Comprehensive Current affairs 26 June 2020

Indian Navy inducted indigenously developed Torpedo Decoy System.

Indian Navy (IN) has inducted indigenously developed Torpedo Decoy System on 26 June 2020. The Advanced Torpedo Decoy System Maareech was designed and developed DRDO labs, Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), and Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL).

Torpedo Decoy System:

·         Anti-Submarine Warfare capability of the Indian Navy has received a major boost with the conclusion of a contract for Advanced Torpedo Decoy System Maareech capable of being fired from all frontline warships.

·         Bharat Electronics Limited, a Defence PSU, will undertake the production of this decoy system.

·          The prototype of the system was installed onboard and a nominated naval platform had successfully completed all user evaluation trials and demonstrated the features as per the Naval Staff Qualification Requirements.

·          The induction is the joint resolution of the Indian Navy and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) towards the indigenous development of Defence technology.

·          This has given a major fillip to the Government's 'Make in India' initiative and the country's resolve to become 'Atmanirbhar' in niche technology.

Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated Battery Swapping Facility Quick Interchange Service in Chandigarh.

Battery Swapping Facility Quick Interchange Service (QIS) was inaugurated at Chandigarh jointly by V P Singh Badnore, Governor of Punjab-cum-Administrator, UT, Chandigarh, alongwith the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.

Highlights:

·         Battery swapping technology will offer the best alternative to slow charging.

·          The facility will help the drivers to make optimum use of the operational hours.

·          The battery swapping model is initially targeted at the commercial segment, that is, electric autos, rickshaws, and electric 2W also and the electric vehicle (EV) which is either factory fitted or retrofitted.

·          Indian Oil has signed a non- binding Strategic cooperation document with M/s Sun Mobility to explore setting up of Energy infrastructure for EV through the Battery Swapping model across Indian Oil Retail outlets in select cities.

·          Indian Oil will run a Pilot and offering Smart Mobility Proprietary Solutions (SMPLs) to support and service vehicles comprising of e-rickshaws, e-karts, and e-bikes, and e-auto rickshaws up to 20 to 25 quick interchange stations in select cities across India.

·          The QIS will play a pivotal role in providing an alternative energy solution to the 3-wheeler segment and boosting India’s economic growth.

·          The initiative might bring a reform in the energy sector moving towards carbon-neutral culture.

NCPOR warns about the decline in the Arctic sea ice.

The National Centre of Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) has warned about the decline in the Arctic sea ice. The dramatic decline in the Arctic sea ice is due to global warming. The loss of sea ice led to a localized increase in evaporation, air humidity, cloud cover, and rainfall.

Highlights:

·         It is well known that Arctic sea ice is a sensitive indicator of climate change and has strong retaliatory effects on other components of the climate system.

·          NCPOR observed that the largest decline in Arctic sea ice in the past 41 years happened in July 2019.

·          It stated that, in the last 40 years (1979-2018), the sea ice has been declining at a rate of -4.7% per decade, while its rate was found to be -13% in July 2019.

·          It warned that, if this trend continues, there would be no ice left in the Arctic sea by 2050, which would be dangerous for humanity and the entire environment.

·          The study also stated that the decline of the Arctic sea ice area and the increase in the duration of summer and autumn seasons have affected the local climate & weather over the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas.

·          The report also highlighted that the loss of sea-ice at this rate will have a catastrophic impact due to rising global air temperature and slowing down of global ocean water circulation.

 KVIC launched Sandalwood and Bamboo plantation to stir up monetization of its assets.

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched Sandalwood and Bamboo plantation to spur monetization of its assets. The first of its kind initiative began with a drive with plantation of 500 saplings each of sandalwood and bamboo at its Nashik training center spread over 262 acres of land. The plantation ceremony was launched through video-conference by KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena.

Highlights:

·         KVIC has procured sandalwood saplings from Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC) Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, and Bamboo saplings from Assam.

·          The plantation of the Sandalwood was aimed to create an asset for the KVIC.

·          It has been estimated to fetch between Rs.50 crore to Rs.60 crore in the next 10 to 15 years.

·          A sandalwood tree matures in 10-15 years and as per the current rate, sells at Rs.10 lakh to Rs.12 lakh each.

·          Sandalwood trees have high potential in the export market. Sandalwood and its oil have high demand in many countries like China, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, and the US. This will create a great opportunity for India to increase sandalwood plantation and occupy the position of a global leader in sandalwood production.

·          Also, a special variety of bamboo, Bambusa Tulda, was brought from Assam and planted in Maharashtra. This kind of bamboo is used for making Agarbatti sticks. The aim is to support the local Agarbatti industry and to create regular income for the training center.

Cabinet approves extension of OBC panel.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a six-month extension to the commission appointed to examine sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes.

Headed by retired Delhi High Court Chief Justice G. Rohini, the commission will now have till January 31, 2021, to submit its report, the government said in a statement.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had decided to give the extension. He said the work of the commission was ongoing but had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statement said the commission was looking into the issues of communities that were not getting the benefits of reservation.

Mr. Javadekar said, for instance, certain castes were left out of the ambit because of a difference in the spelling in a State. He said the commission would address such “anomalies”.

“The commission has come to the view that it would require some more time to submit its report since the repetitions, ambiguities, inconsistencies and errors of spelling or transcription, etc. appearing in the existing Central List of OBCs need to be cleared.

CAG report finds around 6500cr as unspent money in labour fund.

Enquiries have revealed that two dozen states had Rs 6,707 crore of unspent money as on March 31, 2019, from a cess collected from employers of construction workers registered with them. The cess was collected by states under two central laws that were enacted in 1996 for the welfare of construction workers.

