EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
Dec 2, 2021
How HC spelt out limitations of sessions court
Recently, Bombay High Court hearing a bail application affirmed that the detention under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) was extended by a sessions court that had no power to do so.
Key highlights:
- The court cited a previous case that held that a sessions court is incompetent to extend the detention, helped in granting bail to the accused.
- A special court designated under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, had no jurisdiction to extend the detention beyond the stipulated 90 days.
Default bail
- Default or normal bail is given to an accused when the agency authorised in the investigation fails to comply with the deadlines set by the Criminal Procedure Code.
- Under Section 167 in the CrPC, 1973, the maximum period of detention is 90 days for the highest class of offences — those punishable with death, imprisonment for life, or a term not less than 10 years.
- But a maximum detention of 180 days is allowed for those accused of offences under UAPA, as a court can extend custody beyond the CrPC limits.
Sessions Court:
- In India, sessions court has been established by the state government for every session division.
- There is only one Sessions Court in each division at different places.
- It is presided over by a Sessions Court judge.
- The judge is appointed by the High Court of the state.
- District court is referred to as sessions court when it exercises its jurisdiction on criminal matters under Code of Criminal procedure (CrPc).
- The court is responsible for cases relating to murders, theft, dacoity, pick-pocketing and other such cases.
- Sections 225 to 237 of The Code of Criminal Procedure deal with the procedure in trials before a Court of Sessions.
Functions of a Sessions court:
- To discharge the accused if sufficient grounds are not established under Section 277.
- To Frame charges if there is adequate ground for presuming that the said accused committed an offence that is exclusively triable by the sessions court as per section 228 (1)(b)).
- To Read out the charge, explain its meaning to the accused and record the accused’s plea at the Sessions Court.
The Sessions Court judge can:
- Give death sentence as per section 366 CrPC.
- Opt to transfer the case to the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) as per section 228 (1)(a).
- If the Sessions Court judge feels that the offence that has been made out against the said accused is not exclusively to be tried in the Sessions Court.
- Convict a person if the accused pleads guilty.
- Compel the attendance of witnesses if the prosecution applies for it as part of the hearing of evidence.
Lok Sabha passes bill to regulate IVF clinics
Recently, Lok Sabha passed the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020.
Aim of the Bill:
- To protect the affected Women and the Children from exploitation.
- To regulate and supervise Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) clinics and ART banks, prevent misuse, adopt safe and ethical practice and so on.
Key provisions of Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020
Definition of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART):
- The bill defines ART to include all techniques that are used to get pregnancy.
- The techniques shall include handling oocyte (immature eggs) or sperms outside the human body and transferring the embryo in to the woman’s body.
- ART services will be provided through:
- ART clinics, which offer ART related treatments and procedures, and
- ART banks, which store and supply gametes.
Regulation of ART clinics and banks:
- The Bill provides that every ART clinic and bank must be registered under the National Registry of Banks and Clinics of India.
- The National Registry will be established under the Bill and will act as a central database with details of all ART clinics and banks in the country.
- State governments will appoint registration authorities for facilitating the registration process.
- Clinics and banks will be registered only if they adhere to certain standards (specialised manpower, physical infrastructure, and diagnostic facilities).
- The registration will be valid for five years and can be renewed for a further five years.
National and State Boards:
- The Bill provides National and State Boards for Surrogacy for the regulation of ART services.
- Key powers and functions of the National Board include:
- advising the central government on ART related policy matters,
- reviewing and monitoring the implementation of the Bill,
- formulating code of conduct and standards for ART clinics and banks, and
- overseeing various bodies to be constituted under the Bill.
- The State Boards will coordinate enforcement of the policies and guidelines for ART as per the recommendations, policies, and regulations of the National Board.
Penalty
- The Bill has a provision that those involved in trafficking and sale of embryos will be fined ₹10 lakh at first instance and in second instance, the person can be imprisoned for up to 12 years.
Rights of a child born through ART:
- A child born through ART will be deemed to be a biological child of the commissioning couple.
- He/she and will be entitled to the rights and privileges available to a natural child of the commissioning couple.
Review school texts to include Vedas: Parliamentary panel
A parliamentary committee had made several recommendations on how history should be taught in Indian schools in a revamped curriculum.
