Current Affairs Mar 18 – GES Reporter

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojna (PMKMY) Scheme aims to provide social security net for the Small and Marginal Farmers (SMF) by way of pension, as they have minimal or no savings to sustain their livelihood during their old age and to support them in the event of consequent loss of livelihood.
Under this scheme, a minimum fixed pension of Rs.3,000/-per month will be provided to the eligible small and marginal farmers, subject to certain exclusion clauses, on attaining the age of 60 years.
The Scheme is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme, with entry age of 18 to 40 years.
The beneficiary would be required to contribute Rs 100/ – per month at median entry age of 29 years.
The Central Government shall also contribute to the Pension Fund an equal amount.
The Scheme was implemented in 2019 and since the maximum age for enrollment limit is 40 years and minimum fixed pension of Rs. 3000/- per month will be due once the enrolled farmers attain the age of 60.
Hence, the benefits of the Scheme shall be available only after a minimum period of 20 years.

PIB

Promotion of Local Manufacturing

Why in News?

Keeping in view India’s vision of becoming ‘Atmanirbhar’ and to enhance India’s Manufacturing Capabilities and Exports, an outlay of INR 1.97 lakh crore has been announced in Union Budget 2021-22 for PLI schemes for 13 key sectors for a period of 5 years starting from fiscal year (FY) 2021- 22.

These 13 sectors include already existing 3 sectors named

(i) Mobile Manufacturing and Specified Electronic Components,

(ii) Critical Key Starting materials/Drug Intermediaries & Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, and (iii) Manufacturing of Medical Devices and 10 new key sectors which have been approved by the Union Cabinet recently in November 2020.

These 10 key sectors are:

(i) Automobiles and Auto Components, (ii) Pharmaceuticals Drugs, (iii) Specialty Steel, (iv) Telecom & Networking Products, (v) Electronic/Technology Products, (vi) White Goods (ACs and LEDs), (vii) Food Products, (viii) Textile Products: MMF segment and technical textiles, (ix) High efficiency solar PV modules, and (x) Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery.

The PLI schemes will be implemented by the concerned Ministries/ Departments and will be within the overall financial limits prescribed. Domestic as well as foreign owned entities are eligible to be beneficiaries of these PLI schemes.
The PLI Schemes are expected to enable the setting up of a widespread supplier base for the global champions established under the scheme. It will help bring scale and size in key sectors and create and nurture global champions.

PIB

“Battle Ready for 21st Century”

Why in News?

A book titled “Battle Ready for 21st Century” co-edited by Lt Gen AK Singh, Distinguished Fellow CLAWS and Brig Narender Kumar, Visiting Fellow CLAWS was released.
The book “Battle Ready for the 21st Century” has endeavoured to postulate and define emerging areas of conflict, desired capabilities and doctrinal issues that need careful examination.
The book is dwelling on future conflicts that India may face and need to build capabilities to dissuade and prevent accidental wars.
The book lays down the conceptual framework for the strategic management of future conflicts.

PIB

‘Stop TB Partnership Board’

Why in News?

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the movement to eradicate Tuberculosis (TB) from India by 2025, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has been appointed Chairman of the Stop TB Partnership Board.

About

The Stop TB Partnership is a unique international body with the power to align actors all over the world in the fight against TB.
The participation of a wide range of constituencies gives this global body the credibility and the broad range of medical, social and financial expertise needed to defeat TB. The Partnership’s vision is a TB-free world.
The Union Health Minister will hence serve a three year term,commencing July 2021, as the Chair of the Board of Stop TB Partnership.
Established in the year 2000, the ‘Stop TB Partnership’ is mandated to eliminate Tuberculosis as a public health problem.
The organization was conceived following the meeting of the First Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Tuberculosis Epidemic held in London in March 1998.
The Secretariat is based at Geneva, Switzerland.
India has committed to eliminating TB in the country by 2025, five years ahead of the global deadline of 2030.

PIB

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021

Why in News?

The Rajya Sabha has approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.. The Bill was already approved in Lok Sabha..

