Comprehensive Current affairs 29 December 2020

The Ministry of Electronics and IT to implement Artificial Intelligence mission.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has got the green signal to roll out the ambitious Artificial Intelligence (AI) mission.

The AI Mission is a five-year programme announced in the Budget two years ago.

The Niti Aayog had earlier made a proposal worth Rs 7000 crore for the project, which will now be implemented by MeitY.

The main focus of the AI mission will be on AI; we want to be the leading nation in the world in terms of AI capabilities and cutting-edge technologies.

While premier institutes like the IITs will be involved in research, industry will be roped in for the actual implementation.

 The government is already running several centres of excellence in areas such as AI, augmented reality, fintech and agritech, which will all be subsumed under the mission.

MeitY had also announced the setting up a national AI centre.

MeitY’s programme included launching a national AI portal along with developing applications and doing proofs of concepts in the areas of health and education, Niti Aayog’s roadmap included setting up of five centres of research excellence, 20 institutional centres for transformational AI and a cloud computing platform called AIRAWAT.

V Ramgopal Rao committee .

A government committee recently reiterated a longstanding demand of the IITs — exemption from implementing reservation in faculty positions.

The Ministry of Education on April 23 had appointed a committee for suggesting measures for effective implementation of reservation in student admissions and faculty recruitment in IITs.

About the committee:

This committee, headed by IIT-Delhi V Ramgopal Rao, submitted its report on June 17, the contents of which were recently reported in the media.

Instead of implementing quotas in faculty positions, the panel has suggested that the 23 IITs should be exempted from reservations altogether under the CEI Act, 2019.

Rather than specific quotas, diversity issues should be addressed through outreach campaigns and targeted faculty recruitment, the panel has said in its report to the government.

The report states that IITs should be added to the list of “Institutions of Excellence” mentioned in the Schedule to the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act 2019.

Section 4 of the Act exempts “institutions of excellence, research institutions, institutions of national and strategic importance” mentioned in the Schedule and minority institutions from providing reservation.

 Cabinet approves revision in guidelines for providing Direct to Home (DTH) Services in India.

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for revision of the guidelines for obtaining license for providing Direct-To-Home (DTH) broadcasting service in India.

The salient features of the decision are:

License for the DTH will be issued for a period of 20 years in place of present 10 years. Further the period of License may be renewed by 10 years at a time.

License fee has been revised from 10% of GR to 8% of AGR. AGR will be calculated by deduction of GST from GR.

License Fee will be collected on quarterly basis in lieu of presently annualbasis.

DTH operators shall be permitted to operate .to a maximum of 5% of its total channel carrying capacity as permitted platform channels. A one-time non-refundable registration fee of Rs.10,000 per PS channel shall be charged from a DTH operator.

Sharing of Infrastructure between DTH operators. DTH operators, willing to share DTH platform and transport stream of TV channels, on voluntary basis, will be allowed. Distributors of TV channels will be permitted to share the common hardware for their Subscriber Management System (SMS) and Conditional Access System (CAS) applications.

The cap of 49% FDI in the existing DTH guidelines will be aligned with the extant Government (DPIIT's) policy on FDI as amended from time to time.

The decision will come into effect as per revised DTH guidelines are issued bythe Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Medium Range Surface to Air Missile.

The maiden test of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) for the Indian Army, being jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), was successfully conducted.

The launch was conducted from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the Coast of Odisha around 1600 hrs and the missile completely destroyed a high-speed unmanned aerial target, which was mimicking an aircraft with a direct hit, the DRDO said in a statement.

The Army variant of the MRSAM system comprises a command post, a multi-function radar and mobile launcher system.

A number of range instruments such as radar, telemetry and electro-optical tracking system were deployed for capturing mission data, which validated the performance of the missile.

Israeli jets strike Gaza after militants fire rockets.

Israeli aircraft struck several sites in the Gaza Strip early Saturday after Palestinian militants fired two rockets toward southern Israel.

The airstrike targets included rocket manufacturing facility and training and military posts belonging to Hamas, the militant group ruling Gaza, according to the military.

