Daily Current Affairs 27 May 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Aarogya Setu is now open source

• On 2nd April 2020, India launched Aarogya Setu mobile App for helping augment the efforts of limiting the spread of COVID19, to enable Bluetooth based contact tracing, mapping of likely hotspots and dissemination of relevant information about COVID19. The App has over 114 million users as on 26th May, which is more than any other Contact Tracing App in the world. The App is available in 12 languages and on Android, iOS, and KaiOS platforms. Citizens across the country are using Aarogya Setu to protect themselves, their loved ones, and the nation.
• Opening the source code to the developer community signifies our continuing commitment to the principles of transparency and collaboration. Aarogya Setu’s development has been a remarkable example of collaboration between Government, Industry and Academia, and citizens. It is also a product of the hard work of the talented young technological experts of our country who have worked a day in and out to make this world-class product. With the release of the source code in the public domain, we are looking to expanding collaboration and to leverage the expertise of top technical brains amongst the talented youth and citizens of our nation and to collectively build a robust and secure technology solution to help support the work of frontline health workers in fighting this pandemic together.
• The App offers a comprehensive suite of interventions against COVID-19 and has registered several firsts in the eight weeks since its launch. The App possibly has the most reach and impact when compared to all other COVID-19 contact tracing and self-assessment tools combined globally, while pioneering new data-driven epidemiological flattening of the curve through syndromic mapping. Of the more than 114 million registered users, two-thirds have taken the self-assessment test to evaluate their risk of exposure to COVID-19. The App has helped identify about 500,000 Bluetooth contacts. Those who are identified as Bluetooth contacts of COVID19 positive cases or are classified as needing assistance based on their self-assessment, are contacted by National Health Authority. So far, the platform has reached out to more than 900,000 users and helped advise them for Quarantine, caution, or testing. Amongst those who were recommended for testing for COVID19, it has been found that almost 24% of them have been found COVID19 positive. Compare this to the overall COVID19 positive rate of around 4.65% - 145380 COVID19 positives from a total of 3126119 tests done as on 26th May 2020. This clearly illustrates that Contact tracing is helping focus efforts on those who need testing and this will greatly augment the efforts of the Government in containing the pandemic. Analytics of Bluetooth contacts and location data has also helped identify potential hotspots with a higher probability of COVID cases allowing State Governments and District Administration and Health authorities to take necessary steps for containment of the pandemic, early, which is critical for controlling the spread of the pandemic. This approach of syndromic mapping, a novel approach of combining principles of path tracing and movement patterns of COVID-19 positive people, population-level epidemiology modeling and the prevalence of COVID-19 in different regions of the country, the Aarogya Setu team has identified more than 3,500 hotspots across the country at the sub-post office level. The Aarogya Setu data fused with historic data has shown enormous potential in predicting emerging hotspots at the sub-post office level and today around 1264 emerging hotspots have been identified across India that might otherwise have been missed. Several of these predicted hotspots have been subsequently verified as actual hotspots in the next 17 to 25 days. As an example, a district with 3 cases on a particular date when the Aarogya Setu engine predicted it as a hotspot registered 82 cases in the next 15 days. The precision achieved by this unique combination of Bluetooth-based contact tracing and identification of hotspots may hold the key to effectively breaking the chain of infection, flattening the curve, and saving lives.
• Releasing the source code of a rapidly evolving product that is being regularly used by more than 114 million users, is challenging. Developing and maintaining the source code is a huge responsibility, both for Team Aarogya Setu and the developer community. The repository now being shared is the actual production environment. All subsequent product updates will also be made available through this repository.
• The process of supporting the open-source development will be managed by National Informatics Centre (NIC). All code suggestions will be processed through pull request reviews. Aarogya Setu’s source code has been licensed under Apache License
• While making the code Open Source, the Government of India also seeks the developer community to help identify any vulnerabilities or code improvement to make Aarogya Setu more robust and secure. Towards this objective, the Government has also launched a Bug Bounty Programme with a goal to partner with security researchers and the Indian developer community to test the security effectiveness of Aarogya Setu and also to improve or enhance its security and build user’s trust. Details of the Bug Bounty Programme along with the rewards therein are being shared separately.