Objectives of the recommendations:
- To give more balanced and judicious perception of the Indian freedom struggle.
- To give due and proper space to the freedom fighters hitherto unknown and oblivious in the freedom movement.
- To ensure that books are free of biases.
Recommendations of the panel:
Language:
- All NCERT textbooks should be published in all Eighth Schedule languages, with further translations into local languages not included in the official list.
- This will enable all children to access resources in their own mother tongues.
Learning Friendly:
- It also offered suggestions for more child-friendly textbooks with additional audio-visual and interactive content, as well as the development of more digital learning resources.
Free of Bias:
- Gave emphasis on the need to make the books gender-inclusive.
- The curriculum should include sections on contributions by leading women figures such as Kalpana Chawla, Kamladevi Chattopadhyay, Kittur Chennamma, M S Subbulakshmi and Savitribai Phule among others.
Back to the roots:
- Educational methodologies adopted in the ancient Universities like Nalanda, Vikramashila and Takshila should be studiedand suitably modified to serve as a model reference for teachers.
- The syllabus should incorporate the ancient wisdom, knowledge and teachings about life and society from Vedas and other great Indian texts/ books in the school curriculum.
Inclusive History:
- It should present an overhaul of history-writing guidelines to give equal weightage to various eras like Vikramaditya, Cholas, Chalukyas, Vijayanagar, Gondwana, Ahoms of the Northeast and Additions from Sikh and Maratha history.
Crop insurance delayed
Crores of Crop insurance coverage is pending under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
Major Highlights:
- Farmers of Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana, and Maharashtra have the highest amounts pending.
- Cause- payment failure and delay in state subsidy.
- Features-
- The stability is shared by the central and state governments on a 50:50 foundation
- 90:10 with north-eastern states.
- Claims are transferred electronically to eligible account or the Aadhar Enabled Cost System.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
- It is the government sponsored crop insurance scheme.
- PMFBY is a replacement scheme of National Agricultural Insurance Scheme and Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS).
- Launched by- Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers welfare in 2016.
- Aim- to support sustainable production in agriculture sector.
- Objectives-
- To provide financial support to farmers suffering crop loss.
- To stabilize the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming
- To encourage farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices
- To ensure flow of credit to the agriculture sector.
Coverage of Crops:
- Food crops (Cereals, Millets and Pulses),
- Oilseeds
- Annual Commercial / Annual Horticultural crops.
Risk covered under the scheme:
- Prevented Sowing/Planting/Germination Risk:
- Insured area is prevented from sowing / planting / germination due to deficit rainfall or adverse seasonal/weather conditions.
- 25% of the sum insured will be paid and the Policy will be terminated.
- Standing Crop (Sowing to Harvesting):
- Comprehensive risk insurance is provided to cover yield losses due to non-preventable risks, such as natural disaster.
- Post-Harvest Losses:
- Coverage is available only up to a maximum period of two weeks from harvesting.
- Localized Calamities:
- Loss/damage to notified insured crops resulting from occurrence of identified localized risks of Hailstorm, Landslide, Inundation, Cloud burst and Natural fire due to lightening affecting isolated farms in the notified area.
- Add-on coverage for crop loss due to attack by wild animals:
- The States may consider providing add- on coverage for crop loss due to attack by wild animals.
Features-
- There will be a uniform premium.
- 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops
- 1.5% for all Rabi crops.
- There is no upper limit on Government subsidy.
- Balance premium is 90%. it will be borne by the Government.
- Farmers will get claim against full sum insured without any reduction.
- Smart phones will be used to capture and upload data of crop cutting to reduce the delays in claim payment to farmers.
- Remote sensing will be used to reduce the number of crops cutting experiments.
- It is implemented on an ‘Area Approach basis’.
- Area approach basis: Each notified crop will be defined with the assumption that all the insured farmers face similar risk exposures, same cost of production per 3 hectares, and experience similar extent of crop loss.
Programme launched to upskill street food vendors
Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched a pilot programme to upskill street vendors of East Delhi.
- Aim-
- To upskill 2,500 vendors that aged between 23 to 55 years.
