Current Issues (October - November 2019)

ACE Engineering Publications (A Sister Concern of ACE Engineering Academy, Hyderabad)

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Authors: Subject experts of ACE Engineering Academy, Hyderabad

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ECONOMY

1. BHIM UPI goes International: BHIM app has gone international with a pilot demo of BHIM UPI QR- based payments beginning at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2019. This QR code-based system would allow anyone with a BHIM app to scan the SGQR at NETS terminals for payments in Singapore.The project is being jointly developed by NPCI and NETS of Singapore. It is targeted to go live by Feb 2020.

2. ECONOMY REVIVAL MEASURES : Recently, various measures were announced to revive the economy. 1. Monetary Policy Measures: Repo rate cut - Repo rate has been brought down to 5.4% to spur credit growth 2. Monetary Policy Transmission: Linking floating rate loans extended to both retail consumers as well as MSMEs to external benchmarks (e.g. repo rates, yield on 3/6 months treasury bill) to improve monetary policy transmission 3. Higher flow of funds to NBFC sector: RBI relaxed liquidity norms to allow more lending to non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) by banks 4. Measures to boost exports, housing sector, manufacturing sector Impact of the reforms  Improve private investment: Tax cuts, by putting more money in the hands of the private sector, can offer people more incentive to produce and contribute to the economy, which, in turn, will create employment.  Helps to attract investors: A cut in corporate taxation rate will put India at parity with East Asian economies and will make India more competitive on the global stage  Boost consumer demand: With lower tax rates in place, the firms may cut prices in order to attract consumers, which in turn will boost consumer demand  Increase in fiscal capacity: The reforms have the potential to revive the economy, help boost tax collections and compensate for the loss of revenue.

3. PRADHAN MANTRI KISAN MANDHAN YOJANA (PM-KMY) : PM-KMY is an old age pension scheme for all land holding Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) in the country with a view to provide social security net as they have minimal or no savings to provide for old age and to support them in the event of consequent loss of livelihood.  It is a voluntary and contribution-based pension scheme for farmers in the entry age group of 18 to 40 years and a monthly pension of Rs. 3000 will be provided to them on attaining the age of 60 years.  The beneficiary is required to contribute Rs 100 per month in the pension fund at median entry age of 29 years, with matching contribution of Rs 100 by the Central Government.

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 The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) will be the Pension Fund Manager and responsible for Pension pay out.  In case of death of the farmer before retirement date, the spouse may continue in the scheme by paying the remaining contributions till the remaining age of the deceased farmer.  If the farmer dies after the retirement date, the spouse will receive 50% of the pension as Family Pension. After the death of both the farmer and the spouse, the accumulated corpus shall be credited back to the Pension Fund.

4. URBAN COOPERATIVE BANKS (UCB)  Recently, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed restrictions on withdrawals from the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank, one of the largest urban cooperative lenders.  Bank was put under regulatory restriction under Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, for a period of six months due to irregularities like fraudulent loans, excessive lending to Housing Development & Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL) etc. The bank has been barred from granting, renewing and loans and advances, make any investments and accept fresh deposits, without the prior written approval from the RBI.  The financial robustness of UCBs has been assessed through CAMELS (capital adequacy; asset quality; management; earnings; liquidity; and systems and control) ratings. • With many of these banks failing, and the RBI encouraged weak ones to merge, the number of UCBs operating in India has shrunk from 1,926 in 2005 to 1,551 by 2018. About Urban Cooperative Banks (UCB)  These banks were born out of the concept of cooperative credit societies where members from a community band together to extend loans to each other, at favourable terms. Broadly, co-operative banks in India are divided into two categories - urban and rural

5. BHARAT -22 ETF Recently, fourth tranche also known as Further Fund Offer-2 (FFO-2) of Bharat 22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) was launched.  An ETF is a security that tracks an index, a commodity or a basket of assets like an index fund, but trades like a stock on an exchange.  The Bharat 22 ETF invests in 22 stocks of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE), Public Sector Banks and private companies which are Strategic Holding of Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India (SUUTI).  It is the second ETF from Govt. of India after CPSE ETF which comprises only state-run companies as its constituents.  Proceeds from the ETF will help the government meet its disinvestment target of Rs 1.05 lakh crore for the current financial year.