Source: PIB

2) Army Commanders' Conference

• The Army Commanders' Conference, an apex level biannual event that facilitates conceptual level deliberations culminating in important policy decisions scheduled for April 2020 and postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic will now be organized in two phases. The first phase of the conference is scheduled from 27 to 29 May 2020 and the second phase in the last week of June 2020.
• The apex level leadership of the Indian Army will brainstorm on current emerging security and administrative challenges and chart the future course for the Indian Army. To ensure due diligence, decisions are taken through a collegiate system comprising Army commanders and senior officers.
• During the first phase which will be organized at South Block, various aspects of operational and administrative issues including studies about logistics and human resources will be discussed. 

Source: PIB

3) Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)

• The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) aims to enhance fish production to 220 lakh metric tons by 2024-25 from 137.58 lakh metric tons in 2018-19 at an average annual growth rate of about 9%. The Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Giriraj Singh, said the ambitious scheme will result in doubling export earnings to Rs.1,00,000 crore and generate about 55 lakh direct and indirect employment opportunities in fisheries sector over next five years. Dedicating the PMMSY to fishers, fish farmers, fish workers, fish vendors, and other stakeholders associated with the fisheries sector, Shri Giriraj Singh said that insurance coverage for fishing vessels is being introduced for the first time.
• PMMSY - A scheme to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector in India”, approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 20th May 2020, the scheme envisages an estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crores comprising the Central share of Rs. 9,407 crore, State share of Rs 4,880 crore and Beneficiaries contribution of Rs. 5,763 crore. The PMMSY will be implemented over 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories.
• The scheme will also focus on several new activities and areas such as Traceability, Certification and Accreditation, Aquaculture in saline/alkaline areas, Genetic improvement programs, and Nucleus Breeding Centres, Fisheries and Aquaculture start-ups, promotional activities for fish consumption, branding, GI in fish, Integrated Aqua parks, Integrated coastal fishing villages development, State-of-art wholesale fish markets, Aquatic Referral Laboratories, Aquaculture Extension Services, Biofloc, support for new/upgradation of fishing boats, disease diagnostic and quality testing labs, Organic Aquaculture Promotion and Certification and Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) devices.
• Constituting about 7.73% of the global fish production and export earnings of Rs.46,589 Crores (2018-19), India today has attained the status of the second largest aquaculture and 4th largest fish exporting nation in the world. Shri Giriraj Singh that the country has high potentiality to attain the 1st highest fishing producing and exporting nation in the world in the coming years, and his Ministry is committed to taking the fisheries sector to newer heights. The Minister said that the Fisheries sector has shown impressive growth in terms of fish production and export earnings during the past five years. The sector recorded an Average Annual Growth Rate of 10.88% during 2014-15 to 2018-19, 7.53% average annual growth in fish production, and 9.71% average annual growth in export earnings, with an 18% share in agricultural exports. He further added that the Gross Value Added (GVA) of the Fisheries sector in the national economy during 2018-19 stood at Rs 2,12,915 crores which constituted 1.24% of the total National GVA and 7.28% share of Agricultural GVA.
• The Fisheries Minister said that about 42% of the total estimated investment of the PMMSY is earmarked for the creation and upgradation of fisheries infrastructure facilities. Focus areas include Fishing Harbours and Landing Centers, Post-harvest and Cold Chain Infrastructure, Fish Markets and Marketing Infrastructure, Integrated Modern Coastal Fishing Villages, and Development of Deep-sea Fishing. Besides creating critical fisheries infrastructure by attracting private investments in the fisheries sector, the scheme plans to reduce post-harvest losses from the present high of 25% to about 10% by modernizing and strengthening the value chain. Under the Swath Sagar plan, activities envisaged modernizing the fisheries sector include promotion of Bio-toilets, Insurance coverage for fishing vessels, Fisheries Management Plans, E-Trading/Marketing, Fishers, and resources survey and creation of National IT-based databases.
• Underlining the need to enhance domestic fish consumption with corresponding health benefits, the Minister said that the Government will register “Sagar Mitra” and encourage the formation of Fish Farmers Producer Organizations (FFPOs) to help achieve the PMMSY goals. Youth will be engaged in fisheries extension by the creation of 3477 Sagar Mitras in coastal fisher villages. A large number of Fisheries Extension Services Centers will be set up in private space to create job opportunities for young professionals.

