Deposits of Lithium in Mandya district of Karnataka
Why in News?
- The Government said that preliminary surveys on surface and limited subsurface by Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of Department of Atomic Energy have shown presence of Lithium resources of 1,600 tonnes (inferred category) in the pegmatites of Marlagalla – Allapatna area, Mandya district, Karnataka.
About Lithium
- Lithium is a key element for new technologies and finds its use in ceramics, glass, telecommunication and aerospace industries.
- The well-known uses of Lithium are in Lithium ion batteries, lubricating grease, high energy additive to rocket propellants, optical modulators for mobile phones and as convertor to tritium used as a raw material for thermonuclear reactions i.e. fusion.
- The thermonuclear application makes Lithium as “Prescribed substance” under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 which permits AMD for exploration of Lithium in various geological domains of the country.
PIB
APMCs to get access to Agriculture Infrastructure Fund
Why in News?
- In the Union Budget 2021-22, Finance Minister, announced that Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) will become eligible beneficiaries to utilize the 1 lakh crore financing facility under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) to enhance infrastructure at regulated markets, commonly known as Mandis.
About APMCs
- APMCs are state controlled markets that are setup to provide market linkages to farmers.
- Market yards or Mandis provide space for auction to ensure that farmers obtain best possible price for their produce.
- However, these markets continue to require up gradation and set up of more modern infrastructure.
- With access to low cost credit under AIF, they can setup post-harvest infrastructure such as sorting and grading units, assaying units, drying yards, cold storages, and warehouses for the benefit of farmers for better price realization of quality produce, ability to store and sell at a better price and minimize post of harvest looses.
Post-harvest infrastructure
- Availability of post-harvest infrastructure will help the farmers to enhance their income through effective value chain.
- Availability of warehouses with financing facilities will help the farmers to store the agriculture produce and sell at optimal prices.
- Perishables such as fruits, vegetables and flowers require low temperatures throughout the value chain to enhance shelf life and preserve quality. Hence, availability of cold storages at markets will result in direct benefit to the farmers on premium farm produce.
- The suitable infrastructure will help to reduce the post-harvest losses, which can be as high as 5-10% of the produce.
- Hence, up gradation of infrastructure at regulated markets has the potential to enhance farm income and also support other stakeholders across the value chain, which also have the access to this infrastructure.
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
- The AIF is a medium – long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and credit guarantee.
- The duration of the scheme is from FY2020 to FY2029.
- Under the scheme, Rs. 1 Lakh Crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as loans with interest subvention of 3% per annum and credit guarantee coverage under CGTMSE for loans up to Rs. 2 Crore.
- The beneficiaries include farmers, FPOs, PACS, Marketing Cooperative Societies, SHGs, Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Agri-entrepreneurs, Start-ups, and Central/State agency or Local Body sponsored Public-Private Partnership Projects, and now APMC mandis.
PIB
De-criminalisation of compoundable offences under Limited Liability Act, 2008
Why in News?
- With the object of unleashing the entrepreneurial spirits of our youth and to remove the fear of criminal prosecutions for non- substantive minor and procedural omissions and commissions in the normal course of their business transactions,
- the Government of India in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) decided to initiate the process of decriminalization of compoundable offences under the limited liability partnership (LLP) Act, 2008, for greater ease of doing business for law abiding LLPs.
Objective
- The objective of the De-criminalization exercise is to remove criminality of offences from business laws where no malafide intentions are involved.
- In furtherance of the said objective, an exercise was undertaken to identify those provisions of the Limited Liability Partnership Act, violations of which do not result in injury to public interest but are presently criminal in nature with fine as well as punishment after conviction being provided for in the Act.
Principles adopted for Decriminalization of Compoundable Offences:
- Principle 1: Offences that relate to minor/ less serious compliance issues, involving predominantly objective determinations, are proposed to be shifted to the In-house Adjudication Mechanism (IAM) framework instead of being treated as criminal offences.
- Principle 2: Offences that are more appropriate to be dealt with under other laws, are proposed to be omitted from the LLP Act, 2008.
- Principle 3: For non-Compoundable offences that are very serious violations entailing an element of fraud, intent to deceive and caused injury to public interest or non- compliance of order of statutory authorities impinging on effective regulation, Status Quo would be maintained.
In addition to the De-criminalization of the Act the Government also proposes Introduction of certain new concepts into the Act for greater Ease of Doing Business:
- Small LLP: It is proposed to create a class of LLP called as “Small LLP” in line with the concept of Small Companies. Such Small LLPs would be subject to lesser compliances, lesser fee or additional fee and lesser penalties in the event of default. Thus, lower cost of compliance would incentivize unincorporated micro and small partnerships to convert into the organized structure of an LLP and derive its benefits.
