Daily Prelims Notes 30 August 2022

August 30, 2022
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

No Comments

Daily Prelims Notes

30 August 2022

Table Of Contents

1. Banking Frauds

Subject: Economy

Section: Monetary Policy

Context:

With the intent of improving consumer protection amid cases of digital frauds, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is in discussions to set up a fraud registry to create a database of fraudulent websites, phones and various methods used by fraudsters.

Details:

About 39 per cent of the complaints received by the RBI during last financial year related to digital transactions.

Banking Frauds:

The primary responsibility for preventing frauds lies with banks themselves.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been advising banks from time to time about the major fraud prone areas and the safeguards necessary for prevention of frauds.
Banks must strictly adhere to the time frame fixed for reporting fraud cases to RBI failing which banks would be liable for penal action prescribed under Section 47(A) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
Fraud Monitoring Cell at Department of Banking Supervision publishes a directory of officers of banks/Financial Institutions (FI) responsible for reporting of Frauds etc in January every year.
In order to have uniformity in reporting-frauds have been classified mainly on the provisions of the Indian Penal Code:
- Misappropriation and criminal breach of trust.
- Fraudulent encashment through forged instruments, manipulation of books of account or through fictitious accounts and conversion of property.
- Unauthorised credit facilities extended for reward or for illegal gratification.
- Negligence and cash shortages.
- Cheating and forgery.
- Irregularities in foreign exchange transactions.
- Any other type of fraud not coming under the specific heads as above.

Reporting of Frauds to Reserve Bank of India

Fraud reports should be submitted in all cases of fraud of Rs. 1 lakh and above perpetrated through misrepresentation, breach of trust, manipulation of books of account, fraudulent encashment of instruments like cheques, drafts and bills of exchange, unauthorised handling of securities charged to the bank, misfeasance, embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, conversion of property, cheating, shortages, irregularities, etc.
Fraud reports should also be submitted in cases where central investigating agencies have initiated criminal proceedings suo motto and/or where the Reserve Bank has directed that they be reported as frauds.
Banks may also report frauds perpetrated in their subsidiaries and affiliates/joint ventures.

Closing of cases:

Banks should report only such cases as closed where the actions as stated below are complete.

The fraud cases pending with CBI/Police/Court are finally disposed of.
The examination of staff accountability has been completed
The amount of fraud has been recovered or written off.
Insurance claim wherever applicable has been settled.
The bank has reviewed the systems and procedures, identified the causative factors and plugged the lacunae and the fact of which has been certified by the appropriate authority.

2. The significance of NASA’s Artemis mission, the beginning of a new age of human exploration of the Moon

Subject: Science and Tech

Section: Space Science

Context:

NASA’s Artemis 1 mission is aimed at exploring the Moon with the specific objective of getting human beings back on the lunar surface and possibly beyond — to Mars and elsewhere.

But why does NASA want to go back to the Moon, where it has been several times, and last went 50 years ago?

NASA officials today argue that the Moon missions are central to the human spaceflight program and not simply a do-over of the Apollo moon landings from 1969-72.
It’s a future where NASA will land the first woman and the first person of colour on the Moon
And on these increasingly complex missions, astronauts will live and work in deep space and will develop the science and technology to send the first humans to Mars.

So what does this new Moon mission hope to achieve?

The new program was named Artemis by NASA leaders during the Trump administration. (In Greek mythology, Artemis, the goddess of wild animals, the hunt, and vegetation, as well as of chastity and childbirth, was the twin sister of Apollo, the much loved god of music and divination.)
The program’s first step will be the upcoming test flight of the Moon rocket, known as the Space Launch System (SLS), with the Orion capsule on top where astronauts will sit during future missions. This uncrewed flight, during which Orion will swing around the moon before returning to Earth, is to wring out any issues with the spacecraft before putting people on board.
In addition to the mission’s function as a proving ground for technologies needed for a much longer trip to Mars, NASA is also hoping to jump-start companies looking to set up a steady business of flying scientific instruments and other payloads to the moon, and to inspire students to enter science and engineering fields.
China’s expanding space ambitions, which include a lunar base in the 2030s, also provided motivation for Artemi
For scientists, the renewed focus on the Moon also promises a bonanza of new data in the coming years.
The rocks collected by the astronauts during the Apollo missions upended planetary scientists’ understanding of the solar system. Analysis of radioactive isotopes provided precise dating of various regions of the Moon’s surface. The rocks also revealed a startling origin story for the Moon: It appears to have formed out of debris ejected into space when a Mars-size object slammed into Earth 4.5 billion years ago.
It is the best place in the solar system to study the origin and evolution of planets in the solar system.

What new things have scientists discovered about the Moon in recent decades?