Source: PIB

4) Molecular shock absorbers buffer axonal tension of nerve cells

• Scientists from Raman Research Institute (RRI), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science &Technology along with IISER Pune and Paris Diderot University, have found out that spectrin, which are flexible rod-shaped molecules present in axons, act as ‘shock absorbers’ to protect axons from stretch-induced damage.
• The study can help in understanding and treatment of concussion from head injuries as well as stretch-induced nerve injuries.
• Axons are long tubular extensions of nerve cells that transmit electrical signals across long distances and can be up to a meter long in the case of humans. At such lengths, they are subjected to large stretch deformations during limb or other bodily movements. Axons in the brain to undergo significant deformations, even during normal activities like jumping (the human brain is as soft and wobbly as edible jelly).
• Probing into what special strategies axons adopt to protect themselves from damage during such stretch deformations, the scientists zeroed in on the molecule spectrin, a cytoskeletal protein.
• In their research published in journal eLife, with Dr. Sushil Dubey as the lead author, Prof. Pramod Pullarkatand his team from RRI showed that neuronal cells may have evolved a clever strategy using an etched optical fiber attached to a piezo drive as a force-sensing cantilever to stretch live axons and to measure the resultant tension. Piezo drives attached to optical fiber is used to stretch on axons where optical fiber acts as a force-sensing cantilever. The resulting tension measured along the axon comes from the axonal cytoskeleton (consisting of biopolymers), of which spectrin is a part.
• The RRI team took clues from a recent discovery, which showed that axons have a periodic scaffold consisting of longitudinally arranged long spectrin protein molecules. The function of this skeleton was a puzzle. The experiments by the RRI team on axons that are biochemically or genetically modified to disrupt specific cytoskeletal components revealed that the spectrin scaffold has a prominent mechanical role.
• Earlier single-molecule experiments had shown that spectrin molecules contain several folded regions that can unfold when the protein is stretched and refold when released, thus acting as molecular bellows. By comparing detailed tension measurements on axons with a mathematical model that describes such a mechanism, the RRI team showed that this process helps axons to buffer tension and dissipate excess elastic energy. Unlike a linear spring, where the tension increases proportionally with stretch, axonal tension exhibits a plateau-like region where tension is only weakly dependent on the stretch, due to the unfolding process. This suggests that spectrins can act as axonal ‘shock absorbers’ to protect axons from stretch-induced damage.
• The brain undergoes significant shear deformations (up to 5% of strain) even under normal activities such as jumping. In contact sports, brain concussion occurs and is a leading cause of injuries. This study will have significant implications for our understanding of concussion that result from head impacts as well as stretch-induced nerve injuries.

Probing axonal mechanics using a home-built Micro-Extension Rheometer reveals strain-softening in axons that protect neurons from damage via reversibly unfolding of spectrin repeated units.

(A) A schematic of the home-developed force apparatus that uses an etched optical fiber as a cantilever to stretch axons and to sense force.

(B) Typical force and tension response of an axon to increasing strain explored using successive strain steps. The inset shows the images of the axon before and after stretch.

(C) Typical structure of a neuronal cell and its cytoskeleton. The outermost scaffold of the axonal cytoskeleton has an array of periodically spaced rings composed of F-actin filaments.

The actin rings are interconnected by spectrin tetramers, which are aligned along the axonal axis.

Source: PIB

5) INST scientists find a route to fabricate precisely controlled nanostructures of desired geometry & location on 2D materials

• Researchers at Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) Mohali, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST) have found a straightforward and unique route to fabricate precisely controlled nanostructures of desired geometry and location on 2D materials, through a rapid one-step low power laser writing process.
• Approaches used so far to achieve the controllability over hotspots distribution, which involves the synthesis of complex morphologies, limits their potential to be used for large area substrates
• To overcome this, the INST group developed a hybrid Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS) platform of Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanostructure decorated with gold nanoparticles, where direct laser writing is used to engineer the artificial edges on the surface of MoS2. This created localized hotspots with remarkable precision and control. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a technique for molecular detection and characterization that relies on the enhanced Raman scattering of molecules that are adsorbed on SERS-active surfaces, such as nanostructured gold or silver.
• In the research by Dr. Kiran Shankar Hazraand, his group which has been accepted for publication in the journal ACS Nano, a focused laser beam of meager power of a conventional Raman spectrometer was used to do nanostructuring on 2D flakes of desired feature size and geometry just by playing with the laser power and exposure time. Using this technique, they achieved the minimum feature size of   ̴300nm, which is close to the diffraction limit of the laser used (i.e., 532nm laser line).
• In SERS sensing, producing SERS substrate of controllable hotspots distribution with desired geometry and location is the main challenging task. Several efforts have been made by researchers to attain the controllability over hotspots distribution via employing various synthesis procedures, hotspots engineering, defect engineering, and so on. However, the random distribution of hotspots and precision over geometrical nanostructure has limited the progress in the field of SERS sensing.
• The hybrid SERS platform developed by the INST group offers controlled formation of localized hotspots for ultrasensitive and reproducible detection of analytes. Low power-focused laser irradiation technique was employed to create artificial edges on atomically thin 2D MoS2 sheet, which enables the superior deposition of AuNPs along the artificial edges, and enhances the local electromagnetic field leading to the formation of hotspots
• The innovative route to attain the accuracy and control over localized hotspots formation at the desired position and geometry, which is advantageous over randomly distributed hotspots in conventional SERS substrates. The team is now exploring various applications of 2D material nanostructures in the field of catalysis, sensing, and optoelectronics devices.
• This research in SERS sensing will open a new avenue for the development of commercialized SERS substrate with a localized detection capability of analytes. The AuNPs decorated, and laser-etched 2Dsheets based SERS hybrid platform will also shed new light in the SERS sensing of biological and chemical molecules. The artificial edges of the 2D layers can be functionalized with an antibody with adequate coating and linkers for the SERS detection of various biomarkers.

