Daily Current Affairs 15 July 2020 | UPSC Curent Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1)  Pragyata guidelines for digital education

• The Pragyata guidelines for digital education, released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development
• These guidelines, prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), are only advisory in nature, and State governments have been asked to build on them and formulate their own rules, based on local needs.
• Over 25 crore students have been out of school since mid­March. The Pragyata guidelines acknowledge that these students live in households which fall into different categories: those having computers or smartphones with 4G, those with smartphones but limited or no internet access, those with a TV with cable or DTH, those with a radio set or a basic phone with FM radio, and those with no communication devices at all.
• Noting that members from different categories may be present in the same class, the guidelines advise schools to survey students before making decisions on the mode of teaching. The goal is NOT to try and re-create face­-to-­face classrooms over the internet
• Schools should not assume that teaching-­learning through synchronous com­munication is the only requirement or even desirable to support effective digital learning.” Synchronous or real­time communication could be the Zoom classes that many private schools have begun, or other video or audio conferencing, allowing instant feedback.
• “Children exposed to digital technologies or gadgets for a long time are prone to severe health issues,” the guidelines said.
• Hence sitting with digital gadgets for longer hours or their excessive use can be avoided by designing age-appropriate schedules of digital education
• Apart from such live classes, it offered several recommendations for “asynchronous learning” with tools to allow students to download lessons or listen to radio and TV programs, communicate through Whatsapp and SMS, study on their own and undertake creative projects
• While States and schools develop timetables, they must keep in mind that multiple children in one family may need to access the same devices, to survey the digital infrastructure available with teachers as well as students, to assess the levels of possible parental involvement, and to remember that teachers may also be parents needing to supervise their own children’s learning as well, said the guidelines.
• They must also make arrangements to reach students who do not have access to any digital infrastructure at home, or who have special needs, to ensure that no child is left behind
• The PRAGYATA guidelines include eight steps of online/ digital learning that is, Plan- Review- Arrange- Guide- Yak(talk)- Assign- Track- Appreciate. These steps guide the planning and implementation of digital education step by step with examples.
• The Guidelines also emphasize the need to unify all efforts related to digital/ online/on-air education, benefitting school-going children across the country. The initiative includes DIKSHA, SWAYAM Prabha, SWAYAM MOOCS, Radio Vahini, Shiksha Vaani, Special content for children with special needs, and ITPAL. In a country like India characterized by multifarious diversity, switching over to digital modes of education needs various States/ UTs level organization and National level organizations to join hands for a change that will sustain post-COVID-19 also.

The guidelines outline suggestions for administrators, school heads, teachers, parents, and students in the following areas:

• Need assessment
• Concerns while planning online and digital education like duration, screen time, inclusiveness, balanced online and offline activities, etc level-wise
• Modalities of intervention including resource curation, level-wise delivery, etc.
• Physical, mental health, and wellbeing during digital education
• Cyber safety and ethical practices including precautions and measures for maintaining cyber safety
• Collaboration and convergence with various initiative

Source: The Hindu

2) World Youth Skills Day

• The day (15 July 2020) marks the 5th anniversary of the launch of Skill India Mission. A Digital Conclave is being organized by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to mark the occasion.

World Youth Skills Day

• The United Nations, at its General Assembly in November 2014, declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day (WYSD).
• The aim of WYSD is to advocate for skills as an important factor to improve young people’s transitions to decent work and to highlight the crucial role of skilled youth in addressing today’s most challenging global issues.
• The theme for the year 2020 is "Skills for a Resilient Youth".

Skill India

• Skill India is an initiative of the Government of India which has been launched to empower the youth of the country with skill sets which make them more employable and more productive in their work environment. Skill India offers courses across several sectors that are aligned to the standards recognized by both, the industry and the government under the National Skill Qualification Framework. The courses help a person focus on the practical delivery of work and help him enhance his technical expertise so that he is ready for day one of his job and companies don’t have to invest in training him for his job profile.

