Daily Current Affairs 18 August 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

 Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Bio-ethanol blending challenges in India

• FROM THE current 5 percent, the Centre has set targets of 10 percent bio-ethanol the blending of petrol by 2022 and 20 percent by 2030 under the ethanol blending program to curb carbon emissions and reduce India’s dependence on imported crude oil. 1G and 2G bio-ethanol plants are key in making bio-ethanol available for blending but face challenges in attracting investments from the private sector.
• 1G bio-ethanol plants utilize sugarcane juice and molasses, a byproduct in the production of sugar as raw material, while 2G plants utilize surplus biomass and agricultural waste to produce bio-ethanol. Currently, the domestic production of bio-ethanol is not sufficient to meet the demand for bioethanol for blending with petrol Indian OMCs.Sugar mills,key-domestic suppliers of bio-ethanol to OMCs, were only able to supply 1.9 billion liters of bio-ethanol to OMCs equating to 57.6 percent of the total demand for 3.3 billion liters.
• Experts point out that many sugar mills which are best placed to produce bioethanol do not have the financial stability to invest in biofuel plants. Further, investors are uncertain about the price of bio-ethanol in the future.
• Experts say the government could provide greater visibility on the price of bio-ethanol that sugar mills can expect by announcing a mechanism by which the price of bio-ethanol would be decided

About BioFuels

• Biofuels are fueled/energy derived from biomass which is basically organic material that comes from plants and animals and it is a renewable source of energy. Biofuels can be produced from any carbon source that can be replenished rapidly such as plants (or maybe animals). 

Examples of biomass and their uses for producing biofuels:

• Wood and wood processing wastes—burned to heat buildings, to produce process heat in industry, and to generate electricity
• Agricultural crops and waste materials—burned as a fuel or converted to liquid biofuels
• Food, yard, and wood waste in the garbage—burned to generate electricity in power plants or converted to biogas in landfills
• Animal manure and human sewage—converted to biogas, which can be burned as a fuel

Bioethanol is the principle fuel used as a petrol substitute for road transport vehicles. Bioethanol fuel is mainly produced by the sugar fermentation process and the main sources of sugar required to produce bioethanol comes from fuel/energy crops like sugarcane, corn, maize, wheat, etc.

1G bio-ethanol plants utilize sugarcane juice and molasses (which is a byproduct in the production of sugarcane) as a raw material.

2G bio-ethanol plants utilize agricultural wastes/residues like rice & wheat straw to produce bio-ethanol.

The current blending target of bio-ethanol with petrol is 5%, which govt has planned to increase it to 10% by 2022 and 20% by 2030. The ethanol blending program (with petrol) helps in curbing carbon emissions and reduce India's dependence on imported crude oil.

Why Indian plants are not able to meet the demand for bio-ethanol?

• Many sugar mills do not have the financial stability to invest in biofuel plants
• There are concerns among investors on the uncertainty of the price of bio-ethanol in the future. This is because, in India, Govt regulates the price of bio-ethanol which is presently from Rs. 43.46 per liter to Rs. 59.48 per liter depending on which biomass (raw material) it has been produced. Investors want that govt should give a mechanism on how the prices of bio-ethanol will be decided in the future so that it is predictable.
• In India, govt also regulates the price of Sugarcane through MSP and FRP. MSP/FRP always increased annually but when prices of bio-ethanol are not increased proportionately, then it becomes unviable to produce bio-ethanol. Further, when the petrol prices are down then the Oil companies do not want to procure bio-ethanol for blending purpose because blending makes sense only when the product used for blending has price advantage (less price)
• Sometimes, the price of agricultural waste required for the production of bio-ethanol at 2G plants is too high for it to be viable for private investors in the country as it is not properly managed (or is made available). The experts have said that state governments needed to set up depots where farmers could drop their agricultural waste and that the central government should fix a price for agricultural waste to make investments in 2G bioethanol production an attractive proposition. This will prevent the farmers from having to burn agricultural waste which can be a major source of air pollution, and it will provide a greater source of income for farmers.