Enhancement of Raman signal of RhB along the artificial edges of MoS2

Raman mapping of the localized hotspots created along the artificially sculptured edges

Source: PIB

6) Purandara Dasa

To explore definitive archaeological evidence that may put an end to speculations regarding the birthplace of Purandara Dasa, the Department of Archaeology, Heritage and Museums will soon commence field research work at Keshavapura of Tirthahalli taluk in Karnataka.

Purandara Dasa:

• Purandara Dasa (1484–1564) was a Haridasa, great devotee of Lord Krishna.
• He was a disciple of the celebrated Madhwa philosopher-saint Vyasatirtha, and a contemporary of yet another great Haridasa, Kanakadasa.
• Purandaradasa was the pioneer who blended the rich musical streams, namely the Dravidian and Aryan music, into a single stream known as Carnatic music.
• Purandara Dasa is hailed as the father figure ‘Pitamaha’ of Carnatic music.
• ‘Purandara Vithala’ was the pen name of his compositions.

Issue:

• It was widely believed that the mystic poet was born in Purandharagad, Maharashtra. However, many in Malnad claimed that he hailed from this region.
• According to historians, Araga in Malnad was a buzzing commercial center during the Vijayanagar rule, the period to which the poet belonged.
• Referring to the names of the places in the vicinity of Keshavapura — Varthepura, Vithalanagundi, Dasanagadde, it was argued that these places were inhabited by merchant community influenced by the Vaishnava tradition to which Purandara Dasa belonged.
• Before his initiation to Haridasa tradition, Purandara Dasa was a rich merchant and was called as Srinivasa Nayaka.
• Referring to this, the proponents of the theory that Puranadara Dasa was born in Malnad to point out that the ‘Nayaka’ title was attributed to locally influential people, including wealthy merchants in Malnad during the Vijayanagar rule.

Conclusion:

• To solve the mystery regarding the birthplace, the Karnataka State Government had directed the Kannada University, Hampi, to form an expert committee.
• After visiting Keshavapura and surrounding places, the committee members said there was enough evidence to come to the conclusion that the devotional poet was born here.
• The committee had recommended that further research be conducted on the issue.

Source: PIB

7) Heat Waves

• Recently, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted the “heatwave to severe heatwave conditions” over the northwest, central and adjoining peninsular India along with heavy rain over northeast India.
• Many parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra have also observed an increase in temperatures above 42°C, triggering heatwave conditions.
• The heatwave has been observed due to dry northwesterly winds prevailing over northwest and central India.

India Meteorological Department

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) was established in 1875.
• It is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.
• It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting, and seismology.

Heat Wave

• A heatwave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the summer season in the North-Western and South Central parts of India.
• Heatwaves typically occur between March and June, and in some rare cases even extend till July.
• Higher daily peak temperatures and longer, more intense heat waves are becoming increasingly frequent globally due to climate change.

Criteria for Heat Waves

• The heatwave is considered when the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C for Plains and at least 30°C for Hilly regions.
• If the normal maximum temperature of a station is less than or equal to 40°C, then an increase of 5°C to 6°C from the normal temperature is considered to be a heatwave condition.
• Further, an increase of 7°C or more from the normal temperature is considered a severe heatwave condition.
• If the normal maximum temperature of a station is more than 40°C, then an increase of 4°C to 5°C from the normal temperature is considered to be a heatwave condition. Further, an increase of 6°C or more is considered a severe heatwave condition.
• Additionally, if the actual maximum temperature remains 45°C or more irrespective of normal maximum temperature, a heatwave is declared.