Salient features of amendments:

Enhancing the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women which will be defined in the amendments to the MTP Rules and would include survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women (like differently-abled women, minors) etc.
Opinion of only one provider will be required up to 20 weeks of gestation and of two providers for termination of pregnancy of 20-24 weeks of gestation.
Upper gestation limit not to apply in cases of substantial foetal abnormalities diagnosed by Medical Board. The composition, functions and other details of Medical Board to be prescribed subsequently in Rules under the Act.
Name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated shall not be revealed except to a person authorised in any law for the time being in force.
The ground of failure of contraceptive has been extended to women and her partner.
The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 is for expanding access of women to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarian or social grounds.
The amendments will increase the ambit and access of women to safe abortion services and will ensure dignity, autonomy, confidentiality and justice for women who need to terminate pregnancy.

PIB

Informal Sector

The Government has taken a number of measures to formalise the informal sector. The details are as under:-

Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY):-

Government is implementing Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY) since 2016 with the objective to incentivise employers for creation of new employment and also aimed to bring informal workers to the formal workforce.
Under the scheme, Government of India is paying Employer’s full contribution i.e. 12% towards Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) both (as admissible from time to time) for a period of three years to the new employees through Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

Aatmanirbhar Bharat RozgarYojana (ABRY):-

Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana (ABRY) has been launched to incentivize employers for creation of new employment along with social security benefits and restoration of loss of employment during COVID-19 pandemic. Under the scheme;
An employee drawing monthly wage of less than Rs. 15000/- who was not working in any establishment registered with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) before 1st October, 2020 and did not have a Universal Account Number or EPF Member account number prior to 1st October 2020 is eligible for the benefit.
Any EPF member possessing Universal Account Number (UAN) drawing monthly wage of less than Rs. 15000/- who made exit from employment during Covid pandemic from 01.03.2020 to 30.09.2020 and did not join employment in any EPF covered establishment up to 30.09.2020 is also eligible to avail benefit.
This scheme being implemented through the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), that reduces the financial burden of the employers of various sectors/industries and will encourage them to hire more workers.
Under ABRY, Government of India is crediting for a period of two years, both the employees’ share (12% of wages) and employers’ share (12% of wages) of contribution payable or only the employees’ share, depending on employment strength of the EPFO registered establishments.

PIB

Policy on Liquefied Natural Gas

To promote the usage and distribution of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the Government has put LNG imports under Open General Licensing (OGL) category and establishment of LNG infrastructure, including LNG terminals is also under 100% FDI (automatic route).
The government is also promoting usage of natural gas in gaseous/liquid (LNG) through expansion of gas infrastructure including City Gas Distribution, gas grid network and development/retro fitment of LNG based vehicles etc.
As per American Petroleum Institute report on LNG operations and methodology, a typical LNG-fueled truck will have 90% lower NOx and PM emissions than diesel-fueled truck, 100% lower SOx emission, and 30% lower CO2 emissions.
LNG is imported under OGL on mutually agreed terms between buyer and sellers on techno-commercial basis.

PIB

Monitoring biomarkers from sweat

Why in News?

Scientist at CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu has introduced a flexible low cost, wearable sensor that can track sweat for monitoring the health and physiological status of the human body. It can obviate the necessity of blood and other invasive tests.

Used for?

The wearable microfluidic sensor, which does not need a clean room, can be used for in situ monitoring of biomarkers such as lactate, Sodium (Na+), Potassium (K+), and Alkaline/acidic nature (pH) simultaneously from sweat samples.
The sensor can analyse biomarkers from human sweat during exercise activities without transfer of signals.

How it WORKS?

In the sensor a fluidic channel captures real-time sweat and directs it through the active sensing electrodes for subsequent interference-free analyses.
A miniaturized printed circuit board collects cross-talk-free sensor responses without the need for wires.
The fully-integrated pump-less microfluidic device is mounted on the skin, and the regional variations in sweat composition are analyzed at the underarm and upperback locations during stationary biking.
The epidermal patch can monitor the hydration level and oxygenation of muscles which is essential for fitness monitoring application.

PIB

Possible origin of winds from black hole

Why in News?