Source: Indian Express

2) Bengaluru scientists fabricate invisible shield for electromagnetic interference

• HG Wells’ ‘Invisible Man’ tweaked the optical properties of the body to become invisible. Scientists have now achieved a similar feat by designing a metal mesh structure instead of the continuous film on desired transparent substrates to make it a transparent shield for electromagnetic interference (EMI). The invisible shield can be used in various military stealth applications and can cover electromagnetic wave emitter or absorber devices without compromising their aesthetics.
• Scientists from Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India have fabricated these transparent and flexible EMI shields made of metal meshes using the crack templating method via spray coating which is pioneered in their laboratory.
• The CeNS team has developed a copper metal mesh on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet as its substrate, which exhibited a visible transmittance (T), a parameter of visible transparency of about 85% and sheet resistance (Rs) ~ 0.83 ohms per square. These transparent and flexible EMI shields made of metal mesh coatings on the desired transparent substrate they have developed through their research published in the journal ‘Bulletin of Materials Science’ showed remarkably high values for total EMI shielding (SET), with the average value being ~ 41 dB over a wide spectral range of the Ku band (12 to 18 GHz). 
• Instead of a continuous film of metal (Cu) coating on any transparent substrate (glass, PET) where transparency can be compromised. In this method, the CeNS team has deposited metal mesh networks on the substrate, which covers only 7% area of substate, unlike 100% coverage of the continuous film. This makes metal mesh transparent compare to the continuous metal film. Metal mesh provides better electromagnetic shielding compare to the same thickness of continuous metal film where transparency can be compromised. 
• This metal mesh can be created on any desired substrates such as acrylic, polycarbonate, glass, etc. without compromising the conductivity of the electrodes. 
• These transparent EMI shields have been exhibited in various prestigious Expos and conferences such as Bangalore INDIA NANO-2018 & 2020, ICONSAT-2018 & 2020, SPIE-2019, etc. for dissemination and marketing purpose. The shields are available for onsite testing and validation purposes.

Figure: (a) shows the superior visibility through transparent EMI shield, (b) shows the EMI shield effectiveness of Cu mesh when compared with Cu film; (c) setup showing Wi-Fi router, a mobile phone kept inside a metal box open to EMI.  The extent of Wi-Fi signal (EMI) attenuation when the phone is covered with a lid with transparent (d) PET sheet without coating and (e) PET sheet with Cu mesh coating

Source: PIB

3) World Solar Technology Summit

• Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy (IC) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship shared details of the First World Solar Technology Summit being organized by ISA on a virtual platform on September 08, 2020. The objective of the event is to bring the spotlight on state-of-the-art technologies as well as next-generation technologies which will provide impetus to the efforts towards harnessing solar energy more efficiently. ISA would also be launching the ISA Journal on Solar Energy (I JOSE)that would help authors from across the globe to publish their articles on solar energy, during the event. The articles in this journal would be reviewed by global experts and will reach the Member countries through ISA’s vast network of NFPs (National Focal points) and STAR  (Solar Technology and Application Resource centers) centers.
• The ISA, an action-oriented organization, aims at lowering the cost of technology and finance and thereby facilitate deployment of over 1,000 GW of solar energy and mobilize more than USD 1,000 billion into solar power by 2030 in Member countries. The ISA envisions to enable the full ecosystem for availability and development of technology, economic resources, and development of storage technology, mass manufacturing, and innovation. The reduced cost of technology would enable the undertaking of more ambitious solar energy programs. Noting that Solar is a key source of affordable and reliable energy, successful project implementation could play a significant role in achieving the universal energy access goal (SDG 7). The ISA has 67 countries as ISA has six programs viz. Solar Applications for Agricultural Use, Affordable Finance at Scale, Mini-Grids, and Solar Rooftops and Solar E-mobility & Storage and Large-Scale Solar Parks. To date, ISA has aggregated a pipeline of solar projects worth USD 5.5 Billion and working to facilitate the financing of solar projects in member countries.