Health Impacts of Heat Waves

• The health impacts of Heat Waves typically involve dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and/or heat stroke.
• It also causes heat cramps, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, and sweating.
• The extreme temperatures and resultant atmospheric conditions adversely affect people living in these regions as they cause physiological stress, sometimes resulting in death.

Way Forward

• While climate change does have a strong link with the occurrence of extreme weather events, it isn't the cause of extreme weather events. Episodes of heatwaves are growing more common as climate change intensifies. Therefore, the intensity and frequency of heatwaves can be reduced if the global community adopts and adheres to a lower emissions scenario in the future.

Source: The Hindu

8) Egypt-Ethiopia Conflict on GERD

Recently, Egypt has announced that it is willing to resume negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan, concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

• The dam is located on River Blue Nile (a tributary of River Nile) in Ethiopia and is the center of a dispute involving several East-African countries, dependent on the river’s waters.

Key Points

• Background:
• Ethiopia began the construction of the GERD in 2011 on the Blue Nile that runs across one part of the country.
• After completion, the dam hydropower project will be Africa’s largest.
• Egypt has objected to the construction of the dam and proposed a longer timeline for the project.
• Sudan has also been involved due to its location.
• The Nile is an important water source in the region so there are concerns that this dispute may evolve into a full-fledged conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia.
• For the past four years, tri-party talks between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have been unable to reach agreements.
• Recently, the USA has stepped in to mediate.
• Dam’s Importance for Ethiopia:
• Ethiopia believes that the dam will generate approximately 6,000 megawatts of electricity after completion.
• This dam will reduce electricity shortages and help the country’s manufacturing industry.
• It will also enable Ethiopia to supply electricity to neighboring nations and earn revenue in exchange.
• Neighboring countries like Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea, and South Sudan also suffer from electricity shortages and they can also benefit from the hydropower project if Ethiopia decides to sell electricity to them.
• Ethiopia sees the dam as a matter of national sovereignty and the dam project does not rely on external funding and relies on government bonds and private funds to pay for the project.
• Cause of Conflict:
• The hydropower project may just allow Ethiopia to control the Nile’s waters, and this concerns Egypt because it lies downstream on the Nile.
• The dam would jeopardize the food and water security and livelihoods of ordinary Egyptian citizens.
• Egypt has also written to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) concerning the matter and has also implied that the dam would cause armed conflict between the two countries.
• Egypt has proposed a longer timeline because it does not want the water level of the Nile to drastically drop as the dam reservoir needs plenty of water to fill in the initial stages.
• The longer it takes to fill the reservoir, the less impact will be there on the water level of the river.
• Sudan too believes that Ethiopia having control over the river through the dam may affect the water supplies of the country. It has proposed joint management of the dam.
• Sudan is likely to benefit from the power generated by the dam.
• The regulated flow of the river will save Sudan from serious flooding in August and September.
• There is a possibility that the conflict would threaten the vital international trade route through the Suez Canal and along the Horn of Africa.

 

River Nile

• The name Nile is derived from the Greek word Neilos (Latin: Nilus), meaning a valley or a river valley.
• It is the longest river in the world and is called the father of African rivers. It has a length of about 4,132 miles and drains an area estimated at 1,293,000 square miles.
• It rises south of the Equator and flows northward through northeastern Africa to drain into the Mediterranean Sea.
• The Nile River forms an arcuate delta as it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Deltas with triangular or fan-shape are called arcuate (arc-like) deltas.
• The Nile is formed by three principal streams: the Blue Nile, the Atbara, and the White Nile.
• Drainage: Parts of Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Sudan, and the cultivated part of Egypt.

Way Forward

• To solve the conflict peacefully, mediation and facilitation by the neighboring countries and the international bodies are necessary.
• In case, the attempt to resolve the conflict does not work out by facilitating negotiations between the conflict parties, then a compensation method can be adopted which would need the countries to compensate each others’ losses.
• All countries involved in the issue need to peacefully resolve the issue so that they can reap the advantages of the dam and their peace and security are restored again.

Source: Indian Express

9) Increased Stubble Burning in Punjab

Punjab has been experiencing a problem of stubble burning once again despite the government's efforts to control the practice for the last few years.