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6. PRIVATE PLAYERS IN RAILWAYS India’s first private train, Tejas Express, was recently flagged off on the Lucknow-Delhi-Lucknow corridor. Indian Railways’ commercial tourism and catering arm, IRCTC has been given the task of operating two premium trains as a private entity. 2nd private train will soon be run on the Mumbai- Ahmedabad-Mumbai sector. • Additionally, the Government is in the process of forming a task force to draw a blueprint for handing over operations of 150 trains and 50 railway stations to private operators. Current status of FDI in Indian Railways  100% FDI is allowed under automatic route in most of areas of railway like high speed trains, railway electrification, passenger terminal, mass rapid transport systems, railway infrastructure etc.  However, FDI are not allowed in train operations due to safety concerns.

7. STRATEGIC DISINVESTMENT  The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister approved the new Strategic Disinvestment policy under which the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) under the Ministry of Finance has been made the nodal department for the strategic stake sale. DIPAM and NITI Aayog will now jointly identify PSUs for strategic disinvestment Strategic Sale.  The Disinvestment commission defines Strategic Sale as, “The sale of substantial portion of the Government shareholding of a central public sector enterprise (CPSE) of upto 50%, or such higher percentage as the competent authority may determine, along with transfer of management control”. Unlike the simple disinvestment, Strategic sale implies some sort of privatization

8. CONTRACT FARMING It involves agricultural production (including livestock and poultry) being carried out on the basis of a preharvest agreement (or forward contracts) between the buyers (such as food processing units and exporters) and producers (farmers or farmer organisations). Tamil Nadu has become the first State to enact a law on contract farming based on the lines of Model Contract Farming Act, 2018 of the Central Government. Model Contract Farming Act, 2018  The act lays special emphasis on protecting the interests of the farmers, considering them as weaker of the two parties entering into a contract.  It ensures buying of entire pre-agreed quantity from producer at fixed pre-agreed price and quality standards as per the contract.  It includes all categories of agronomic and horticulture crops, livestock, dairy, poultry and fishery.  All services in the agriculture value chain, including pre-production, production (including extension services) and post-production services, are under its ambit.

ACE Engineering Publications Hyderabad • Delhi • Pune • Bhubaneswar • Bengaluru • Chennai • Vijayawada • Vizag • Tirupati • Kolkata • Ahmedabad 4 Oct. – Nov. - 2019

9. NOBEL PRIZE IN ECONOMICS Indian-American economist Abhijit Banerjee has won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics, along with Esther Duflo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Michael Kremer of Harvard University “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.”

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS & ISSUES

1. QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) : QUAD is an informal but increasingly being formalised, strategic dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia and India for a free and open Indo-Pacific relation. The meeting was held at the foreign minister's level for the first time on the side-lines of the UN General Assembly. Objective of the QUAD Ministerial Meeting  To develop a mechanism that complements and supplements, to promote the free and open Indo-Pacific close cooperation to counter terrorism, mentoring, assistance in disaster relief, airtime security, cooperation, development, finance and cyber security efforts.

2. ATTACK ON SAUDIA ARABIA’S OIL FACILITIES: Recently, a drone strike was on Saudi’s oil processing plant at Abqaiq and the country’s second-largest oil field at Khurais, in the Eastern Province north of Riyadh. These facilities were owned by Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company. This has led to volatility in oil prices, which has been further, accentuated the situation for India after the recent US sanctions on Iran. Implications on India:  Adverse impact on economic growth- due to high oil prices.  Widening of the current account deficit. It further leads to weakening of rupee, which ultimately squeeze the government’s ability to spend on social sector schemes or sops to revive the economy.  India viewed Saudi Arabia amongst safest suppliers in world. With this sophisticated attack India have now realised that their facilities are vulnerable.  The refineries in India like Reliance petroleum, Bharat petroleum, or other public sector refineries take oil from Saudi Arabia and as Saudi Arabia assured India that India’s needs will be met hence there will not be any major disruptions for short term.  But for long term it could hamper oil supply of India because of complex geopolitics over the region.

3. INDIA-CHINA INFORMAL SUMMIT : The second informal summit between India and China took place in Mamallapuram (Tamil Nadu). : It is important for India to engage China. And the informal summitry of this kind allows India to stand on par with its much more powerful neighbor and discuss issues in a setting where there is no pressure of deliverables. Moreover, it further helps to control the latest escalations in the diplomatic relations with China.