Source: PIB

4) BRO constructs 180-feet bailey bridge

• Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed a 180-feet bailey bridge in the Jauljibi sector of Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand in less than three weeks despite frequent landslides and heavy rains. The 50-meter span concrete bridge was completely washed out on July 27, 2020, when cloudburst hit the area and the nallas and rivers were flooded. This caused a mudflow of tremendous force. There were many casualties also due to landslides and road communication was broken.  
•  The BRO mobilized its bridging resources and set up to construct the bridge. The biggest challenge was to transport parts to the site from Pithoragarh amidst frequent landslides and heavy rains. The bridge was successfully completed on August 16, 2020. This has led to accessing flood-affected villages and has connected Jauljibi to Munsiyari.
• The connectivity will bring relief to about 15,000 people in 20 villages. The constructed bridge has resumed road communication of 66-kilometer road starting from Jauljibi to Munsiyari. Local Member of Parliament Shri Ajay Tamta had expressed his concern about the worst affected isolated villages of Lumti and Mori at 25-kilometre from Jauljibi where maximum deaths had taken place. This bridge will provide essential support in rehabilitating the villages.

Source: PIB

5) Minimum Age of Marriage for Girls

The Prime Minister, during his address to the nation on the 74th Independence Day,

announced that the central government has set up a committee to reconsider the minimum age of marriage for women, which is currently 18.

About the Committee:

• On 2nd June 2020, the Union Ministry for Women and Child Development set up a committee to examine matters pertaining to the age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering Maternal Mortality Ratio, and the improvement of nutritional levels among women. The Committee is headed by Jaya Jaitely.
• The Committee was proposed in the Union Budget 2020-21.
• It will examine the correlation of age of marriage and motherhood with health, medical well-being, and nutritional status of the mother and neonate, infant or child, during pregnancy, birth, and thereafter.
• It will also look at key parameters like Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Total Fertility Rate (TFR), Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) and Child Sex Ratio (CSR), and will examine the possibility of increasing the age of marriage for women from the present 18 years to 21 years.

Link Between Age of Marriage and Nutrition:

• A study conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), which was published in 2019, showed that children born to adolescent mothers (10-19 years) were 5 percentage points more likely to be stunted (shorter for their age) than those born to young adults (20-24 years), and 11 percentage points more stunted than children born to adult mothers (25 years or older).
• Children born to adolescent mothers also had 10 percentage points higher prevalence of low weight as adult mothers.
• It also highlighted other factors, such as lower education among teenage mothers and their poor economic status, which had the strongest links with a child’s height and weight measurements.
• It recommended that increasing age at first marriage, age at first birth, and girl’s education are promising approaches to improve maternal and child nutrition.

Arguments Against Increasing the Minimum Age of Marriage of Women:

• The National Coalition Advocating for Adolescent Concerns asserts that increasing the legal age of marriage for girls will only “artificially expand the numbers of married persons deemed underage and criminalize them and render underage married girls without legal protection”.
• Instead, transformative, well-resourced measures that increase girls’ access to education and health, create enabling opportunities, and place girl’s empowerment at the center will not just delay marriage but lead to long term, positive health and education outcomes.
• It recommended bringing education for three-to-five year-olds and 15-to-18 years under the Right to Education, instead of confining the law to children between 6 years to 14 years.

Present Age for Marriage

• The Special Marriage Act, 1954, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 prescribe 18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men respectively.
• It needs to be noted that the minimum age of marriage is distinct from the age of majority which is gender-neutral. An individual attains the age of majority at 18 as per the Indian Majority Act, 1875.
• The laws prescribe a minimum age of marriage to essentially outlaw child marriages and prevent the abuse of minors. Personal laws of various religions that deal with marriage have their own standards, often reflecting custom.
• For Hindus, Section 5(iii) of The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, sets 18 years as the minimum age for the bride and 21 years as the minimum age for the groom. However, child marriages are not illegal — even though they can be declared void at the request of the minor in the marriage.
• In Islam, the marriage of a minor who has attained puberty is considered valid.
• Additionally, sexual intercourse with a minor is rape, and the ‘consent’ of a minor is regarded as invalid since she is deemed incapable of giving consent at that age.