Palestinian media reported the airstrikes shattered windows in east Gaza City. There were no reports of casualties.

The rockets fired on Friday were aimed at the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon, but air defenses intercepted them, the military said. No Palestinian group in Gaza has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, which broke months of cross-border calm.

Volleys of missiles from the Iron Dome defense system illuminated the sky in northern Gaza Strip as they exploded trying to hit the incoming rockets.

Rocket attacks and Israeli retaliatory artillery and aerial strikes are frequent, but they have largely been subdued in recent months due to the raging coronavirus outbreak in both territories.

Japan urges Biden to be strong in support of Taiwan against China.

A top Japanese defence official on Friday urged US President-elect Joe Biden to “be strong” in supporting Taiwan in the face of an aggressive China, calling the island’s safety a “red line.”

 Japan’s deputy defence minister, urged Biden to take a similar line on Taiwan as outgoing President Donald Trump, who has significantly boosted military sales to the Chinese-claimed island and increased engagement.

Japan’s engagement with Taiwan has also flourished in recent years on a largely non-governmental basis. Tokyo maintains a “one China” policy, delicately balancing its relationships with neighbouring giant China and its longtime military ally in Washington.

Japan shares strategic interests with Taiwan, which sits in sea lanes through which much of Japan’s energy supplies and trade flow.

Caspian Sea.

As per a recent study, by the end of the century the Caspian Seawill lose at least 25% of its former size and will also be 9-18metres lower.

Caspian Sea borders five countries and the major river feedingit is Volga.

Caspian Sea waters are isolated, its surface is already around 28metres below global oceans.

Andrott Island.

Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Bulbul will undertake a sailingexpedition from Kochi to Andrott Island.

Andrott Island is the Largest island in the Lakshadweep.

Andrott is the nearest island to the mainland and hasan east-westorientation unlike other islands lying in the north-south direction.

Zero Liquid Discharge.

The Centre is examining various options of moving forward on the country’s Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) policy to ensure that investment in emerging sectors such as semiconductors is not hampered while environment continues to be protected.

ZLD is a water treatment process to recirculate all the water back to the process with zero liquid waste. Government regulations demand fool-proof operations of the wastewater treatment plants for the purpose.

The Department for Policy on Investments and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has been getting suggestions for removing regulatory compliances such as Zero Liquid Discharge to encourage investments in sectors like semiconductors. Any decision on removing regulatory compliances will be taken only after consulting all sectors.

The DPIIT has held discussions with stakeholders such as Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the State governments of Gujarat, Haryana and Tamil Nadu, on what the policy for zero level discharge will be going ahead, the official said However, according to the industry, for products like semiconductor, meeting ZLD standards might be difficult as ultra-clean water is needed for chip manufacturing and it would also be expensive to contain the recycled water.

The Centre has got representations from the industry to see if there could be changes in the ZLD standards for sectors like semiconductor that are finding it difficult to meet them.

The MoEFCC is the nodal Ministry for the matter related to policy on Zero Liquid Discharge while the DPIIT’s role is to ensure that concerns of industry get addressed.

Bharatskills portal.

The Directorate General of Training (DGT) joined hands with Microsoft and NASSCOM Foundation to provide a digital content for ITI students and also future-ready employability skilling program for upskilling and reskilling.

Nearly 1,20,000 students in around 3000 ITIs across India can be benefited by this digitized e-learning module via the Bharatskills portal.

 The Directorate General of Training (DGT) under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is responsible for implementing long term institutional training to the nation’s youth.

It has an extensive network of about 15,000 training institutes (ITIs) and 33 National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs).

DGT plays a key role in the execution of vocational training schemes and in making ‘Skill India’ dream become a reality.

DGT has launched an online learning platform called the Bharatskills in Oct 2019, a Central Repository for skills providing easy access for the trainees and trainers of the ITI ecosystem.

It has to access updated curriculums and course content of all courses under the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS), Question Banks, mock/practice papers, learning videos, etc., hence enabling anytime, anywhere learning outside the classrooms.

This platform also presents a unique access to a centralized, scalable and a thriving support ecosystem through its industrial partners for the students and teachers who can now learn the newer IR 4.0 skills to meet the demands of the industry.