Scientists have discovered that the Moon is not as dry as they had thought.
Water, frozen at the bottom of eternally dark craters at the poles, is a valuable resource. It can provide drinking water for future astronauts visiting the Moon, and water can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen.
The oxygen could provide breathable air; oxygen and hydrogen could be used as rocket propellant. Thus, the Moon, or a refuelling station in orbit around the Moon, could serve as a stop for spacecraft to refill their tanks before heading into the solar system.
The ices, if they were ancient accumulations over several billion years, could even provide a scientific history book of the solar system.
Then NASA put in a call for proposals for a spacecraft that could tag along to the Moon with the upcoming Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission.
In June 2009, the rocket carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS That October, LCROSS made its death dive into Cabeus crater, near the moon’s south pole.
Instruments on an Indian orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, also found unmistakable signs of water, and scientists using state-of-the-art techniques found water locked up in the minerals of old Apollo 15 and Apollo 17 rocks.

Artemis 1 mission

It is carrying several payloads in the form of small satellites called CubeSats, each of which is equipped with instruments meant for specific investigations and experiments.
The focus of these investigations is clearly to explore long-term stays of human beings in space, and on the Moon. One CubeSat will search for water in all its forms, another will map the availability of hydrogen that can be utilised as a source of energy.
Then there are biology experiments, investigating the behaviour of small organisms like fungi and algae in outer space, and the effect of radiation, especially the reaction on their genes.

The Orion Spacecraft

The Orion spacecraft, which is specifically designed to carry astronauts into deep space on future missions, will have three dummy ‘passengers’ — mannequins made of material that mimic human bones, skin, and soft tissue. These would be equipped with a host of sensors to record the various impacts of deep space atmosphere on the human body.

Space Launch System

The rocket that is being used for the Artemis missions, called Space Launch System, or SLS, is the most powerful ever built, more powerful than the Saturn V rockets that had taken the Apollo missions to the Moon.
The giant, 98-metre-tall rocket, weighing 2,500 tonnes, can help the Orion spacecraft achieve speeds of over 36,000 km per hour, and take it directly to the Moon, which is 1,000 times farther than the International Space Station that sees a regular traffic of astronauts.

3. GeM to launch carbon neutral services in govt departments

Subject: Government scheme

Section:

Context:

Public procurement portal Government e-Marketplace (GeM) will soon launch carbon neutral services to estimate the carbon footprint of various central government ministries and departments and help them work towards carbon neutrality.
Ministries and government departments can also get mitigation plan and steps to achieve carbon neutrality

Gem – Government e-Market Place Portal

GeM is a one-stop National Public Procurement Portal to facilitate online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Central and State Government Departments/Organisations/Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
The procurement of goods and services by Ministries and the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) is mandatory for goods and services available on GeM.
It also provides the tools of e-bidding and reverse e-auction to facilitate the government users achieve the best value for their money.
It functioned under Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
GeM has made it mandatory for sellers to enter the Country of Origin while registering all new products on GeM.
The Union Cabinet has cleared up a proposal allowing cooperatives to sell products on the Government-e-Marketplace (GeM) platform.
In October last year, GeM launched ‘forward auction’ service aimed at removing the clutters in government departments by auctioning disposable furniture, refrigerators, computers, air conditioners.

4. Patents officers’ body seek judicial intervention against arbitrary work target

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Intellectual Property

Context:

The quality of innovation in patents granted in the country may be suffering due to the mad rush to achieve unrealistic targets set up by the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trade Mark (CGPDTM) since it’s way above global standards.
In a petition filed before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), the Association has flagged the issue on two counts – for adversely impacting their service conditions and hurting the country’s economic interest.

Central Administrative Tribunal

It had been established under Article 323 – A of the Constitution.
It provides for adjudication of disputes and complaints with respect to recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to public services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or other authorities under the control of the Government.
In pursuance of Article 323-A, Parliament passed the Administrative Tribunals Act in 1985.
The act authorizes the Central government to establish one CAT and the state administrative tribunals.
This act opened a new chapter in the sphere of providing speedy and inexpensive justice to the aggrieved public servants.
CAT was set up during the Prime Ministership of Rajeev Gandhi.
There are 19 Benches in the CAT all over India.

Composition

The CAT is a specialist body consisting of Administrative Members and Judicial Members who by virtue of their specialized knowledge are better equipped to dispense speedy and effective justice.
A Chairman who has been a sitting or retired Judge of a High Court heads the CAT.

Legal Framework

The Tribunal is guided by the principles of natural justice in deciding cases and is not bound by the procedure prescribed by the Civil Procedure Code.
Under Section 17 of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1985, the Tribunal has been conferred with the power to exercise the same jurisdiction and authority in respect of contempt of itself as a High Court.
The conditions of service of the Chairman and Members are the same as applicable to a Judge of High Court as per the Administrative Tribunals (Amendment) Act, 2006.
The orders of the CAT are challenged by way of a Writ Petition under Article 226/227 of the Constitution before the respective High Court in whose territorial jurisdiction the Bench of the Tribunal is situated.

Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM)

It functions under the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
The Controller General supervises the working of the Patents Act, 1970, the Designs Act, 2000 and the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and also renders advice to the Government on matters relating to these subjects.

Locations of Offices of Patent, Trademark, GI Registry

Office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks: Mumbai.
Patent Head Office: Kolkata.
Trade Mark Registry Office: Mumbai.
GI Registry Office: Chennai.
Offices of The Patent Information System (PIS): Nagpur.
National Institute of Intellectual Property Management(NIIPM): Nagpur.

5. Zombie ice from Greenland will raise sea level 10 inches

Subject: Geography

Section: Physical geography

Context:

A new study finds that Greenland has more than 120 trillion tons of ice that can be thought of as zombie ice that’s going to raise sea level globally by at least 10 inches

Zombie ice

It’s dead ice. It’s just going to melt and disappear from the ice sheet.
That’s doomed ice that, while still attached to thicker areas of ice, is no longer getting replenished by parent glaciers now receiving less snow.
Without replenishment, the doomed ice is melting from climate change and will inevitably raise seas, said study co-author William Colgan, a glaciologist at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.
This ice has been consigned to the ocean, regardless of climate (emissions) scenario

The Greenland ice sheet

The Greenland ice sheet is much smaller than the Antarctic Ice sheet, only about 1.7 million square kilometers (656,000 square miles).
It is still the second-largest body of ice on the planet. The Greenland ice sheet interacts much more dynamically with the ocean than the Antarctic ice sheet.

Greenland

Greenland is the world’s largest island located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
It is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and Denmark, the colonial powers).

6. Delegates come close but fail again to clinch high seas protection treaty

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate change

Context:

Treaty failed to be concluded at the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.

What is the proposed UN High Seas treaty?

Also referred to as the ‘Paris Agreement for the Ocean’, the treaty to deal with Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction has been under discussion for several years.
The proposed treaty concerns the ocean existing beyond the Exclusive Economic Zones that lie from the coast of a country to about 200 nautical miles or 370 km into the sea, till where it has special rights for exploration. Waters beyond that are known as open seas or high seas.
The treaty was to be negotiated under the United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982 which governs the rights of countries regarding marine resources. As there is no treaty for conserving the health of vast swathes of the earth’s oceans, a UN resolution in 2017 had decided to rectify this while setting 2022 as the deadline.
The pandemic resulted in many delays, and later, a High Ambition Coalition, which now has more than 100 countries including India, the US, and the UK, came about and put the focus on ‘30×30’ goals – protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.
Biodiversity is a cross-cutting issue, but the current marine policy and management framework, established by UNCLOS, is sectoral, as well as incomplete in its coverage and inconsistent with present-day needs.
Four areas key to a sustainable biodiversity conservation agreement were discussed in New York: sharing marine genetic resources (MGRs) fairly; implementing area-based management tools like marine protected areas (MPAs);setting standards for environmental impact assessments for activities on the high seas; and ensuring less-industrialized countries can meet treaty objectives through a mechanism for sharing marine technology and knowledge.

How are the world’s oceans regulated as of now?

Some treaties, along with the UNCLOS, regulate the conduct of actors on the high seas.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an international treaty which was adopted and signed in 1982.
UNCLOS is the only international convention which stipulates a framework for state jurisdiction in maritime spaces. It provides a different legal status to different maritime zones.
It replaced the four Geneva Conventions of April, 1958, which respectively concerned the territorial sea and the contiguous zone, the continental shelf, the high seas, fishing and conservation of living resources on the high seas.
The Convention has created three new institutions on the international scene:
- the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
- the International Seabed Authority
- the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf
UNCLOS as the currently prevailing law of the sea is binding completely.
There are 17 parts, 320 articles and nine annexes to UNCLOS
The law of the sea provides for full rights to nations for a 200-mile zonefrom their shoreline. The sea and oceanic bed extending this area is regarded to be Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and any country can use these waters for their economic utilization.

Pacific Small Islands Developing States (PSIDS)

The PSIDS comprises of the 14 Pacific Island countries viz. The Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

About Small Island developing states (SIDS)

SIDS is a group of small island countries that tend to share similar sustainable development challenges.
The challenges include small but growing populations, limited resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters, vulnerability to external shocks, excessive dependence on international trade, and fragile environments.
Their growth and development is also held back by high communication, energy and transportation costs and little to no opportunity to create economies of scale.

Location

These countries are across the globe in the Caribbean, the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and the Mediterranean and South China Sea.

Groupings

These are broken down into following three geographic regions, with each region having it’s own regional cooperation body.
Caribbean: The Caribbean Community
Pacific: The Pacific Islands Forum
Africa, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea (AIMS)

Pacific Island nations