Comprehensive Current affairs 7 November 2020

Ordinance to amend arbitration law.

The government issued an ordinance to amend the arbitration law to ensure that all stakeholder parties get an opportunity to seek an unconditional stay on enforcement of arbitral awards where the arbitration agreement or contract is "induced by fraud or corruption".

The ordinance which further amends the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 also does away with the 8th Schedule of the Act which contained the necessary qualifications for accreditation of arbitrators.

Key highlights:

The Ordinance aims to ensure that all the stakeholders get an opportunity to seek unconditional stay of enforcement of arbitral awards where the underlying arbitration agreement or contract or making of the arbitral award are induced by fraud or corruption.

 An addition has been made to Section 36 whereby if the Court is satisfied that a prima facie case is made out that the arbitration agreement or contract which is the basis of the award was induced or effected by fraud or corruption, it will stay the award unconditionally pending disposal of the  challenge made to the award under Section 34.

The ordinance also does away with the 8th Schedule of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 which contained the necessary qualifications for accreditation of arbitrators.

The provision will come into effect retrospectively from October 23, 2015, the ordinance states.

Daylight Saving Time (DST).

Clocks in the US will “felt back” an hour signalling the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST).What does this Imply?

• With clocks in the US going back an hour, the time difference between New York and India will increase from the current nine and a half hours to ten and a half hours.

• In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite has happened, where countries have “sprung forward”, and time difference with India has reduced.

What is DST?

• DST is the practise of resetting clocks ahead by an hour in spring, and behind by an hour in autumn (or fall).

• During these months, countries that follow this system get an extra hour of daylight in the evening.

• Because the spring to fall cycle is opposite in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, DST lasts from March to October/November in Europe and the US, and from September/October to April in New Zealand and Australia.

• Dates for this switch, which happens twice a year (in the spring and autumn) are decided beforehand.

 • By law, the 28 member states of the EU switch together — moving forward on the last Sunday of March and falling back on the last Sunday in October.

• In the US, clocks go back on the first Sunday of November.

How Many Countries use DST?

• DST is in practice in some 70 countries, including those in the European Union.

• India does not follow DST; since countries near the Equator do not experience high variations in daytime hours between seasons.

• There is, however, a separate debate around the logic of sticking with an only one-time zone in a country as large as India.

What does this System mean to Achieve?

• The key argument is that DST is meant to Save Energy.

• The rationale behind setting clocks ahead of standard time, usually by 1 hour during springtime, is to ensure that the clocks show a later sunrise and later sunset — in effect a longer evening daytime.

• Individuals will wake an hour earlier than usual, complete their daily work routines an Hour earlier, and have an extra hour of daylight at the end.

UNGA adopts two India sponsored resolutions on Nuclear disarmament.

The first committee of the United Nations General Assembly has adopted two India-sponsored resolutions on nuclear disarmament which aim to reduce risk of nuclear accidents and call for a prohibition on the use of nuclear weapons.

The UNGA first committee deals with the issue of disarmament and works in close cooperation with the United Nations Disarmament Commission and the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, the other two bodies to deal with the nuclear issue.

 The two resolutions adopted include:

Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons and Reducing Nuclear Danger under the Nuclear weapons cluster.The adoption of resolutions shows India’s commitment towards the goal of nuclear disarmament.The aim is that a universal and legally binding agreement would generate the necessary global political will that can lead to the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

The resolution on Reducing Nuclear Danger which was tabled since 1998 puts focus on unintentional or accidental use of nuclear weapons and underscore the need for a review of nuclear doctrines.The resolution asks for concrete steps to reduce such risks, including through de-ing and de-targeting of nuclear weapons.

International Press Institute.

The International Press Institute (IPI) has recently highlighted that the impunity with which crimes against journalists are committed continued to rise as Governments had failed to probe the cases.

Highlights:

• It comes ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists which is celebrated on 2nd November every year.

• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the day in the General Assembly Resolution of December 2013.

• It urged the Member States to implement definite measures countering the culture of impunity. It was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2nd November 2013.

• IPI is a Vienna-based global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists who share a common dedication to quality, independent journalism.

 • To promote and protect press freedom and to improve the practices of journalism, 34 editors from 15 countries gathered at Columbia University and formed the global organization, in 1950.

• The year 2020 marks its 70th anniversary. The original Secretariat was set up in 1951 in Zürich (Switzerland), which was shifted to London in 1976 and then to Vienna in 1992.

