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23rd Sep 2021
BIDEN TO HOST LEADERS OF AUSTRALIA, INDIA, JAPAN AT WHITE HOUSE NEXT WEEK
The US President will host the first in-person meeting of the Quad countries on September 24, which would be joined by the Prime Ministers of India, Australia, and Japan.
BRICS Young Scientists Forum This year the four-day conclave from 13 September to 16 September, 2021.
Paradip Port is a natural, deep-water port on the East coast of India in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha.
- The Quad will focus on issues related to the Covid-19 crisis, climate change, cyberspace, and security in the Indo-Pacific.
- The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) is a strategic dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia and India.
- It was formed after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 to collaborate on disaster relief efforts, which was formalised in 2007.
- In 2017, with the rising threat of China, Quad was revived broadening its objectives and creating a mechanism that aimed to slowly establish a rules-based international order.
- It has focused on expanding existing agreements between member countries and highlighting their shared values.
- QUAD conduct joint military exercises as a show of unity and diplomatic cohesion.
- In 2020, the trilateral India-US-Japan Malabar naval exercises including Australia was the first joint military exercises among the four countries.
- Primary objectives of the QUAD are to secure rules-based global order, liberal trading system, maritime security, freedom of navigation and seeks to contain China.
- Willingness to expand the partnership through Quad Plus that would include South Korea, New Zealand, and Vietnam amongst others.
- India must be a Net Security Provider in the Indian Ocean Region, its dominance in the IOR needs to be maintained and sustained.
- QUAD provides India a platform to enhance security through partnership in the region as well as emphasize that its idea of Indo-Pacific stands for a free, open, and inclusive region.
- The Quad provides a platform to India to seek cooperation from countries on various issues such as ensuring respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and peaceful resolution of disputes.
- It also demonstrates a united front to check the unceremonious activities of China against India.
- It is crucial in present times as relations between India and China have deteriorated due to border incursions along Tibet India border at more than one place.
- The four-wheel-drive robot was developed by the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries-REX MKII.
- It is operated by an electronic tablet and can be equipped with two machine guns, cameras and sensors.
- The robot can gather intelligence for ground troops, carry injured soldiers and supplies in and out of battle, and strike nearby targets.
- With every mission, the device collects more data which it then learns for future missions.
- Proponents say such semi-autonomous machines allow armies to protect their soldiers.
- Unmanned ground vehicles are being increasingly used by other armies, including those of the United States, Britain and Russia.
- Their tasks include logistical support, the removal of mines and firing weapons.
- Autonomous weapons systems act as a force multiplier, i.e., fewer war fighters are needed for a given mission, and the efficiency of each war fighter is greater.
- The weapons systems can reduce casualties by removing/ replacing human war fighters from dangerous missions.
- Long-term savings in military expenditure could be achieved through fielding an army of military robots.
- Robot pilots are not subjected to physiological and mental constraints of warfare.
- Critics fear this marks another dangerous step toward robots making life-or-death decisions.
- Robotic weapons could decide on their own, perhaps erroneously, to shoot targets.
- Such weapons cannot be trusted to distinguish between combatants and civilians or make proper calls about the harm attacks may do to nearby civilians.
- Missile defense using Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be extremely destabilizing if it allows one nation to launch a nuclear strike against another without the fear of retaliation.
- Machines cannot understand value of human life, which undermines human dignity and violates human rights laws.
- There would be a major concern is the problem of accountability when autonomous weapons systems are deployed.
- Engineers’ day is celebrated in India, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania on September 15.
- The day is observed to commemorate the great work of engineers and encourage them for improvement and innovation.
- He was born on 15th September 1861, in Muddenahalli Bengaluru.
- He was called the Father of Modern Mysore State.
- He completed his engineering from the Poona College of Science.
- In November 1909, he joined the Mysore service as Chief Engineer, assuming the position of the 19th Dewan of Mysore.
- He was instrumental in developing a system to protect Visakhapatnam port from sea erosion.
- He took voluntary retirement in 1918, did not agreed with the proposal to set aside state jobs for “non-brahmin” community.
- After his retirement, he presided as chairman or became a member of various committees.
- Institute - He established the Sir Jayachamarajendra Occupational Institute in Bangalore in 1943.
- It was later renamed to Sir Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic.
- It was meant to impart special training to technicians keeping in mind the impending industrial development of India.
- Books - Reconstructing India; Planned Economy of India; Memoirs of Working Life.
- Received the Bharat Ratna, in 1955.
- Awarded with several honorary doctoral degrees including D.Sc., LL.D., D.Litt. from eight universities in India.
- He died on 14 April 1962 in Bangalore, Karnataka.
BRICS Young Scientists Forum This year the four-day conclave from 13 September to 16 September, 2021.
