Daily Current Affairs 28 February 2020 | UPSC 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Biofuel from microorganisms

• The biofuel sector could get a boost, with researchers at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) developing a method to improve the growth rate and sugar content of a marine microorganism called Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. 
• Most biotechnological processes, including biofuel production, are dependent on the availability of low-cost and sustainable supply of sugars and a nitrogen source. The sugars typically come from plants. Plants utilize light energy through the process of photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into biological components such as sugars, proteins, and lipids.
• However, some bacteria, such as cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae), too can perform photosynthesis and produce sugar by fixing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The yield of sugars from cyanobacteria could potentially be much higher than that of land-based crops. Further, unlike plant-based sugars, cyanobacterial biomass provides a nitrogen source in the form of proteins.
• Cyanobacteria are found in both fresh and marine glasses of water. Using marine cyanobacteria could be better as freshwater is increasingly getting scarce. However, there is a need to significantly improve their growth rates and sugar content to improve the economic feasibility of marine cyanobacteria-based sugar production.
• A team from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology has achieved this. Dr. Shireesh Srivastava, Group Leader of the System Biology for Biofuel group of the Centre and an investigator in the DBT-ICGEB Centre for Advanced Bioenergy Research, and Jai Kumar Gupta, a Ph.D. student at ICGEB led the team.
• They have successfully engineered a marine cyanobacterium called Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 which showed a higher growth rate and sugar (glycogen) content. When grown on air, the growth was doubled and the glycogen content of the cells increased by about 50%.

Source: PIB

2) Offshore Patrol Vessel-6 “VAJRA” is launched

• Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Shipping(I/C) and  Chemicals & Fertilizers was the Chief Guest for the launching ceremony of 6th Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV-6) ’VAJRA’  at Chennai.
• The Indian Coast Guard 6th OPV is getting launched in the sea for the first time and also it will strengthen the efforts Indian Coast Guard for securing over 7500 km vast coastline, an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of over 20 lakh sq km and more than one lakh merchant ships transiting per year through Indian waters for global trade.
• National Maritime Heritage Complex will be developed at Lothal, Gujarat for securing and showcasing the rich maritime heritage of India
• India has always been a strong player in Maritime Technology since Indus Valley Civilisation except for few centuries and showed the confidence that India is regaining its maritime capabilities with the dedicated approach in terms of shipbuildings and protecting waters of India.
• OPV-6 is truly state of the art platform that will enhance the capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard in terms of Operation, Surveillance, Search & Rescue. Shri Mandaviya appreciated that within 43 years, the Indian Coast Guard has increased its fleet strength and now it is one of the largest coast guards in the world. 
• The ship would be utilized for day and night patrol/surveillance along with anti-terrorist/ anti-smuggling operations in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as well as Coastal Security. The OPV will have two Navigation Radars with ultra-modern technology, Sophisticated navigational and latest communication systems.

Source: PIB

3) Artificial Intelligence Modules in Indian schools

• With an imperative to empower the youngest minds of the country with the latest technologies, NITI Aayog, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) in collaboration with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) launched an AI-based Module rolled out for students in Indian schools.
• The AI-Base Module has been introduced with an objective for students to leverage the full potential of AIM’s Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) and further empowers them to innovate and create valuable solutions benefiting societies at large. The module contains activities, videos, and experiments that enable students to work through and learn the various concepts of AI.
• India can add 1.3% to its GDP on an annual basis through the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence.
• AI module is so critical, in the sense that it will start teaching young children from a very young age then Indians will become major players in AI, like it has been done in the past for robots, 3D printing, IoT.
• It has been estimated that by 2030, the global market in AI is likely to be in the range of 15 to 15.5 trillion dollars, out of which India’s share will be close to a trillion.
• AI has become a strategic lever for economic growth across nations and will continue to be one of the most crucial technologies of the future. Given its impact, it is an embracing step taken by NITI Aayog to introduce the resources for students to learn AI. This will create the right foundations for students, especially the K-12 segment, to onboard onto future technologies and prepare them fully for the digital and AI era. The partnership is a crucial step in building citizens and a workforce that is aware of AI and can work with AI
• The hands-on AI module has been designed considering academic, co-scholastic and other ATL programs at school and is formulated to encourage young students to contribute to the journey of nation-building. The module will be a catalyst for the youth to explore, ideate and learn the latest technologies and build a generation of innovators at the grass-root level.
• Atal Innovation Mission housed at NITI Aayog is the Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. At the school level, AIM is establishing ATLs in all districts across India. As of today, AIM has selected a total of 14,916 schools across the country spread across 33 different states and union territories, for the establishment of ATLs.