• Its objectives are to promote conditions that allow journalism to fulfil its public function,he most important of which is the media’s ability to operate free from interference and without fear of retaliation and to defend media freedom and the free flow of news wherever they are threatened.

Luhri Stage-I Hydro Electric Project.

Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the investment for 210 MW Luhri Stage-I Hydro Electric Project.

It is located on River Satluj in Shimla and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh.

Key Points

It is being implemented by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) on Build-Own-Operate-Maintain (BOOM) basis with active support from Government of India and the State Government.

Government of India is providing grants of Rs. 66.19 crore for enabling infrastructure.

SJVNL has envisaged Internal Growth Targets of total installed capacity from all sources of 5000 MW by 2023, 12000 MW by 2030 and 25000 MW by the year 2040.

Significance:

This project will generate 758.20 million units of electricity annually, which will help in providing grid stability and improve the power supply position.

Besides adding valuable renewable energy to the grid, the project would also lead to a reduction of 6.1 lakh tons of carbon dioxide from the environment annually, thus contributing to an improvement in air quality and less air pollution.

 The construction activities will result in direct and indirect employment and will contribute to the overall socio-economic development of the State.

Himachal Pradesh will benefit with free power worth around Rs. 1140 crore, during the Project Life Cycle of 40 years.

The project affected families will be provided with 100 units of free electricity per month for ten years.

Ephemeral messaging.

‘Ephemeral messaging’ has made its way to WhatsApp.

The Facebook-owned messaging app has officially announced a new feature — ‘disappearing messages’ — to the platform, which will start rolling out to all users globally by this month.

So, what exactly are ‘disappearing messages,’ and why is WhatsApp introducing this feature to the app? We explain below:

What are disappearing messages?

Disappearing messages, as the name suggests, are messages that will disappear or automatically get deleted from a chat after sometime.

The idea of ‘ephemeral’ messages is not new, and WhatsApp is not the first app to offer this. Other encrypted messaging apps like Telegram, Signal, Wire already offer such an option.

Why is WhatsApp introducing this feature?

WhatsApp says this will bring a new level of privacy to the app. In a blogpost, the company said, “When conversations aren’t permanent, people can speak more freely and feel more comfortable being their authentic selves, whether that be their wacky side or being more honest about their feelings.

This is a huge step for WhatsApp as we introduce ephemerality to many people for the first time ever and help them experience a new level of privacy.

 Mansar Lake Development plan .

Mansar Lake Development Plan is getting fulfilled after a long wait of 70 years.

Mansar Lake:

• Situated at about 37 km from Jammu, Mansar is a lake fringed by forest -covered hills, over a mile in length by half-a-mile in width.

• Surinsar-Mansar Lakes are designated as Ramsar Convention in November 2005.

• With all religions belief and heritage behind the Mansar Lake is also picking up its fame among the tourists with all its flora & fauna.

• The lake has cemented path all around with required illumination, with projected view decks to enjoy flickering of seasonal birds, tortoise and fishes of different species.

• There is a wildlife Sanctuary housing jungle life like Spotted Deer, Nilgai etc. besides other water birds such as Cranes, Ducks etc.

Ramsar Convention:

• The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (better known as the Ramsar Convention) is an international agreement promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

• It is the only global treaty to focus on a single ecosystem.

• The convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Traditionally viewed as a wasteland or breeding ground of disease, wetlands actually provide freshwater and food and serve as nature’s shock absorber.

• Wetlands, critical for biodiversity, are disappearing rapidly, with recent estimates showing that 64% or more of the world’s wetlands have vanished since 1900.

 • Major changes in land use for agriculture and grazing, water diversion for dams and canals and infrastructure development are considered to be some of the main causes of loss and degradation of wetlands.

Wildlife Board clears plan for vulture conservation.

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has cleared a plan for conserving vultures.

The new plan has described strategies to stem decline in vulture population,especially of the three Gyps species:

1. Oriental white-backed vulture (Gypsbengalensis).

2. Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris).

3. Long-billedvulture (Gyps indicus).

All three vulture species are listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN.

Key highlights of new plan:

A system to automatically remove a drug from veterinary use if it is found to be toxic to vultures.

A drug named Diclofenac, used to treat cattle, was linked to kidney failure in vultures and a decline in the bird’s population. The drug wasbanned in 2006 but it is reportedly still available for use.

A vulture conservation and breeding centre each at UP, Tripura, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

To establishment of four rescue centres, in Pinjore, Bhopal, Guwahati and Hyderabad.There are currently no dedicated rescue centres for treating vultures.