History

• The Indian Penal Code enacted in 1860 criminalized sexual intercourse with a girl below the age of 10. The provision of rape was amended in 1927 through the Age of Consent Bill, 1927, which declared that marriage with a girl under 12 would be invalid.
• In 1929, the Child Marriage Restraint Act set 16 and 18 years as the minimum age of marriage for girls and boys respectively.
• This law, popularly known as the Sarda Act after its sponsor Harbilas Sarda, a judge and a member of Arya Samaj, was eventually amended in 1978 to prescribe 18 and 21 years as the age of marriage for a woman and a man respectively.

Different Legal Age of Marriage for Men and Women

• There is no reasoning in the law for having different legal standards of age for men and women to marry. The laws are a codification of custom and religious practices.
• However, the law has been challenged on the grounds of discrimination.
• Such a law violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to equality and the right to live with dignity.

Against the Supreme Courts’ Following Judgements:

• In 2014, in the ‘National Legal Services Authority of India v Union of India’ case, the Supreme Court, while recognizing transgenders as the third gender, said that justice is delivered with the “assumption that humans have equal value and should, therefore, be treated as equal, as well as by equal laws”.
• In 2019, in ‘Joseph Shine v Union of India’, the Supreme Court decriminalized adultery, and said that “a law that treats women differently based on gender stereotypes is an affront to women’s dignity”.

Way Forward

• Early pregnancy is associated with increased child mortality rates and affects the health of the mother. Thus, there is a need to focus on a mother’s health and readiness to carry a child.
• The government needs to emphasize upon economic and social empowerment of women and girls, as well as targeted social and behavior change communication (SBCC) campaigns. Increasing the minimum age of marriage of women will also lead to gender-neutrality.

Source: Indian Express

6) RTI on PM-CARES Fund

• The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has denied a Right to Information request related to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES Fund).
• Denied Information: The PMO denied information on the number of applications and appeals related to PM-CARES and the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
• Reason for denial: The information was denied by the PMO on the grounds that providing it would “disproportionately divert the resources of the office” under Section 7(9) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
• According to Section 7 (9) of the RTI Act, “information shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question.”

Criticism:

• Misuse: The move has been criticized by the Central Information Commission (CIC) as misuse of Section 7(9) by the PMO.
• Kerala HC Judgement: According to the judgment by the Kerala High Court in 2010, Section 7(9) does not exempt any public authority from disclosing information.
• It only gives discretion to the public authority to provide the information in a form other than the form in which the information is sought.
• Section 8 (1) lists the various valid reasons for exemption against furnishing information under the Act and not Section 7(9).

Concerns around PM CARES Fund:

• Concerns have been raised around the opaqueness of PM CARES Fund’s trust deed against public scrutiny of the expenditure of the fund.
• The need for a new PM CARES Fund, given that a PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF) with similar objectives exists.
• The decision to allow uncapped corporate donations to the fund to count as CSR expenditure, a facility not provided to PMNRF or the CM’s Relief Funds, goes against previous guidelines stating that CSR should not be used to fund government schemes.
• A government panel had previously advised against allowing CSR contributions to the PMNRF on the grounds that the double benefit of tax exemption would be a “regressive incentive”.
• Donations to PM CARES have been made tax-exempt and can be counted against a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligations. It is also exempt from the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, and accepts foreign contributions.

Source: The Hindu

7) Fly Ash

• Recently, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has developed an infrastructure to transport fly ash from power plants in bulk to cement plants, at a cheaper cost.
• It will pave the way for efficient and environmentally friendly transportation.
• This development is in line with NTPC's commitment towards 100% utilization of fly ash from power plants. At present, 63% of the fly ash is being utilized in India.