States have been spending only a meagre amount of this every year and much of it is still lying with them even as they are looking for funds, including from the Centre, to take care of migrant labours rendered jobless by the lockdown, government sources told on condition of anonymity.

Many of the labourers who had returned to their native states since March were engaged in construction projects.

India expresses concern over instability in Libya.

India has said the continuing conflict and instability in Libya is a matter of international concern.

In response to media query on recent developments in Libya, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said New Delhi supports efforts towards immediate cessation of all hostilities in Libya.

He said, India acknowledges the recent international efforts in this direction, including the Berlin International Conference held on 19th January and the Cairo Declaration of 6th June.

He said, country hopes that these initiatives will promote the peaceful resolution of the conflict through an intra-Libyan dialogue taking into account the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people, while preserving Libya’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

Gravel geometry of the Indus river unravel its paleoclimatic history.

Researchers from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, have traced the paleoclimatic history of the Indus River in Ladakh Himalaya. It was traced with the help of geometric data from overlapping gravels of channel fills.

Highlights:

·         The researchers studied the discharge during periods in which the river experienced an increase in land elevation, due to the deposition of sediment and its incision.

·          River Terraces are part of valley-wide aggradations, which has been studied extensively in Himalaya to understand the processes driving such a periodic increase in river valley land elevation and incision.

·          The researchers studied the discharge during periods of established river aggradation and incision of the Indus River, Ladakh Himalaya over late Quaternary.

·          The researchers used the geometric data from overlapping gravels of channel fills to calculate paleo discharges during net river aggradation at 47–23 ka (thousand years), and preserved slack water deposits (SWDs) at 14–10 ka to constrain paleo discharges that occurred during net river incision.

·         The researchers also observed that the aggradation in the Himalayan rivers occurred in glacial-interglacial transient warm climatic conditions (33–21 ka and 17–14 ka) when the sediment budget in the rivers increased just after the glacial events.

·          The recent study showed that aggradation took place in the Indus River when sediment to water ratio was higher during MIS-3 (Marine isotope stages (MIS).

·          Marine oxygen-isotope stages are alternating warm and cool periods in the Earth's paleoclimate, deduced from oxygen isotope data reflecting changes in temperature derived from data from deep-sea core samples) and incision initiated when sediment to water ratio reduced during post-glacial climatically wet phase (early Holocene).

Financing for Compressed Bio-Gas plants to be brought under PSL.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has stated that the financing for Compressed .Bio-Gas plants to be brought under Priority Sector Lending.

Highlights:

·         The Government is in the process of including Compressed Bio-Gas under Priority Sector Lending.

·          Initiative will help in providing environment friendly gaseous fuel from natural sources and provide ease in the financing of CBG Plants

·         The Central Financial Assistance or Subsidy for setting up CBG plants has been extended to 2020-21 to promote new projects.

·         Bio-manure, an important by-product of CBG Plants, is also in the process of being included in Fertilizer Control Order 1985.

·          This will make it easier to market and provide an opportunity for organic farming across the country as the 5000 CBG Plants are expected to produce 50 MMT Bio-manure.

SATAT Scheme:

·          The ‘SATAT’ (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) scheme on CBG was launched in October 2018.

·          It is aimed at promoting Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) as an alternative, green transport fuel for efficient management of biomass and organic waste.

·          The CBG produced under SATAT can be sold to automobiles as clean fuel, and to domestic, industrial and commercial consumers which are using LPG and other fuels.

·          It envisages targeting production of 15 MMT of CBG from 5000 plants by 2023.

·          Oil Marketing Companies have been offered long term pricing on CBG to make projects
bankable and have agreed to execute long term agreements on CBG.

Biogas:

·          Biogas is a renewable, as well as a clean, source of energy.

·          The gas generated through bio-digestion is non-polluting and it reduces greenhouse emissions.

·          After purification, it is compressed and called CBG, which has pure methane content of over 95%.

·          Compressed Bio-Gas is exactly similar to the commercially available natural gas in its composition and energy potential.

·          With calorific value (~52,000 KJ/kg) and other properties similar to CNG, Compressed Bio-Gas can be used as an alternative, renewable Automotive Fuel.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)

Recently, India has announced contributing 10 million US dollar to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) over the coming two years.

About:

·         It is established in 1949, following the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. In the absence of a solution to the Palestine refugee problem, the General Assembly has repeatedly renewed
UNRWA's mandate.

·         It is to support Palestinian refugees, and their patrilineal descendants, who fled or were expelled from their homes during the 1948 Palestine war and 1967 Six Day war.

·          It provides education, health care, and social services to the population it supports.

·        Its aid is provided in five areas of operation in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The Aid for Palestinian refugees outside these five areas is provided by UNHCR.

·          It is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN Member States. It also
receives some funding from the Regular Budget of the United Nations. 

Centre is going to bring cooperative banks under RBI’s supervision.

To protect depositors, the Centre has decided to bring all urban and multi-State cooperative banks under the supervision of the RBI. The Union Cabinet approved an ordinance to this effect on Wednesday.
Currently, these banks come under dual regulation of the RBI and the Registrar of Co-operative Societies.

The move to bring these urban and multi-State coop. banks under the supervision of the RBI comes after several instances of fraud and serious financial irregularities, including the major scam at the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank last year. In September, the RBI was forced to supercede the PMC Bank’s board and impose strict restrictions.

The Cabinet also approved a scheme to provide interest subvention of 2% for a 12-month period to small borrowers with loans up to ₹50,000 under the Shishu category of the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana. This relief had been announced as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package last month.