There would also be a conservation breeding programme for the Red Headed vulture and Egyptian vulture, and at least one Vulture Safe Zone in every State.

A database on emerging threats to vulture conservation, including collision and electrocution, unintentional poisoning, etc.

Comprehensive Current affairs 6 November 2020

Prasar Bharati signs MoU with IT Ministry to launch 51 education TV channels.

India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati entered into an MoU with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to launch 51 direct-to-home (DTH) education TV channels.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Prasar Bharati and Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

About:

Under the MoU, 51 DTH education TV channels will be available as DD co-branded channels to all DD FreeDish viewers.

This move aims to bring quality educational programmes to every household, including those in rural and remote areas.

 The services will be available free of cost for all the viewers 24x7, in line with Government’s commitment towards skill development and providing quality education to the last person in the country.

This initiative will go a long way in achieving Government’s goal of providing education to all.

Six women led startups win COVID-19 Shri Shakti Challenge

Six women led startups have won COVID-19 Shri Shakti Challenge.

• MyGov in collaboration with UN Women, launched this Challenge in April 2020.

•UNWomen is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.

• It was to support and promote women entrepreneurs and women led startups as also solutions byentrepreneurs impacting a large number of women.

• Entrepreneurs and individuals proposing technology solutions in the field Bioinformatics, datasets, Apps fordiagnosis etc that can be leveraged for strengthening the fight against Corona.

US formally exits the Paris climate accord.

The United States formally exited from the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change which is a global deal to take collective actions for saving the world from disastrous consequences of global warming.

More abouts ;

Though the US under President Donald Trump had announced his decision to withdraw from the Agreement in 2017, the formal withdrawal could technically happen only a day after the US presidential election as per the UN climate body’s exit procedures for the deal.

It made the US the first country to withdraw from the Agreement.

With contributing 14% of total carbon emission, the US is currently the second biggest emitter after China (26%). The EU nations collectively contribute to 9% of total emission followed by India at 7%.

Recently, countries such as China, Japan and South Korea had announced their intentions to raise climate action ambition to reach respective ‘net zero targets’, aligning themselves with the EU’s similar plan.

US state of Mississippi got a new flag.

The voters in Mississippi approved a new flag, “The New Magnolia”, featuring a magnolia flower.

•The flag will replace the old one that has been in use for 126 years, and which carried the Confederate battle emblem on it.

•Mississippi is nicknamed the “Magnolia State”, a reference to the magnolia trees that grow there.

Why did Mississippi change its flag?

Mississippi was the last state in the US to have a flag that featured the Confederate battle emblem.

In the wake of the #BlackLivesMatter protests that followed the death of African American George Floyd this May, the state was under pressure to change its flag, with some protesters demanding the removal of statues or monuments that could be perceived as symbols of racism, including some Confederate monuments.

The Confederate States of America or the Confederacy refers to the government of 11 Southern slaveholding states that seceded from the Union in 1860-61 in the American Civil War after they felt threatened by the election of Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln as the US President in 1860.

India-Central Asia Dialogue.

The 2nd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was hosted recently virtually via video conferencing.

 • Countries like Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan joined the Dialogue.

Highlights:

• India extended a $1-billion line of credit to Central Asian countries for priority projects in connectivity, energy, IT and health care.

• The meeting jointly expressed support for the peace negotiations in Afghanistan agreeing on the principle of an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process.

• The countries also condemned terrorism and reaffirmed their determination to destroy terrorist safe havens, networks, and Funding Channels.

India-Central Asia Dialogue:

• India's Connect Central Asia Policy is a broad-based approach, including political, security, economic and cultural connections.

• The dialogue included representatives from five Central Asian countries- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as that of Afghanistan.

• The dialogue focused on varied issues including trade, connectivity and security as well as bringing stability by restoring peace in Afghanistan.

• The first India-Central Asia Dialogue was held in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) in January 2019.

Significance of Central Asia for India:

• Region is a land bridge between East Asia and Europe, between South Asia and Europe and between West Asia and East Asia/Europe.

• The region has economic interests like energy security and opening avenues for consumer Market for India.

SARFAESI Act may be amended to allow ARCs becoming resolution applicants in insolvencies ..

The RBI rejected Aircel’s resolution plan on the grounds that Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) cannot infuse equity in an insolvent company at the resolution stage.

•This brought into focus the conflict between the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and SARFAESI Act on whether an ARC can bid for bank rupt firms or not.