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Key Takeaways of Mamallapuram Summit:  Both countries agreed to establish a High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue mechanism with the objective of achieving enhanced trade and commercial relations, as well as to better balance the trade between the two countries. It seeks to build a 'manufacturing partnership' between India and China.  To celebrate the 70th year of diplomatic relations between the two nations, the year 2020 will be designated as Year of India-China Cultural and People to People Exchanges. To celebrate the civilisation ties between the nations, it was decided to form a 'Sister-state relationship' between Tamil Nadu and Fujian Province. The summit acknowledged that India and China were not 'adversaries' but two large economic powers open to a healthy competition in a multipolar world.

4. Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) : Recently, India decided not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. RCEP was Free Trade Agreement (FTA) involving 16 countries, including the 10 ASEAN countries and China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India. Now, 15 other countries excluding India are set to enter into the trade agreement in February 2020. India had been raising the issue of market access as well as protected lists of goods mainly to shield its domestic market as there have been fears that the country may be flooded with cheap Chinese agricultural and industrial products once it signs the deal. Joining RCEP would have meant incurring a greater trade deficit with China which has great competence in the manufacturing sector. Various sectors like agriculture, dairy, solar industry, seeds, garments, etc have protested against the deal. Now, decision will ensure support to India’s farmers, MSME sector, dairy and manufacturing sectors, among others.

5. BRICS : Recently 11th BRICS Summit was held in Brasilia, Brazil with the theme "Economic Growth for an Innovative Future.” Some Facts:  A British economist Jim O’Neill had coined the acronym “BRIC” in 2001, identifying four high growth economies that could dominate the world by 2050.  The idea of forming a group, to translate this economic potential into political influence, came from Russia in 2007.  Russia hosted a BRIC foreign ministers’ meeting in 2008 and the first BRIC summit in 2009.  Later in 2010, South Africa became the 5th member of the grouping making it BRICS

6. WTO RULING AGAINST INDIAN SUBSIDIES : World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute settlement panel recently ruled against India in a trade dispute over its subsidies to exporters under various schemes, stating that the subsidies given are not compliant with the WTO’s norms.  US alleged that India violated certain provisions of WTO’s Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) Agreement that prohibits subsidies that are contingent upon export performance.

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 According to the Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) provisions in the WTO’s Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, when a member’s per capita gross national income (GNI) exceeds $1,000 per annum (at the 1990 exchange rate) for a third straight year, it has to withdraw its export subsidies.

INDICES

1. EASE OF DOING BUSINESS REPORT 2020 : India has made a substantial leap upward, raising its ease of doing business ranking from 130 in 2016 to 63 in Doing Business 2020. India adopted the Doing Business indicators as a core component of reform strategies. The report analyses regulation that encourages efficiency and supports freedom to do business and is analysed based on the following parameters: 1. Starting a business 2. Dealing with construction permits 3. Getting Electricity 4. Registering Property 5. Getting Credit 6. Protecting Minority Investors 7. Paying Taxes 8. Trading across borders 9. Enforcing Contracts 10. Resolving Insolvency

2. GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 2019 : The Global Competitiveness Report 2019 which features the Global Competitiveness Index 4.0 (GCI 4.0) was released recently by World Economic Forum. Ranking: Singapore has overtaken the U.S. to become the most competitive nation in the world. In South Asia, India (68) is followed by Sri Lanka (84), Bangladesh (105), Nepal (108) and Pakistan (110). China’s position remained unchanged from last year’s survey at 28.

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ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE

1. POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS : Recently, various states have been working to renegotiate the Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with the renewable energy companies. A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is a contract between two parties, one who generates electricity and one who is looking to purchase electricity. These define all of the commercial terms for the sale of electricity between the two parties, including when the project will begin commercial operation, schedule for delivery of electricity, penalties for under delivery, payment terms, and termination. In India, the state governments have entered into such agreements with private renewable energy companies to establish the power plant and sell the power back to the government. With PPAs in place, India can boost renewable energy generation in the country and incentivise the global renewable energy companies to invest by giving them policy certainty about purchase of power.

2. PRAKASH PORTAL : Recently, the Union Government jointly launched PRAKASH (Power Rail Koyla Availability through Supply Harmony) portal. The Portal is designed to help in mapping and monitoring entire coal supply chain for power plants.  Coal Stock at supply end (mines)  Coal quantity /rakes planned  Coal quantity in transit  Coal availability at power generating station. The Portal aims at bringing better coordination for coal supplies among all stakeholders - Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal, Coal India, Railways and power utilities. This is an important step in ensuring adequate availability and optimum utilization of coal at thermal power plants. The Portal is developed by NTPC and sources data from different stakeholders such as Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS) and coal companies.

