethanol is being transported by road on truck-tankers. Carrying the projected 1,016 crore litres would require about 3.5 lakh tankers.

This will prove very costly. It will also result in greenhouse gas emissions of around 76 million tonnes.

What needs to be done?

The government can consider alternative options for ethanol movement, including through dedicated pipelines, rail tank wagons and ferries in coastal areas.

They can also look at the RORO (roll-on/roll-off) model of moving ethanol truck-tankers themselves by rail.

In Brazil, the entire movement of oil and ethanol is through pipelines, railway and coastal ships.

There is no need for dedicated pipelines for ethanol. We can use multi-product pipelines.

There is a need for precautions because ethanol is a solvent that dissolves the gums formed in gasoline and accumulated in tanks. We need to have filters in fuel hose pipes to resolve this issue.

Weather modifications by China need more discussions on its ethics

News– The article explains the scale of weather modification activities by China. It also discusses the social and ethical consequences of weather modification.

What makes cloud-seeding in China different from others?

Other countries have deployed cloud seeding to deal with water scarcity, ecological crisis and food security.

China’s case is unique in terms of scale, scope and ambitions. China does not only use the technology for ecological and environmental concerns. It also uses it for promoting state interest in a broader sense.

China is interested in using weather modification for mega-events. It used this technology during the 2008 Olympic games.

What is our level of knowledge about its harmful consequences?

Cloud-seeding has two dimensions — physical and social science.

A lot of research has been done about the physical dimension, although it is debatable. Scientists have different views.

The social science dimension deserves more attention. For example, excess snow produced from cloud seeding can trigger a human-induced disaster.

We also need more space for discussions on the social consequences and ethical issues.

What is the scale of weather modification in China?

It has been practicing weather modification since 1959.

China has been conducting regular cloud seeding around Shiyangin Hebei Province to supply water to the Greater Beijing Region.

Cloud seeding is regularly done in Shiyang to produce enough water to transfer to Beijing.

Has this created social problems within China?

Weather modification is done for many different purposes. Sometimes it is done for Beijing’s interests and other times to fulfil the expectations of local citizens.

When disasters happen due to weather modification in the former, it raises a few questions. Who can be blamed for it, government or nature.

It needs more research to know about its social consequences.

What is the scope of having an international organisation to control these activities?

Weather modification occurs in the air, where there are no boundaries. This impacts international politics.

We need to discuss if a global law or organisation is needed to solve the problem.

Doesweather modification programmes paving the way for solar geoengineering?

Cloud seeding is also part of geoengineering. To deal with climate change, we have two strategies: Mitigation and adaptation. Both cloud seeding and solar reengineering are adaptation strategies.

Reports suggest that China is doing intensive solar geoengineering research. One strategy is solar radiation management, which reduces the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth, lowering the temperature very quickly.

We need extensive research to study its consequences.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

India achieves significant landmarks in reduction of Child Mortality

Source: The post is based on the article “India achieves significant landmarks in reduction of Child Mortality” published in The Hindu on 24th September 2022

What is the News?

Registrar General of India (RGI) has released the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2020. According to the report, India has witnessed a progressive reduction in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) and Neonatal Mortality Rate(NMR).

What are the key findings from the report?

Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR): It has shown a significant decline from 35 per 1000 live births in 2019 to 32 per 1000 live births in 2020. It varies from 36 in rural areas to 21 in urban areas.

– U5MR for females is higher (33) than for males (31). 

– The highest decline of U5MR is observed in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

– 11 States/UT have already attained the SDGs target of U5MR (<=25 by 2030): Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Maharashtra, J&K, Karnataka, Punjab, West Bengal, Telangana, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): It has registered a 2-point decline to 28 per 1000 live births in 2020 from 30 per 1000 live births in 2019. The Rural-Urban difference has narrowed to 12 points (Urban 19, Rural-31). No gender differential has been observed in 2020 (Male -28, Female – 28).

Neonatal Mortality Rate: It has declined by 2 points from 22 per 1000 live births in 2019 to 20 per 1000 live births in 2020. It ranges from 12 in urban areas to 23 in rural areas.