Source: PIB 

4) Police and public order in Delhi

• The Delhi High Court has issued a series of directions to the Delhi police, the State government, and other agencies for providing all necessary assistance to those affected by the violence in northeast Delhi.
• The directions were given on a petition seeking police protection for the safe passage of the injured persons from Al-Hind Hospital to other nearest hospitals.

Background:

• More than 20 people have been killed in Delhi’s worst-ever communal violence since 1984 which resulted in clashes that began over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on Sunday evening.

What’s the issue?

• A key question now being raised is whether or not the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi can take any action to bring law and order under control. The answer is not a straightforward one, with many factors coming into play.

What the elected legislature in Delhi cannot do?

• The NCT of Delhi, under Article 239 AA, has been given a special status.
• It gives powers of law-making and administration to an elected legislature and the council of ministers. But, puts two subjects — public order and police — directly under the Union government, however, with exceptions- Two sections of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) —129 & 130 — give the Executive Magistrate certain powers relating to “unlawful assembly”.
• Under these two limited powers, the Executive Magistrate, who reports to the Chief Minister, can issue orders relating to public security.

What is CrPC 129?

• If a group is found in unlawful assembly under Section 129 CrPC, the Executive Magistrate can issue orders to these persons to disperse. If this fails, the magistrate can use the civil force — which is the police.

What is CrPC section 130?

• If efforts under CrPC section 129 fail, the Executive Magistrate, under Section 130 CrPC, can call an officer of the armed forces of the Union to disperse the assembly. This section states that it can be invoked for “public security”.
• However, this Section empowers the officer to decide, on his own, how the unlawful assembly has to be dispersed by forces under his command.

How are these powers different from the powers of a full-fledged state?

• While public order and police are under the state list, the state government may request the Union government to make available armed forces to help restore public order.
• Even in circumstances where public disorder is not so serious as to fall in the category of an “internal disturbance” as defined in Article 355 of the Constitution, the Union Government may accede to the request.
• But, as per CrPC 130, except for the limited purpose of dispersing an “unlawful assembly” and arresting its members, neither the state government nor any authority under it has been conferred by the Constitution any legal right to call the armed forces while dealing with a public disorder or “internal disturbance”.
• Also, the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution states that the use of the armed forces in the maintenance of public order is outside the purview of the states.

Source: Indian Express

5) Ease 3.0 for tech-enabled banking

FM Nirmala Sitharaman launches Ease 3.0 for tech-enabled banking.

This move is expected to change the customer’s experience at the Public Sector Banks (PSBs).

What is it?

• Ease (Enhanced Access and Service Excellence) 3.0 reform agenda aims at providing smart, tech-enabled public sector banking for aspiring India.
• New features that customers of public sector banks may experience under EASE 3.0 reforms agenda include facilities like:
• Palm Banking for “End-to-end digital delivery of financial service”.
• “Banking on Go” via EASE banking outlets at frequently visited spots like malls, stations, complexes, and campuses.

The idea behind EASE 3.0 agenda:

• The Ministry has the idea of establishing paperless and digitally-enabled banking at places where people visit the most.
• The government aims to focus on digitalization in the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) among themes that include responsible banking, PSBs as Udyami Mitra, customer responsiveness, credit take-off, and deep financial inclusions.

Background:

• PSB Reforms EASE Agenda is a common reform agenda for PSBs aimed at institutionalizing clean and smart banking.
• It was launched in January 2018, and the subsequent edition of the program ― EASE 2.0 built on the foundation laid in EASE 1.0 and furthered the progress on reforms. In EASE 2.0, the government had proposed pushing liquidity in the public sector banks, reconstituting the management committee and possible mergers among the ideal partners in the Indian banking sector.

Source: The Hindu

6) Clause 6 in Assam Accord

Three major communities, perceived to be migrants in Assam, have expressed concern over the recommendations of the high-powered committee on the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord of 1985. These communities are the Bengal-origin or Bengali-speaking Muslims (referred to as Miyas), the Bengali Hindus and the Gurkhas.

What are the concerns being expressed?

Implementation of this clause would lead to exclusion of these communities from the list of indigenous communities. More than 80% of these have been living in Assam for centuries.

Background:

A 13-member panel set up to study the implementation of the Assam Accord’s Clause 6, which relates to the protection of the Assamese identity, recently submitted its report.

