Daily Prelims Notes 28 June 2021

June 28, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

28 June 2021

Table Of Contents

1. Government approved 708 proposals for construction of 3.61 lakh houses under PMAY-U

Subject : Government Schemes

Context : With this, as on date, the total number of sanctioned houses under PMAY(U) is now 112.4 of which 48.31 lakh have been completed/delivered.

Concept :

In addition, ‘PMAY- U Awards 2021 – 100 Days Challenge’ was also launched by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) .
The awards are given to recognize and celebrate the outstanding performances by States, Union Territories (UTs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and beneficiaries for successful implementation of the Mission.

Pradhan MantriAwasYojana (URBAN)

The Mission will be implemented during 2015-2022.
Mission: To achieve the goal of Housing for All in Urban areas by 2022, when the Nation completes 75 years of its Independence.
Under it, central assistance will be provided to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and other implementing agencies through States/UTs for:

In-situ Rehabilitation of existing slum dwellers using land as a resource through private participation

Credit Linked Subsidy

Affordable Housing in Partnership

Subsidy for Beneficiary-led individual house construction/enhancement.

Funding: Credit linked subsidy component will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme while other three components will be implemented as Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).
Eligibility: All statutory towns as per Census 2011 and towns notified subsequently would be eligible for coverage under the Mission.

2. India’s First VSC Based HVDC System

Subject : Science & tech

Context: POWERGRID has fully commissioned India’s First Voltage Source Convertor (VSC) based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) System.

Concept:

It has commissioned Monopole-I of the 2000 Mega-Watt (MW), Pugalur (Tamil Nadu) – Thrissur (Kerala) Voltage Source Convertor (VSC) based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) System.
This Project strengthens the power system of Southern Region of our Country.
Monopole-II of the project was inaugurated by PM Modi in February, 2021 and with the commissioning of Monopole-I, the project has attained its full capacity.
The Pugalur-Thrissur HVDC system, costing Rs. 5070 crore, is a part of the Raigarh-Pugalur-Thrissur 6000 MW HVDC system and enables transfer of 2000 MW to Kerala through the VSC HVDC station at Thrissur.

Voltage Source Convertor (VSC)

An HVDC converter converts electric power from high voltage alternating current (AC) to high-voltage direct current (HVDC), or vice versa.
Electronic converters for HVDC are divided into two main categories.
Line-commutated converters (HVDC classic) are made with electronic switches that can only be turned on.
Voltage-sourced converters are made with switching devices that can be turned both on and off. It uses transistors, usually the Insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).

Benefits

The VSC technology significantly reduces the land requirement compared to the conventional HVDC systems and is particularly suitable for areas, where land is scarce.
It also facilitates development of smart grid and improves system resilience under various operating conditions.
The state-of-the-art VSC Technology has been brought to India for the first time by POWERGRID through this Project.

3. E-content for children with disabilities

Subject : Governance

Context : Union Education Minister released guidelines for the Development of e-Content for Children with Disabilities prepared by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.

Concept :

A comprehensive initiative, PM e-VIDYA was launched on 17th May 2020, with an aim to unify all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education.
The programme interalia envisages development of special e-content for the Divyang (Children with Disabilities-CwDs).
For the first time, an attempt was made to prepare guidelines for CwD also referred to as Children with Special Needs (CWSN) children so that the goal of inclusive education is fulfilled.

The salient highlights of the e- content guidelines in the report are:

e-Content for CwDs should be developed based on the four principles namely: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
e-Content including text, tables, diagrams, visuals, audios, videos etc. should comply with accessibility standards: national standards (GIGW 2.0) and international standards (WCAG 2.1, E-Pub, DAISY etc).
Distribution platforms on which content is uploaded (e.g. DIKSHA) and Reading platforms/devices on which content is accessed and interacted (e.g. e-pathshala) must comply with technical standards
In a phased manner textbooks may be adapted into Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs).

4. Environment minister announced the ‘India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021’

Subject : Environment

Context: Environment minister announced the “India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021” to spur innovation and entrepreneurship in area of tackling plastic waste pollution and elimination of single use plastic.