ARC, a registered company under Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, is special type of financial institution that buys the debtors of the bank at a mutually agreed value and attempts to recover the debts or associated securities by itself.

RBI regulates ARCs as Non-Banking Financial Companies. While IBC specifically permits ARCs registered with RBI to act as RAs and submit resolution plans, the Sarfaesi Act is silent on whether such firms can do so.

Resolution applicants (RA) means a person who individually or jointly with any other person, submits a resolution plan to the resolution professional.

Key differences between IBC and SARFAESI Act:

IBC:

It provides a comprehensive legal framework for time-bound insolvency resolution process and liquidation.

IBC’s ambit is wider, as it takes into consideration of all kinds of creditors: both financial and operational; secured and the unsecured.

It is regulated by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs through the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India.

IBC specifically permits ARCs registered with RBI to act as RAs and submit resolution plans.

 SARFAESI Act:

It empowers banks and other financial institutions to directly auction residential or commercial properties that have been pledged with them to recover loans from borrowers.

It empowers secured creditors to enforce their security interest.

It is regulated by the Ministry of Finance and the RBI.

SARFAESI Act is silent on whether such firms can do so.

Deploying backend tech for 5G faces roadblocks.

There could be a delay in the rollout of 5G technology because of differences between most states and the Centre in policies for setting up critical telecom infrastructure.

Some issues faced:

The fee levied by states on companies for installing mobiletowers and laying fibre cables.

States have multiple policies at different levels such asmunicipal, panchayat etc., which creates confusion on theground.

Only 18 states opted for Right of Way (RoW) policy.

To ease development of telecom infrastructure acrossthe country, Union government in 2016 came outwith RoW policy.

It is a framework to set up telecom towers, lay fibrecables, settle disputes in a time-bound mannerand to improve coordination among private firms,states and local bodies.

As India gears up for the launch of 5G services, volume of data traffic is expected to increase further. Therefore, it is necessary that operators deploy fibre across their tower sites.

According to National Digital Communications Policy of 2018, fiberisation of towers across the country needs to be raised to 60% from the current 31% to sustain the increasing demand for 4G data and evolution to 5G technology.

 CPCB flags Pollution Control at Railway Stations.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has “insisted” the Ministry of Railways to devise a modern environmental management plan to control air, water and noise pollution at major Railway Stations.

More abouts:

• The CPCB had called for the formation of a joint committee comprising Railway and State government/local body officials to ensure basic civic amenities and improve environment conditions at Class-I stations.

• The move follows a recent high-level meeting convened by the CPCB involving top officials of the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Development.

• The Railways in turn requested the CPCB to assign due weightage to different components/parameters in the template for environment performance based on rating of railway stations that are currently under review by the CPCB.

• However, the central agency insisted on developing a modern environmental plan to address issues relating to air, water and noise pollution in each of the 720 stations taken up for Assessment across the Country.

Pollution Concerns:

• Poor quality of environment parameters, particularly noise levels, has been an issue of concern at major railway stations.

• Joint inspections conducted by the Central and State pollution control authorities at select stations in the last two years revealed that a majority of them, including the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR Chennai Central railway station and Tiruchi junction in Southern Railway, had not complied with the green norms under various statutory rules of the CPCB.

• These stations had not obtained necessary approvals under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Air Pollution) Act, 1981, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 which was also insisted upon by the National Green Tribunal.

About the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB):

• CPCB is a statutory organisation which was constituted in September, 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

• It was entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

• It serves as a field formation and also provides technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

• Principal Functions of the CPCB, as spelt out in the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

✓ to promote cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the States by prevention, control and abatement of water pollution.

✓ to improve the quality of air and to prevent, control or abate Air Pollution in the Country.

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Comprehensive Current affairs 4 November 2020

NFAI and FFSI Conducts Online Film Appreciation Course in Marathi.

National Film Archive of India is organising 15th edition of Film Appreciation Course in Marathi along with Federation of Film Society of India (FFSI). The course is to be held online for the first time from November 1 to November 7, owing to the COVID Pandemic.

About:

It was established in 1964 in Pune.

It is a media unit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

It aims to trace, acquire and preserve for posterity the heritage of Indian cinema; to classify, document data and undertake research relating to films; to act as a centre for the dissemination of film culture.

 Dashboard

Recently, the CarbonCopy and Respirer Living Sciences, two environmental organisations have released a Dashboard which presents a comparative picture of particulate matter (PM) for 122 Indian cities since 2016.