As gas and dust fall toward a black hole, they form a disk around it.
As material piles up in the disk, it heats up to temperatures in excess of millions of degrees. A fraction of this infalling matter is ejected in the form of winds.
Scientists have tracked the generation of this wind and how it is driven by the disc of diffused swirling materials around the black hole called an accretion disc. Matter flowing out due to the wind should contaminate the environment play a major role in the evolution of the region harbouring these black holes.
By blowing dense gas from the galactic nucleus and by halting inward flows from the galactic halo, the winds play a vital role in shaping the evolution of the black hole host galaxy.

Radiation Drag Effect

The scientists tried to figure out whether driving of the wind by radiation flux can dominate the radiation drag effect— a motion resisting effect which is similar to the resistance offered by air to a moving stone or to a descending parachute.
This effect is produced when radiation penetrates a moving medium and is proportional to radiation energy density, various components of radiation pressure, and the velocity components of the wind.
The authors showed that luminous discs can produce winds up to speeds which is about ten percent of the speed of light, and also that these winds originated from regions close to the central black hole.
Radiation drag plays a key role in reducing the speed of light. For less bright discs, radiation drag quenches the wind completely.

PIB

New Multifunctional Heat Sinks

Why in News?

Indian Scientists have developed a multifunctional heat sink enabled by 3D printing, which can dissipate heat from mechanical devices at 50 percent enhanced rate compared to conventional sinks.
Existing approaches for heat exchanging and heat sink achieve different functions using dedicated units.
In the new technology, multiple functions have been integrated together in a single unit.
It can also be used to develop heat pipes, vapour chambers, heat exchangers and noise reducing heat sinks.
The technology is lightweight and can bear mechanical compressional loads, dissipate heat and absorb sound/noise.
It can be used in the electronics cooling, electronics as well as power/cooling industry.

PIB

Deep secrets of Greenland

By studying sediments and twig fossils collected from northwestern Greenland, researchers note that the ice in the region entirely melted at least once within the past one million years and was covered with plants and trees.
This shows Greenland is much more sensitive to natural climate warming than previously thought and it can quickly melt and pour into the oceans drowning major coastal cities.

THE HINDU

Plastic bags into fabrics

MIT engineers have converted polyethylene, the plastic used to make bottles and wrapping, into weavable fibers.
The silky and lightweight fabric was found to absorb and evaporate water more quickly than cotton and nylon.
The team is now exploring ways to incorporate this new fabric into cooling athletic apparel and even next-generation spacesuits.

THE HINDU

Survival Strategies

The human mouth and esophagus have a slightly alkaline environment, while our stomachs are strongly acidic, followed by the intestine which is pH-neutral.
How do bacteria adapt to these changes in the environment?
A new study found that pathogenic bacteria can quickly change the structure of their injection apparatus according to external conditions, thus helping them survive.

THE HINDU

AI to generate 3D holograms

A new holography method called tensor holography can craft 3D holograms from images in mere milliseconds, says a new study.
It requires less than 1 MB of memory and can run on a smartphone.
It could enable the creation of holograms for virtual reality, 3D printing and medical imaging.

THE HINDU

Appropriation Bill

Why in News?

The Lok Sabha cleared the Appropriation Bill, allowing the Central government to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for its operational requirements and implementation of various programmes.
The Bill was passed after Speaker put it through guillotine, a legislative mechanism to approve the fast-tracking of the passage of outstanding demands for grants without discussion.

Passing of Appropriation Bill

The Constitution states that ‘no money shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India except under appropriation made by law’. Accordingly, an appropriation bill is introduced to provide for the appropriation, out of the Consolidated Fund of India, all money required to meet:

(a) The grants voted by the Lok Sabha.

(b) The expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.

THE HINDU

India’s Blue Revolution

Why in News?

India, with its long coastline, has a major opportunity to boost fisheries yield by expanding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along its Exclusive Economic Zone, and in parallel, protect the ocean’s capacity to capture carbon and boost biodiversity, says a large scale study by a group of scientists.
Expanding the realm of MPAs in the world’s oceans presents a big opportunity to raise food production, enhance carbon storage and preserve a lot more of threatened biodiversity for all countries.
Although 7% of the world’s oceans are earmarked or designated as MPAs currently, in practice, that figure drops to 2.7% enjoying full or high level of protection.
Although many countries lower protection levels because of the view that protected areas prevent extraction of food and materials, the scientists contend that expanding MPAs would actually produce overflow effects in other parts, which would raise the yield of food.
The report assumes significance as the scheduled 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China, later this year will consider the “30 by 30” target, which is to protect 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030.

