Current Affairs May 26 – GES Reporter

Director in Senior Administrative Grade (SAG)

Why in News?

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs for creation of one (01) post of Director in Senior Administrative Grade (SAG), at National Disaster Response Force Academy, Nagpur.
With the creation of the post of Director, NDRF Academy, the command and control of the organisation will be entrusted to a senior and experienced officer, who can steer the institution as per the intended objectives.

Background:

National Disaster Response Force Academy was established in year 2018 at Nagpur by merging with it National Civil Defence College (NCDC).
The Academy presently imparts training to National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)/ State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)/ Civil Defence volunteers and other stakeholders and is envisaged to grow into a premier training institution of international repute.
It will also provide specialized training to disaster response personnel of SAARC and other countries.

PIB

Consulate General of India

Why in News?

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the opening of a new Consulate General of India in Addu City, Maldives in 2021.
India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiquity.
Maldives occupies an important place in the ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and the ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision of the Government of India.
Opening of a Consulate General in Addu City will help augment India’s diplomatic presence in Maldives and make it commensurate with the existing and aspired level of engagement.
Augmentation of India’s diplomatic presence will, inter-alia, provide market access for Indian companies and bolster Indian exports of goods and services.

PIB

Expert Committee on Investment Funds

Why in News?

IFSCA, in its endeavour to develop a comprehensive and consistent regulatory framework based on global best practices with a special focus on ease of doing business, has constituted an Expert Committee on Investment Funds to recommend to IFSCA on the road map for the funds industry in the IFSCs.
The Committee has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Mr. Nilesh Shah, MD, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co. Ltd.
The Committee comprises of leaders from the entire Fund Management ecosystem including from areas such as technology, distribution, legal, compliance, and operations.

While the committee has been constituted to holistically review the Global best practices and make recommendations to IFSCA on the roadmap for the industry, the following shall be the specific terms of reference of the Expert Committee:

To recommend IFSCA on long term vision for operations of Investment Funds in IFSC.
To make recommendations with respect to structure of Investment Funds in IFSC. The recommendations may be two-fold:
Short term in nature that can be implemented by IFSCA immediately (i.e. less than 3 months). Such suggestions may fall under the exclusive regulatory purview of IFSCA.
Recommendations that may be implemented in mid-term (6 months to 1 year). Such suggestions may also pertain to regulatory purview of other regulators.
To identify issues that may be critical for development of the Investment Funds industry at IFSCs including inter-regulatory issues.
Any other relevant item on building the ecosystem inter-alia on asset managers, hedge funds, PE, VC, sovereign funds, family offices, and the accompanying professional services.

About International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA)

The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has been established as a unified regulator to develop and regulate financial products, financial services and financial institutions in the International Financial Service Centres (IFSCs) in India.
The Fund Industry has been playing an increasingly important role in intermediating between seekers of capital and investors.
IFSC has been actively engaging with stakeholders to enhance the Global reach of GIFT-IFSC.
The regulatory approach has been to benchmark with Global Standards and adopt a facilitative framework to provide ease of operations for seeker as well as provider of capital.

PIB

National Mission on use of Biomass in coal based thermal power plants

Why in News?

In order to address the issue of air pollution due to farm stubble burning and to reduce carbon footprints of thermal power generation, Ministry of Power has decided to set up a National Mission on use of Biomass in coal based thermal power plants.
This would further support the energy transition in the country and our targets to move towards cleaner energy sources.

The “National Mission on use of biomass in thermal power plants” will have the following objectives;

(a) To increase the level of co-firing from present 5% to higher levels to have a larger share of carbon neutral power generation from the thermal power plants.

(b) To take up R&D activity in boiler design to handle the higher amount of silica, alkalis in the biomass pellets.

(c) To facilitate overcoming the constraints in supply chain of bio mass pellets and agro- residue and its transport upto to the power plants.

(d) To consider regulatory issues in biomass co-firing.

The Mission would have full time officers from CEA, NTPC, DVC and NLC or other participating organizations. The duration of proposed National Mission would be a minimum 5 years.
The proposed National Mission on biomass will also contribute in the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

PIB

Vaccine for adolescents

Why in News?