- Non-convertible Debentures (NCDs): It is proposed to allow LLPs to raise capital through issue of fully secured Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs) (as an alternative to equity participation) from investors who are regulated by SEBI or RBI. This will help deepen the Debt Market and enhance the capitalization of LLPs.
Reduction of Additional Fee: It is also proposed to amend Section 69 of the Act with a view to reduce the additional fee of Rs. 100 per day which is presently applicable for the delayed filing of forms, documents. A reduced additional fee is expected to incentivize smooth filing of records and returns of LLPs and consequently result in an updated registry for proper regulation and policy making.
PIB
MCA revises threshold for paid up capital and turnover for Small Companies
Why in News?
- In line with the vision of the Government of India, the definition under the Companies Act, 2013 for Small Companies has now been revised by increasing their thresholds for Paid up capital from “not exceeding Rs 50 lakh” to “not exceeding Rs 2 crore” & Turnover from “not exceeding Rs 2 crore” to “not exceeding Rs 20 crore”.
- This is expected to benefit more than two lakh companies in terms of lesser compliances, lesser filing fees and lesser penalties (in the event of any defaults).
- Small companies are the backbone of our corporate world. They contribute to employment and GDP in a very substantial manner.
- Some of the benefits of reduction in compliance burden for over 2 lakh companies as a direct consequence of the revised definition are as under:
- No need to prepare Cash flow statement as part of financial statement.
- Where other companies require providing details of remuneration to directors and key managerial personnel, small companies are required to provide details of the only aggregate amount of remuneration drawn by directors in its Annual Return.
- Mandatory rotation of auditor not required.
- An Auditor of small companies is not required to report on the adequacy of the internal financial controls and its operating effectiveness in the auditor’s report.
- Hold only two board meetings in a year.
- Annual Return of the company can be signed by the Company Secretary, or where there is no company secretary, by a single director of the company.
- Lesser penalties for Small Companies.
- Lesser filing fees for Small Companies.
PIB
One Person Companies (OPCs) rules
Why in News?
- As a measure which directly benefits Startups & Innovators in the country,
- Especially those who are supplying products & services on e-commerce platforms, and in order to bring in more unincorporated businesses into the organized corporate sector,
- The incorporation of One Person Companies (OPCs) is being incentivized by amending the Companies (Incorporation) Rules to allow OPCs to grow without any restrictions on paid up capital and turnover,
- Allowing their conversion into any other type of company at any time, reducing the residency limit for an Indian citizen to set up an OPC from 182 days to 120 days and also allow Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to incorporate OPCs in India.
- In addition, the fast track process for mergers under the Companies Act, 2013 has also been now extended to also include mergers of Startups with other Startups and with Small companies, so that the process of mergers & amalgamations is completed faster for such companies.
The amendments to the Rules governing OPCs will cover the following, w.e.f 01st April 2021
- Previously NRIs were not allowed to incorporate OPCs. Now any natural person, who is an Indian citizen, whether resident in India or otherwise would be allowed to form an OPC.
- For being considered as a resident in India, the residency period has been proposed to be reduced to 120 days from 182 days for NRIs.
- Rule relating to voluntary conversion unless OPC has completed two years from the date of incorporated is proposed to be omitted and with effect from 01.04.2021, Conversion of One Person Company into a Public company or a Private company shall be permitted anytime.
- A One Person company may be converted into a Private or Public Company other than a company registered under section 8 of the Act, after increasing the minimum number of members and directors to two or minimum of seven members and three directors as the case may be.
- Similarly the limitation of Paid up capital & turnover presently applicable for OPCs (paid up share capital of fifty lakhs rupees and average annual turnover during the relevant period of two crore rupees) is being done away with so that there are no restrictions on the growth of OPCs in terms of their paid up capital & turnover.
PIB
Joint Maritime Exercise
- Indian Navy conducts/participates in bilateral/multilateral maritime exercises and coordinated patrols (CORPATS) with friendly foreign countries on a regular basis.
- The aim and objective of these exercises include providing operational exposure to our Naval forces, enhance interoperability and undertake mutual exchange of best practices, special operations tactics and to develop cooperation among the armed forces of participating nations etc.
- In this process the current tactical and technological practices/techniques etc., are exchanged during such exercises.
- The expenditure incurred varies on the magnitude of our participation and assets deployed during such exercises and are met almost entirely from the budget of the Indian Navy.
- The details of Joint Maritime Exercises conducted with foreign countries during the last three years i.e., from the year 2018-19 to 2020-21 are as under:-
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas
Why in News?
- At Inaugural Ceremony of Aero India 2021, the Contract for 83 Light Combat Aircraft Tejas was handed over to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
- The Cabinet Committee on Security under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister had approved procurement of 73 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircrafts and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 Trainer aircrafts at a cost of Rs. 45,696 Cr along with Design & Development and Infrastructure sanctions worth Rs. 1,202 Cr on 13th January, 2021.