IFFCO gas leak.

Two persons died and several took ill in a major ammonia gas leakage at the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) unit at Prayagraj.

The victims had come in contact with the concentrated form of ammonia gas that leaked heavily from the plant.

A tri-hydroid of nitrogen (NH3), ammonia is a building block for ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) that is used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertiliser.

According to experts in Chemistry, ammonia is stored for industrial use in liquid form under high pressure or in gaseous form at low temperature, as was the case in the IFFCO unit where the accident took place.

How ammonia gas affects the human body?

Ammonia in moderate concentration, can cause irritation to eyes, skin, nose and throat. Ammonia interacts immediately upon contact with moisture present in the skin, eyes, oral cavity, respiratory tract to form ammonium hydroxide, which is very caustic and disrupts the cell membrane lipids, ultimately leading to cellular destruction.

As cell proteins break down, water is extracted, resulting in an inflammatory response that causes further damage.

Ammoniais highly soluble in water, is found in soil, air, and water;

It is naturally present in the body and secreted by the kidneys to neutralise excess acid.

It is highly diluted when in the environment and does not affect the human body to a noticeable level.

What are main uses of ammonia?

Ammonia is critical in the manufacturing of fertilizers, and is one of the largest-volume synthetic chemicals produced in the world.

More than 80 per cent of ammonia made is consumed in the manufacturing of fertilizer, and most of the remainder goes into the production of formaldehyde.

Himalayan trillium.

The Himalayan trillium (Trillium govanianum), a common herb of the Himalayas was declared ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) last week.

Himalayan Trillium:

• In recent years, the plant has become one of the most traded commercial plants of the Himalayan region, due to its high medicinal quality.

• It is found in temperate and sub-alpine zones of the

Himalayas, at an altitude from 2,400-4,000 metres above sea level.

• Their existence has also been traced across India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

• In India, it is found in four states only- Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand.

• Often called Nagchatri, in local areas this herb grows to a height of 15-20 cm.

Various Applications:

• It has been used in traditional medicine to cure diseases like dysentery, wounds, skin boils, inflammation, sepsis, as well as menstrual and sexual disorders.

• Recent experiments have shown that the rhizome of the herb is a source of steroidal saponins and can be used as an anti-cancer and anti-ageing agent.

• This increased its market value and has now become an easy target for poachers.

Comprehensive Current affairs 28 December 2020

Post Matric Scholarship to students belonging to Scheduled Castes .

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved major and transformatory changes in the Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Post Matric Scholarship to students belonging to Scheduled Castes (PMS-SC)’ to benefit more than four crore SC students in the next five years so that they can successfully complete their higher education.

The Cabinet has approved a total investment of Rs 59,048 crore of which the Central Government would spend Rs 35,534 crore (60%) and the balance would be spent by the state governments. This replaces the existing ‘committed liability’ system and brings greater involvement of the Central government in this crucial scheme.

About:

The Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for SCs allows students to pursue any post-matric course starting from class XI and onwards, with the government meeting the cost of education.

 

This initiative is to boost the GER (Higher Education) of SCs up to the national standards within the five year period.

The focus of the scheme would be on enrolling the poorest students, timely payments, comprehensive accountability, continuous monitoring and total transparency.

A campaign will be launched to enroll the students, from the poorest households passing the Class X, in the higher education courses of their choice. It is estimated that 1.36 crore such poorest students, who are currently not continuing their education beyond Class X standards would be brought into the higher education system in the next five years.

The scheme will be run on an online platform with robust cybersecurity measures that would assure transparency, accountability, efficiency, and timely delivery of the assistance without any delays.

The states will undertake fool-proof verification of the eligibility, caste status, Aadhar identification and bank account details on the online portal.

Transfer of financial assistance to the students under the scheme shall be on DBT mode, and preferably using the Aadhar Enabled Payment System. Starting from 2021-22, the Central share (60%) in the scheme would be released on DBT mode directly into the bank accounts of the students as per fixed time schedule, after ensuring that the concerned State Government has released their share.

F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets .

Boeing on Monday announced the successful demonstration of the compatibility of its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets with the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers as part of its pitch for the Navy’s fighter procurement.

The demonstrations, which were held in coordination with U.S. Navy on a shore-based facility at the Naval Air Station Patuxent river in Maryland, U.S., show that the F/A-18 Super Hornet would do well with the Indian Navy’s Short Takeoff but Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) system and validate earlier simulation studies done over the last two years, a senior company official said.

 

The F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet would not only provide superior war-fighting capability to the Indian Navy but also create opportunities for cooperation in naval aviation between the U.S. and India.

‘Force multiplier’

The ability of F/A-18 to interface with the Navy’s P-8I as a “force multiplier” and also with other platforms under induction.

The Navy has contracted 24 Lockheed MH-60R multi-role helicopters with deliveries to begin next year.

DRDO’s offer;

The Indian Navy currently evaluates responses from aircraft manufacturers received in response to a Request for Information (RFI) floated in 2017 for 57 twin-engine deck-based fighters. However, with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recently offering to develop a twin-engine deck-based jet, the Navy is in the process of cutting down the number of fighters from 57 to around 36.

The Navy’s sole carrier in service INS Vikramaditya and the under-construction indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC)-I Vikrant both have a ski-jump with a STOBAR mechanism.

Govt plans to double farm mechanization in 10 years.

Agriculture Minister said the government plans to double the area under mechanised farming over ten years and urged the industry to make small utility machines that can be of use for smallholder farmers in the country.

The Minister said that Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation had been implemented in all the States so that they can promote the use of farm mechanisation and increase the ratio of agricultural power.

 

 

The objective is to increase the reach of farm mechanisation to small and marginal farmers, while promoting efforts to improve the economy by promoting custom hiring centres, creating hubs for high-tech and high-value agricultural equipment, creating awareness among stakeholders and capacity building, he added.

Custom hiring scheme:

Through custom hiring scheme, the government is trying to provide expensive and large advanced agricultural equipment to the farmers on rent basis.

There is a provision of up to 40 per cent subsidy in the project cost to the individual farmer, while a group of farmers can get a subsidy up to 80 per cent, the maximum amount of which is ₹10 lakh.

Farmers in the northeast can receive support up to 95 per cent of the project cost.

Crop residue management scheme:

Through the crop residue management scheme, introduced by the Union Agriculture Ministry in 2018, machinery is provided to the farmers to prevent burning of straw.

Subsidies are also provided to farmers for purchase of machinery through a custom hiring centre. During the last two years, support of 1,178.47 crore has been given to farmers in Punjab, Haryana, UP and Delhi. Out of the budget 600 crore for the current year, 548.20 crores was given to the States in advance.

According to the Minister, farm mechanisation can improve productivity by 30 per cent and reduce the cost of farming by 20 per cent.

Centre to implement Coal Import Monitoring System.

The government will implement a Coal Import Monitoring System (CIMS) from February 1.

This will require coal importers to submit advance information in an online system for import and obtain an automatic registration number.

 

 

The categories of coal on which the CIMS would be applicable include anthracite coal, bituminous coal, coking coal, and steam coal.

The CIMS will enable the government to keep a tab on the various categories of coal being imported and help make policy decisions accordingly.

The importer can apply for registration not earlier than 60 day and not later than 15 day before the expected date of arrival of import consignment the automatic registration number shall remain valid for a period of 75 days.

Importer shall have to enter the registration number and expiry date of registration in the Bill of Entry to enable customs for clearance of consignment.

Earlier, the government had introduced an import monitoring system for a number of steel items to encourage its domestic manufacturing and keep a tab on imports.

Quality Council of India launches Scheme for Approval of Hygiene Rating Audit Agencies.

The Quality Council of India (QCI) in collaboration with the Food Safety and Standards

Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a scheme for approval of Hygiene Rating Audit Agencies.

Hygiene Rating Scheme:

• Hygiene Rating Scheme is a user driven certification system.

• It is applicable to food businesses supplying food directly to consumers either on or off the premise.