- To make them eligible for e-cart licenses.
- Implemented by: Tourism and Hospitality Sector Skill Council (THSSC) and training partners of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
- Implemented under- Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
- It is a component of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 3.0.
- Objective-
- To provide relevant skills to the Street Food Vendors leading towards better services to consumers.
- To provide more opportunities to vendors for revenue generation.
- To spread awareness on regulations and stipulated rules in return providing better services to the local bodies.
- To improve the hygiene conditions in food preparation and aesthetics of vending.
Features-
- The Street Food Vendors will be educated on health and safety standards under COVID-19 protocols.
- New-age skills such as digital literacy, financial literacy, digital payments and e-selling.
- The vendors will be supported with loans under the Mudra Scheme.
- The scheme will provide social security and safety to 4,000 vendors of East Delhi and 25 lakh street vendors nationally.
Significance of the programme-
- will increase productivity and enhance the livelihood of Street Vendors.
- will provide cost for training, certification, and assessment.
- will grant Rs. 500/- incentive for 3 years.
Key Facts-
- The contribution of street vendors to the informal economy is 14%.
- Earlier, PM SVANidhi scheme was launched by the Central Government.
- Objective- to help street vendors access affordable working capital loans post COVID-19 lockdown.
Skill India Scheme:
- It is flagship skill development scheme launched by the government,
- Launched- 2015
- Ministry- Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
- Managed by- National Skills Development Corporation of India.
- Objectives-
- To offer market-relevant skills training to almost 40 Crore youth by the year 2022.
- To improve the overall scope and space for underdeveloped sectors.
Features of Skill India Mission:
- The creation of a new hallmark’ rural India scheme.
- The focus is on improving the employability level of the youth.
- The mission offers support, training, and guidance for all traditional types of employment.
- Skill India Mission emphasis on sectors where skills are not on adequate level.
- It enhances the international standards.
Sub Schemes under Skill India Mission:
- Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
- Skill Loan Scheme
- Pradhan Mantri Yuva Udyamita Vikas Abhiyan (PM-YUVA).
- Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP)
- UDAAN
- The National Skill Development Mission.
- Standard Training Assessment and Reward Scheme (STAR)
National Skill Development Corporation:
- It is a not-for-profit public limited company.
- Founded- 2008
- It was established under the section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956.
- Aim- to promote skill development by catalysing creation of large, quality and for-profit vocational institutions.
Objectives-
- To upgrade skills to international standards.
- To develop necessary frameworks for standards, curriculum and quality assurance.
- To enhance support and coordinate private sector initiatives for skill development.
- To play the role of a "market-maker" by providing funding.
- To foster private sector initiatives in skill development programmes.
- To train 150 million people by 2022.
Role of NSDC:
- Funding:
- To provide financing either as loans or equity.
- To provide grants and to improve financial viability through tax breaks, etc.
- Enabling support services:
- To set up standards and accreditation systems in partnership with industry associations.
- Shaping/creating:
- To provide momentum for large-scale participation by private players in skill development.
- To develop ultra-low-cost, high-quality, innovative business models.
SC pushes for council on judicial infrastructure
Recently, Supreme Court stated that the Central government should meet with the finance and law Secretaries of the States to know the status of disbursement of funds for the judiciary in each State.
Scheme for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary
- It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).
- Launched in: 1993-94
- Aim: To improve the physical infrastructure requirements of the courts as also the housing needs of judicial officers in the country to facilitate better justice delivery.
- Budget and Expenditure:
- Centre and the State Government ratio: 60:40
- For North East states, ratio is 90:10.
Suggestions for improving judicial infrastructure in India
The Department of Justice at the central level can coordinate with the State Law Departments on the following actions:
- Publish a detailed break-up of judicial budget and utilization annually in addition to information about utilization and unspent balances.
- Conceptualize a scheme for renovation and maintenance of older, existing court complexes, to align with Universal Design principles.
- Set up an infrastructure grievance redressal cell and designate an appropriate authority from the Registry within the court complexes.
- Prepare annual reports on infrastructure, based on requirements laid down by central government.
- Partner with stakeholders to generate public awareness around infrastructure and access to justice.