- This is the largest ever Defence contract for indigenous manufacture till date.
- The induction of Light Combat Aircraft Tejas Mk-1A in Indian Air Force will enhance operational capabilities and improve the aircraft strength.
Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A
- Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A variant is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured state of the art modern 4+ generation fighter aircraft.
- This aircraft is equipped with critical operational capabilities of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missile, Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite and Air to Air Refuelling (AAR) would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force.
- It is the first “Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured)” category procurement of combat aircrafts with an indigenous content of 50% which will progressively reach 60% by the end of the programme and about 250 out of 344 systems fitted in the aircraft will be indigenous.
PIB
Indian Ocean Region Defence Ministers’ Conclave
Why in News?
- India will host Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers’ Conclave on February 04, 2021 on the margins of Aero India 2021 – Asia’s largest Aero show to be held at Bengaluru from February 3-5, 2021.
- The broad theme of the conclave will be ‘Enhanced Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Indian Ocean’.
- The conclave is an initiative to promote dialogue in an institutional, economic and cooperative environment that can foster the development of peace, stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region.
- The conclave would address aspects related to Defence Industry co-operation amongst participating countries, sharing of resources available in Indian defence shipyards for design & shipbuilding, Indian Ports with friendly countries, Information-sharing towards increased maritime domain awareness, maritime surveillance and co-operation, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR), Marine Pollution Response activities, Development of technologies and capabilities for harnessing marine resources, etc.
PIB
2nd CCTNS Hackathon and Cyber Challenge 2020-21
Why in News?
- The inaugural function of the 2nd CCTNS Hackathon and Cyber Challenge 2020-21 of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) was held in New Delhi.
- 1 is to enhance analysis and deepen understanding of police personnel.
- The Mobile App:- “Locate Nearest Police Station” was also launchedat the function.This App will help various users including women commuters, interstate travelers, domestic and foreign tourists etc. especially during any emergency and has the facility to dial 112.
PIB
Import duty on copper scrap reduced from 5% to 2.5%
Why in News?
- Reduction of import duty on copper scrap from 5% to 2.5% announced in Union Budget 2021-22 to boost recycling of copper in the country. This will have social, environmental and economic benefits and also has employment generation potential.
- Reduction in import duty on copper scrap will promote recycling in the country as the basic raw materials will become economical.
- Economic benefits: By utilizing copper scrap, domestic companies can improve competitiveness and profitability. Recycling based innovations can also give industries an edge in the export market. New industries can be created in the recycling sector with focus on innovative design and manufacturing from recycled material. Reduced import dependence for critical minerals will help to improve country’s trade balance and promote economic stability.
- Social benefits: India’s mineral rich areas are under dense forests and inhabited by indigenous communities. Extraction of minerals affects local communities. Recycling would put fewer burdens on the need of extraction of minerals thereby offsetting some of the risks arising out of social conflicts.
- Environmental benefits: Extraction activities often result in ecological, degradation. Reduced extraction pressures due to adoption of recycling will help to contain ecological degradation and pollution associated with mining.
- Employment Generation Potential: Recycling and adoption of related innovative methods may altogether give rise to the need of setting up of new industries that can contribute significantly to employment generation. Innovation in recycling process and manufacturing has the potential to create highly skilled jobs benefitting domestic industries and developing potential for export market. This may further prompt global companies to locate efficient design and/or manufacturing units here leading to increased skilled / unskilled labour demand.
PIB
Modules for Radar On Rafales
Why in News?
- As part of the offset commitments under the Rafale deal, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has manufactured and delivered Transmit and Receive modules (T/R) for the Advanced Electronic Scanned Array (AESA) radar on the jet.
- In November 2020, the first RBE2 AESA radar with a front end manufactured by BEL in India was delivered by Thales to Dassault Aviation.
- BEL implemented a set of rigorous processes at its Bangalore facility in order to achieve this key milestone.
- India has contracted 36 Rafale jets in fly-away condition under a€7.87 billion Inter-Governmental Agreement signed with France in September 2016. It has a 50% offset clause to be discharged by French companies in India.
- The T/R modules are key to the RBE2 radar’s active electronic scanning performance, enabling it to steer the radar beam with the speed of an electronic chip.
THE HINDU
Understanding Gut Microbes
- How does a goat manage to eat the fibrous parts of a plant and extract the nutrients locked behind thick cell walls?
- To understand this process, researchers collected their fecal samples and carried out about 400 experiments.
- The team found over 700 novel microbial genomes which included rare fungi playing important roles in this cellulose degradation.
- Also goats and cows are not to be blamed for methane emissions, it is these microbes behind methane production.