• Food businesses are rated on the basis of food hygiene and safety conditions found at the time of inspection and are given a score between (five to one) as per their hygiene and food Safety Compliance.

Objective:

 

• Allow consumers to make an informed food choice about where to eat and inculcate right eating habits.

• Encourage food businesses to adopt high hygiene standards and to sustain them so as to showcase the same to their consumers.

• This scheme is applicable for food service sector such as hotels & restaurants, cafeterias, etc.

Quality Council of India:

• Quality Council of India (QCI) was set up in 1997 as an autonomous body under the Societies Registration Act.

• It was setup jointly by the Government of India and the Indian Industry represented by the three premier industry associations i.e.

• Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)

• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

• Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

Objective:

To establish and operate national accreditation structure and promote quality through National Quality Campaign.

• The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, is the nodal ministry for QCI.

• Chairman of QCI is appointed by the Prime Minister on recommendation of the industry to the government.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):

• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an autonomous statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

• It is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.

• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is the nodal ministry for this body.

• The headquarters of FSSAI is located in New Delhi.

Pakistan-China Joint Air Exercise ‘Shaheen-IX’ .

The contingents of People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) comprising various aerial platforms, combat pilots, air defence controllers and technical ground crews are participating in the exercise.

The opening ceremony of the exercise was jointly witnessed by Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Operations) Air Vice Marshal Waqas Ahmed Sulehri and Assistant Chief of Staff, PLAAF Major General Sun Hong.

The joint exercise is said to improve the actual level of combat training and strengthen practical cooperation between the two air forces and will provide an opportunity to further enhance interoperability of both the air forces, fortifying brotherly relations between the two countries.

The joint exercise started a week after Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe met with President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan during his visit to the country.

It involve variety of air combat missions, rigorous training missions, near realistic combat scenarios, consolidating inter operability.Shaheen-IX is the ninth in the series of joint air exercises which is conducted each year in both countries on alternate basis. The first training was held in March 2011, in Pakistan, and the last one was held in Northwest China in August, 2019, and had lasted for half a month. The training in 2019 involved some 50 aircrafts and complete combat units.

Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission says more than 100 people have been killed in the latest massacre along ethnic lines in the western part of the country.

 

The attack occurred a day after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the region and spoke about the need to bring those responsible for recent attacks to justice.

Ethnic tensions are a major challenge as Abiy tries to promote national unity in a country with more than 80 ethnic groups.

Amharas are the second most populous ethnic group in Ethiopia. Amharas in the region have been targeted repeatedly in recent weeks.

One rebel attack on Nov. 1 in the far western Oromia region killed at least 54 people, according to Amnesty International.

An attack in the Benishangul-Gumuz region in early October killed at least 14 civilians, according to a security official.

It followed similar deadly attacks in September that also displaced over 300 people, leading the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to say it was deeply alarmed.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Nepal Communist Party’s (NCP) executive chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ was elected as the ruling party’s new parliamentary leader, replacing Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

The 66-year-old leader’s nomination was proposed by senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, who was earlier named as one of the two chairmen of the party, at a parliamentary party meeting of the Prachanda-led faction at the Parliament Building.

Prachanda said that his first priority would be to restore the dissolved House of Representatives and form a new government.

Earlier, the Supreme Court forwarded all the writ petitions against Prime Minister Oli’s move to dissolve Parliament to a Constitutional bench.

 

IND-INDO CORPAT

The 35th edition of India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy has recently been conducted.

IND-INDO CORPAT:

• To reinforce maritime links, the two navies have been carrying out CORPAT along their International Maritime Boundary Line since 2002.

• It aims to ensuring safety and security of shipping and international trade in the region.

• CORPATs build up understanding and interoperability between navies and facilitate institution of measures to prevent and suppress Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy.

Participants in 35th Edition:

• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kulish - an indigenously built missile corvette and P8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) undertook coordinated patrol along with Indonesian ships.

• Significance: The 35th IND-INDO CORPAT will contribute towards the Indian Navy’s efforts to consolidate interoperability and forge strong bonds of friendship across the Indo-Pacific.

Other Military Exercises with Indonesia:

• Samudra Shakti: A bilateral maritime exercise.

