Daily Current Affairs UPSC 17 & 18 March 2024

Bharatiya Adim Janjati Seva Sanghathan (BAJSS)

• Minister for Tribal Affairs inaugurated 'Centre for Preservation and promotion of Tribal Culture & Heritage' in Jharkhand
• Showcases physical and intangible tribal culture, serves as a knowledge and information centre for tribal development
• Live centre with space for artisans to demonstrate their skills
• Minister also inaugurated renovated National Unique Tribal Museum and e-Library at BAJSS, New Delhi
• BAJSS founded in 1948 by Shri Amritlal Vithaldas Thakkar (Thakkar Bapa) for upliftment of tribal community

Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS)

• 68.2% increase in complaints in FY23 compared to FY22
• Launched in 2021 by integrating three ombudsman schemes
• Adopts “One Nation One Ombudsman” principle
• Provides single window for resolution of complaints against RBI regulated entities
• Redressal/adjudication of complaints handled by 24 Offices of RBI Ombudsman and Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre

Dwarf Coconut Variety (Kalpa Suvarna) and Hybrid varieties of cocoa (VTL CH I and VTL CH II)

• New Kalpa Suvarna and VTL CH I and VTL CH II  varieties released by the government
• Kalpa Suvarna suitable for copra and tender coconut production, flowers 30-36 months after planting, recommended for Karnataka and Kerala
• VTL CH I suitable for inter-cropping in arecanut coconut plantations, suitable for Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh
• VTL CH II tolerant to black pod rot, suitable for high rainfall regions in Karnataka and Kerala

Biomining

• Delhi's Biomining project may miss 2024 deadline
• Biomining is a scientific process of excavation, treatment, segregation, and utilization of aged municipal solid waste
• Environmentally friendly technique to separate soil and recyclables like plastic, metal, paper, textiles
• Targets valuable metals like copper, uranium, nickel, and gold commonly found in sulfur-bearing minerals.

Sickle Cell Disease

• Akmus Drugs and Pharmaceutical Limited developed India's first room temperature stable drug for Sickle Cell Disease
• SCD is a group of inherited disorders that change the shape of red blood cells
• Sickle cells clog blood flow, leading to chronic anemia and organ damage
• India has launched a mission to eliminate sickle cell genetic transmission by 2047

Exercise Lamitiye 2024

• Exercise Lamitiye 2024 is a joint military exercise between the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces.

Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR)

• Odisha police have discovered illegal poppy farms deep within the Similipal Tiger Reserve.
• Located in Mayurbhanj District, Odisha
• Falls under Deccan Peninsular Bio-geographic Zone, Chhotanagpur Province, and Mahanadian Region
• Fora includes moist mixed deciduous forest, tropical semi-evergreen forest, dry deciduous forests, and grasslands
• Fauna includes tigers, leopards, king cobras, and common cobras
• Designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2009

Kshipra River

• Despite government agency initiatives, the Kshipra River remains contaminated, according to a performance audit conducted by the CAG.
• Originates in Vindhya Range and flows northward
• Flows through Malwa Plateau and joins Chambal River
• Ujjain is located on its bank and hosts Kumbh Mela every 12 years
• CAG audit found the river remains polluted despite government interventions.

Somalia (Capital: Mogadishu)

• Indian Navy stops Somali pirates from using hijacked MV Ruen
• Political Boundaries:

• • Easternmost country in Africa, located on the Horn of Africa
  • Land borders with Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti
  • Water borders with Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean
• Geographical features:
  • Highest peak: Mount Shimbiris (Mount Surud Cad)
  • Rivers: Juba and Scebeli