- Review existing surveys and develop a comprehensive questionnaire for assessing court infrastructure
- Generate public feedback on judicial infrastructure by raising critical issues, uploading photographs, filing complaints as evidence of poor facilities wherever possible.
Report on base revision of Wage Rate Index (WRI)
The Labour Bureau, under the Union ministry of labour and employment, has decided to make some changes in the Wage Rate Index.
- The index will be compiled twice a year, on the first of January and July every year on a point-to-point basis.
Key Changes:
- The base year of India’s wage rate index (WRI) revised to 2016 from 1963-65.
- Aim: To cover 700 occupations and makes the index more representative, expanding the number of industries, sample size and the weightage of industries.
- The previous series covered 21 industries, whereas the new one covers 37 industries.
- It includes 30 industries from the manufacturing sector and 4 from the mining and 3 from plantation sectors.
- The top five industries are motor vehicles (11.49%), coal mines (9.53%), textile garments (9.32%), Iron & steel (9.30%) and cotton textiles (6.55%) which together accounted for 46% of the total weight.
- Sector-level weights in the new series have been changed, with manufacturing’s weightage raised substantially.
- Manufacturing, mining and plantation sectors have weights of 82.57%, 11.23% and 6.20% respectively as compared to weights of 48.78%, 17.01% and 34.21% in the old series.
- Mica mines industry has been replaced with the oil mining industry, under mining sector.
Updated WRI for 2020:
- The all-India wage rate index stood at 119.7 in the second half of 2020, showing an increment of 1.6% as against the first half of 2020.
- The highest WRI of 131.4 was in the drugs & medicines industry, followed by the sugar industry with a WRI of 129.8.
- Among sectors, the highest WRI was recorded for the plantation sector at 126.5.
Significance of the change:
- The changes will play a key role in determining minimum wages and national floor wage policy.
- Minimum Wages in India remained unchanged at 178 INR/Day in 2021 from 178 INR/Day in 2020.
- It provides useful tips to employers in deciding on the appropriate human resource strategy.
- Managements can use the data to finalize corporate strategies by comprehending the likely expenditure on employee compensation, consequent per unit cost, marketing strategy, and assess viability of the business.
TN CM urges Centre to do away with 11% import duty on cotton
Recently, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister urged to remove the 11 % import duty levied on cotton and to reduce the minimum lot size of e-auction of cotton to 500 bales.
Key highlights:
- The textile industry is the second largest employment provider in the State and accounts for one-third of India’s textile business.
- The present crisis has led to mass cancellation of export orders.
What are the demands?
- Remove the 11 per cent import duty levied on cotton to avoid further speculation in the coming months.
- Reduce the minimum lot size of e-auction of cotton to 500 bales, which is sustainable for the MSMEs.
- Extension of 5% interest subvention to spinning mills for cotton procurement during the peak season (December-March).
- Under Interest Equalisation Scheme (IES), 5 % interest subvention is given on loans for all textile and apparel products manufactured by medium and small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
- Give priority to yarn manufacturers than traders in cotton procurement.
Reasons for demand for the removal of 11% import duty
- Currently, there is price volatility on the cotton and yarn products.
- This volatility led to the mass cancellation of export orders.
- Reasons for the price volatility:
- Imposition of an overall import duty of 11 %
- This includes 5 % Basic Customs Duty (BCD); 5 % Agriculture Infrastructure Development Cess and 10 % Social Welfare Cess imposed on these components in the Union Budget 2021-22.
- Bulk discount offered by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to the traders who procured 70 % of Minimum Support Price (MSP) cotton auctioned by CCI at a lower rate during the cotton season.
Cotton Crop:
- Cotton is one of the most important fibre and cash crop of India.
- It provides the basic raw material (cotton fibre) to cotton textile industry.
- Production: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
- Gujarat is the largest producer of cotton followed by Maharashtra and Punjab.
- It is vital kharif crop of Punjab.
- Soil: It is grown in tropical & sub-tropical conditions.
- Deep, friable, well drained and fertile soil are good for crop cultivation.
- Cotton is commonly flood irrigated although irrigation by furrow or alternate furrow method is more effective and water saving
- India is the 2nd largest cotton producer and the largest consumer of cotton in the world.