• The recent end of the wheat harvesting season is responsible for the increased incidents of the stubble burning in the State.

Key Points

• A total of 13,026 incidents has been reported in 2020 compared to 10,476 incidents in 2019 and 11,236 in 2011.
• The ban and action against people burning the crop residue are regulated under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• The stubble burning causes diseases such as problems in breathing, lungs, etc, which could also affect the recovery of patients suffering from Covid-19.

Stubble Burning

• Description:
• Stubble (parali) burning is the act of setting fire to crop residue to remove them from the field to sow the next crop.
• Causes:
• The problem arises due to the use of mechanized harvesting which leaves several inches of stubble in the fields.
• Earlier, this excess crop was used by farmers for cooking, as hay to keep their animals warm or even as extra insulation for homes. But, now the stubble use for such purposes has become outdated.
• To plant the next crop, farmers in Haryana and Punjab have to remove the stubble in a very short interval to avoid considerable losses. Therefore, burning is the cheapest and fastest way to get rid of the stubble.
• The leftover parali in the field may pose the threat of the pest attacks to the upcoming crop.
• Effects:
• The stubble burning emits large amounts of toxic pollutants in the atmosphere which contain harmful gases like methane (CH4), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Volatile organic compound (VOC), and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
• After the release in the atmosphere, these pollutants disperse in the surroundings, may undergo a physical and chemical transformation, and eventually adversely affect human health by causing a thick blanket of smog.
• The burning of wheat straw reduces soil fertility, besides polluting the environment.
• Additionally, the heat generated by stubble burning penetrates into the soil, leading to the loss of moisture and useful microbes.
• Alternative Use of Stubble:
• The stubble can be used for the preparation of the high-grade organic fertilizers by mixing with cow dung and few natural enzymes.
• The stubble can be converted to bio-coal and also can be used for electricity generation.

Way Forward

• An expansion of schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for harvesting and composting of stubble will help to resolve the dual problem of unemployment and stubble burning.
• The establishment of the Farm Machinery Banks (FMB) for custom hiring of in-situ crop residue management machinery.
• The financial incentives to small and marginal farmers will help to engage in the management of the residue of their non-basmati variety rice crop in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
• However, in the longer period, shifting the cropping pattern away from paddy to maize, cotton, fruits, or vegetables in Punjab, Haryana, and UP will also help to resolve the issue.

Source: The Hindu

10) CoAST India

Recently, India Observatory has come up with a Geographic Information System (GIS)-enabled dashboard called Collaboration/Covid Action Support Group (CoAST India) to monitor the movements of migrants.

Key Points

• The CoAST India dashboard includes an India map, which reflects the movement of migrants in real-time, often on foot, along with facilities and relief organizations on their routes.
• It draws information from 55 organizations on the ground, mostly in villages.
• The dashboard aims to make such data available to governments and small local civil society groups to be used for planning and providing assistance to migrants.
• The dashboard has been made in collaboration with the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES).
• India Observatory was set up in December 2019, with FES. It focused on ecological issues about forests, water bodies, conservation, etc.
• However, after Covid-19 broke out, it has decided to focus on the movements of people.
• The National Disaster Management Authority has also developed the ‘National Migrant Information System (NMIS)’ to maintain a central repository of migrant workers.

Geographic Information System

• A GIS is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface.
• By relating seemingly unrelated data, GIS can help individuals and organizations better understand spatial patterns and relationships.
• GIS can use any information that includes location. The location can be expressed in many different ways, such as latitude and longitude, address, or ZIP code.
• GIS can include data about people, such as population, income, or education level.
• It can also include information about the sites of factories, farms, and schools, or storm drains, roads, and electric power lines, etc.

India Observatory

• It is India’s first socio, economic and ecological open-source integrated Geospatial data platform.
• The observatory is designed to supplement local level decision making by village communities, Panchayats, NGOs, and government officials.
• It has the ‘India Data Platform’ at its core, which is built on open-source and brings together data on over 1,600 parameters, ranging from village to national level in the form of maps, graphs, tables, and infographics.
• It is freely available for civil society organizations, students, government departments, and citizens.

Foundation for Ecological Security

• The Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) is a registered non-profit organization based in Anand, Gujarat.
• It works towards the ecological restoration and conservation of land and water resources in ecologically fragile, degraded and marginalized regions of the country.
• It works with the concentrated and collective efforts of village communities.

Source: Indian Express