– Six (6) States/ UT has already attained the SDG target of NMR (<=12 by 2030):  Kerala, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.

In Odisha’s Nayagarh, a data-driven solution to child marriage

Source: The post is based on the article “In Odisha’s Nayagarh, a data-driven solution to child marriage” published in The Hindu on 24th September 2022

What is the News?

Nayagarh, a small district in Odisha has adopted a unique initiative to eradicate child marriage by recording information on all adolescent girls in the district.

What is Nayagarh?

Nayagarh is a small district in Odisha. It has a population of 9,62,789 with a skewed sex ratio of 855. 

Child marriages in isolated locations of the district are still considered a part of their social life.

What has the district administration done against this?

The District administration launched the Aliva programme in January this year. 

Under the programme, Anganwadi workers had been asked to identify every adolescent girl in their jurisdiction and keep tabs on them. There are 1,584 registers available in 1,584 Anganwadi centres of the district.

The register maintains a record of the girl along with the name of her father. From the third page onwards, each page contains data of the adolescent girl including, address, education status, birth registration date, Aadhaar Card Number, contact details and family details. 

The age of the girl is approved by the local school headmaster, father, supervisor and child marriage prohibition officer(CMPO).

Towards the end of the register, information about child marriage, educational progress, skill training status and health issues of the adolescent girls are maintained.

Note: As per Odisha’s child marriage prevention strategy, the State aims to eradicate child marriage by 2030.

India announces the launch of the “Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries” developed by co-leads and active inputs from Brazil, Canada, EC and the UK

Source: The post is based on the article “India announces the launch of the “Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries” developed by co-leads and active inputs from Brazil, Canada, EC and the UK ” published in PIB on 23rd September 2022

What is the News?

The Government of India has announced the launch of the “Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries” at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum in Pittsburgh in the United States.

Note: Global Clean Energy Action Forum is an international clean energy event organized jointly by the 13th Clean Energy Ministerial and the 7th Mission Innovation ministerial.

What is the Innovation Roadmap of the Mission Integrated Biorefineries?

Launched by: India with active inputs from Brazil, Canada, EC and the UK

Aim: To fill the void by identifying gaps and challenges in current biorefining value chains, prioritizing Eight key actions to support the Mission and guiding the Mission’s overall path in achieving its goal. 

– The roadmap also provides policymakers with a strategic framework to establish a rising R&D portfolio over the next five years, specific financing proposals across the entire spectrum of vital Biorefinery technologies and rapid action suggestions.

What is Mission Integrated Biorefineries?

Click Here to read

The tomistoma does not usually attack humans but that is happening now; here is why

Source: The post is based on the article “The tomistoma does not usually attack humans but that is happening now; here is why” published in Down To Earth on 23rd September 2022

What is the News?

Increasing human intrusion into the habitat of Tomistoma (a crocodile species) may be causing it to attack people in Indonesia.

What is Tomistoma?

The tomistoma (Tomistoma schlegelii) is a large, slender-snouted crocodilian species native to southeast Asia. 

It is also called ‘False Gharial’.

It is distributed across parts of Borneo (divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei), peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra.

It is a freshwater species and is frequently associated with peat swamp forest. 

It shares its habitat with two other types of crocodilians — the saltwater crocodile and the Siamese crocodile.

IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Why is Tomistoma attacking humans?

The Tomistoma is a shy and reclusive species that typically retreat from areas with a high degree of human activity.

However, increasing human intrusion into its habitat due to activities like oil palm plantations, settlements and illegal gold mining has led to the rise in attacks.

Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment for 2022-23

Source: The post is based on the article “Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment for 2022-23” published in PIB on 23rd September 2022

What is the News?

The government of India has launched a Scheme Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment for 2022-23. 

What is Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2022-23?

Under the Scheme, financial assistance will be provided to the State Governments in the form of a 50-year interest-free loan for capital investment projects. 

The loan provided under the Scheme will be over and above the normal borrowing ceiling allowed to the States for the financial year 2022-23. 

