Unified gas pipeline tariff to boost access in far flung areas

Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board:

• The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) was formed under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, of 2006.
• Objective: To protect the interests of consumers and entities engaged in specified activities relating to petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas and to promote competitive markets and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
• PNGRB authorises the CGD networks, natural gas and petroleum product pipelines, determines tariffs, lays down the technical and safety standards etc.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Natural Gas

• Natural gas is a fossil fuel energy Natural gas contains many different compounds. The largest component of natural gas is methane, a compound with one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms (CH4).
• Natural gas also contains smaller amounts of natural gas liquids (NGLs, which are also hydrocarbon gas liquids), and nonhydrocarbon gases, such as carbon dioxide and water vapour.

How natural gas form

• Millions to hundreds of millions of years ago, the remains of plants and animals (such as diatoms) built up in thick layers on the earth’s surface and ocean floors, sometimes mixed with sand, silt, and calcium carbonate.
• Over time, these layers were buried under sand, silt, and rock.
• Pressure and heat changed some of this carbon and hydrogen-rich material into coal, some into oil (petroleum), and some into natural gas.

President, PM, HM, CM greet people of Odisha on ''Utkal Dibasa''

• The modern state of Odisha was established on 1 April 1936 at Kanika Palace, Cuttack, as a province in India, and consists predominantly of Odia speakers.1 April is therefore celebrated as Utkal Divas (Odisha Day).

History of the Odisha

• The British had occupied the Northern Circars, comprising the southern coast of Odisha, as a result of the Second Carnatic War by 1760, and incorporated them into the Madras Presidency gradually.
• In 1803, the British ousted the Marathas from the Puri-Cuttack region of Odisha during the Second Anglo-Maratha War. The northern and western districts of Odisha were incorporated into the Bengal Presidency.
• In 1903, the Utkal Sammilani organisation was founded to demand the unification of Odia-speaking regions into one state.
• On 1 April 1912, the Bihar and Orissa Province was formed.and on 1 April 1936, Bihar and Orissa were split into separate provinces.
• The new province of Orissa came into existence on a linguistic basis during the British rule in India, with Sir John Austen Hubback as the first governor.
• Following India''s independence, on 15 August 1947, 27 princely states signed the document to join Orissa.

Scientists Discover Novel Species of Ground-Dwelling Gecko in Forests of Kerala

• The beautifully-patterned Bent-toed Gecko is a small, nocturnal species.
• Its scientific name is Cyrtodactylus (Geckoella) chengodumalaens.
• It is found on the ground among leaf litter and rocks in forests and partially human-altered landscapes like orchards and other areas with canopy cover.
• It is endemic to low hills and coastal forests in northern Kerala and is known from scattered localities spanning a maximum of 120 km distance in Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, and Thrissur districts.
• It is the second new species of gecko which has been described from Chengodumala highlighting the fact that the biodiversity of these low-elevation hillocks

More than 90% of the world’s salt marshes may soon succumb to sea level rise: Study

• Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides.
• Salt marshes occur worldwide, particularly in middle to high latitudes.
• They are found in intertidal zones along coastlines, usually in protected areas such as estuaries or bays.
• They are dominated by grasses and other salt-tolerant plants such as sedges, cordgrass, rushes, and mangroves.

Advantages

• Salt marshes protect shorelines from erosion by buffering wave action and trapping sediments.
• They reduce flooding by slowing and absorbing rainwater and protect water quality by filtering runoff and metabolizing excess nutrients.

How a ''hybrid'' gamosa sparked protests across Assam

Assamese gamosa

• The ‘gamosa or gamocha’ is a hand-woven rectangular cotton piece of cloth with red borders and different designs and motifs.
• It is traditionally offered to elders and guests as a mark of respect and honour by Assamese people.
• It is an integral part of all socio-religious ceremonies in the state and is considered an Assamese identity and pride.
• For specific purposes, it is also made of expensive materials like traditional Assamese ‘Pat’ silk and in different colours as well.
• The ‘gamosa’ meant for exchange during the ‘Bihu’ festival is known as ‘Bihuwan’.
• It is a unique scarf found only in Assam and also received Geographic Indication (GI) tag.

Geographic Indication Tag

• A Geographical Indication is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• This tag is typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts and industrial products.
• The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
• This GI tag is valid for 10 years following which it can be renewed.