Source: PIB

3) Low-cost supercapacitor from industrial waste cotton & natural seawater electrolyte can help energy storage

• Scientists at the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), an autonomous organization of the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India have developed a simple, low-cost, environmentally friendly, and sustainable supercapacitor electrode derived from industrial waste cotton which can be used as an energy harvester storage device. For the first time, natural seawater is explored as an environmentally friendly, cost-effective, scalable, and alternative aqueous electrolyte, which may replace the existing aqueous-based electrolytes for the economic fabrication of supercapacitor.
• The supercapacitor is a next-generation energy storage device that has received extensive research attention owing to advantages such as high power density, long durability, and ultrafast charging characteristic as compared to conventional capacitors and lithium-ion batteries (LIB). Among the four main components of supercapacitor electrode, electrolyte, separator, and the current collector, the first two are the pivotal components, which directly determine the electrochemical behavior of the supercapacitors. The fabrication cost of electrode materials, as well as electrolytes, should be reduced because these two components account for a major portion of the device manufacturing cost.
• In search of a cost-effective material for making affordable supercapacitor devices, scientists at ARCI have converted industrial waste cotton (Trash) into highly porous carbon fibers (Treasure) by activation process and then utilized the porous carbon fibers to make high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.
• In the recent research published in Energy Technology, scientists at ARCI demonstrated the feasibility of using seawater as a natural electrolyte for the fabrication of aqueous-based supercapacitor devices which shows great potential for practical implementation. The study found that a natural seawater-based supercapacitor exhibited maximum capacitances at a current density of 1 Ag-1. Also, a seawater-based supercapacitor shows very good durability upon 10,000 charge-discharge cycles with 99 % of capacitance retention and 99 % of Coulombic efficiency (efficiency with which charge is transferred in a system facilitating an electrochemical reaction).
• The research team’s new, sustainable and green supercapacitor device shows great potential for practical application, and perhaps most importantly, the integrated solar cell with seawater-based supercapacitor as low cost, eco-friendly, efficient and self-powering device. The successful demonstration of the device revealed that solar-powered supercapacitors can not only store the electrical energy but also overcome the drawbacks of the intermittent nature of the solar irradiation. Hence, the integrated solar cell with supercapacitors can be used as an energy harvester storage device due to their long cycle life and maintenance-free power supply. 
• The large-scale use of renewable energy requires the creation of a matching capacity for inexpensive electrical energy storage. This study provides a solution for the fabrication of super-capacitors from such abundant materials as waste cotton and seawater! It is an excellent example of the creative science for the sustainable, green processes embedding principles of waste-to-wealth

Source: PIB

4) Nitin Gadkari inaugurated new economic corridor projects worth about Rs 20,000 crore

• Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and MSMEs Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of various Highway projects as part of a new economic corridor worth about Rs 20 thousand crores in Haryana
• The projects inaugurated include the 35.45 km 4-lane Rohna/Hasangarh to Jhajjar section of NH 334B costing Rs 1183 crore, the 70 km 4-laning of Punjab-Haryana Border to Jind section of NH 71 costing Rs 857 crore, and the 85.36 km 2-lane with paved shoulders Jind-Karnal Highway on NH 709 costing Rs 200 crore.
• Foundation stones were laid for projects including the 227 km 6-lane access controlled Greenfield expressway from Ismailpur to Narnaul on NH 152D in 8 packages costing Rs 8650 crore, the 46 km 4-lane Gurugram Pataudi-Rewari section of NH 352W costing Rs 1524 crore, the 14.4 km 4-lane Rewari Byepass costing Rs 928 crore, the 30.45 km 4-lane Rewari-Ateli Mandi section of NH 11 costing Rs 1057 crore, the 40.8 km 6-lane Narnaul Byepass on NH 148B, NH 11 and Narnaul to Ateli Mandi section of NH 11 costing Rs 1380 crore, the 40.6 km 4-lane Jind-Gohana (Pkg 1, Greenfield alignment) of NH 352A costing Rs 1207 crore, the 38.23 km 4-lane Gohana-Sonipat section of NH 352A costing Rs 1502 crore, and the 40.47 km 4-lane UP-Haryana Border to Roha on NH 334B costing Rs 1509 crore.
• These projects will benefit the people of Haryana in a big way by providing smooth connectivity within the State, as well as to other states like Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.
• These important projects will decongest big cities reducing travel time. It will take about 2 hrs to reach Delhi Airport from Chandigarh against 4 hrs now.  The projects will also save on time, fuel, and cost, as also boost development in backward areas of the State.
• The Government is committed to progress and prosperity of the country, and Rupees two lakh crore worth of works will be completed in the first two years of this government. 
• Prime Minister has conceived Rs 100 lakh crore worth of infrastructure development towards achieving the five trillion economies.
• The proposed Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Trans Haryana Economic Corridor, and the Gurugram-Rewari-Ateli-Narnaul are the highways of a new emerging India, which will bring development in all corners of Haryana.
• The Minister also called upon Haryana CM to join in the efforts for developing industrial clusters including MSMEs, smart cities, and smart villages as also to develop Khadi and Village industries alongside the expressway projects particularly the new Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.  He assured the Chief Minister of all assistance in this regard.  The Minister informed about his goal for providing 5 crore jobs through MSMEs in the next 5 years and enhancing KVIC  turn over manifold from the present level of Rs. 88000 crores per annum.