The scheme has seven parts:

Part-l: The amount has been allocated amongst States in proportion to their share of central taxes & duties as per the award of the 15″ Finance Commission. 

Part-ll (PM Gati Shakti related Expenditure): It is aimed at facilitating PM Gati Shakti related investment-in the States

Part-lll (PMGSY): This amount is meant for supplemental funding for priority segments of PM Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) including support for the States share.

Part-IV: Incentivisation for digitization

Part-V: The amount will be available to states for capital projects on laying optical fiber networks.

Part-VI (Urban Reforms): The amount will be available to States as incentive for undertaking reforms related to Building Byelaws, Town Planning Schemes, Transit Oriented Development, and Transferable Development Rights.

Part-VIl (Disinvestment and Monetization): It is aimed at providing incentives to State Governments for privatization/disinvestment of the State Public Sector Enterprises (SPSEs) and monetization/recycling of assets.

What banking system liquidity going into ‘deficit mode’ means

Source: The post is based on the article “What banking system liquidity going into ‘deficit mode’ means” published in Indian Express on 24th September 2022

What is the News?

For the first time since May 2019, the Banking System Liquidity situation turned into a deficit mode.

What is banking system liquidity?

Liquidity in the banking system refers to readily available cash that banks need to meet short-term business and financial needs. 

On a given day, if the banking system is a net borrower from the RBI under Liquidity Adjustment Facility(LAF), the system liquidity can be said to be in deficit and if the banking system is a net lender to the RBI, the system liquidity can be said to be in surplus. 

The LAF refers to the RBI’s operations through which it injects or absorbs liquidity into or from the banking system.

What has triggered this deficit?

There are two main reasons for this deficit: recent advance tax outflow and continuous intervention of the RBI to stem the fall in the rupee against the US dollar.

What will be the impact of this deficit on consumers?

A tight liquidity condition could lead to a rise in the government securities yields and subsequently lead to a rise in interest rates for consumers too.

Why CUET-UG ‘normalises’ marks, and how it differs from other scoring systems

Source: The post is based on the article “Why CUET-UG ‘normalises’ marks, and how it differs from other scoring systems” published in Indian Express on 23rd September 2022.

What is the News?

The National Testing Agency’s (NTA) decision to “normalise” Common University Entrance Exam(CUET) scores came in for criticism from a section of students who called the process “unfair” and said it may impact their chances of getting a seat in top colleges and universities.

What is Normalisation?

Normalisation is a process for revising the score of one student in a way that it becomes comparable with the score of another. 

This becomes necessary when an examination in the same subject is held in multiple sessions, each with a different paper.

Is the normalisation method applied in other entrance exams also?

Yes, normalization is used to compare the performances of students on a common scale even in the case of entrances such as JEE Main (engineering). 

How is CUET-UG normalisation different from others?

In the case of JEE Main, the raw marks obtained by the students are first transformed into a scale ranging from 0 to 100 for each session of examinees. As a result, the toppers of two different sessions may have different raw scores, but both their percentile scores will be 100. The same applies to each category of percentile.

On the other hand, in the case of CUET, UGC adopted the normalisation formula using the equipercentile method. For this, the percentile for each candidate is calculated by comparing their raw marks with other candidates in the same session. These percentiles are then equated and converted into normalised marks.

Note: Percentile denotes the relative performance of a candidate compared to those who took the test in the same session. A 100 percentile indicates that 100% of candidates of a particular session have scored equal to or less than the topper. A student with a percentile score of 70 would indicate that she has scored more than 70% of the candidates in her session.

Saturn’s mysterious rings & extreme tilt: Former moon may be responsible

Source: The post is based on the article “Saturn’s mysterious rings & extreme tilt: Former moon may be responsible” published in Down To Earth on 23rd September 2022

What is the News?

According to a new study, a pre-existing moon named ‘Chrysalis’ likely left Saturn with its bright rings and extreme tilt.

What are the key findings of the study?

