Daily Prelims Notes 5 May 2021

May 5, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

5 May 2021

Table Of Contents

Subject : Science & tech

Context : Chief secretary SitaramKunte wrote to Union cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba demanding at least 200MT more liquid oxygen for Maharashtra as 16 districts saw continuous rise in Covid cases.

Concept :

Liquid Medical Oxygen:

It is high purity oxygen suitable for use in the human body. So, it is used for medical treatments.
This oxygen provides a basis for virtually all modern anaesthetic techniques, restores tissue oxygen tension by increasing the oxygen availability, aids cardiovascular stability, etc.
The World Health Organisation includes this on their List of Essential Medicines.
According to the Drug Prices Control Order, 2013, LMO is placed under the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM).
India has a daily production capacity of at least 7,100 Metric Tonnes (MT) of oxygen, including for industrial use.
Due to the crisis, the production has been increased to 8,922 MT. And approximately daily sale is 7,017 MT.

2. INDIA-UK VIRTUAL SUMMIT

Subject : International Relations

Context :Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom held a Virtual Summit.

Concept :

An ambitious ‘Roadmap 2030’ was adopted at the Summit to elevate bilateral ties to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. The Roadmap will pave the way for a deeper and stronger engagement over the next ten years in the key areas of people to people contacts, trade and economy, defence and security, climate action and health.
The two Prime Ministers launched an ‘Enhanced Trade Partnership’ (ETP) which sets an ambitious target of more than doubling bilateral trade by 2030.
As part of the ETP, India and the UK agreed on a roadmap to negotiate a comprehensive and balanced FTA, including consideration of an Interim Trade Agreement for delivering early gains.
The UK is India’s second largest partner in research and innovation collaborations. A new India-UK ‘Global Innovation Partnership’ was announced at the Virtual Summit that aims to support the transfer of inclusive Indian innovations to select developing countries, starting with Africa.
India and the UK launched a comprehensive partnership on migration and mobility that will facilitate greater opportunities for the mobility of students and professionals between the two countries.
Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation on new and emerging technologies, including Digital and ICT products, and work on supply chain resilience.
They also agreed to strengthen defence and security ties, including in the maritime, counter-terrorism and cyberspace domains.

3. CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL

Subject : Polity

Context : The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said the petition filed by former Mumbai commissioner of police ParamBir Singh, challenging the preliminary inquiries initiated against him by the Maharashtra government, was a service matter and relief could be adjudicated by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).

Concept :

Central Administrative Tribunal

Article 323 – A: The Central Administrative Tribunal had been established under Article 323 – A of the Constitution 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, the Parliament has passed the Administrative Tribunals Act in 1985. The act authorises the Central government to establish one Central Administrative Tribunal 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.
There are 17 Benches and 21 Circuit Benches in the Central Administrative Tribunal all over India.
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. It was established in 1985.
A Chairman who has been a sitting or retired Judge of a High Court heads the Central Administrative Tribunal.

Operating Principles:

It exercises jurisdiction only in relation to the service matters of the parties covered by the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985.
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.
Independence: 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.
Appeals against Orders: The orders of Central Administrative Tribunal are challenged by way of Writ Petition under Article 226/227 of the Constitution before respective High Court in whose territorial jurisdiction the Bench of the Tribunal is situated.

4. INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS CODE

Subject : Governance

Context : Labour ministry seeks feedback on draft rules on trade unions under IR Code.

Concept :

The Ministry of Labour and Employment on Tuesday sought public feedback on draft rules for recognition of trade unions and disputes related to those under the Industrial Relations Code 2020.
The Industrial Relations Code 2020 was passed by Parliament in the Budget session which concluded in March this year.
The various rules under it were finalised but could not be notified yet.

Industrial Relations Code

The code, among its important provisions, makes it easier for companies to hire and fire workers.
Companies employing upto 300 workers will not be required to frame rules of conduct for workmen employed in industrial establishments. Presently, it is compulsory for firms employing upto 100 workers.
It proposes that workers in factories will have to give a notice at least 14 days in advance to employers if they want to go on strike.
Presently, only workers in public utility services are required to give notices to hold strikes.
Besides, every industrial establishment employing 20 or more workers will have one or more Grievance Redressal Committees for resolution of disputes arising out of employees’ grievances.
The code also proposes setting up of a reskilling fund to help skill retrenched workers.