3. National Waterway -2: First ever movement of container cargo on Brahmaputra (National Waterway -2) begins. The journey of a container took place between Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) terminal at Pandu in Guwahati. The 12-15 days voyage will be an integrated IWT movement via National Waterway-1 (river Ganga), NW-97 (Sunderbans), Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route and NW-2 (river Brahmaputra). National Waterway - 2 is a section of the Brahmaputra River having a length of 891 km between the Bangladesh border near Dhubri and Sadiya in Assam.

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4. ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM ROADMAP : India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) has prepared a report titled “Energy Storage System (ESS) Roadmap” for India for the period 2019 to 2032.  Energy storage systems are technology or system, in which electric energy is loaded in and, by necessity, can lately be discharged into the network.  The report estimates the investments in energy storage systems for e-Mobility, telecom towers, data centres, replacement of diesel generators and integration of variable renewable energy (VRE) into the grid leading to a reliable and low carbon grid in India. Objectives of the roadmap are  Comprehensive analysis of the distribution grid level issues and to address them by enhancing grid flexibility through ESS.  To help India meet its emission reduction targets in Paris agreement. ✓ Reducing emission intensity up to 33-35% from the 2005 level by 2030 ✓ 40% non-fossil fuel-based electricity generation in the energy mix by 2030. ✓ To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030  Avoid import dependency for battery packs and cells

INDUSTRY

1. Steel scrap recycling policy  In a bid to ensure quality scrap for the steel industry, the government has come out with a Steel Scrap Recycling Policy that aims to reduce imports, conserve resources and save energy.  The policy resulted from the Indian government’s National Steel Policy of 2017, in which the country is expected to have 300 million mt/year of steel production capacity by 2030.  It envisages a framework to facilitate and promote establishment of metal scrapping centres in India, which will ensure scientific processing and recycling of ferrous scrap generated from various sources and a variety of products.  The policy is based on “6Rs principles of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Redesign and Remanufacture through scientific handling, processing and disposal of all types of recyclable scraps including non- ferrous scraps, through authorized centers / facility”.

2. National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020  As part of the NEMMP 2020, Scheme named Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) was launched in the year 2015 to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle technology and to ensure sustainable growth of the same.

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 The Phase-I of this Scheme (FAME I) was initially launched for a period of 2 years and was implemented through four focus areas: (i) Demand Creation, (ii) Technology Platform, (iii) Pilot Project and (iv) Charging Infrastructure.  FAME II : It was launched in March 2019 for a period of 3 years. The main objective of the scheme is to encourage faster adoption of electric and hybrid vehicle by way of offering upfront incentive on purchase of electric vehicles and also by establishing the necessary charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

3. CODE ON INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS BILL The labour ministry has decided to amalgamate 44 labour laws into four codes –  Codes on Wages  Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions  Code on Social Security  Industrial Relations Code It aims to create greater labour market flexibility and discipline in labour to improve upon ease of doing business and also to encourage entrepreneurs to engage in labour intensive sectors.

POLITY

1. AYODHYA VERDICT  A bench led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi delivered the Ayodhya verdict alongside CJI designate S.A. Bobde, and Justices D.Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S.A. Nazeer. The verdict was unanimous. The verdict:  The Hindus would get the entire disputed 2.77 acres in Ayodhya where the demolished Babri Masjid once stood. Possession of disputed 2.77 acre land will remain with Central government receiver.  The Muslims will get alternate five acres of land either in the surplus 67 acres acquired in and around the disputed structure by the central government or any other “prominent” place.  A trust will be formed in 3 months to build a temple on the disputed land.  The Supreme Court, implicitly referring to the demolition of the Babri Masjid at the disputed site, said that it was invoking Article 142 “to ensure that a wrong committed must be remedied”.

2. INTERNET AS BASIC RIGHT : Recently, in Faheema Shirin v. State of Kerala, the Kerala High Court declared the right to Internet access as a fundamental right. While the Kerala High Court judgment acknowledges the role of the right to access Internet in accessing other fundamental rights, it is imperative that the right to Internet access and digital literacy be recognised as a right in itself.