Fly Ash:

• Definition: It is a byproduct of the burning of coal in electric power generating plants.
• It is called fly ash because it is transported from the combustion chamber by exhaust gases.
• It is collected from the exhaust gases by electrostatic precipitators or bag filters.
• Composition: Fly ash includes substantial amounts of silicon dioxide (SiO2), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), ferric oxide (Fe2O3), and calcium oxide (CaO).
• Properties:
• Resemble Portland cement but is chemically different.
• Portland cement is a binding material in the form of a finely ground powder, that is manufactured by burning and grinding a mixture of limestone and clay.
• Its chemical composition includes calcium silicates, calcium aluminate, and calcium aluminoferrite.
• Exhibit cementitious properties.
• Cementitious material is one that hardens when mixed with water.
• Uses: It is used in concrete and cement products, road base, metal recovery, and mineral filler among others.
• Harmful Effects: Fly ash particles are toxic air pollutants. They can trigger heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases, and stroke.
• When combined with water they cause leaching of heavy metals in groundwater.
• It also pollutes the soil and affects the root development system of trees.

NTPC

• NTPC Ltd. is a Central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Power.
• Aim: To provide reliable power and related solutions in an economical, efficient, and environment-friendly manner, driven by innovation and agility.
• It became a Maharatna company in May 2010.
• It is located in New Delhi.

Source: PIB

8) Anti-Drug Working Group BRICS

• Recently, the 4th Session of the BRICS Anti-Drug Working Group was held through a video conference.
• The session was chaired by Russia this year.

Issues Raised by India

• India raised the misuse of darknet and modern technology used for drug trafficking by international criminals in the meeting.
• It also called for nodal points to enable real-time information sharing among BRICS nations.

Trends of Drug Trafficking

• The BRICS grouping discussed international and regional trends of illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances among others.
• It also discussed steps to curb increased instances of drug trafficking through the maritime route.

A Global Menace:

• According to the report released in May 2020 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Report (UNODC), Covid-19 induced lockdowns and movement restrictions may lead to an initial statistical reduction in drug seizures but is unlikely to have any effect on illicit drug supply.

India and Illicit Drug Trade:

• Major Hub of Illicit Drug Trade: According to UNODC, India is one of the major hubs of illicit drug trade ranging from age-old cannabis to newer prescription drugs like tramadol and designer drugs like methamphetamine.
• Drug Trafficking Routes: India is in the middle of two major illicit opium production regions in the world, the Golden Crescent (Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan) in the west and the Golden Triangle (South-East Asia) in the east.

Anti-Drug Action Plan:

• India has also launched the Anti-Drug Action Plan for 2020-21 which includes:
• De-addiction Facilities,
• Drop-in-centers for Addicts,
• Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCA),
• Drug-Free India Campaign.

Darknet:

• It refers to the hidden internet platform used for narcotics sale, exchange of pornographic content, and other illegal activities by using the secret alleys of the onion router (ToR- free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication) to stay away from the surveillance of law enforcement agencies.
• It is tough to crack because of its end-to-end encryption.
• The darknet is part of the deep web, which encompasses all unindexed sites that don't pop up when an Internet search is done.
• However, not all activities associated with the deep web are nefarious like the darknet. In most cases, these pages are not searchable because they are password-protected and require authorization in order to access them.
• Personal email, online banking, and other similar sites are included under the umbrella of the deep web.
• The internet we see today is the only tip of the iceberg, the majority is a deep web only.

BRICS

• BRICS is an acronym for the grouping of the world’s leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
• In 2001, the British Economist Jim O’Neill coined the term BRIC to describe the four emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
• The grouping was formalized during the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers in 2006.
• South Africa was invited to join BRIC in December 2010, after which the group adopted the acronym BRICS.
• The chairmanship of the forum is rotated annually among the members, in accordance with the acronym B-R-I-C-S.
• During the Sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza (2014) the leaders signed the Agreement establishing the New Development Bank (NDB). They also signed the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement.

Golden Triangle

• It represents the region coinciding with the rural mountains of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand.
• It is Southeast Asia’s main opium-producing region and one of the oldest narcotics supply routes to Europe and North America.

Golden Crescent

• This region of South Asia is a principal global site for opium production and distribution.
• It comprises Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.

Source: PIB