5. ASIATIC LIONS

Subject :Environment

Context : In a first in India, 8 Asiatic lions test positive for Covid-19 in Hyderabad zoo

Concept :

Asiatic lion (Pantheraleopersica)

Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than African lions.
Males have only moderate mane growth at the top of the head so that their ears are always visible.
The most striking morphological character, which is always seen in Asiatic lions, and rarely in African lions, is a longitudinal fold of skin running along its belly.
Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 also lists Asiatic lion in Schedule 1.
CITES included Asiatic Lion in Appendix I.
It is mentioned in IUCN Red List as Endangered
Asiatic lions were once distributed to the state of West Bengal in east and Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, in central India.
At present Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the only abode of the Asiatic lion.

6. MODEL INSURANCE VILLAGE

Subject : Current Events

Context : IRDAI moots ‘Model Insurance Village’ concept to boost insurance in rural India

Concept :

The concept of setting up model insured villages was mooted by the IRDAI in a discussion paper on increasing penetration of insurance in rural areas with a special focus on agriculture and allied activities.
“The concept may be implemented in a minimum of 500 villages in different districts of the country in the first year and increased to a minimum of 1,000 villages in subsequent two years,” the paper said on which the insurance regulator has invited comments from stakeholders by May 17.
It also said the choice of villages is to be made carefully, considering various relevant aspects and parameters in order to implement the concept successfully for a period of three to five years.
Every general insurance and reinsurance company having office in India needs to be involved for piloting the concept, and the efforts in selected villages need to be continued for a minimum period of 3-5 years so as to make the insurance benefits visible to the community.
It said the central government’s initiative through PMFBY has helped improve the insurance protection for crops in recent years.
However, a large number of crops and cropped area are outside the scope of PFMBY and still remaining uninsured. These can be served through different tailored indemnity-based /weather index-based products.
The allied farm risks, MSMEs, agro businesses, livestock and other personal insurance needs of rural population are also largely unserved.

7. CEEW – CEF

Subject : International Organisations

Concept :

CEEW-CEF acts as a non-partisan market observer and driver that monitors, develops, tests, and deploys financial solutions to advance the energy transition.
It aims to help deepen markets, increase transparency, and attract capital in clean energy sectors in emerging economies.
The CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEF) is an initiative of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), one of Asia’s leading think tanks.

CEEW

The Council on Energy, Environment and Water, commonly known as CEEW, is a Delhi-based not-for-profit policy research institution.
Some of CEEW’s research areas include resource efficiency and security; water resources; renewable energy; sustainability finance; energy-trade-climate linkages; integrated energy, environment and water plans; and climate geoengineering governance.
The think-tank advises the Indian government.

8. 5 G TRIALS

Subject : Science & tech

Context : The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Tuesday gave permission to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to conduct trials for the use and application of 5G technology.

Concept :

The applicant TSPs include Bharti Airtel Ltd., Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd., Vodafone Idea Ltd. and MTNL.
These TSPs have tied up with original equipment manufacturers and technology providers, which are Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and C-DOT, a statement from the Ministry of Communications said.
The duration of the trials is for six months, which includes a time period of two months for the procurement and setting up of the equipment.

5 G Technology

5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.
The first generation of networks allowed only mobile voice calls to be made, while the second generation allowed mobile voice calls as well as sending of short text messages.
It was the third generation or 3G network which allowed web browsing on mobile devices, the speed and latency of which improved with fourth-generation or 4G networks.
The 5G networks will have even faster speeds with latency down to between 1-10 milliseconds.
Note: Latency is the time a device takes to communicate with the network, which stands at an average of up to 50 milliseconds for 4G networks across the world.

How does 5G work?

All 5G networks chiefly operate on three spectrum bands.
The low-band spectrum has been proven to have great coverage and works fast even in underground conditions. However, the maximum speed limit on this band is 100 Mbps (Megabits per second).
In the mid-band spectrum, though the speeds are higher, telcos across the world have registered limitations when it comes to coverage area and penetration of telephone signals into buildings.
The high-band spectrum offers the highest speed but has extremely limited network coverage area and penetration capabilities.
The telcos using this band rely on the existing LTE networks and will need to install a number of smaller towers to ensure adequate coverage and high-speed performance.