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 In this framework the state would have:  A positive obligation to create infrastructure for a minimum standard and quality of Internet access as well as capacity-building measures which would allow all citizens to be digitally literate and o A negative obligation prohibiting it from engaging in conduct that impedes, obstructs or violates such a right. Right to Internet as human right  The right to Internet access is the view that all people must be able to access the Internet in order to exercise and enjoy their rights to freedom of expression and opinion and other fundamental human rights.  The United Nations Human Rights Commission has passed a non-binding resolution that effectively makes internet access a basic human right to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020.

3. Merging of Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli : The merger of the two UTs, located along the western coast near Gujarat, will be done for better administration and check duplications of various works. At present, the country currently has nine UTs after the creation of the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. However, with the merger of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, the number of UTs will come down to eight. ENVIRONMENT

1. Zero Carbon Law: New Zealand has passed Zero Carbon bill which aims to make the country reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to the point the country becomes mostly carbon neutral by 2050. The bill requires all greenhouse gases except methane from animals to be reduced to net zero by 2050. Methane emissions would be reduced by 10% by 2030 and by between about one-quarter and one-half by 2050.

2. C40 World Mayors’ Summit : The C40 World Mayors’ Summit was held recently in Copenhagen, Denmark. C40 is a network of the world’s megacities, started in 2005, representing 700+ million citizens and one quarter of the global economy to collaborate effectively, share knowledge and drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action on climate change. Six Indian cities are currently members of C40: Bengaluru; Chennai; Delhi NCT; Jaipur; Kolkata and Mumbai.

3. India’s First E-Waste Clinic : Recently, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have signed an agreement to set up the country’s first e-waste clinic in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. It would enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste from both household and commercial units. The clinic is a three-month pilot project. If it would be a success, then the same would be replicated throughout the country. Electronic waste will be collected door-to-door or could be deposited directly at the clinic in exchange for a fee. The hazardous waste will be sent to Bengaluru for recycling. The clinic is being conceived in compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

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4. Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) Initiative : SATAT initiative has the potential of addressing environmental problems arising from stubble burning. Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plants are proposed to be set up mainly through independent entrepreneurs. CBG produced at these plants will be transported through cascades of cylinders to the fuel station networks of OMCs for marketing as a green transport fuel alternative. The entrepreneurs would be able to separately market the other by-products from these plants, including bio-manure, carbon-dioxide, etc., to enhance returns on investment. This initiative is expected to generate direct employment for 75,000 people and produce 50 million tonnes of bio-manure for crops.

5. EU declares climate emergency : European Union (EU) has become the first multilateral bloc to declare climate emergency. A resolution in this regard was recently passed.The symbolic move is expected to pressurise countries to act ahead of the United Nations summit on climate change that starts on December 2 in Spain. The resolution will have more symbolic effect than practical impact, and is designed to pressure EU governments to adopt a commitment for the entire EU to reduce emissions to net zero. Similar climate emergency declarations have already been made in several EU member states, including Spain, France and the United Kingdom. Outside Europe only Canada, Argentina and Bangladesh have declared a climate emergency.

6. E-FLOW NORMS FOR RIVER GANGA : The e-flow norms notified by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) are to be enforced from December, 2019. Environmental Flow refers to the minimum flow of water considered necessary for protecting the structure and function of an ecosystem and its dependent species.  ‘Namami Gange Programme’, is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.  The Vision for Ganga Rejuvenation constitutes restoring the wholesomeness of the river defined in terms of ensuring  “Aviral Dhara” (Continuous Flow”)  “Nirmal Dhara” (“Unpolluted Flow”), o Geologic and ecological integrity.

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TECHNOLOGY & DIGITAL INITIATIVES

1. Cyber Security in India : Mechanism set up for cyber security in India  National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC): It focuses specific responsibilities for protecting all Critical Information Infrastructure (CII).  Computer Emergency Response Team - India (CERT-IN): It is responsible for all non-critical systems and for collecting reports on all cyber attacks.  National Cyber coordination Centre (NCCC): To scan internet traffic coming into the country and provide real time situational awareness and alert various security agencies.  Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) is defined as “those facilities, systems or functions whose incapacity or destruction would cause a debilitating impact on national security, governance, economy and social well-being of a nation” The critical sectors covered under CII are: ✓ Power & Energy like Thermal Power, Hydroelectric Power, Nuclear Power etc. ✓ Banking, Financial Institutions & Insurance like RBI, Stock Exchanges, Payment getaways etc. ✓ Information and Communication Technology like Satellite Communication, broadcasting etc. ✓ Transportation like Civil Aviation, Railways & Shipping ✓ E-governance and Strategic Public Enterprises