About the Dashboard:

• It establishes a three-year rolling average trend for PM2.5 and PM10 levels across the cities from 2016 to 2018.

• The State of Global Air 2020 revealed that India had faced the highest exposure to toxic air in the world last year.

• 122 cities are referred to as non-attainment cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

• It is a National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) based dashboard, built on data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (NAAQM) Network which was started in 1984-85 and covers 344 cities/towns in 29 states and 6 UTs.

• Each station records about 104 observations a year covering four pollutants– Sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), suspended particulate matter (SPM), and respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM).

• State pollution control boards and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur carry out the monitoring, and the Union Ministry of

Environment, Forest and Climate Change oversees the operation under the NCAP.

About Particulate Matter:

• It is also called particle pollution, it is a term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air.

 It includes:

✓ PM10: Inhalable Particles, with Diameters that are generally 10 Micrometers and smaller; and

✓ PM2.5: fine Inhalable Particles, with Diameters that are generally 2.5 Micrometers and smaller.

• Some are emitted directly from a source, such as construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks or fires.

• Most particles form in the atmosphere as a result of complex reactions of chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are pollutants emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles.

• Small particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest problems, because they can get deep into the lungs, and some may even get into the bloodstream.

• Particle pollution exposure has been linked to a variety of problems, including irregular heartbeat, aggravated asthma, decreased lung function and increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing.

National Clean Air Programme:

• The Centre had launched the National Clean Air Programme in 2019 to address air pollution in 122 cities. These cities are referred to as non-attainment cities as they did not meet the national ambient air quality standards for the period of 2011-15 under the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme.

Strategic Policy and Facilitation Bureau.

Ministry of AYUSH and M/s Invest India will form a collaboration to set up a strategic policy unit called “Strategic Policy and Facilitation Bureau (SPFB)” to facilitate planned and systematic growth of the Ayush Sector.

This is among the various steps which the Ministry has initiated to chart future directions along which the stake-holding groups of the Ayush Sector can move.

The activities to be undertaken by the SPFB would include:

 Knowledge Creation and Management,

Strategic and Policy-Making Support, State Policy Bench marking: Undertaking State Policy bench marking to formulate uniform guidelines/regulations regarding AYUSH sector in India,

Investment Facilitation: Follow up and facilitation of investment cases and MoUs, and coordination among different Department, organisations and States.

Issue Resolution: Invest India would work with companies and other institutions on issue resolution across States and among various sub-sectors.

Some of the Specific Deliverables of Bureau would include project monitoring for Inter-Ministerial Groups, Skill Development Initiatives, setting up Strategic Intelligence Research Unit and initiating an Innovation Program.

Mission Sagar II.

As part of ‘Mission Sagar-II’, Indian Naval Ship Airavat entered Port Sudan on 02 November 2020.

About:

As part of Mission Sagar-II, Indian Naval Ship Airavat will deliver food aid to Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea.

Mission Sagar-II, is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region ‘SAGAR’ and highlights the importance accorded by India to relations with her maritime neighbours and further strengthens the existing bond.

The Indian Navy is progressing this mission in close coordination with the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs, and other agencies of the Government of India. Phase 1 and 2:

Mission Sagar-II, follows the first ‘Mission Sagar’ undertaken in May-June 2020, wherein India reached out to Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros, and provided food aid and medicines.

 The Government of India is providing assistance to Friendly Foreign Countries to overcome natural calamities and COVID-19 pandemic, and towards the same INS Airavat is carrying a consignment of 100 Tonnes of food aid for the people of Sudan.

Super typhoon Goni blasts into Philippines.

Recently, this typhoon killed 7 people in Philippines.

A typhoon is defined as a tropical cyclone in the western Pacific.

Typhoons generally track in a westward or northern direction, and occur most frequently in a region of thewestern Pacific and east Asia.

Typhoon season lasts from the early summer to early autumn, often coinciding with the monsoon seasonin Southeast Asia and the wet season in eastern Japan.

Hurricane is essentially the same thing as a Typhoons that takes place in the North Atlantic, or central oreastern North Pacific.

Super Typhoon:

Since 2009 the Hong Kong Observatory has divided typhoons into three different classifications: typhoon, severe typhoon and super typhoon.

A typhoon has wind speed of 64–79 knots (73–91 mph; 118–149 km/h), a severe typhoon has winds of at least 80 knots (92 mph; 150 km/h), and a super typhoon has winds of at least 100 knots (120 mph; 190 km/h.