• Garuda Shakti: A joint military exercise.

Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Recently, Hawker Culture in Singapore has been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative

List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) that was held online.

Highlights:

 

• It is a living heritage shared by those who prepare hawker food and those who dine and mingle over hawker food in community dining spaces called hawker centres.

• It reflects Singapore’s multicultural identity as a people and nation, and resonates strongly with Singaporeans across all races and social strata.

• UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage:

• This list is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance.

• The list was established in 2008 when the Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage came into effect.

About Intangible Cultural Heritage of India:

• It is recognized by UNESCO. This initiative is also a part of the Vision 2024 of the Ministry of Culture.

• The Ministry of Culture has also launched the draft National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India.

• The National ICH List is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage.

About UNESCO:

• It is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture.

• Its programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.

• It has 193 Members and 11 Associate Members. India joined UNESCO in 1946.

• The USA and Israel formally quit UNESCO, in 2019. It is headquartered in Paris, France.

 

• UNESCO-IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) is leading a global effort to establish ocean-based tsunami warning systems as part of an overall multi-hazard disaster reduction strategy.

• UNESCO-IOC approved the recognition of two communities of Odisha viz., Venkatraipur and Noliasahi as Tsunami Ready Communities.

Green National Highways Corridors Project .

The Centre and the World Bank signed a $500-million project to build safe and green national highway corridors in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, said a release.

The project will also enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in mainstreaming safety and green technologies.

The Green National Highways Corridor Project will support MoRTH to construct 783 km of highways in various geographies by integrating safe and green technology designs such as local and marginal materials, industrial by-products and other bioengineering solutions.

The project will help reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in construction and maintenance of highways.

The $500-million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a maturity of 18.5 years, including a grace period of five years.

New Development Bank (NDB).

Recently, Government has announced a 1 billion USD loan pact with New Development Bank (NDB) to boost rural Employment and Infrastructure.

Highlights:

• The government and the New Development Bank (NDB) signed a loan agreement worth 1 billion USD to help India’s Economic Recovery from Covid-19 by Supporting:

 

✓ Spending on rural infrastructure related to natural resource management (NRM) and

✓ Rural employment generation under MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme).

• The loan has a tenor of 30 years, including a 5-year grace period. The funding comes under NDB’s Policy on fast-track emergency response to Covid-19.

• The loan would specially help migrant workers who have returned from urban areas and have lost their livelihoods due to the pandemic.

• Economic activity slowed down post lockdowns to contain the spread of virus, resulting in loss of employment and income of workers especially those employed in the informal sector, Including Rural Areas.

New Development Bank:

• It is a multilateral development bank jointly founded by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) at the 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil in 2014.

• It was formed to support infrastructure and sustainable development efforts in BRICS and other underserved, emerging economies for faster development through innovation and cutting-edge technology.

• Its ownership structure is unique, as the BRICS countries have an equal share and no country has any veto power.

• It is headquartered at Shanghai, China.

• In 2018, the NDB received observer status in the United Nations General Assembly, establishing a firm basis for active and fruitful cooperation with the United Nations.

• All members of the United Nations could be members of the Bank, however the share of the BRICS nations can never be less than 55% of voting power.

12th (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) GRIHA Summit.

During the recently held GRIHA Summit, the Vice President of India has appealed to the Finance Commissions and local bodies to encourage green buildings through various measures such as Tax Incentives.

12th GRIHA summit:

• Theme: Rejuvenating Resilient Habitats

• Aim: To enable knowledge sharing and encourage the development of green and sustainable habitats across the country.

• There were three e-publications of GRIHA Council launched namely –

✓ 30 Stories Beyond Buildings

✓ Shashwat Magazine

✓ Version 2019 Manual of the Council.

Impact of Covid-19:

• The pandemic has proven how excellent smart infrastructure in our cities can help to respond unpredictable externalities.

• It showed a path for an economic regeneration, safety and child-friendly interventions to ensure a green recovery from Covid-19.

Concept of Green Building:

• A ‘Green’ Building is a building that- in its design, construction or operation- reduces or eliminates negative impacts and can create positive impacts on our climate and natural environment.