Concept :

It is a unique competition calling upon start-ups /entrepreneurs and students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to develop innovative solutions to mitigate plastic pollution and develop alternatives to single use plastics.

Steps in India

PM Modi gave a clarion call to phase out single use plastics by 2022
Government of India has already banned import of plastic waste in the country.
Ministry of Environment brought out Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, for handling plastic waste in an environmentally sound manner. Under the rules plastic carry bags below 50 microns have been banned.
Further, the Ministry has issued a draft notification in March 2021 for amending the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, with respect to prohibiting identified 12 single use plastic items such as disposable plastic cutlery etc.”

5. Empathising with the LGBTQIA+ community

Subject : Social Issue

Context: Empathising with the LGBTQIA+ community, the Madras High Court directed the Union Ministry of Social Justice to enlist NGOs that could provide counselling, monetary support, legal assistance and protection to them until a law could be enacted to protect them.

Concept :

Ministry should upload the details of the NGOs on its website within eight weeks and revise the information periodically. Any person who faced an issue because he/she/they belonged to the LGBTQIA+ community could approach any of the enlisted NGOs for safeguarding their rights.
NGOs should also coordinate with the police with respect to offences committed against them.
Appropriate changes should be made to the existing government short stay homes, anganwadi shelters, GarimaGreh (shelter home for transgender persons) for providing accommodation, food, medical care facilities to those from the community in need of such assistance.
Sensitisation programmes could also be conducted for stakeholders, including police and prison authorities, judges, physical and mental health professionals, educational institutions, health workers, public and private workplaces.
LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and such others’ (LGBTQIA+) community.

6. Agni Prime Missile

Subject : Defence

Context : Recently, the Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) has successfully test-fired Agni Prime missile from a defence base off Odisha coast.

Concept :

About Agni Prime Missile

It is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class of missiles.
It is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile.
It is a next-generation, nuclear-capable weapon made fully of a composite material.
It is a canisterised missile with range of 1,000-2,000 kilometres.
It has been designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
It can carry a payload of around 1,000 kg or a nuclear warhead.
It is a double stage missile which is lighter and much sleeker than its predecessor Agni-1.
The ballistic missile weighs 50% less than Agni 3 and has new guidance and a new generation of propulsion.
It can be launched from rail and road and stored for a longer period and transported all across the country as per operational requirements.

About AGNI Missile

The Agni series of ballistic missiles is being developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme of the DRDO.
The Agni missile family consists of three deployed variants.
The Agni-I, Agni-II and Agni-III are in service with the Indian Army.
The Agni-I is a short or intermediate-range ballistic missile.
The Agni-II is a medium-range ballistic missile equipped with two solid fuel stages.
The Agni-III is a two-stage ballistic missile which can support a series of warhead configurations and a total payload of 2,490kg for a range of 4,500km.
The Agni-IV is a two-stage nuclear-capable intermediate range ballistic missile.
The Agni-V is an Indian nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile.

7. Discovery of China’s Dragon Man

Subject : Science & tech

Context: Recently, the researchers from China have claimed to have found an ancient human skull that could belong to an altogether new species of humans.

Concept :

The researchers working in Israel have also identified a previously unknown kind of ancient human called “NesherRamla Homo” that co-existed with Homo sapiens nearly 100,000 years ago.

Key Highlights

The researchers have noted that the cranium (the portion that encloses the brain) could be over 146,000 years old.
The skull was found in the Songhua River in north-east China’s Harbin city.
The findings from the site in Israel have been dated to 140,000-120,000 years ago.
The members of the species Nesher Ramla Homo could hunt small and large game and they used wood for fuel, cooked and roasted meat, and maintained fires.
Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) are believed to be the closest extinct human relatives and lived about 400,000-40,000 years ago in Europe and southwestern to central Asia.
As per the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, there are over 21 human species .

How China’s Dragon fit in the definition of human?