- India produces about 6.00 Million tons of cotton every year which is about 23% of the world cotton.
- India produces about 51% of the total organic cotton production of the world.
- India grow all four species of cultivated cotton: Gossypiumarboreum and herbaceum (Asian cotton), G.barbadense (Egyptian cotton) and G. hirsutum (American Upland cotton).
- Gossypiumhirsutum represents 88% of the hybrid cotton production in India.
- All the current Bt cotton hybrids are G.hirsutuim.
Major Constraints in Cotton Production:
- Nearly 65 percent cotton area is rainfed, mainly in the Central and Southern States
- Cotton crop is highly prone to pests and diseases.
- Wide fluctuation in cotton prices, inadequate market infrastructure and cotton export policy.
Is nuclear energy good for the climate?
Recently, Supporters of nuclear energy claimed it as a climate-friendly way to generate electricity.
Nuclear Energy
- Nuclear energy is the energy in the nucleus, or core, of an atom.
- Nuclear energy can be used to create electricity, but it must first be released from the atom.
- Nuclear energy comes from splitting atoms in a reactor to heat water into steam, turn a turbine and generate electricity.
Pros of Nuclear Energy
- Carbon-free electricity
- Nuclear energy plants do not produce carbon dioxide, or any air pollution, during operation.
- Small land footprint
- nuclear energy plants take up far less physical space. A Nuclear facility producing 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity takes up about one square mile of space.
- High power output
- Nuclear power plants produce high levels of energy compared to most power sources which make them a great provider of baseload electricity.
- Reliable energy source
- Nuclear energy is a reliable renewable energy source based on its constant production and accessibility.
Cons of Nuclear Energy
- Uranium is technically non-renewable
- Nuclear energy is a “clean” source of power, but it is technically not renewable.
- Current nuclear technology relies on uranium ore for fuel, which exists in limited amounts in the earth’s crust.
- High upfront costs
- Operating a nuclear energy plant is a relatively low-cost endeavour, but building it in the first place is very expensive.
- Nuclear power plants are about four times as expensive as wind or solar, and take five times as long to build.
- The high costs associated with nuclear energy also block important financial resources that could instead be used to develop renewable energy.
- Nuclear waste
- Nuclear waste is radioactive, making it an environmental and health catastrophe waiting to happen.
- Malfunctions can be catastrophic
- A nuclear meltdown occurs when the heat created by a nuclear reactor exceeds the amount of heat being transferred out by the cooling systems.
- Due to this hot radioactive vapors can escape, which can cause nuclear plants to fully melt down and combust.
- Nuclear energy is also responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.
- No energy source is completely free of emissions, but more on that later.
- High CO2 emissions
- According to new unpublished data from German Environment Agency (UBA), nuclear power releases 3.5 times more CO2 per kilowatt-hour than photovoltaic solar panel systems.
- The combination of excessive costs, environmental consequences, and lack of public support acted as a disadvantage for nuclear power.
Imposing a fee on Waste Disposal
Recently, NITI Aayog has suggested policy guidelines for strengthening waste segregation at source.
Key policy suggestions by NITI Aayog
It suggested that
- ‘Pay As You Throw’ policy should be implemented.
- This will entail a waste collection fee from the waste generator in proportion to the total quantity of waste being disposed of.
- Waste generators will be incentivized to segregate, treat and dispose-off waste at source.
- Private operators of landfills should be incentivized to minimize landfill dumping if the duration of their landfill operation permit is determined by airspace available in the landfill, and not on number of years of operation.
- The government should adopt a green public procurement policy that can be a powerful catalyst for promotion of recyclables.
Waste Generation in India:
- India falls in the world’s fastest growing regions of South-Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of waste generation.
- It generates about 49.8 million tonnes of solid waste annually; globally annual waste generation is pegged at two billion tonnes.
- This is expected to grow to 3.4 billion tonnes, an increase of 70% by 2050.
Advantages of Waste Segregation:
- Source segregation reduces the need for secondary segregation which is capital energy and land intensive.
- Waste segregated at source is least likely to be contaminated with other waste types, and therefore more likely to be recycled.
- It reduces the quantum of waste to be treated or recycled, thereby reducing cost.
