Daily Current Affairs UPSC 13 March 2024

Astronomical Grand Cycles (AGC)

• Study shows gravitational interaction between Earth and Mars causes cyclic changes in deep ocean currents every 2.4 million years
  • Identified as Astronomical Grand Cycle (AGC)
• Mechanism behind AGC:
  • Gravity fields of planets in solar system interfere with each other, creating resonance that affects Earth's orbit
  • Interaction between Earth and Mars linked to AGC, while interactions with Jupiter and  Saturn linked to Milankovitch cycles and ice ages.

Bharat Shakti Overview

• Bharat Shakti is a Tri-Services Firing and Manoeuvre Exercise held in Pokharan, Rajasthan.
• The exercise showcases the integrated operational capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces in countering threats across various domains.
• Key Equipment and Weapons Systems
• Participating equipment includes T-90 (IM) Tanks, Dhanush and Sarang Gun Systems, Akash Weapons System, etc.
• These systems demonstrate India's domestic defence capabilities and strength on a global level.

Samudrayaan Mission Overview

• Minister for Earth Sciences announces Samudrayaan mission to explore ocean bed by 2025-end
• Develop a self-propelled manned submersible to carry 3 human beings to a depth of 6000 meters in the ocean
• Equip with scientific sensors and tools for deep ocean exploration
• Part of the Deep Ocean Mission of MoES
• Development of Matsya 6000 by National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) Chennai
  • Endurance of 12 hours of operational period and 96 hours for emergency.

Kochrab Ashram

• Prime Minister's Visit to Kochrab Ashram
• On 12th March, the Prime Minister visited Sabarmati Ashram and inaugurated the redeveloped Kochrab Ashram.
• On 12th March 1930, Gandhiji started the Salt Satyagraha March from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi.
• Breaking the Salt Law at Dandi
  • At Dandi, Gandhiji broke the British government's salt law by gathering natural salt on the sea shore.
• Kochrab Ashram in Ahmedabad was the first Ashram established by Mahatma Gandhi after coming to India from South Africa in 1915 with the help of Jivanlal Desai.

Introduction of CNAP in Indian Telecommunication network

• CNAP is a supplementary service recommended by TRAI
• Enables called party to receive calling name information of calling party
  • Originating access service providers should provide CNAM of each telephone subscriber
• Aims to address spam and Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC)
  • UCC refers to commercial communication not in line with recipient's consent or preferences.

Atmospheric Research Testbed in Central India (ART-CI)

• Inaugurated by Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in Madhya Pradesh
• Aim: Advance weather research for better understanding of monsoon convection and land-atmosphere interactions in core monsoon zone
• Spearheaded by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)
• Established under Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS) umbrella scheme of MoES
• Includes remote-sensing and in-situ instruments for continuous observations of various atmospheric parameters.

Global Seed Vault (GSV)

• Global Seed Vault (GSV) is a facility that stores seeds from gene banks around the world.
• GSV is part of an international system for conserving plant genetic diversity led by the FAO.
• It serves as a safety deposit for orthodox seeds of important food and agriculture plants.
• GSV is located in Svalbard, Norway, in a frozen mountain with artificial cooling plants keeping seeds at -18°C.

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary

• De-notification of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary by Assam Cabinet
• Location: Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the suburbs of Guwahati, Assam, on the southern bank of Brahmaputra River.
• Habitat: It consists of Rajamayong Reserve Forest and Pobitora Reserve Forest.
• Rhinoceros Population: Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has the highest density of Greater One Horned Rhinoceros in the world.
  • Translocation: Eight Rhinos were translocated from PWS into Manas National Park as part of Indian Rhinoceros Vision, 2020 (IRV).
• Other Species: The sanctuary is home to various species including Wild Water Buffalo, Wild Boar, Leopard, Capped Langur, Porcupine, Pangolin, etc.
• Birdlife: Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is recognized as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International.

Cyprus (Capital: Nicosia)

• A ship sailed from Cyprus with 200 tons of supplies for Gaza.
• Political Features:
  • An island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
  • Maritime neighbours include Turkey (North), Syria (East), and Lebanon (Southeast).
  • Third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily and Sardinia.
  • Member of the European Union.
• Geographical Features:
  • Mountain Range: Kyrenia and Troodos Mountains.
  • Major Rivers: Pedieos, Serakhis, Kouris, etc.
  • Climate: Mediterranean climate.
  • Highest Point: Mount Olympus.