What is Clause 6?

Clause 6 states: “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.”

However, no government has passed any legislation since 1985 to provide constitutional protection to the Assamese people as envisaged under Clause 6.

Assam Accord:

Signed between the Union government and leaders of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) in 1985, the Assam Accord came at the end of a six-year-long agitation demanding the expulsion of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Source: The Hindu

7) Capacity Building Programme and ‘1000 Springs Initiatives’

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Arjun Munda launched the “Programme for Capacity Building of Scheduled Tribe Representatives in Local Self Governments” at a program in Bhubaneswar (Odisha) today. He also launched “1000 Spring Initiatives” and an online portal on GIS-based Spring Atlas with hydrological and chemical properties of the Springs on the occasion.

Aim of 1000 Springs Initiative

• '1000 Springs Initiative’ aims at improving access to safe and adequate water for the tribal communities living in a difficult and inaccessible part of rural areas in the country. It is an integrated solution around natural springs. It includes the provision of infrastructure for piped water supply for drinking; provision of water for irrigation; community-led total sanitation initiatives; and provision for water for backyard nutrition gardens, generating sustainable livelihood opportunities for the tribal people.
• online portal on GIS-based Spring Atlas has been developed to make these data easily accessible from an online platform. Presently, data of more than 170 springs have been uploaded on the Spring Atlas.

Aim of Capacity Building

The Capacity Building initiative is aimed at empowering tribal PRI representatives by enhancing their decision-making capabilities at local government level. Among other issues concerning tribal development, it also focusses on constitutional and legal provisions that protect and promote the rights and welfare of the tribal population. The program will ensure greater participation of ST PRIs representatives in planning, execution, and monitoring of government policies and programs. Their better participation in the development process would ensure better prioritization of the tribal development agenda.

About Springs

Springs are natural sources of groundwater discharge and have been used extensively in the mountainous regions across the world, including India. However, in the central and eastern Indian belt with more than 75% tribal population, it remains largely unrecognized and under-utilized. The initiative will help in harnessing the potential of perennial springs’ water to address the natural scarcity of water in tribal areas.

About the Program

• Under this initiative, more than 70 young tribal youths from the rural belt of three districts of Odisha namely, Kalahandi, Khandamal and Gajapati have been trained as barefoot hydrogeologists by combining traditional and scientific knowledge for identification and mapping of springs and undertaking rejuvenation and protection measures in their habitations.
• A Capacity Building initiative is being launched for elected representatives to PRIs from among STs by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. This initiative is aimed at empowering tribal PRI representatives by enhancing their decision-making capabilities at the local government level. The capacity building program, among other issues concerning tribal development, will also focus on constitutional and legal provisions that protect and promote the rights and welfare of the tribal population. The program will ensure greater participation of ST PRIs representatives in planning, execution, and monitoring of government policies and programs. Their better participation in the development process would ensure better prioritization of the tribal development agenda.
• The capacity building of PRI representatives, who directly participate in the development initiatives at the local government level, can be of great help in bridging the development gaps among communities and regions. This will help in effective and better implementation of various developmental and welfare programs and substantially improve the expected outcomes.

Background

The module for capacity building program has been developed in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme for the purpose. This module will be translated into the local languages for imparting training. Facilitators from within the tribal communities will be involved in the Capacity Building process so that information sought to be conveyed can be better done in the local idiom. The methodology of capacity building will include audio-visual aids, role play and a workshop approach. The Capacity Building Programme will be implemented in a cascading mode for better coverage and faster implementation. The program will commence with the Training of Master Trainers followed by training of facilitators. It will be implemented in a thematic manner by prioritizing themes for the capacity building of PRI Representatives, which are required for the community. The program will be implemented by State governments through respective SIRD&PR and TRIs