- Young innovator prize has been one of the focuses of the BRICS-YSF and the award is supported by the DST, Government of India.
- The BRICS Young Scientist Forum has created a network to harness knowledge for solving common societal challenges through research and innovation.
- The BRICS Young Scientist Conclave created a pool of creative youth in Science &Technology.
- The BRICS-YSF summits were first hosted by India in 2016, followed by China in 2017, South Africa in 2018, Brazil in 2019, and Russia in 2020.
- The next conclave would be organized by China in 2022.
Paradip Port is a natural, deep-water port on the East coast of India in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha.
- It is situated at confluence of the Mahanadi River and the Bay of Bengal.
- The Major Port is administered under Major Port Trusts Act, 1963, under the Ministry of Shipping.
- A Mobile X-Ray Container Scanning System (MXCS) has been installed by Paradip Port at a cost of Rs 30 crore under Ease of Doing Business initiative.
- It is installed for the purpose of reducing physical examination and dwell time of containers at the Port.
- The Scanner can scan up to 25 containers per hour, enabling the Trade to directly move out their containers with upgrade security and zero hassle.
- Aim: To offer relief to telecom companies burdened by large regulatory dues and attract foreign capital into the telecom sector.
- Definition of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) has been changed to exclude non-telecom revenue i.e., all non-telecom revenue will be removed from AGR.
- Relief on computing dues relating to AGR and Four-year moratorium on the AGR dues.
- To protect government revenues, companies availing of the moratorium will have to pay interest.
- This would be at the rate of marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) plus 2%.
- Foreign ownership rules were liberalised by allowing 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) through the automatic route with safeguards.
- Currently, 100% FDI is allowed in the telecom sector, but only 49% was on the automatic route, any investment above that limit required government approval.
- Option for government to convert dues into equity in the companies after the moratorium period expires.
- Allow telcos to surrender their spectrums that have not been used so far.
- Removal of spectrum usage charges in future telecom auctions. The spectrum allocation would be of 30 years instead of 20 years.
- Businesses could surrender spectrum after a 10-year lock-in period after paying a defined surrender charge.
- Simplify KYC norms by eliminating physical paperwork for customers and simplified the process of setting up telecom towers.
- AGR-related benefit will provide telcos time to re-strategize its business and clear the pending dues in a longer period.
- It would help save jobs in the sector and ensure much-needed competition in the industry.
- It would ensure that the industry is able to invest fearlessly and support India’s digital ambition.
- The Production Linked Incentives of ₹26,058 crore will be provided to the auto sector over five years. With the introduction of the PLI scheme, the auto sector is expected to:
- Attract fresh investments of over ₹42,500 crore in the five years
- Incremental production of over ₹2.3-lakh crore
- Create additional employment for over 7.6 lakh people.
- A PLI scheme for the drone industry was also approved with an allocation of ₹120 crore spread over three financial years. It is expected to:
- Bring fresh investments of over ₹5,000 crore
- Incremental production of over ₹1,500 crore.
- The PLI Scheme is open to existing automotive companies as well as new ones currently not in the automobile or auto components manufacturing business.
- Champion OEM Incentive Scheme:
- It is a ‘sales value linked’ plan, applicable to Battery Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles of all segments.
- Component Champion Incentive Scheme:
- It is a ‘sales value linked’ plan for advanced technology components, Completely and Semi-Knocked Down (CKD/SKD) kits, vehicle aggregates of 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and tractors.
- The PLI scheme for the automotive sector along with the already launched PLI for Advanced Chemistry Cell (₹18,100 crore) and Faster Adaption of Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) Scheme (₹10,000 crore) will give a big boost to manufacture of electric vehicles.
- The PLI scheme will help the industry to move faster towards future technologies and make fresh investments for indigenous global supply chain of advanced automotive technology products.
- It is a significant push for the workforce, organisations (Original Equipment Manufacturer OEMs), and consumers to seek competitive, diverse, and climate conscious mobility solutions.
- It has the potential to increase volumes and provide a huge opportunity for exports and make India an integral manufacturing base for the world.
- 8,272 cases were instituted for offences against Scheduled Tribes.
- Simple hurt (2,247) accounted for 27.2%, followed by rape with 13.7% and assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty with 10.7%
- The cases of sedition declined from 93 in 2019 to 73 last year, with Manipur reporting 15 cases, Assam 12, Karnataka 8, Uttar Pradesh 7, Haryana 6, Delhi 5, and Kashmir 2 cases.
- The States reporting high charge-sheeting rate under IPC crimes were Gujarat (97.1%), Kerala (94.9%) and Tamil Nadu (91.7%).
- A major increase was seen in the cases registered under disobedience to the order promulgated by public servant, under Section 188 of the IPC, to 6,12,179 cases.
- Under the Special and Local Laws category, more cases were registered under “Other State Local Acts,” leading to a steep rise from 89,553 to 4,14,589 cases.