Revised Guidelines for Strengthening Pharmaceuticals Industry Scheme

• Ministry of Chemical & Fertilizers announces revised Guidelines for Scheme for "Strengthening of Pharmaceuticals Industry (SPI)”
• SPI scheme aims to support existing pharma clusters to enhance productivity, quality, and sustainability in order to position India as a global leader in the Pharma Sector.
• SPI Tenure: FY 2021-2022 to FY 2025-26 (5 years).
• SPI Scheme has three components:
  • Assistance to Pharmaceutical Industry for Common Facilities (APICF)
  • Revamped Pharmaceutical Technology Upgradation Assistance Scheme (RPTUAS)
  • Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices Promotion and Development Scheme (PMPDS).
• APICF:
  • Aim: Enhance the capacity of pharmaceutical clusters for sustained growth through common facilities.
  • Tenure: 5 years
  • Incentive Limit: 70% of approved project cost or Rs 20 crore, whichever is less
  • Eligible activities: R&D Labs, Testing Laboratory for Pharma Products, Effluent Treatment Plants, Logistic Centers, Training Centers
  • Monitoring: Project Management Consultant (PMC) appointed by Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP)
  • Benefits: Improved quality standards, environmental compliance, reduced wastage, availability of trained personnel
• Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Sectors Growth Program:
  • Aim: Support growth and development through studies, awareness programs
  • Tenure: 5 years
  • Eligible activities: Database creation for pharmaceutical and medical device sector
  • Monitoring: PMC
  • Benefits: Increase awareness of Government policies, identify industry problems/issues.

ECI announces Model Code of Conduct for 2024 Parliamentary Elections

• MCC is in place following ECI's announcement that the nation will vote in seven stages between April 19 and June 1, with results will be revealed on June 4.
• Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines for political parties and candidates
• Ensures free and fair elections
• Based on Article 324 of the Constitution, which give power to ECI to supervise elections to parliament and state legislatures.
• Effective from announcement of election schedule to announcement of results
• Not legally enforceable, but some provisions are enforceable through related laws like Representation of People Act, 1951.
• Prohibited Activities after MCC Implementation:
  • Candidates cannot announce financial grants or launch new projects
  • No promises can be made regarding infrastructure development
  • Ad-hoc appointments in government or public undertakings are prohibited
  • Ministers or candidates cannot sanction grants or payments from discretionary funds
  • Use of government resources like transport and machinery for campaigning is banned.

Function of ECI in view of MCC's progression:

• MCC was first used in Kerala's state assembly elections in 1960.
• The Chief Electoral Officer was instructed by ECI in 1974 to form a standing committee at the district level, which would oversee the District Collector's monitoring of MCC violations.
• To control the "party in power" and keep it from getting an undue advantage during elections, ECI included a section in 1979.
• In the 2013 S. Subramaniam Balaji v. State of Tamil Nadu case, the Supreme Court ordered ECI to incorporate election manifesto guidelines, which it had done so in the MCC.

New Rules for Captive Elephant Transfer or Transport in 2024

• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024
• Rules notified under Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA) 1972
• Application process for transfer of captive elephants
• Application to be made to Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF)
• DCF to obtain veterinary certificate, conduct inquiry, and physical verification
• Application/report to be forwarded to Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW) within fifteen days
• Transfer within state and outside of states process
  • CWW to permit or reject transfer within seven days
• Transfer outside of states requires 15 days to approval from CWW of donor and recipient state
• Terms and conditions for transfer
  • Owner must be unable to maintain elephant
  • Genetic profile must be entered in MoEFCC monitoring application
• Validity of transfer and transport permit
  • Transfer to be completed within three months
  • Transport permit valid for one month.

Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus):

• Subspecies of Asian elephants found in Indian subcontinent
• Habitat: Dry-thorn forests, deciduous forests, evergreen forests
• Elephant Census 2017: Karnataka has highest number, followed by Assam
• Characteristics:
  • Female is leader of elephant group
  • Gestation period: 22 months
• Conservation status:
  • IUCN: Endangered
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • WPA, 1972: Schedule I.