Growing biodiversity

According to the research paper, 90% of the potential biodiversity benefits could be realised by strategically safeguarding 21% of the world’s oceans – 43% of EEZs and 6% of the high seas. The estimate is that such an expansion of area would raise protection for endangered and critically endangered species from the current 1.5% and 1.1% of their ranges to a staggering 82% and 87% respectively.
India fully protects 0.2% of its EEZ, as does the European Union, while corresponding figures for the U.S. are 22.1%, Chile 28.3%, Australia 8.9% and zero for Great Britain, Japan, China and Germany.
In spite of the impact of climate change on the distribution of species, 80% of the areas within the top 10% global biodiversity priorities today will remain valid until 2050, based on the high greenhouse gas emission scenarios of the IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios.
Among the seas recommended for enhanced protection are Antarctica, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Mascarene Plateau, the Nazca Ridge and the Southwest Indian Ridge.
Protection through MPAs brings important benefits in the form of carbon capture that is otherwise released through deep sea trawling by fisheries, and an increase in the level of food availability.

THE HINDU

Pre-embryos Made In Lab

Why in News?

For the first time, scientists have used human cells to make structures that mimic the earliest stages of development, which they say will pave the way for more research without running afoul of restrictions on using real embryos.
Scientist used embryonic stem cells and the second team used reprogrammed skin cells to produce balls of cells that resemble one of the earliest stages of human development.
These balls, called blastocysts, form a few days after an egg has been fertilised but before the cells attach to the uterus to become an embryo.
To differentiate their models from blastocysts created through fertilisation, the researchers refer to the structures as “iBlastoids” and “human blastoids”.
Scientists previously generated similar structures of mouse cells in a lab, but this is the first time they have been made from human cells.
The new models correspond to about three to 10 days after fertilisation.

THE HINDU

Anti-defection law

Why in News?

Recently, nominated MP Swapan Dasgupta resigned from Rajya Sabha, a year before completion of his term.
Raised the issue of his disqualification from Rajya Sabha under the anti-defection law.

Nominated members

During the making of the Constitution, members of the Constituent Assembly felt that Rajya Sabha should have members who might not win elections but will bring knowledge and expertise to discussions in the Upper House.
It led to Rajya Sabha having 12 nominated members from different walks of life. The broad criterion for their nomination is that they should have distinguished themselves in fields like literature, science, art, and social service.
The President nominates such individuals as recommended by the Centre.
Nominated members have the same rights and privileges as elected members, with one notable difference — they cannot vote in the election of the President.

Anti-defection law

In 1985 the Tenth Schedule, popularly known as the anti-defection law, was added to the Constitution.
But its enactment was catalysed by the political instability after the general elections of 1967.
This was the time when multiple state governments were toppled after MLAs changed their political loyalties.
The purpose of the 1985 Constitution Amendment was to bring stability to governments by deterring MPs and MLAs from changing their political parties on whose ticket they were elected.
The penalty for shifting political loyalties is the loss of parliamentary membership and a bar on becoming a minister.
The law specifies the circumstances under which changing of political parties by MPs invite action under the law.
The law covers three types of scenarios with respect to an MP switching parties.
The first is when a member elected on the ticket of a political party “voluntarily gives up” membership of such a party or votes in the House contrary to the wishes of the party.
The second possibility is when an MP who has won his or her seat as an independent candidate after the election joins a political party.
In both these instances, the MP lose the seat in the House on changing (or joining) a party.
The third scenario relates to nominated MPs. In their case, the law specifies that within six months of being nominated to the House, they can choose to join a political party.
The time is given so that if a nominated MP is not a member of a political party, they can decide to join one if they want.
But if they don’t join a political party during the first six months of their tenure, and join a party thereafter, then they lose their seat in Parliament.