Daily Prelims Notes 10 December 2023

December 10, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

10 December 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Azerbaijan all set to host COP 29

Subject: Environment

Section: Int Conventions

Context: Azerbaijan is all set to host COP 29

More about the news:

Armenia has agreed to withdraw its candidacy for hosting COP29, allowing Azerbaijan to host the conference in 2024.
This decision comes as a sign of goodwill and aims to build confidence between the two nations that have been in conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Bulgaria, another candidate, is also reported to have withdrawn its bid.
The host for COP29 will need approval from COP28, currently taking place in Dubai. This development reflects a diplomatic effort to resolve differences and ensure the rotation of COP hosts among UN regional groupings.

How a host city of COP selected:

The venue for the COP meeting rotates among the five UN-identified regions:
Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, and Western Europe and Others.
The countries in the region propose a candidate, and a host is usually decided at least two years in advance.
If no country agrees to be the host, Bonn, where the UNFCCC secretariat is headquartered, steps in as host.
The rotation cycle has not been followed very strictly.
The first and second COPs were held in western Europe (Berlin and Geneva), and so were the fifth and sixth (Bonn and the Hague).

Some facts about UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC):

UNFCCC is an intergovernmental treaty developed to address the problem of climate change.
The Convention has near universal membership (197 Parties).
The Convention was opened for signature at the June 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) also known as the Rio Earth Summit.
The UNFCCC entered into force on 21 March 1994.
The original secretariat of UNFCCC was in Geneva. Since 1995, the secretariat has been located in Bonn, Germany.

2. In world first Europe reaches deal on AI

Subject : Science and Tech

Section: Awareness in IT

Context: Europe agrees landmark AI regulation deal

More about the news:

The European Union (EU) reached a provisional deal on groundbreaking regulations for artificial intelligence (AI), addressing concerns such as the use of AI in biometric surveillance and the regulation of AI systems like ChatGPT.
The agreement requires foundation models and general-purpose AI systems to comply with transparency obligations, conduct evaluations, and report on various aspects.
Governments are restricted in using real-time biometric surveillance, and the agreement bans practices like cognitive behavioral manipulation and untargeted scrapping of facial images.
The legislation, once formally ratified, is expected to come into force in two years and could influence global AI governance standards.

Some details about the EU framework:

The European Union (EU) has reached a provisional deal on AI legislation, incorporating safeguards for consumer complaints, restrictions on facial recognition technology, and penalties for rule violations.
The legislation classifies AI applications into risk categories, with certain applications, such as mass-scale facial recognition, being largely banned.
High-risk applications, like AI in self-driving cars, will require certification and transparency.
Medium-risk applications, such as chatbots, will have documentation and transparency obligations.
The EU aims for this legal framework to support trustworthy AI development and provide a launchpad for EU startups and researchers in the global AI race.

What is the Legal Framework Related to AI in India:

In India, there are currently no specific legal regulations governing the use of deepfake technology. However, existing laws can be applied to address the misuse of this technology, covering aspects such as Copyright Violation, Defamation, and cybercrimes.
For instance, the Indian Penal Code, which addresses defamation, and the Information Technology Act of 2000, which pertains to sexually explicit material, could potentially be used to combat malicious deepfake usage.
The Representation of the People Act of 1951 contains provisions that prohibit the creation or dissemination of false or deceptive information about candidates or political parties during election periods.
Additionally, the Election Commission of India has established regulations requiring registered political parties and candidates to obtain prior approval for all political advertisements on electronic media.
Despite these measures, they may still be inadequate in fully addressing the multifaceted challenges arising from AI algorithms, including the potential risks associated with deepfake content.

What are the Recent Global Efforts to Regulate AI:

The world’s inaugural AI Safety Summit, hosted at Bletchley Park in the UK, saw 28 major nations, including the US, China, Japan, the UK, France, India, and the European Union, unite in signing a declaration emphasizing the necessity for global action to address the potential perils of AI.
The declaration underscores the recognition of significant risks stemming from potential deliberate misuse and unintended control challenges in advanced AI, particularly in domains such as cybersecurity, biotechnology, and the spread of disinformation.
In response to these concerns, the US President issued an executive order aiming to fortify defenses against AI-related threats and exercise regulatory oversight over safety standards applied by companies in the assessment of generative AI systems like ChatGPT and Google Bard.
During the G20 Leaders’ Summit held in New Delhi, the Indian Prime Minister advocated for the creation of a global framework governing the development of “ethical” AI tools.
This shift in New Delhi’s stance signifies a transition from a position of non-interference in AI regulation to a proactive approach, involving the formulation of regulations grounded in a “risk-based, user-harm” perspective.

3. What does a special package mean for PVTGs?

Subject: Schemes

Section: Vulnerable section

Context:

On December 6, the Tribal Affairs Ministry told the Rajya Sabha that the population of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) was not in decline, citing information provided by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (ORGI).
This was in variance with the State Wise Census data provided by the Ministry to a Parliamentary panel last year showing that the numbers of these tribal groups fell almost 40% in at least nine States and Union Territories in the first decade of this century.

About Scheduled Tribes in India

Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities: India’s 705 Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities — making up 8.6% of the country’s population — live in 26 States and six Union Territories.
Scheduled Areas: Scheduled Areas cover 11.3% of India’s land area, and have been notified in 10 States: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Himachal Pradesh.
PVTGS: India has a Scheduled Tribe population of 10.45 crore, according to the 2011 census.
Of the total, 75 communities in 18 states and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been categorised as PVTGs.
On the recommendation of the Dhebar Commission, the Central government began to identify the most vulnerable tribal groups as a separate category in 1975.
These PVTGs continue to face vulnerability in social, economic and educational fields.
The Pradhan Mantri PVTG Development Mission to improve the socio-economic conditions of these groups was announced in the Union Budget for 2023-24.