Six heritage sites in Madhya Pradesh are now on UNESCO's tentative list

• Being on the tentative list is the first step towards being recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• UNESCO World Heritage Sites are places considered to have exceptional value to all of humanity

UNESCO's Tentative List Sites in India:

• Gwalior Fort:
  • Built in 8th century AD by Raja Surya Sena
  • Includes Man Mandir Palace, Gujari Mahal, Sas Bahu temples
• Khooni Bhandara, Burhanpur:
  • Underground water management system built during Jahangir's reign
  • Based on Persian qanat approach
• Rock Art Sites of Chambal Valley:
  • Rock art in hilly areas of Vindhyan, Satpura, and Kaimur ranges
  • Rich cultural heritage depicted in ancient art forms
• Bhojeshwar Mahadev Temple, Bhojpur:
  • Lord Shiva temple built in 11th century under Raja Bhoj
  • Built in Bhumija style, an evolved form of Nagara style
• Gond Monuments of Ramnagar, Mandla:
  • Architectural complexes built by Gond rulers
  • Includes Moti Mahal, Raibhagat ki Kothi, Begum Mahal
• The Historical Ensemble of Dhamnar:
  • Rock cut site with 51 monolithic Buddhist caves and Hindu temple complex
  • Caves date back to 5th-7th century CE.

SEBI Board Approvals: Highlights from 204th Meeting

• SEBI announced launch of Beta version of optional T+0 settlement for limited scrips and brokers.
  • T+0 settlement allows both funds and securities transactions to be settled on same day when the trade is initiated.
  • Currently, Indian securities market operate on T+1 settlement cycle.
• Enhancing Ease of Doing Business for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs):
  • Exempted additional disclosure requirements for FPIs holding more than 50% of their India equity Assets Under Management (AUM) in a single corporate group.
  • Relaxed timelines for the disclosure of material changes to their designated depository participant (DDP).
  • FPI registrations that expire due to non-payment of registration fee, shall be permitted to be reactivated within 30 days.
• Facilitating EoDB for IPO Companies:
  • Eliminating the 1% security deposit requirement for public/rights issue of equity shares
  • Changing the size of offer for sale based on issue size in rupees or number of shares
• Enhancing Trust in AIF Ecosystem: - Introducing due diligence measures for investors and investments in AIF.
  • AIF is a privately pooled investment vehicle that takes investor money and uses it for investments.

FDI vs FPI:

• FDI involves investment by a person outside India in an unlisted Indian company or in 10% or more of its paid-up equity capital of a listed Indian company
• FPI involves investment by a person outside India in equity instruments where the investment is less than 10% of paid-up equity capital of a listed Indian company.

Antarctic Observatory Detects Seven Tau Neutrinos Passing Through Earth

• High-energy neutrinos with origins in the furthest regions of our galaxy are known as astrophysical neutrinos.
  • They can aid in our understanding of the universe's evolution because they can traverse great distances unhindered.
• Subatomic particles known as neutrinos have a very little mass—possibly even zero—and no electrical charge.
  • Despite being the most prevalent particles in the universe, they seldom ever interact with matter.
  • Neutrinos are referred to as "ghost particles" since they are extremely hard to detect and travel at nearly the speed of light.
  • Many natural processes, including the nuclear reactions in the Sun, the decay of particles on Earth, particle accelerators, and nuclear power plants, are responsible for their production.
  • There are three types of neutrinos: tau, muon, and electron.
• About IceCube, the Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole
  • This neutrino particle detector, which measures cubic kilometers, is situated close to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
  • The primary goal of IceCube, the first gigaton neutrino detector ever constructed, is to observe neutrinos from the most violent astrophysical sources.
  • It detects neutrinos by means of "strings" (cables) of digital optical modules (DOMs).
  • The first proof of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos coming from cosmic accelerators was shown by IceCube in 2013.

Neutrino Observatory (INO):

• The INO Project in India is focused on constructing an underground laboratory to research neutrinos.
• Funding for the project comes from the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology.
• The location of the project is in Pottipuram, situated in the Bodi West hills of the Theni District in Tamil Nadu.