THE HINDU
Origami Patch
- Inspired by origami, MIT engineers have developed a medical patch that can be used to treat internal injuries.
- The patch can be folded around surgical tools and delivered through airways or intestines.
- The patch is foldable and paper-like when dry and becomes a stretchy gel when it reaches wet tissues.
THE HINDU
Fungi-like microfossil
- An international team of scientists has discovered the remains of a fungi-like microfossil from Guizhou Province in South China.
- The team notes that it lived about 635 million years ago and is the oldest terrestrial fossil ever found.
- More studies on the fossil will help understand the paleoclimate change, the early life and plant evolution.
THE HINDU
Cryogenic Chips
- This single cryogenic chip can control thousands of qubits or the building blocks of quantum computers.
- It was designed using a custom silicon chip and was coupled to a quantum system.
- The device also helps get away with unwanted cables.
- “With just two wires carrying information as input, it can generate control signals for thousands of qubits”.
THE HINDU
Lights will guide you
- Microscopic marine life forms help in generating oxygen and taking up carbon dioxide just like rainforests on land.
- But how do they know when it is day or night? Can they see?
- By analysing RNA from seawater samples, researchers have now identified four main groups of photoreceptors (cells that are triggered by light).
- The team notes that the discovery could help in the field of optogenetics, where light is used to control a cell’s functions.
THE HINDU
New START nuclear arms treaty
Why in News?
- The United States has extended the New START nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia for five years.
- The New START treaty is the last remaining arms reduction pact between the former Cold War rivals.
- Signed in 2010, New START caps to 1,550 the number of nuclear warheads that can be deployed by Moscow and Washington, which control the world’s largest nuclear arsenals.
- The agreement, which was due to expire on February 5, is seen as a rare opportunity for compromise between Moscow and Washington, whose ties have dramatically deteriorated in recent years.
THE HINDU
DNA Samples
Why in News?
- Allowing investigating agencies to collect DNA samples from “suspects” as laid down in the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill 2019, will give them “unbridled power that is easily capable of misuse and abuse” and amount to a “threat to the life, liberty, dignity and privacy of a person” retired Supreme Court judge Justice has observed in a written submission to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology.
- The panel, headed by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, tabled its report in Parliament.
DNA Testing in India
- DNA testing is currently being done on an extremely limited scale in India, with approximately 30-40 DNA experts in 15-18 laboratories undertaking less than 3000 cases a year.
- The standards of the laboratories are not monitored or regulated.
- The Bill aims to introduce the regulation of the entire process from collection to storage.
- The preamble of the bill says that it aims to provide for “the regulation of use and application of Deoxyribonucleic Acid [DNA] technology for the purposes of establishing the identity of certain categories of persons including the victims, offenders, suspects, undertrials, missing persons and unknown deceased persons.”
- In his submission, he has argued that in a blind crime or a crime involving a large number of persons (such as a riot) everybody is suspect, without any real basis. Which will mean that thousands of persons can be subjected to DNA profiling on a mere suspicion.
- “Such an unbridled power is easily capable of misuse and abuse by targeting innocents, against whom there is not a shred of evidence. Such an unbridled police power ought not to be conferred on anybody or any agency as it would amount to a threat to the life, liberty, dignity and privacy of a person,” he has stated.
THE HINDU
Roadsides Noise Pollution
Why in News?
- Crickets and the birds that snack on them are not natural allies, but they do have a common enemy, according to a pair of studies, roadside noise pollution.
- Vehicle traffic makes it much harder for at least one species of bird to solve problems, and sharply compromises the ability of some crickets to mate.
- There is mounting evidence that traffic noise — on the rise in most parts of the world — can have serious negative effects on animals, disrupting their ability to communicate, avoid predators, and attract mates.
Effects
- Being exposed to traffic noise, for example, more than doubled the time it took for these intelligent birds to remember the location of hidden food, or to remove paper lids over tasty morsels.
- For a common species of cricket — traffic noise interferes with their mating ritual, and thus with sexual selection and the process of evolution itself.
- The mating protocol for the two-spotted cricket (aka Gryllus bimaculatus) begins with the male rubbing its wings — one sporting a file, the other a scrapper — together to produce its signature chirping song.
- Discriminating females can judge the fitness of a potential mate by the quality of their song — nature’s way of ensuring that only the best genes get passed on.
- In contrast to most mammals, it is the female that mounts the male she has judged most deserving of her favours.
- In the presence of the silenced males, females heard both low- and high-quality mating calls under three conditions: against a backdrop of white noise, road traffic, and no added noise whatsoever.
- Females took more than twice as long to mount the males when there was either white or traffic noise, and had a lower success rate — about 70% rather than 90% — in consumating the act.
THE HINDU