- A total of 10,47,216 cases of offences affecting the human body were registered, accounted for 24.6%.
- “Hurt” as an offence accounted for maximum cases (55.3%), followed by causing death by negligence (12.1%) and assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty (8.2%).
- It showed a marginal increase of 1% to 29,193.
- A total of 91,458 kidnapped, including both male and female were found alive and recovered, while 281 persons were found dead.
- There was an 8.30% decline in cases of crime against women.
- Most of the cases were related to “cruelty by husband or his relatives” (30.0%), followed by “assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty” (23.0%), “kidnapping & abduction of women” (16.8%) and “rape” (7.5%).
- The crime rate registered per lakh women population is 56.5 in 2020.
- A total of 29,768 cases were registered against juveniles, showing a decrease of 7.8%.
- Most of the juveniles apprehended under the IPC and SLL crimes were in the 16-18 age group.
- 1,45,754 cases of economic offences were registered, showing a decrease of 12%.
- There was a decline of 27% in cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act from 4,244 to 3,100.
- With 50,035 cases, cybercrimes recorded an 11.80% increase.
- Human trafficking cases declined from 2,208 to 1,714.
- The agencies rescued 4,680 victims and arrested 4,966 persons.
- The number of missing persons decreased by 15%. Over 3.32 lakh persons, including 2.24 lakh female and 142 transgenders, were traced, or recovered.
- Of older individuals in India aged 45 years and above, studied:
- Nearly 6% consumed smaller portions or skipped meals
- 5.3% did not eat even when they were hungry
- 3.8% went a full day without eating because the food was unavailable.
- A high percentage of older adults residing in rural areas reduced their meal size, were hungry but did not eat compared to their urban counterparts.
- In most of east India and central states and Tamil Nadu, more than 6% of older adults were hungry but did not eat.
- The proportion of older persons who did not eat for a complete day was less than 5% in most states/UTs, except in Madhya Pradesh (6.8%), Bihar (6.2%) and Uttar Pradesh.
- Food insecurity is defined as the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or the limited or uncertain ability to get appropriate foods in socially acceptable ways.
- A 2015 report on progress towards UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target 1 indicated that in developing world, food insecurity dropped to 12.9% in 2014-16 from 23.3% in 1990-91.
- MDG Target 1 aimed to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger between 1990 and 2015.
- The degree of food insecurity is relatively high in South Asia and the pace of eradication of food insecurity has been slow.
- India had the second-highest estimated number of undernourished individuals in the world from 2003-04 to 2012-13.
- Food insecurity among elderly would exacerbate their existing health problems and add to emotional and financial stress.
- It is often linked with a higher risk of chronic diseases as well as disabilities.
- It examined how the impacts of slow-onset climate change such as water scarcity, decreasing crop productivity and rising sea levels could lead to millions as "climate migrants" by 2050.
- The Groundswell report is a stark reminder of the human toll of climate change, particularly on the world’s poorest who are contributing the least to its causes.
- It also clearly lays out a path for countries to address some of the key factors that are causing climate-driven migration.
- Up to 216 million people moving within their own countries across the six regions analyzed.
- Those regions are Latin America; North Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; Eastern Europe and Central Asia; South Asia; and East Asia and the Pacific.
- In the most climate-friendly scenario, with a low level of emissions and inclusive, sustainable development, the world could still see 44 million people being forced to leave their homes.
- In the worst-case scenario, Sub-Saharan Africa would see the most migrants, with up to 86 million people moving within national borders.
- Sub-Saharan Africa is the most vulnerable region due to desertification, fragile coastlines and the population's dependence on agriculture.
- North Africa is predicted to have the largest proportion of climate migrants, with 19 million people moving, equivalent to roughly 9% of its population.
- Due mainly to increased water scarcity in northeastern Tunisia, northwestern Algeria, western and southern Morocco, and the central Atlas foothills.
- In South Asia, Bangladesh is particularly affected by flooding and crop failures, accounting for almost half of the predicted climate migrants, with 19.9 million people, including an increasing number of women.
- Total south Asia could see 40 million internal climate migrants.
- By 2050, East Asia and the Pacific could see 49 million; North Africa 19 million; Latin America 17 million; Eastern Europe and Central Asia 5 million internal climate migrants.
- Hotspots of internal climate migration can emerge as early as 2030 and continue to spread and intensify by 2050.
- Immediate and concerted action to reduce global emissions and support green, inclusive and resilient development, could reduce the scale of climate migration by as much as 80 per cent.
- Climate change is a powerful driver of internal migration because of its impacts on people’s livelihoods and loss of livability in highly exposed locations.
POSTED ON 23-09-2021 BY ADMIN
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Some Reference Essays
List of previous year essay topics (1997-2019)
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