9. SUTRA MODEL

Subject : Science & tech

Context : Scientists see flaws in SUTRA’s approach to modelling pandemic.

Concept :

‘Susceptible, Undetected, Tested (positive), and Removed Approach’ (SUTRA) model

The model uses three main parameters to predict the course of the pandemic.
The first is called beta, or contact rate, which measures how many people an infected person infects per day.
It is related to the R0 value, which is the number of people an infected person spreads the virus to over the course of their infection.
The second parameter is ‘reach’ which is a measure of the exposure level of the population to the pandemic.
The third is ‘epsilon’ which is the ratio of detected and undetected cases.

10. USED COOKING OIL (UCO) BASED BIODIESEL

Subject : Economy

Context : Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas flagged off the first supply of UCO (Used Cooking Oil) based Biodiesel blended Diesel under the EOI Scheme from Indian Oil’s Tikrikalan Terminal, Delhi.

Concept :

To create an eco-system for collection and conversion of UCO into Biodiesel, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas had initiated Expressions of Interest for “Procurement of Bio-diesel produced from Used Cooking Oil” on the occasion of World Biofuel Day on 10th August 2019.
Under this initiative, OMCs offer periodically incremental price guarantees for five years and extend off-take guarantees for ten years to prospective entrepreneurs.
Under this initiative, Indian Oil has received 51KL of UCO-Biodiesel at its Tikrikalan terminal in Delhi as of 31.3.2021.
It is a landmark in India’s pursuance of Biofuels which will have a positive impact on the environment.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel, similar to conventional or ‘fossil’ diesel.
It can be produced from vegetable oils, animal fats, tallow and waste cooking oil.
A significant advantage of Biodiesel is its carbon-neutrality, i.e. the oilseed absorbs the same amount of CO2 as is released when the fuel is combusted in a vehicle.
Also, Biodiesel is rapidly biodegradable and completely non-toxic.

11. CCMB – LaCONES

Subject : Science & tech

Context :Based on reports by CCMB-LaCONES, it has now been confirmed that eight Asiatic lions housed in Nehru Zoological Park (NZP), Hyderabad have tested positive for SARS-CoV2 virus.

Concept :

LaCONES or Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species, is a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research lab located in Hyderabad.
It is a part of CCMB (centre for cellular and molecular biology).
It was conceptualised by Lalji Singh.
It is India’s only research facility engaged in conservation and preservation of wildlife and its resources. This lab would strive to: “To promote excellence in conservation biotechnology and serve for conservation of endangered wildlife in India”.
It was established in 1998 with the help of Central Zoo Authority of India, CSIR and the government of Andhra Pradesh. It was dedicated to the nation in 2007 by then President of India APJ Abdul Kalam.

12. PRODUCTION LINKED INCENTIVE SCHEME (PLI) FOR IT HARDWARE

Subject : Economy

Context : A total of 19 companies have filed their application under the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for IT Hardware.

Concept :

Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for IT Hardware was notified on 03.03.2021.
The PLI Scheme extends an incentive of 4% to 2%/ 1% on net incremental sales (over base year of FY 2019-20) of goods under target segments that are manufactured in India to eligible companies, for a period of four years (FY 2021-22 to FY 2024-25).
The target IT hardware segments under the proposed Scheme include Laptops, Tablets, All-in-One Personal Computers (PCs) and Servers.
The scheme proposes production linked incentives to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the value chain of these IT Hardware products.

Benefits:

Over the next 4 years, the Scheme is expected to lead to total production of about INR 1,60,000 crore. Out of the total production, IT Hardware companies have proposed a production of over INR 1,35,000 crore, and Domestic Companies have proposed a production of over INR 25,000 crore.
The scheme is expected to promote exports significantly. Out of the total production of INR 1,60,000 crore in the next 4 years, more than 37% will be contributed by exports of the order of INR 60,000 crore.
The scheme will bring additional investment in electronics manufacturing to the tune of INR 2,350 crore.
The scheme will generate approximately 37,500 direct employment opportunities in next 4 years along with creation of additional indirect employment of nearly 3 times the direct employment.
Domestic Value Addition is expected to grow from the current 5-12% to 16-35%.