Source: PIB

5) Mizoram quake zone

• Mizoram experienced at least eight moderate earthquakes between June 21 and July 9. The tremors ranged from 4.2 to 5.5 on the Richter scale
• The epicenter of most of these quakes was beneath the Champhai district bordering Myanmar.

Recent findings:

• A recent study has indicated that Mizoram is caught between two subterranean faults– Churachandpur Mao Fault and Mat Fault.
• Churachandpur Mao Fault runs north-south into Myanmar along the border of Champhai.
• Mat Fault runs northwest-southeast across Mizoram, beneath the river Mat near Serchhip.
• There are several shallower transverse or minor faults in between these two major faults that are deeper.

What is a fault?

• A fault is a thin zone of crushed rock separating blocks of the earth’s crust. When an earthquake occurs on one of these faults, the rock on one side of the fault slips concerning the other.
• Faults can be centimeters to thousands of kilometers long.
• The fault surface can be vertical, horizontal, or at some angle to the surface of the earth.
• Faults can extend deep into the earth and may or may not extend up to the earth’s surface.

Source: The Hindu

6) Afghan exports to India through Wagah border

• Pakistan will allow Afghanistan to send goods to India using the Wagah border from July 15. The decision is part of Islamabad’s commitment under the Pakistan-Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement.
• However, Islamabad is silent about allowing the same facility to India for exports to Afghanistan.

About APTTA:

• Afghanistan–Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (also known as APTTA) is a bilateral trade agreement signed in 2010 by Pakistan and Afghanistan that calls for greater facilitation in the movement of goods amongst the two countries.

What are the problems with APTTA?

• Pakistan has lately closed its borders with Afghanistan multiple times, where it has used blockades for arm-twisting political circles in Afghanistan.
• This usually causes priced to spiral in Afghan markets as costlier or smuggled imports are what satiates demand. 

Source: The Hindu

7) UN’s High-Level Political Forum

• NITI Aayog presents India’s second Voluntary National Review at the UN’s High-Level Political Forum.
• The India VNR 2020 report is titled “Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local”.

Background:

• NITI Aayog has the mandate of overseeing the adoption and monitoring of SDGs at the national and sub-national levels.

Details:

• The report is a comprehensive account of the adoption and implementation of the 2030 Agenda in India.
• Apart from presenting a review of progress on the 17 SDGs, the report discusses the policy and enabling environment, India’s approach to localizing SDGs, and strengthening means of implementation.

About the United Nations HLPF:

• The establishment of the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) was mandated in 2012 by the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), “The Future We Want”.
• The HLPF meets annually in July for eight days under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.
• It replaced the Commission on Sustainable Development, which had met annually since 1993.

Functions:

• The HLPF is the main United Nations platform on sustainable development.
• It has a central role in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level.

What is the Voluntary National Review (VNR)?

• VNR is a process through which countries assess and present progress made in achieving the global goals and the pledge to leave no one behind.
• The purpose is to present a snapshot of where the country stands in SDG implementation, to help accelerate progress through experience sharing, peer-learning, identifying gaps and good practices, and mobilizing partnerships.
• The reviews are voluntary and state-led and are aimed at facilitating the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges, and lessons learned.
• The process of preparation of a country’s VNR provides a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of various relevant stakeholders.