Rings: Four planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus — are known to have rings. Saturn’s rings, composed of water ice particles ranging from micrometres to tens of meters in size are the brightest

Tilt: Saturn has a tilt of 26.73 degrees, Earth 23.45 degrees and Jupiter 3 degrees.

– Currently, gas giants Neptune, Uranus and Saturn have a substantial tilt, suggesting that this feature did not arise during the formation stages. Jupiter — also a gas giant — is the only exception. 

What is the reason for the tilt of Saturn?

Role of Neptune: Various theories suggest that Saturn got its tilt due to gravitational interactions with its neighbour Neptune. But the new study argues that Saturn is no longer under Neptune’s gravitational influence.

Role of Titan: As per observations from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, Titan — Saturn’s largest satellite — may have been responsible for the tilt which orbited Saturn from 2004-2017.

– Titan is migrating from Saturn at about 11 centimetres per year, 100 times faster than previous estimates. Titan’s fast migration caused the planet to tilt further, reducing Nepturn’s gravitational influence on Saturn.

Role of Former Moon (Chrysalis): Scientists conducted simulations of the planet’s axis of rotation and how it has changed over time. It revealed that a former moon could be involved, as removing the moon gives Saturn its tilt, according to the model.

– Chrysalis likely orbited Saturn for several billion years, roughly 160 million years ago, Chrysalis became unstable and came too close to its planet. This encounter likely pushed the moon away or destroyed it.

Community seed bank initiative traces & restores heritage rice varieties in Tamil Nadu

Source: The post is based on the article “Community seed bank initiative traces & restores heritage rice varieties in Tamil Nadu” published in PIB on 24th September 2022

What is the News?

Around 20 heritage rice varieties of Tamil Nadu are being traced, collected, redeemed and restored through the Community seed bank Initiative.

Background

The majority of small & medium farmers of Tamil Nadu have lost their heritage seeds, once owned traditionally by their community forefathers, due to the monocropping of hybrids. 

These varieties had been identified for their unique nutritional, medicinal, and ecological qualities and, above all, their climate resilience. 

The genetic erosion of heritage and indigenous gene pool of paddy varieties and loss of knowledge on them poses a challenge for the sustenance and future of agriculture and human health in Tamil Nadu.

To overcome this challenge, a Community seed bank Initiative has been launched.

What is a Community seed bank Initiative?

Launched by: SASTRA Deemed to be a University with support from the Science and Heritage Research Initiative(SHRI) programme of the Department of Science and Technology(DST).

Under the initiative, the lead farmer cultivates one to many traditional varieties on his farm, a part of which when harvested is shared and distributed to other interested farmers in the neighbouring localities and districts with or without payment. This is an informal structure with voluntary participation.

– A seed bank capital of Rs.2000 was distributed to each beneficiary farmer to strengthen the heritage rice community seed banks.

Significance: The initiative to collect & conserve the traditional landraces of rice varieties can help share and exchange knowledge about the varieties with inherent capacities to withstand climate uncertainties, drought and flood resistance, and medicinal and nutritional properties.

G4 countries highlight ‘urgent need’ for reform in the U.N. Security Council

Source: The post is based on the article “G4 countries highlight ‘urgent need’ for reform in the U.N. Security Council” published in The Hindu on 24th September 2022.

What is the News?

India’s External Affairs Minister met with his counterparts from Germany, Brazil and Japan under The Group of Four(G4) banner.

What is the Group of Four(G4)?

Group of Four(G4) was formed in 2005.

The group is primarily focused on U.N Security Council (UNSC) reform and permanent membership of the body for G4 members among others. 

Members of G4: India, Germany, Brazil and Japan.

What is the Uniting for Consensus(UFC) group?

The Uniting for Consensus(UFC) group nicknamed the Coffee Club is an informal club that developed at the UN in the 1990s.

The group developed in opposition to the possible expansion of permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council.

Under the leadership of Italy, the group aims to counter the bids for permanent seats proposed by G4 nations and is calling for a consensus before any decision is reached on the form and size of the Security Council.

Some of the members of the group include – Italy, Spain, Malta, San Marino, Pakistan, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia & Turkey.