The French President supports a law that would permit medical assistance in dying.

• By enabling terminally ill patients to "choose the path of least resistance when death has already arrived," it may make France the second nation in Europe to legalize euthanasia.
• Euthanasia, also referred to as "mercy killing," is the act of taking a patient's life in order to relieve their suffering. It permits one to "die with dignity" as opposed to sentencing them to a drawn-out, excruciating, or undignified demise.
• Types of Euthanasia:
  • Active Euthanasia: Involves actively ending a person's life with substances or external force
  • Allowed in countries like Belgium and Canada
  • Passive Euthanasia: Refers to withdrawing life support or treatment essential to keep a terminally ill person alive
  • Allowed in countries like Austria, Finland, and Norway
• Ethical Conundrum with Euthanasia
  • Arguments for Euthanasia
  • Personal liberty to refuse treatment through a living will
  • Right to a dignified life by preventing needless suffering
• Arguments against Euthanasia
  • Devalues human life as taking life is inherently wrong and immoral
  • Goes against medical ethics of nursing, care giving, and healing etc.

Legal status of Euthanasia in India

• No specific law on Euthanasia in India
• Only passive Euthanasia allowed by the Supreme Court
• Important Judicial pronouncements
  • Aruna Ramachandra Shanbaug vs UoI (2011): SC allowed passive euthanasia for the first time
  • Common Cause vs UoI (2018): SC ruled that a person in persistent vegetative state can choose passive euthanasia
  • Supreme Court recognized Right to Die with dignity as a fundamental right under Article 21.

Study by SBI called 'Of the Women, By the Women, For the NATION'

• Aim of the study is to analyze credit utilization and digital behavior of SHGs and SHG members
  • Focus on Lakhpati Didis, SHG members earning ₹1 Lakh or more annually
• SHGs are voluntary organizations with common economic and social objectives, based on participatory decision-making and equitable benefit sharing.
• Key highlights of the report:
  • Incomes of female members of SHGs have more than tripled in the last five years.
  • ~97.5% of the SHGs have bank accounts.
  • ~65% of rural SHG members have moved upwards in terms of relative income in FY24 as compared to FY19.
  • Rise in income of female SHG members is positively correlated with the increase in rural Female Labour Force Participation Rate (all ages) with a correlation of 0.91.
• SHG Bank Linkage Programme (SHG - BLP):
  • Started as a pilot by NABARD in 1992-93 to link around 500 SHGs to formal financial institutions.
  • Now the largest microfinance programme for delivering financial services to the poor in a sustainable manner.

Initiatives for Empowerment of Self-Help Groups (SHGs)

• Micro Enterprise Development Programme: A program that focuses on providing skill development opportunities for established SHGs to enhance their capabilities.
• Livelihood and Enterprise Development Programmes: Programs aimed at promoting livelihood opportunities for SHGs in specific clusters to improve their economic status.
• Scheme for Promotion of Women SHGs (WSHGs) in Backward & LWE Districts of India: A scheme that targets women SHGs in underdeveloped and Left Wing Extremism affected districts to support their growth and development.
• National Rural Livelihood Mission: A national program that offers interest subvention to eligible SHGs to facilitate their financial stability and growth.

Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers inaugurated a Credit Assistance Program for Jan Aushadhi Kendras

• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) sign MoU for providing working capital credit to JAKs
  • Program to utilize GST-Sahay platform and DPI for unsecured working capital loans
  • 'Credit layer' to be added to DPI for small businesses
• Government aims to increase JAKs from 11,000 to 25,000 in 2 years.
  • JAKs provide affordable generic medicines under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)
  • JAKs are run by private entrepreneurs with government support and provide around 2000 types of medicines and 300 types of surgical devices.
• PMBJP campaign launched in 2008 by Department of Pharmaceuticals
  • PMBJP implemented by PMBI, a society registered under Department of Pharmaceuticals
  • Medicines procured only from WHO-GMP certified suppliers for quality assurance.

Importance of JAKs:

• Diminished amount of money spent out of pocket:
• over the previous ten years, savings of approximately Rs. 28,000 crores were made by purchasing medications from JAKs.
• Increased accessibility to reasonably priced generic medications. 
• Encourage physicians to prescribe generic medications, especially at government hospitals.
• Working for oneself gave small business owners financial independence.