Vaccine manufacturer Moderna announcing that its COVID-19 vaccine mRNA-1273 is 100% effective in preventing symptomatic infections in 12-17 year olds after two doses.
A single dose of the vaccine resulted in 93% efficacy based on the case definition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is modified, given the lower overall rate of infections in adolescents.
Some have criticized the U.S. for vaccinating children – who are less susceptible to serious COVID-19 infections- while more vulnerable adult populations in countries across the world, including India, are yet to be vaccinated.
The Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine was recently approved for emergency use in 12-15 years. Pfizer and Moderna are in the process of conducting vaccine trials on children in the 6 months to 11 years group.

THE HINDU

CBI Director Selection

Why in News?

Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana’s opinion in the high-level committee to avoid officers with less than six months left to retire for appointment as CBI Director is a simple “statement of law”.
It was not a comment on the professional prowess of those who now find themselves outside the zone of consideration.
The CJI was clear during the meeting chaired by the Prime Minister and attended by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of largest Opposition party, that the committee’s selection of officers should be able to withstand the “scrutiny of law in the future”.
For this, officers with a “few days left” in service should not be considered.
The six-month minimum residual tenure rule was introduced by the Supreme Court in a March 13, 2019 order. Though the order in the Prakash Singh case pertained to the appointment of DGPs, it was extended to CBI Director too.
The apex court had indicated the possibility that officers with only a few days of service may be in an insecure state of mind.
In the Prakash Singh case, the Supreme Court had stressed the point that appointment of DGPs “should be purely on the basis of merit and to insulate the office from all kinds of influences and pressures”.
As on date, the CBI has jurisdiction to investigate offences pertaining to 69 Central laws, 18 State Acts and 231 offences in the IPC.
The Director is to hold the post for not less than two years as held by the Vineet Narain judgment of 1998. He/she may not be transferred except with the previous consent of the high-level committee.

THE HINDU

Optogenetic therapy

Why in News?

Scientists have for the first time managed to partially restore the sight of a blind patient by altering his cells.
The technique known as optogenetics, which has been developed in the field of neuroscience over the last 20 years, involves genetically altering cells so they produce more light-sensitive proteins.
In some cases of blindness, known as inherited photoreceptor diseases, light-sensing cells in the retina that use proteins to deliver visual information to the brain via the optic nerve progressively degenerate.

THE HINDU

Panel to define offences of speech, expression

Why in News?

A panel constituted by the Union Home Ministry to suggest reforms to the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC) is likely to propose a separate Section on “offences relating to speech and expression.”
As there is no clear definition of what constitutes a “hate speech” in the IPC, the Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws is attempting for the first time to define such speech.

Who will decide what constitutes a hate speech?

Legally speaking, for criminal Sections to be invoked, any such speech has to lead to violence or disturbance of law and order. Refrain from using the word ‘hate speech’ as it is a loaded term, merely criticising someone is not hate speech.

Bureau’s definition

The Bureau of Police Research and Development recently published a manual for investigating agencies on cyber harassment cases that defined hate speech as a “language that denigrates, insults, threatens or targets an individual based on their identity and other traits (such as sexual orientation or disability or religion etc.).”

In 2018

Earlier in 2018, the Home Ministry had written to the Law Commission to prepare a distinct law for online “hate speech” acting on a report by a committee headed by former Lok Sabha Secretary General T.K. Viswanathan who recommended stricter laws.
The committee was formed in the wake of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, that provided punishment for sending offensive messages through communication services being scrapped by the Supreme Court in 2015.

In 2019

In 2019, however, the Ministry decided to overhaul the IPC, framed in 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) after seeking suggestions from States, the Supreme Court, High Courts, the Bar Council of India, Bar Councils of States, universities and law institutes on comprehensive amendments to criminal laws.

Viswanathan committee

The Viswanathan committee proposed inserting Sections 153 C (b) and Section 505 A in the IPC for incitement to commit an offence on grounds of religion, race, caste or community, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, place of birth, residence, language, disability or tribe.
It proposed punishment by up to two years along with ₹5,000 fine.

Bezbaruah Committee

The Bezbaruah Committee constituted by the Centre in February 2014 in the wake of series of racial attacks on persons belonging to the northeast had in a report proposed amendment to Section 153 C IPC (promoting or attempting to promote acts prejudicial to human dignity), punishable by five years and fine or both and Section 509 A IPC (word, gesture or act intended to insult member of a particular race), punishable by three years or fine or both.

THE HINDU

African Violets

Why in News?