Currently, buildings and construction account for 39% of energy-related CO2 emissions in the world.

 

• There is an urgent need to accelerate the process of de-carbonization of the built Environment.

Benefits of Green Building:

• Help preserve precious natural resources

• Provides simple and cost-effective solution that can lower indoor temperatures by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius.

• In India, over 60% of roofs are made from metal, asbestos, and concrete - thus trapping heat inside buildings and contributing to heat island effect in urban areas.

• Improve our quality of life.

• Inspire behavioural change by providing the ecosystem for sustainability and sanitation.

• It will address 9 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Government Initiatives:

Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC):

• ECBC is a flagship initiative of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under Ministry of Power.

• It was developed as a first step towards promoting energy efficiency in the building sector.

• It is expected to overcome market barriers in building energy efficiency.

• The purpose of this is to provide minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design and construction of buildings.

• Provides two additional sets of incremental requirements for buildings to achieve enhanced levels of energy efficiency that go beyond the minimum requirements.

• The National Building Code of India 2016 (NBC) is the reference standard for lighting levels, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), thermal comfort conditions, natural ventilation, and any other building materials and system design criteria addressed in this Code.

Challenge:

• Implementation of the BEE’s ECBC has not been uniform across the nation.

• Global Housing Technology Challenge India (GHTC-India):

• Organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in January 2019.

Aim: To identify and mainstream best available and proven construction technologies that are sustainable, green and disaster-resilient to enable a paradigm shift in housing construction.

Construction Technology Year (2019-2020):

• Six innovative technologies have been selected for constructing 6 Light House Projects (LHPs).

• Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators – India (ASHA-India) initiative:

• Five Incubation Centers have been set up for identifying innovative materials, processes and technology for resource-efficient, resilient and sustainable construction.

Climate-Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0 and 'the Streets for People Challenge’:

• Aim: To make our cities people-centric, pedestrian-friendly and climate-resilient.

Swachh Bharat Mission:

• Swachh Bharat Mission has generated and sustained behavioural change for sanitation and Hygiene in people through programmatic interventions and citizen-led networks.

Smart Cities Mission:

• Smart Cities Mission is working towards integrated and comprehensive development of cities.

• As part of the Covid-19 response, 47 Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCC) created under the Smart Cities Mission are serving as crisis management war rooms helping monitor the on-ground situation while leveraging various technological innovations like geospatial mapping and telemedicine services.

 

 

Ethnomedicine .

Adivasis of Jana village in the Gumla district of Jharkhand are trying to preserve ethnomedicine.

Ethnomedicine is a study or comparison of the traditional medicine practiced by various ethnic groups, andespecially by indigenous peoples.

It is concerned with the cultural interpretations of health, disease and illness and also addresses the healthcare-seeking process and healing practices.

It mostly uses behavioural changes to diagnose and is based on practice of indigenous religion in whichnature is worshipped.

Firefly bird diverter.

The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) along with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) India has come up with a unique initiative a “firefly bird diverter” for overhead power lines in areas where Great Indian Bustard (GIB) populations are found in the wild. GIB is one of the most critically threatened species in India, with less than 150 birds left in the wild.

Key highlights:

A report by the Ministry, submitted to the National Green Tribunal in 2019, pointed out that power lines, especially high-voltage transmission lines with multiple overhead wires, are the most important current threat for GIBs in the Thar region, and are causing unsustainably high mortality in about 15% of their population.

The firefly detectors have been installed along two stretches of approximately 6.5 km, selected between Chacha to Dholiya villages in the Pokhran tehsil after ground surveys and due consultations with the Rajasthan Forest Department.

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A total of 1,813 firefly bird diverters are being installed in this stretch — a model that has been endorsed by experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission’s (SSC) Bustard Specialist Group.

The diverters are called fireflies because they look like fireflies from a distance, shining on power lines in the night.

The selected stretch is opposite the Pokhran Field Firing Range, which offers a safe habitat to a breeding population of GIBs outside the Desert National Park Sanctuary in Jaisalmer.