The cranium found in China has been dubbed the “Dragon Man” or Homo longi.
The name has been derived from the Long Jiang or Dragon River in the Heilongjiang province of China where the city of Harbin is located.
The skull was reportedly discovered back in 1933, when a bridge was built over the Songhua River.
The UK’s Natural History Museum notes that because of the distinctive shape of the skull, which was found almost complete, some members of the team have suggested that it be declared a part of a new species of the genus Homo.
The size of the skull, which has a considerable brain capacity, is comparable to that of modern humans and Neanderthals.

Songhua River

It flows northward out of the Changbai Mountains and cuts across the Manchurian Plain before emptying into the Amur River, which separates northeastern China from Russia’s Far East.
It is the largest tributary of the Heilong River.
The source of the river is a crater lake called Heavenly Lake with an elevation of 2,189 meters at the top of the ChangbaiMountain.
It is considered that its Chinese name “Songhua” is from its Manchurian pronunciation “Songga-liwula”.

8. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

Subject : Governance

Context : Recently, the Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology was locked out of his Twitter account allegedly over a notice received for violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Concept :

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

It is a 1998 law passed in the US.
It is among the world’s first laws recognising intellectual property on the internet.
It oversees the implementation of the two treaties signed and agreed upon by member nations of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in 1996.
The two treaties are the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty.
It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to copyrighted works.

Significance of Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

The treaties require member nations to provide in their respective jurisdictions, protection to intellectual property that may have been created by citizens of different nations who are also co-signatories to the treaty.
The protection, accorded by each member state, must not be any less in any way than the one being given to a domestic copyright holder.
It obligates that signatories to the treaty ensure ways to prevent circumvention of the technical measures used to protect copyrighted work.
It also provides the necessary international legal protection to digital content.

9. Iran won’t deliver nuclear activities record to IAEA

Subject : International Organisations

Context : Iran will not deliver records of its nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency after a temporary understanding reached in January expired, Parliament Speaker said.

Concept :

About IAEA:

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an UN agency is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field.
It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
It was formed in 1957 as a result of Conference on the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency held at the UN headquarters. Initially it was known as ‘Atoms for peace’.
It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
It has 171 members (Sain Lucia being most recent member).
Though it is and independent international agencies, yet, it reports annually to UNGA.
It along with its Director General won Nobel Peace prize in 2005.
The IAEA’s policy-making bodies decide on the Agency’s programmes and budgets. They comprise the General Conference of all Member States and the 35-member Board of Governors.

The IAEA’s three main areas of work are:

Safety and security
Science and technology
Safeguards and verification

Funding of IAEA:

The IAEA carries out its work in two main areas: the regular programme and the Technical Cooperation programme. These two programmes are financed from separate funds.
They are additionally supported by extra-budgetary contributions from Member States and non-member states donors. The IAEA’s budget is approved annually by the IAEA General Conference.

10. Divergence between Global and Domestic Inflation

Subject : Economy

Context : The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) world food price index (FPI) touched 127.1 points in May, its highest value since September 2011. But unlike fuel, the increase in global food prices is not getting reflected in what consumers in India are paying.

Concept :

Why the divergence ?

One needs to first understand the drivers of both global and domestic inflation.
The spike in international food prices from September-October has been due to demand returning with economies unlocking, even as restoration of supply chains is taking time.
This has been further aided by Chinese stockpiling (for building strategic reserves, as well as in anticipation of fresh corona outbreaks) and dry weather-induced production shortfalls in Brazil, Argentina, Ukraine, Thailand and even the US.
India, by contrast, has had good monsoons in 2019 and 2020, making it the only agricultural powerhouse, apart from Australia and Canada, not to have faced serious weather-related issues.
Not surprisingly, food inflation started falling from December with a bumper post-monsoon kharif crop being harvested and arriving in the markets.

World Food Price Index

The FAO Food Price Index is a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities.
It consists of the average of five commodity group price indices [cereal, vegetable, dairy, meat and sugar], weighted with the average export shares.
The index has become a critical and timely monthly indicator of the state of international food markets, gauging the change in food commodity prices over time in nominal and real terms.