An ‘African’ flowering plant has been recorded scientifically for the first time in India.
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal found the variant of the African violets in Mizoram.
The newly-described species, Didymocarpus vickifunkiae is currently known from only three locations near the north-eastern State’s border with Myanmar and is considered an endangered species.

About

It is an epiphyte — a plant that grows on trees — and produces light pink flowers during the monsoons.
The species has been named after Vicki Ann Funk, a noted botanist who worked at the Smithsonian Institute in the U.S.
Commonly known as African violets, Didymocarpus is a genus belonging to the plant family Gesneriaceae whose members are distributed in Asia from Western Himalayas to Sumatra.
Most of these species are narrow endemics and require specialised habitats to survive, thus acting as an indicator of pristine habitats. There are 106 currently known species of this genus, of which 26 are in the northeast.
African violets, native to Tanzania and Kenya have been popular in the horticultural world, often used indoors in European countries.

THE HINDU

Paediatric syndrome linked with Covid-19

Why in News?

A small study has reported most symptoms of rare paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS-TS) associated with SARS-CoV2 are resolved after six months.
The study said that despite initial severe illness, most symptoms were resolved after six months in children who had PIMS-TS after contracting SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection.

About

PIMS-TS, also known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), is a rare condition associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection that was first defined in April 2020.
It is not known what triggers the condition, but it is thought to be a rare immune overreaction that occurs approximately four to six weeks after mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The symptoms of the condition include fever, rash, eye infection, and gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g. diarrhoea, stomach-ache, nausea). In some rare cases, the condition can lead to multi-organ failure.

Total lunar eclipse and Supermoon

Why in News?

The Moon will have the nearest approach to Earth on May 26, and therefore will appear to be the closest and largest Full Moon or “supermoon” of 2021.
Significantly, a supermoon and a total lunar eclipse have not occurred together in nearly six years.

What is a supermoon?

NASA notes that a supermoon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest to the Earth at the same time that the Moon is full.
As the Moon orbits the Earth, there is a point of time when the distance between the two is the least (called the perigee when the average distance is about 360,000 km from the Earth) and a point of time when the distance is the most (called the apogee when the distance is about 405,000 km from the Earth).
Now, when a full Moon appears at the point when the distance between the Earth and the Moon is the least, not only does it appear to be brighter but it is also larger than a regular full moon.
According to NASA, the term supermoon was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. In a typical year, there may be two to four full supermoons and two to four new supermoons in a row.

So, what is happening on May 26?

Two celestial events will take place at the same time.
One is the supermoon and the other is a total lunar eclipse, which is when the Moon and Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth.
Because of the total lunar eclipse, the moon will also appear to be red.
This is because the Earth will block some of the light from the Sun from reaching the moon and as the Earth’s atmosphere filters the light, it will soften “the edge of our planet’s shadow” “giving the Moon a deep, rosy glow.”

High Levels Of Mercury Found In Rivers

Why in News?

High concentrations of mercury, a naturally occuring toxic metal, were found in the water bodies fed by the Greenland Ice Sheet, according to a recent research.
The mercury content in the rivers and fjords of southwestern Greenland was similar to that found in the polluted inland rives of China.
The large volumes of the metal can find its way into the coastal food webs through bioaccumulation and impact the Arctic ecosystem.
The toxins did not end up in the meltwaters from industries or other anthropogenic activities, as is the case with most contaminants.
Mercury-rich bedrock is weathered during the slow movement of glaciers down the slope of hills and the ground particles are carried into the streams as the glacier melts.
Water pollution caused similarly can be heightened as the Earth continues to heat up and ice-sheets and glaciers melt faster than ever before.

DTE

Global Facility For Pathogen Storage, Sharing And Analysis

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Switzerland signed a Memorandum of Undersatnding (MoU) to launch a BioHub facility that will allow rapid sharing of pathogens between laboratories and partners to facilitate a better analysis and preparedness against them.
The move is significant in the view of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the need to underline the importance of sharing pathogen information to assess risks and launch countermeasures.
The facility will help in safe reception, sequencing, storage and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories, so as to facilitate global preparedness against these pathogens.
The BioHub will enable member states to share biological materials with and via the BioHub under pre-agreed conditions, including biosafety, biosecurity, and other applicable regulations. This will ensure timeliness and predictability in response activities.

DTE