- It supports decentralized treatment options like community composting units and dry waste collection centres that are more efficient in waste management.
- Source segregation and recycling results in waste minimization or lesser waste reaching landfills.
Challenges of waste segregation in India:
1. Weak markets for segregated waste
- The waste to compost potential in the country stands at 54 lakh Tonnes Per Anum.
- 145 plants are currently operational with capacity for producing 13.11 lakh TPA.
- The waste to energy capacity is estimated at 541 MW.
- At present 7 plants produce 88.4 MW.
2. Gaps in waste and segregated waste management capacity of ULBs
- Citizen willingness to segregate waste at sources is not supported by the required institutional mechanism for its collection, treatment, recycling or disposal.
- The task falls within the purview of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
3. Packaging and dustbin design
- Most people encounter the challenge of identifying waste type and which waste to be disposed-off in which dustbin.
- The waste bin design is often unintuitive leading to complex waste sorting regulations.
4. Gaps in solid waste data
- Data on municipal solid waste as not appropriate.
- Most estimates are based on per capita estimates, which is unreliable.
- There are capacity gaps amongst key stakeholders for data collection, compilation and reporting.
- Data’s unreliability prevents its utilisation for the purpose of review, planning, and evidence-based policy formulation.
Suggestions:
- A green public procurement policy should be initiated for the promotion of recyclables as government is one of the largest procurers of products.
- Use of waste should be incentivized by developing innovative waste-based technologies.
- ULBs should procure adequate infrastructure required for collection, transportation and treatment of segregated waste.
- Focus should be on prioritization of waste management by the administrative levels within ULBs.
- Waste segregation should be predicated on three simple waste streams- wet, dry and inert.
- Independent agencies should be engaged for data validation in order to improve data reliability.
Global Gateway launched
The European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy has launched the Global Gateway.
Global Gateway:
- It is a roadmap for major investment in infrastructure development around the world.
- Aim- to mobilise up to €300 billion in public and private investments between 2021 and 2027.
- It is believed that it was launched to counter the China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) initiative.
- Objectives- to spread European technology and expertise out in developing countries.
- Key Sectors for investments:
- Digital transition in line with European values and standards
- Energy connectivity in support of green transition
- Sustainable, smart, resilient, inclusive and safe transport networks
- Health
- Education and research
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI):
- It is flagship project and global investment strategy of China
- It is formerly known as One Belt One Road.
- China took inspiration from the concept of the Silk Road.
- Silk road was established during the Han Dynasty 2,000 years ago.
- Launched- 2013
- Aim- to develop land and sea infrastructure to better connect China to Asia, Europe and Africa for trade and development.
- Objective-To establish and strengthen partnerships among the countries along the Belt and Road
- The Belt and Road Initiative combines two initiatives-
- The Silk Road Economic Belt
- The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road
Presence of Lithium in Red Giant Stars
As per the study of Ministry of Science and Technology, scientists have found a clue to the mystery behind the high abundance of Lithium in some evolved stars.
Highlights of the study:
- A red giant star with high lithium abundance at its surface was discovered.
- About 1% of sun-like red giants had a lithium-enriched surface.
- The abundance of lithium was confirmed after the experts conducted a survey named GALAH.
- It provided a collection of 500,000 stars with lithium abundances.
- In order to find the origin, experts gathered the interior oscillations data in red giant stars that were found to have abundance of lithium.
- These stars have helium burning in their core.
About GALAH Survey:
- The Galactic Archaeology with HERMES (GALAH) Survey is a project to observe a million stars in our Milky Way Galaxy.
- Aim: To understand to what extent the galactic disk’s composition is from stars that originated in other galaxies and merged with the Milky Way Galaxy.
- It allows detailed measurements to be made on 400 stars at a time.
Significance:
- It will map out substructures of the early Milky Way galaxy to understand of how the Galaxy formed and evolved.
- It will provide accurate velocity, allowing astronomers to trace the growth of the cannibalistic Galaxy.
What is a Red Giant Star?
- A red giant star is a luminous star of low or intermediate mass in a late phase of stellar evolution.
- Stellar evolution is the process by which a star changes over the course of time
- Its outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous making its radius larger than that of the Sun.