2. EDGE COMPUTING :  According to a research, by 2025 companies will generate and process more than 75% of their data outside of traditional centralised data centres — that is, at the “edge” of the cloud.  Edge computing enables data to be analysed, processed, and transferred at the edge of a network. Meaning, the data is analysed locally, closer to where it is stored, in real-time without latency.  The basic difference between edge computing and cloud computing is where the data processing takes place. Cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of a PC’s hard drive locally. Currently, the existing Internet of Things (IoT) systems perform all of their computations in the cloud using data centres. Edge computing, on the other hand, manages the massive amounts of data generated by IoT devices by storing and processing data locally.

3. GEMINI : Recently, the Government of India has launched the Gagan Enabled Mariner’s Instrument for Navigation and Information (GEMINI) device, a satellite-based advisory service for deep-sea fishermen. GAGAN  It stands for GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation.  Developed by- Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

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 It is a system to improve the accuracy of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver by providing reference signals.  It is the first in the world, which has been certified for approach with vertical guidance operating in the equatorial ionosphere region.  It consists of three geosynchronous satellites (GSAT-8, GSAT-10 and GSAT-15), and covers the entire Indian Ocean round the clock. It covers entire area from Australia to Africa.

4. SARAS AIRCRAFT : The first-ever indigenous light passenger aircraft Saras will be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) from 2024. This Saras Mk2 project is led by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL). The first attempt to design and develop a multi- role transport aircraft began in 1999. It has low acquisition and operating costs, high aircraft performance abilities and the latest generation technologies compared to any contemporary aircraft. The Saras project will pave the way for the knowledge generation, design and development of the 70-90 seat aircraft for regional passenger connectivity.

5. NEW MOONS OF SATURN DISCOVERED : Twenty new moons have been discovered around Saturn, taking its total number of moons to 82. The moons were discovered using the Subaru telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii. Before this discovery Jupiter with 79 moons was planet with largest number of moons in Solar system. Now, Saturn overtook Jupiter. Seventeen of Saturn’s new moons orbit the planet in the opposite direction known as retrograde direction. The other three circle in the same direction that Saturn rotates known as prograde direction.

6. PSLV-C47 : India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C47 has launched Cartosat-3 and 13 commercial nano satellites into Sun Synchronous orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. This is the first commercial order to put into orbit 13 American nanosatellites for NewSpace India, which was formed only in March 2019. PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in ‘XL’ configuration (with 6 solid strap- on motors). Cartosat-3 is a third-generation agile advanced earth observation satellite with high-resolution imaging capability. Developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), it will replace the IRS series. Till date, eight Cartosats have been launched by ISRO. Cartosat-3 could be potentially used for weather mapping and cartography. It aims to address the increased demands for large scale urban planning, rural resource and infrastructure development, coastal land use and land cover.

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Related Information: Cartosat satellites :  Cartosat satellites are earth observation satellites, used mainly for large-scale mapping of the Earth through high-resolution cameras.  They help to detect changes in natural geographical or man-made features. Other satellites launched alongside.  13 Commercial Nanosatellites from USA were also successfully injected into designated orbit.  These include 12 SuperDove earth observation satellites named "Flock-4P", and a communication test bed satellite called "MESHBED".  These satellites were launched under commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Previous launches in Cartosat series:  CARTOSAT–1, launched in 2005, was the first Indian Remote Sensing Satellite capable of providing in- orbit stereo images.  Cartosat-2 was launched in 2007, and increases the imaging resolution to one meter.  It was followed by six more spacecraft designated Cartosat-2A to 2F, which are believed to be primarily used for military reconnaissance.

MISCELLANEOUS

1. NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE : The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to William Kaelin, Peter Ratcliffe and Gregg Semenza for discovering the complex processes behind how human cells respond to change in levels of oxygen. 2. NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to John D. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino for their roles in the development of lithium-ion batteries. 3. NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS : The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three scientists- James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz “for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos”. 4. NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE : The Swedish Academy announced two winners - one for 2019 and one for 2018 - because the prize was not awarded last year. Austrian author Peter Handke has won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature. Peter Handke was awarded "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience." The Nobel Prize in Literature 2018 was awarded to the Polish author Olga Tokarczuk "for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life." She also won the Man Booker International Prize, 2018.