Source: PIB

8) Diagnostics for Asymptomatic Malaria

• The fight against Malaria could get easier with a joint team of scientists from the Department of Biotechnology’s Bhubaneswar-based Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) and Bengaluru-based Jigsaw Bio Solutions, coming up with a method that promises to overcome the problem of inadequate identification of asymptomatic carriers of the disease.
• Light microscopy and protein immunoassay-based rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are used in the diagnosis of Malaria, in mass screening and treatment programs for the diseases, and in surveillance of malaria control measures. They, however, miss out about 30-50% of low-density infections, which typically have less than two parasites/microlitre and are frequently observed in asymptomatic carriers who serve as “silent” reservoirs of the infection capable of transmitting the disease through mosquitoes. The identification of asymptomatic carriers in the endemic areas is recognized as a major hurdle in malaria eradication programs. New diagnostic methods with higher sensitivity are needed.
• Validation with clinical samples collected from malaria-endemic regions in India showed that those assays were highly sensitive - about 20-100 times more than the traditional methods. They could detect submicroscopic samples. They were four to eight times better than other high-sensitive methods. Further, they were extremely specific for Plasmodium falciparum, which is the deadliest species of the malaria parasite and did not cross-react with Plasmodium vivax species, which is the most frequent and widely distributed cause of recurring malaria, but far less virulent.
• India has developed a National Framework for eliminating malaria by 2030 and to achieve this goal, identifying the asymptomatic carriers in the endemic areas and clearing their infections are very much important. The new finding could help with this. DBT’s Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council funded the project. (Vigyan Samachar)

Source: PIB

9) MH-­60R Multi-­Role Helicopters (MRH)

• Lockheed Martin will deliver six MH­60R Multi­Role Helicopters (MRH) to the Navy in 2021 and the order would be completed by 2025, sources said on Thursday. The deal, worth around $2.2 billion, was signed early this week during the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump.
• Navy will get at least two helicopters within a year and a total of six helicopters in 2021
• The Navy said in a statement that as envisioned in the ‘Capability-Based Perspective Plan,’ the helicopters were being procured under the ‘Buy (Global)’ Category through the Foreign Military Sales route of the U.S
• The delivery of the helicopters is planned to commence early 2021 and comes at a time when the Indian Ocean Region is witnessing increasing security threat due to proliferation of submarine
• These helicopters will replace the Sea King 42/42A helicopters already decommissioned in the 1990s. They are envisaged to operate from frontline ships and aircraft carriers providing them the flexibility of operation, enhanced surveillance and attacking capability.

Key features of MH-60 Sikorsky Romeo multi-role helicopter

• The MH-60 is designed to hunt down submarines and will add to the strategic depth and combat capability of the Indian Navy.
• The fleet will boost the Indian Navy's anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations. It is capable of conducting highly efficient reconnaissance missions.
• The MH 60 multi-role Romeo Sikorsky helicopters will replace aging British-made Sea King helicopters. The first batch of formidable MH-60 Romeo helicopters is scheduled to be delivered by the US manufacturer in two years' time.
• The multi-role helicopters will be deployed on warships and will be very effective in keeping the submarine threat posed by the extra-regional Navies, including China and Pakistan, in the Indian Ocean Region.
• The MH Romeo Seahawk helicopter is an advanced helicopter and a very potent Air ASW (AASW) platform.
• These helicopters will be used in Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW), Anti Surface Warfare (ASuW), Command and Control, ESM roles besides Search and Rescue (SAR), Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP) roles, etc.
• The MH-60 helicopters, which are currently deployed with the US Navy, are considered as the most capable naval helicopter available today.

Source: Business today

10) Defence Minister inaugurates new Light Combat Helicopter

• Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the new Light Combat Helicopter Production Hangar at Helicopter Division in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Complex at Bengaluru, Karnataka on Thursday. He said, in the last five years, India has made significant progress towards manufacturing military equipment indigenously under the 'Make in India' initiative.
• Stressing that defense industry plays a major role in the economic development of the country, Raksha Mantri lauded the significant contribution of organizations like HAL - a Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) that has helped India leapfrog six places to become the fifth-largest economy in the world. He added that there has been an increase in defense exports that have crossed Rs 17,000 crore in the last two years. Highlighting the Rs 35,000 crore exports target set for the coming years, Raksha Mantri expressed confidence that HAL, through its various platforms, will contribute significantly to achieving this milestone.
• Rajnath Singh commended HAL for being the backbone of the Indian Air Force and meeting the requirements of the Armed Forces. Noting that HAL is now facing stiff competition from private defense industries, Raksha Mantri urged the DPSU to take this changing environment as a challenge and grab the opportunities to increase their competitiveness in the international market. He conveyed best wishes to HAL for its future projects in the field of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, hoping that the DPSU will lead India in civil aircraft business too.
• LCH is a 5.5-tonne class combat helicopter designed and developed by HAL. It is powered by two Shakti engines and inherits many technical features of the Advanced Light Helicopter. LCH has the distinction of being the first attack helicopter to land in forwarding Bases at Siachen, 4,700 mts above sea level with 500kg load.

Source: All India Radio