Daily NEWS 16 February 2024

Intuitive Machines (IM) mission
•    SpaceX launched the IM-1 flight, a private U.S. moon mission, 52 years after the last Apollo lunar mission.
•    Carrying lander Nova-C (Odysseus) and six NASA payloads to gather data about the lunar environment.
•    Attempting to soft land near Moon’s south pole at Malapert A crater.
•    Previous unsuccessful private attempts include Beresheet (Israel), Hakuto-R mission (Japan), and The Peregrine lander (USA).
•    Successful soft lunar touchdowns have been carried out by the US, the former Soviet Union, China, India, and Japan.
Data Exclusivity
•    India rejects data exclusivity provision in free trade pact with EFTA bloc.
•    Decision taken to protect the interest of domestic generic drug manufacturers.
•    Data exclusivity protects data from pharmaceutical clinical trials, lengthening monopoly for original drug manufacturers.
•    Not mandatory under Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement (WTO) and Indian laws do not provide for it.
Largest Economy Ranking
•    Japan has slipped to the world's 4th-largest economy.
•    USA, China, Germany are the top 3 largest economies.
•    India is ranked as the 5th largest economy.
•    Reasons for Japan's decline include aging population, low birth rates, weak yen, lack of innovation, and labor shortage.
e-Jagriti portal
•    e-Jagriti Portal and Artificial Intelligence Integration.
•    e-Jagriti portal aims to reduce pending cases in consumer court.
•    It is a unified platform for consumer grievance redressal.
•    AI integration helps streamline case management and optimize procedures.
•    Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution oversees the portal.
H5N1 Avian Influenza
•    H5N1 has wiped out a significant bird population in the UK between 2021 and 2023.
•    H5N1 is a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus.
•    Infection in humans occurs through close contact with infected birds.
•    H5N1 infection in humans can cause severe disease and has a high mortality rate.
Green Hydrogen Plant
•    CIAL and BPCL setting up World's First Green Hydrogen Plant.
•    Aims to produce 1000 KW of power for Green Hydrogen mission.
•    Green Hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water with renewable energy.
•    National Green Hydrogen Mission aims to make India a global hub for Green Hydrogen.
Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric
•    Developed by IUCN for use in marine areas, expanded from terrestrial areas.
•    Utilizes data from IUCN Red List to quantify extinction risks and threats faced by species.
•    Assesses specific actions at specific locations to contribute to conservation targets.
•    Estimates contribution of different actions to conservation efforts.
Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL)
•    Recently celebrated 19th foundation day.
•    Miniratna Category-I company under Government of India.
•    Works under Ministry of Finance.
•    Key functions include production of currency notes, security paper, and more.
Qatar (Capital: Doha)
•    Prime Minister of India met with the Amir of Qatar in Doha.
•    Situated in West Asia on the west coast of the Persian Gulf.
•    Bordering countries include Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain.
•    Bordering water bodies: Persian Gulf, Gulf of Bahrain.
•    Geographical features include sand dunes, salt flats, and the Qatar peninsula.
•    No permanent bodies of fresh water in Qatar.
  
Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has unveiled the 'Sangam: Digital Twin' initiative
DoT's 'Sangam: Digital Twin' initiative
•    Proof of Concept for infrastructure planning & design revolution.
•    Combines Digital Twin with AI, IoT, 5G, 6G, and next-gen technologies.
•    Brings stakeholders together for innovative solutions.
•    Conducted in two stages: Exploration and Demonstration.
What is Digital Twin?
•    Virtual model reflecting real-world physical object.
•    Spans object's lifecycle and uses real-time sensor data.
•    Helps in decision making and monitoring operations.
•    Different from simulations due to large scale and two-way flow of information.
Significance of Digital twins
•    Remote monitoring for hazardous operations.
•    Better predictions for policy decisions.
•    Improved operational efficiency for quality output.
•    Aids in urban planning through simulations and forecasting.
Digital Twin of Qutub Shahi Tombs
•    Private company creates digital twin of Hyderabad's 16th century Qutub Shahi tombs using drone scanners.
•    Site includes seven tombs dedicated to former kings of Golconda.
•    Tombs resemble Persian, Pathan, and Hindu architectural styles with grey granite and stucco ornamentation.
•    Unique place where whole dynasty is buried at a single spot.
NITI Aayog unveiled the Greening and Restoration of Wasteland with Agroforestry (GROW) report
•    NITI Aayog released the Greening and Restoration of Wasteland with Agroforestry (GROW) report.
•    Report focuses on converting wastelands into productive agroforestry zones.
•    Used remote sensing and GIS techniques to assess agroforestry suitability in all Indian districts.
•    Introduced Agroforestry Suitability Index (ASI) for national prioritization.
•    Launched "GROW-Suitability Mapping" portal on Bhuvan for universal access to data.
Understanding Wastelands
•    Wastelands are unproductive lands unsuitable for cultivation, grazing, or economic activities.
•    Wastelands made up 16.96% of India's geographical area in 2015-16.
Agroforestry Basics
•    Agroforestry involves managing trees with crops and/or animals in agricultural settings.
•    Currently, agroforestry covers 8.65% of India's total geographical area.
•    Three main types: Agrisilvicultural, Silvopastoral, and Agrosylvopastoral systems.
Importance of Agroforestry
•    Helps mitigate climate change through microclimate moderation and carbon sequestration.
•    Enhances productivity, soil fertility, and soil conservation.
•    Optimizes the use of arable land.
India’s Initiatives for Agroforestry:
•    Implementation of National Agroforestry Policy in 2014
•    Establishment of Sub-Mission on Agroforestry under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
•    Inclusion of Agroforestry component under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana
•    Commitment to restore 13 million hectares of degraded land by 2020 through joining the Bonn Challenge
Report by IBBI’s Expert Committee on Framework for Use of Mediation under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016
Constitution of Expert Committee: IBBI formed an expert committee led by T.K. Vishwanathan to explore the use of mediation in IBC processes.
Understanding Mediation
•    Mediation involves a neutral third-party facilitating dispute resolution between multiple parties.
•    It can be initiated by mutual consent, pre-agreed contract, court reference, or legal requirement.
Mediation Framework in India
•    The Mediation Act, 2023 aims to promote mediation, especially institutional mediation.
•    Other legislations like CPC, Companies Act, Commercial Courts Act, and Consumer Protection Act also have mediation provisions.
•    India is a signatory to the Singapore Convention on Mediation.
Recommendations of the Committee
•    Propose phased introduction of voluntary mediation in IBC as a dispute resolution mechanism.
•    Suggest the Centre to establish a structure for insolvency mediation and specify mediable dispute categories.
•    IBBI should outline procedures for conducting mediations and ensure their enforcement.
•    Parties should share mediation costs equally or as mutually agreed upon.
Advantages of Mediation:
  
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) presented report titled 'Pollution caused by plastic' in Parliament.
The committee examined plastic waste management in country and related issues.
Concerns identified by the committee:
•    Inadequate disposal and utilisation of plastic waste leading to pollution.
•    Governance issues related to non-compliance of Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016.
•    Other issues like improper collection, delay in eliminating single-use plastic, poor monitoring by ULBs.
Key recommendations made by PAC:
•    Mandatory reporting of data online with proof of photo/video and GPS location.
•    Need for a comprehensive policy to contain plastic pollution.
•    Penal provisions for ULBs not setting up Plastic Waste Management systems.
•    Involvement of rag pickers and junk dealers in segregation and collection process.
Initiative Taken for Tackling Plastic Waste:
•    Implementation of Project REPLAN (REducing PLAstic from Nature).
•    Promotion of Circular Economy to reduce plastic waste.
•    Establishment of EPR Portal for Plastic Packaging to ensure extended producer responsibility.
•    Integration of plastic waste management in Swachh Bharat Mission.
•    Encouragement of sustainable practices through the Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement.
Supreme Court (SC) strikes down the Electoral Bonds Scheme (EBS) as ‘unconstitutional’
•    SC declared Electoral Bonds Scheme unconstitutional.
•    Anonymous electoral bonds violate Right to Information.
•    Amendments to Income Tax Act and Representation of People Act quashed.
•    Amendments to Companies Act allowing unlimited corporate contributions deemed arbitrary and violative of Article 14.
About Electoral Bonds Scheme:
•    Introduced in Finance Act 2017 to allow anonymous donations to political parties.
•    Bonds are interest-free bearer instruments with 100% tax exemption.
•    Issued in denominations of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 crore.
•    Aimed at increasing transparency in political party funding and reducing black money.
Issues with Electoral Bonds Scheme:
•    Concerns about shell companies misusing bearer bonds for money laundering.
•    Unlimited and anonymous corporate funding undermines free and fair elections.
Parliamentary Committee asks the government to strengthen critical digital infrastructure
Committee Findings:
•    373 government websites hacked in the past 5 years.
•    Low recovery rate of 10.4% for reported transactions in the last three years.
•    Issues like Money Laundering by Fintech and Biometrics cloning highlighted.
Recommendations:
•    Multipronged approach with effective coordination of stakeholders to tackle cyber fraud.
•    Rationalisation of Micro-ATMs and Banking correspondents in hotspots.
Existing Framework of Cyber Security:
•    National Cyber Security Framework, 2013.
•    National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) oversees compliance with cyber security policies.
•    Legislative measures like Information Technology (IT) Act 2000 in place.
•    CERT-In acts as the National agency for cyber security.
•    Computer Security Incident Response Team-Finance Sector under CERT-In.
•    NCIIPC is the Nodal Agency for Critical Information Infrastructure Protection.
Critical digital infrastructure:
•    Refers to essential computer systems and networks for society and economy.
•    Includes systems in healthcare, transportation, finance, and utilities.