- The surface temperature is around 5,000 K.
Key Facts:
- A red giant star is a dying star in the last stages of its stellar evolution.
- These stars usually result from low and intermediate-mass main-sequence stars of around 0.5 to 5 solar masses.
- Most of the bright stars are red giants, due to their luminosity.
- Red giant stars are between 100 to 1.000 times more luminous than the Sun.
- Most red giant stars live up to around 0.1 to 2 billion years.
- The stars can have a stable habitable zone, allowing life to probably develop on planets.
- One of the biggest red giants ever discovered is VY Canis Majoris, around 1,400 times bigger than the Sun.
Key Facts on Lithium:
- Lithium is an alkali metal.
- It's silver-white in pure form. It has one of the lowest melting points and a high boiling point for a metal.
- Lithium metal burns white, though it imparts a crimson color to a flame.
- Lithium doesn't occur free in nature; it is found in nearly all igneous rocks and in mineral springs.
- It was one of three elements produced by the big bang, along with hydrogen and helium.
- Pure lithium metal is corrosive, it can easily react with air and water,
- It is the least dense solid element with a density of about half that of water.
- Lithium is employed in medicine, as a heat transfer agent, for making alloys, and for batteries.
- The transmutation of lithium to tritium was the first man-made nuclear fusion reaction.
India joins G20’s Troika with Indonesia and Italy.
Troika:
- Troika refers to the top grouping within the G20 that consists of the current, previous and the incoming presidencies — Indonesia, Italy and India respectively.
- India has started the procedure for taking over the G20 presidency next year.
- Summit 2022 will be organized along the overall theme of ‘Recover Together, Recover Stronger’.
- As a Troika member, India will work closely with Indonesia and Italy to ensure consistency and continuity of the G20’s agenda.
Gold Ore Reserves
- India has 501.83 million tonnes of gold ore reserves as of April 1, 2015, according to National Mineral Inventory data.
- Out of these, 17.22 million tonnes were placed under reserves category and the rest under remaining resources category.
- The largest reserves of gold ores are located in Bihar (44 per cent), followed by Rajasthan (25 per cent), Karnataka (21 per cent) and West Bengal (3 per cent).
- The Government of India amended the Minerals Evidence of Mineral Contents Rules to allow auction of composite license at G4 level for deep-seated minerals, including gold.
- This is expected to bring more participation from private players with advanced technology in the field of exploration and mining of deep seated minerals, which is expected to reduce the cost of extraction of gold.
BGR-34
- BGR – 34 is an Anti-Diabetics Ayurvedic Drug.
- Developed in 2015 jointly by i) National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and ii) Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
- It was launched commercially in 2016.
- It is licensed under the proprietary Ayurvedic Medicine category and its availability is possible only through tenders.
State-level Scheme Sanctioning Committee
- Recently, drinking water supply schemes were approved for Rajasthan in the State-level Scheme Sanctioning Committee (SLSSC) meeting.
- Under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), there is provision for constitution of SLSSC for approval of schemes to be taken up for provisioning tap water supply to rural households.
- The SLSSC acts as a State-level Committee to consider water supply schemes/ projects, and a nominee of the National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM), Government of India is a member of the said committee.
Peechi-Vazhany Wildlife sanctuary
A butterfly survey at the Peechi-Vazhani wildlife has recorded a remarkable increase in the species’ numbers.
- A total of 156 butterfly species, out of the 326 were found in Kerala.
- Southern Birdwing is India’s largest butterfly.
- Grass Jewel is the smallest butterfly in India.
Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary:
- Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Thrissur District of Kerala.
- Forest Types: Tropical Ever green Forests, Tropical Semi-evergreen forests, Moist Deciduous forests etc.
- Fauna: 39 species of mammals, 176 sp. of birds, 30 species of reptiles.
- Nilgiri Grass Yellow, Travancore Evening Brown, Malabar Flash, Orange Tailed Awl, Southern Spotted Ace, Common Onyx, Bengal tiger, gaur, elephants, dhole, and flying squirrels etc.
- Great Indian Hornbill, the State bird of Kerala, was reported from Peechi-Vazhany.
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