Various Constitutional Provisions

Article 244: Pertaining to the administration of Scheduled and Tribal Areas, Article 244 is the single most important constitutional provision for STs.
Article 244(1) provides for the application of Fifth Schedule provisions to Scheduled Areas notified in any State other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
The Sixth Schedule applies to these States as per Article 244(2).
The Fifth Schedule under Article 244(1) of the Constitution defines Scheduled Areas. On the other hand, the Sixth Schedule under Article 244 (2) of the Constitution defines Tribal areas.

PM JANMAN

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has approved Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) to uplift the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
The scheme will have a total outlay of Rs.24, 104 crore, with the Centre and the States sharing the cost in a ratio of 64:36.
The PM-JANMAN scheme is in line with the Budget announcement of 2023-24, in which the Finance Minister had proposed to launch a Pradhan Mantri PVTG of Development Mission to improve the socio-economic conditions of the PVTGs.
The Mission will aim to provide basic amenities and services to all PVTG households and habitations, such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The Mission will be implemented in the next three years under the Development Action Plan for the Scheduled Tribes (DAPST), with an allocation of Rs.15,000 crore.

The PM-JANMAN scheme will focus on 11 critical interventions through 9 Ministries including the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. These interventions are:

Housing: To provide safe and dignified housing to all PVTG households under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).
Drinking water and sanitation: To ensure universal coverage of piped water supply and individual household toilets under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G).
Education: To enhance access to quality education for PVTG children through residential schools, hostels, scholarships, bridge courses, e-learning platforms and special coaching under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and other schemes.
Health and nutrition: To improve health outcomes and nutritional status of the PVTG population through dedicated mobile medical units, health camps, immunization drives, supplementary nutrition programmes, Anganwadi centres and other schemes.
Road connectivity: To connect all PVTG habitations with all-weather roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
Telecom connectivity: To provide mobile connectivity and internet access to all PVTG habitations under BharatNet and other schemes.
Livelihood opportunities: To promote sustainable livelihoods for PVTG households through skill development, self-help groups, micro-enterprises, value addition, market linkages and other schemes.
Land rights: To secure land rights and titles for PVTG households under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and other laws.
Social security: To provide social protection and insurance to PVTG households under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and other schemes.
Cultural preservation: To preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage and identity of PVTGs through documentation, dissemination, festivals, awards and other schemes.
Institutional support: To strengthen the institutional mechanisms for planning, monitoring, evaluation and convergence of the PM-JANMAN scheme at various levels.

4. Green turtles nesting range expands under warming climate

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

Rising global temperatures could lead to an increase in the nesting range of green turtles in the Mediterranean Sea, as per the study.

Details:

Under the worst-case climate scenario, the nesting range could increase by over 60% points, spreading west from the current area to include much of the North African, Italian, Greek coastlines and Adriatic sea.
Climate change led rising sea surface temperatures is impacting marine life including sea turtles as the sex of their offspring is dependent on incubation temperature.
Sea surface temperature, sea salinity, and human population density most affected the suitability of a specific location as a nesting site.

Green turtle (Chelonia mydas):

Also known as the black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle.
It is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae.
It is the only species in the genus Chelonia.
Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but it is also found in the Indian Ocean.
They migrate long distances between feeding grounds and hatching beaches.
Listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List and CITES.

Source: The Hindu

5. Crumbling hills

Subject: Geography

Section: Places in news

Mineral resources in Meghalaya:

Meghalaya, a state in the northeast region of India, is bound to the south by the Bangladeshi divisions of Mymensingh and Sylhet, to the west by the Bangladeshi division of Rangpur, and to the north and east by India’s State of Assam.
Meghalaya has an abundance of coal and limestone.
Other minerals found in Meghalaya- uranium, granite, kaolin, clay and glass sand.
About 9% of the country’s total limestone reserves are distributed across the State.
Limestone mining is carried out by open cast method both at large– and small-scale
Used chiefly for manufacturing products such as cement, lime and edible lime and exported to Bangladesh.

Mineral distribution across Meghalaya:

Coal- East and South Garo Hills, East and West Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills district.
Limestone- Jaintia Hills in the East, Garo Hills in the West, Cherrapunjee, Mawlong, Ichamati, Shella, and Komorrah in the East Khasi Hills district.
Uranium: Domiasiat and Porkut-Nongjri around Wahkynshi area in the West Khasi Hills District
Granite: East Khasi Hills, West Khasi hills and East Garo hill district.
Kaolin (China clay): Mawphlang, Smit and Laitlyngkot in the East Khasi Hills District; Thandlaskein, Shangpung, Mulieh and Mynsngat in the Jaintia Hills District; and Darugiri in the East Garo Hills District.
Glass sand: Laitryngew, Umstew and Kreit in the East Khasi Hills and Tura in the West Garo Hills
Other minerals:
- Quartz occurs almost in all districts in the Northern part of the State.
- Feldspar and iron ore are reported in the Ri-Bhoi and West Khasi Hills Districts; and
- Bauxite and rock phosphate are found in the Jaintia Hills District.

Challenges in mining in Meghalaya:

Uncontrolled coal mining and illegal limestone mining
Roadside dumping of coal is a major source of pollution
Rat hole mining (banned by NGT in 2014)
Environmental implications- loss of forest cover, pollution of water, soil and air, depletion of flora and fauna, reduction in biodiversity, erosion of soil and instability of rock masses, changes in landscape and degradation of arable land.

Source: The Hindu