E-way bills.

E-way bills for October clocked 64.1 million, the highest since the introduction of the system more than two years ago.

About:

Union government has announced introduction GST E-way bills from April 1,2018.

 The E-way bill is a document to be generated online under the GST system, when goods of the value of more than Rs.50,000 are shipped inter-State or intra-State.

Key highlights:

The e-invoice system under goods and services tax (GST) was launched on October 1, 2020 for the businesses with aggregate turnover of more than Rs 500 crore in the financial year.

According to NIC, within the first month of introduction itself, more than 495 Lakh e-invoices were generated on the NIC portal by 27,400 tax payers.

Modes of generations of invoice reference number (IRN) in NIC system:

Currently, there are three modes of generations of IRN in NIC system.

First is the direct API interface of ERP system of tax payer with NIC system.

Second is the API interface of ERP system of the tax payer through GSP with NIC system.

Third is using the offline tool for bulk uploading of invoices and generating IRNs.

Around 15% of the tax payers are using the offline tool for the IRN generations and 85% are integrating through API.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopath

It was reported that England World Cup winner Bobby Charlton, regarded England’s greatest, had developed dementia.

About:

Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopath:

 It is a disease that causes severe damage to the brain because of repeated head injuries and is linked to memory loss, depression and dementia.

Former boxers are most commonly diagnosed with it, however, there have been instances of CTE in many other contact sports like pro wrestling, mixed martial arts, ice hockey, rugby, baseball, Australian rules football and, of course, football.

A 2017 research by University College London and Cardiff University pointed to six cases of players in 60s developing dementia having played for an average of 26 years

Four showed signs of CTE adding that the risk was ‘extremely low’ from playing recreational football.

Earth Observation Satellite EOS-01.

Recently, India would launch its latest earth observation satellite EOS-01 and nine international customer satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.

Highlights:

• The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C49) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch these ten satellites on 7th November 2020. It will be PSLV's 51st Mission.

• It is an earth observation satellite and is intended for applications in agriculture, forestry and disaster management support.

• Earth observation satellites are the satellites equipped with remote sensing technology.

Earth observation is the gathering of information about Earth's physical, chemical and biological systems.

• Many earth observation satellites have been employed on sun-synchronous orbit.

• Other earth observation satellites launched by ISRO include RESOURCESAT- 2, 2A, CARTOSAT-1, 2, 2A, 2B, RISAT-1 and 2, OCEANSAT-2, Megha-Tropiques, SARAL and SCATSAT-1, INSAT-3DR, 3D, etc

 • These are being launched as part of a commercial agreement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space.

• NSIL is incorporated in 2019 (under the Companies Act, 2013), is a wholly owned Government of India company, under the administrative control of Department of Space (DOS).

• NSIL is the commercial arm of ISRO with the primary responsibility of enabling Indian industries to take up high technology space related activities and is also responsible for promotion and commercial exploitation of the products and services emanating from the Indian space programme.

The Major Business Areas of the NSIL Include:

✓ Production of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) through industry.

✓ Production and marketing of space-based services, including launch services and space-based applications like transponder leasing, remote sensing and mission support services.

✓ Building of Satellites (both Communication and Earth Observation) as per user requirements.

✓ Transfer of technology developed by ISRO centres/ units and constituent institutions of Dept. of Space.

✓ Marketing spin off technologies and products/ services emanating out of ISRO activities.

✓ Consultancy services.

• The Government of India has created the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), an independent nodal agency under the Department of Space, to provide a boost to the private sector participating in space-related activities or using India’s space resources.

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle:

• India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is the third generation launch vehicle.

 • It is the first launch vehicle which is equipped with Liquid Stages.

• Its first Successful Launch was in October 1994. PSLV was used for two of the most important missions. These are Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013.

• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark II and GSLV MkIII are other two launch vehicles.

• GSLV Mk II is the largest launch vehicle developed by India, which is currently in operation. This fourth generation launch vehicle is a three stage vehicle with four liquid strap-ons. The indigenously developed cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), which is flight proven, forms the third stage of GSLV Mk II.

• GSLV MkIII, chosen to launch Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, is a three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle developed by ISRO. The vehicle has two solid strap-ons, a core liquid booster and a cryogenic upper stage.

• GSLV Mk III is designed to carry a 4 ton class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer

Orbit (GTO) or about 10 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which is about twice the capability of the GSLV Mk II.