Ministry of Power Releases Annual Ranking of DISCOMs

• The yearly Integrated Rating exercise, which was initiated in 2012, is designed to assess the performance of DISCOMs.
  • It evaluates the performance of 55 DISCOMs and is carried out with the Power Finance Corporation acting as the nodal agency.
• Improvements in AT&C Losses and Billing Efficiency:
  • AT&C losses decreased to 15.4% in FY23, moving closer to the national goal of 12-15%.
  • Billing Efficiency improved to 87% and Collection Efficiency remained high at 97.3%.
  • Challenges with Average Power Purchase Cost and Subsidy Disbursals:
  • Average power purchase cost increased by 71 paise/kWh in FY23 due to factors like increased power demand and higher coal prices.
  • Subsidy disbursals by state governments exceeded 100%, with some states providing financial support to discoms through grants.
• Legacy Issues with DISCOMs:
  • Sectoral debt is on the rise, driven by CAPEX, financial losses, and working capital needs.
  • Discoms face challenges with high trade payables to generation and transmission companies due to financial stress.
  • Some states have significant subsidy arrears that have accumulated over time.
  • Reasons for High AT&C Losses:- High AT&C losses are attributed to meter discrepancies, theft, and collection inefficiencies.

Initiatives to Improve Power Sector:

• Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY): A program aimed at improving the financial health and performance of DISCOMs.
• Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS): Focuses on implementing smart metering, reducing losses, and building capacity in the distribution sector.
• National Smart Grid Mission: A mission to deploy smart grids for efficient power distribution.
• Additional lending for states: States can receive additional funding equivalent to 0.50% of their Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for implementing power sector reforms. 

Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers Introduces UCPMP 2024

• The UCPMP for the pharmaceutical business was previously released in 2014 and was entirely optional.
• Key Highlights of the UCPMP 2024:
• Information about drugs must be accurate, up-to-date, and not misleading.
• Brand names of products from other companies cannot be used without consent.
• Comparisons of drugs must be factual, fair, and able to be proven.
• Promotional material must not disguise its true nature.
• Continuing Medical Education must follow clear guidelines.
• No gifts or monetary advantages can be offered to healthcare professionals.
• Each association must have an Ethics Committee for handling complaints.
• The Department of Pharmaceuticals may issue orders to address operational difficulties.
  • The UCPMP also applies to medical devices unless exempted or modified by orders.

Need of UCPMP:

• Patient safety can be negatively impacted by unethical marketing that minimizes dangers or exaggerates benefits.
• Innovation that is responsible: To guarantee that funds are allocated to drugs that truly treat medical conditions.
• Maintaining the integrity of healthcare providers through the provision of fair and accurate prescriptions is the goal of professional integrity.

CDCL Submits Report and Draft Bill on Digital Competition Law

• In response to the recommendations in the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance regarding "Anti-Competitive Practices by Big Tech Companies," the Ministry of Corporate Affairs established CDCL.
• CDCL report on 9 Anti-Competitive Practices by Big Tech Companies
  • Anti- Steering Provisions: Preventing users from switching to third party services
  • Platform Neutrality: Giving preferential treatment to own products/platform
  • Adjacency/ Bundling and Tying: Requiring consumers to purchase related services
  • Data Usage: Utilizing personal data for consumer profiling
  • Other ACPs: Pricing/ Deep Discounting, Exclusive tie-ups, Restricting third-party applications, Advertising policies, Search and ranking preferencing.
• CDCL’s Recommendations:
  • Introduction of a Digital Competition Act with pre-emptive measures for Competition Commission of India to intervene before Anti-Competitive Practices (ACPs) occur.
  • Regulation of "Systemically Significant Digital Enterprises" (SSDEs) with influence in the Indian digital market.
  • Criteria for SSDE designation:
  • Significant financial strength including turnover and market capitalization.
  • Wide presence in Core Digital Services.
  • Monetary penalty for not meeting pre-emptive obligations capped at 10% of global turnover of SSDE.

Present Regulatory Landscape:

• The Competition Act, 2002
• Information Technology Rules, 2021
• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023
• Consumer Protection Act, 2019