India lifted 271 million, people, out of poverty in 10 yrs

• At least 271 million people were lifted out of multi-dimensional poverty between 2005-06 and 2016-17, claimed India’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). However, the poverty estimates used to back the claims, presented by the NITI Aayog at the ongoing High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, are based on nearly decade-old data.
• The estimates presented were drawn from the 2019 global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released in July 2019.
• According to the global MPI, over 640 million people across India were in multidimensional poverty in 2005-2006. The number of people living in poverty decreased to around 369.55 million by 2016-2017.
• According to the estimates, 27.9 percent of India’s population was poor in 2016-17.  The survey year considered in the global poverty index was 2015-16.
• The claims in the VNR report come in when as many as 22 states have become poorer and the country is far from its first goal of attaining “zero poverty” by 2030.
• Multidimensional poverty does not depend on any single indicator. It considers estimates progress under 10 indicators, according to the NITI Aayog report:
• Nutrition
• Child mortality
• Years of schooling
• School attendance
• Cooking fuel
• Sanitation
• Drinking water
• Electricity
• Housing
• Assets 
• The poverty reduction in rural areas has outpaced that in urban areas, claimed the government report.
• Measuring and monitoring progress under the goal to reach ‘zero poverty by 2030’ needs reality check on India’s poor. As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is feared to make the country poorer, India would need to recount its poor. 
• While consumption surveys provide important indicators required to estimate poverty, the all-India survey on household consumption expenditure for the period July 2017-June 2018 was scrapped by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation citing “data discrepancies”.
• The ministry had decided to examine the feasibility of conducting the next Consumer Expenditure Survey in 2020-2021 and 2021-22, after incorporating data quality refinements in the survey process.
  

Source: PIB, DTE

8) Enabling people to govern themselves

• How COVID 19 situation exposed mismatch in our governance systems?
• Governance systems at all levels, i.e. global, national, and local, have experienced stress as a fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Breakdowns in many subsystems had to be managed at the same time — in health care, logistics, business, finance, and administration. Solutions for one subsystem backfired on other subsystems.

What’s the issue?

• There is a mismatch in the design of governance institutions with the challenges they are required to manage.
• Systems and subsystems are working in isolation and not in coordination.

For example:

• Lockdowns to make it easier to manage the health crisis have made it harder to manage economic distress simultaneously.
• Diversion of resources to focus on the threat to life posed by COVID-19 has increased vulnerabilities to death from other diseases, and even from malnutrition in many parts of India.

Challenges to be addressed:

• The global challenges listed in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations are systemic.
• All these systemic problems are interconnected with each other.
• Environmental, economic, and social issues cannot be separated from each other and solved by experts in silos or by agencies focused only on their own problems.

Need of the hour:

• Solutions must fit the specific conditions of each country, and of each locality within countries too, to fit the shape of the environment and the condition of society there.
• Locals must be active contributors of knowledge for, and active participants in, the creation of the solutions.
• Knowledge of different experts — about the environment, the society, and the economy — must come together to fit realities on the ground.

A case for local systems (Can be used in ethics answers):

• Governance of the people must be not only for the people. It must be by the people too.
• Gandhiji and his economic advisers, J.C. Kumarappa and others developed their solutions of local enterprises through observations and experiments on the ground.
• F. Schumacher author of Small is Beautiful, had proposed new economics, founded on local enterprise, very consistent with Gandhiji’s ideas.
• Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, in 2009, had developed the principles for self-governing communities from research on the ground in many countries, including India.

Source: The Hindu

9) Chushul

• India and China hold the fourth round of Corps Commanders talks at Chushul. The meeting was continued for 12 hours
• It is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India.
• It is located in the Durbuk tehsil, in the area known as “Chushul valley”.
• It is close to Rezang Laand Panggong Lake at a height of 4,360 metres.
• Chushul is one of the five officially agreed Border Personnel Meeting points between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army of China for regular consultations and interactions between the two armies to improve relations.
• This place is famous for the Indian Army who fought to the ‘last man, last round’ at Rezang La (Chushul) on November 18, 1962. Without this crucial victory, the territory might have been captured by China.

Source: Indian Express