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5. NOBEL PEACE PRIZE : The Nobel Peace Prize 2019 is awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali "for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea." 6. 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak : Recently 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak was celebrated. About Guru Nanak  Guru Nanak is the founder and first Guru of Sikhism.  He was born in 1469 at Talwandi Rai Bhoe (renamed later as Nankana Sahib) near Lahore.  It is said that in 1499 he got enlightenment and heard ‘God’s Call’ to dedicate himself completely to the service of humanity.  Recently inaugurated Kartarpur Corridor connects the Dera Baba Nanak Sahib Gurdwara in India's state of Punjab to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur shrine in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province across river Ravi. 7. HS code : Khadi is India’s signature handspun and handwoven cloth that was made iconic by Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has allocated a separate Harmonised System (HS) code for Khadi. Developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO), it is called the “universal economic language” for goods.HS code is used by Customs authorities, statistical agencies, and other government regulatory bodies, to monitor and control the import and export of commodities.

HEALTH

1. National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB) : J. Satyanarayana committee has recently submitted its report named National Digital Health Blueprint (NDHB) to Ministry of Health. NITI Aayog mooted the idea of National Health Stack (NHS) last year. NDHB is the architectural document for the implementation of the NHS. Vision:  To create a National Digital Health Eco-system that supports Universal Health Coverage in an efficient, accessible, inclusive, affordable, timely and safe manner.  Ensuring the security, interoperability, confidentiality and privacy of health-related personal information.  National Health Stack (NHS) • NHS is digital infrastructure built with the aim of making the healthcare system more transparent and robust for the smooth functioning of healthcare interventions like Ayushman Bharat. Components of NHS  E- national health registry to serve as a single source of health data for the nation  A coverage and claims platform for health protection schemes like Ayushman Bharat and to enable a robust system of fraud detection o A federated personal health records (PHR) framework

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 A national health analytics platform to use health information for evidence-based policy making  Other horizontal components- unique digital health ID, health data dictionaries and supply chain management for drugs, payment gateways, etc.  It will be India's first futuristic nationally shared digital healthcare infrastructure usable by both the Centre and states across public and private sectors

2 3S programme  The central government is planning to expand the reach of the Smart Safety Surveillance, or 3S, programme.  This is being done to optimize post-marketing surveillance of priority drugs and vaccines, and ensure the vaccines distributed under the universal immunization programme are safe.  The 3S project was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), considering the limited safety data on vaccines introduced in India.  As part of the 3S project, India is evaluating the recently-introduced rotavirus vaccines. It is also trying to strengthen the collaboration among key stakeholders, such as ministry of health and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), to ensure high levels of vigilance.

4. National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa (NISR):  The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa (NISR) at Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh. It will be an autonomous national institute under the Ministry of AYUSH with the mandate to undertake interdisciplinary education and research programmes in Sowa-Rigpa in collaboration with national and international institutes.  Sowa -Rigpa is a traditional system of medicine practised in the Himalayan belt of India. It originated in Tibet and popularly practiced in countries namely, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, and Russia. The majority of theory and practice of Sowa-Rigpa is similar to “Ayurveda”. Yuthog Yonten Gonpo from Tibet is believed to be the father of Sowa Rigpa. The basic theory of Sowa-Rigpa may be adumbrated in terms of the following five points:  The body in disease as the locus of treatment.  Antidote, i.e., the treatment.  The method of treatment through antidote.  Medicine that cures the disease.  Materia Medica, Pharmacy & Pharmacology.

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5. Intensified Mission Indradhanush : To strengthen and re-energize the programme and achieve full immunization coverage for all children and pregnant women at a rapid pace, the Government of India launched “Mission Indradhanush” in December 2014. To further intensify the immunization programme, the government launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) on October 8, 2017. Aim: To reach each and every child up to two years of age and all those pregnant women who have been left uncovered under the routine immunisation programme/UIP. IMI 2.0:  To ensure that not a single child in the country misses out on vaccination, the government has launched the ‘Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0‘with a special focus on improving coverage in areas with “low” immunisation.  Through ‘IMI 2.0’, the health ministry aims to reach each and every child below the age of two years and all pregnant women still uncovered/partially covered in 271 districts of the country and 652 blocks of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.  IMI 2.0 will include four rounds of vaccination, with each round involving a seven-day immunisation drive to be conducted each month from December 2 onwards.

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