FTP expands export promotion scheme to include PM MITRA

Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Scheme:

• It is a trade promotion scheme implemented by the Indian government.
• It allows the duty-free import of capital goods for the purpose of export production in India.
• It was first operationalized on 1 April 2015.
• Aim: To encourage the production of goods for export by providing import duty concessions on capital goods.
• The EPCG scheme is administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and is governed by the Foreign Trade Policy of India.
• Features:
  • EPCG Scheme allows import of capital goods for pre-production, production and post-production at zero customs duty.
  • It covers manufacturer exporters with or without supporting manufacturer(s), merchant exporters tied to supporting manufacturer(s) and service providers.
  • Second-hand goods of any nature will not be permitted under the EPCG scheme.

PM MITRA

• It will offer the opportunity to create an Integrated Textiles Value Chain, right from spinning, weaving, processing/dyeing and printing to garment manufacturing etc., at one location and will reduce the logistics cost of the Industry.
• PM MITRA Parks will help in creating world-class industrial infrastructure that would attract large-scale investment, including foreign direct investment (FDI) and encourage innovation and job creation within the sector.
• Special Purpose Vehicle owned by the Centre and State Government will be set up for each park which will oversee the implementation of the project.
• Funding:
  • The Ministry of Textiles will provide financial support in the form of Development Capital Support up to Rs. 500 crores per park to the Park SPV.
  • A Competitive Incentive Support (CIS) of up to Rs 300 crore per park to the units in PM MITRA Park shall also be provided to incentivise speedy implementation.
  • State governments will provide a contiguous and encumbrance-free land parcel of at least 1000 acres of land.

Society of Indian Law Firms raises concerns before BCI over entry of foreign lawyers

Bar Council of India (BCI)

• It is a statutory body established under the Advocates Act 1961 to regulate and represent the Indian bar.
• Functions:
  • It performs the regulatory function by prescribing standards of professional conduct and etiquette and by exercising disciplinary jurisdiction over the bar.
  • It also sets standards for legal education and grants recognition to Universities whose degrees in law will serve as qualification for enrolment as an advocate.
  • It conducts the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) to grant a ''Certificate of Practice'' to advocates practising law in India.
  • BCI also funds welfare schemes for economically weaker and physically handicapped advocates.

UK joins trans-Pacific trade bloc in a deal likely to boost GDP by less than 0.1%

• UK will become the first new member, and the first in Europe, to join the CPTPP since it came into force in 2018.

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP):

• It is a free trade agreement (FTA) between 11 nations: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
• It was signed in March 2018.
• It succeeded the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) after the United States withdrew from the TPP in 2017.
• All 11 countries of CPTPP are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

• It is a forum of 21 Asia-Pacific economies established in 1989.
• Members: Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People''s Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; the Philippines; the Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; the United States of America; Vietnam.
• It seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
• The APEC Secretariat, headquartered in Singapore, provides advisory and logistic services as well as research and analysis.
• APEC decisions are reached by consensus, and commitments are made on a voluntary basis.

CERT-in may be exempted from giving information under RTI Act

Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in):

• CERT-In is a functional organisation of the Ministry of Information & Electronics Technology.
• It is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents as and when they occur.
• Objective: Securing Indian cyberspace.
• CERT-In has been operational since January 2004.
• Functions:
  • Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cyber incidents;
  • Forecast and alerts of cyber security incidents;
  • Emergency measures for handling cyber security incidents;
  • Coordination of cyber incident response activities;
  • Issue guidelines, advisories, vulnerability notes and whitepapers relating to information security practices, procedures, prevention, response and reporting of cyber incidents;

Audit process to be fully digitalised from April 1

One Indian Audit & Accounts Department One System (OIOS):

• It is an enterprise-wide end-to-end IT application.
• It is a web-enabled solution with support for multiple languages with, offline functionality, and a mobile app.
• All new audit work in offices under the CAG will take place only through OIOS.
• Applications:
  • All audit work can be carried out digitally.
  • Offices will not have to go through files physically, and records can be maintained for eternity.

Audit

• Auditing, or a financial audit, is an official examination and verification of a business’s financial records.
• The financial records include a balance sheet, an income statement, a statement of changes in equity, a cash flow statement, and notes comprising a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory notes.
• The main goal of auditing is to make sure that a company’s financial statements are accurate and follow regulatory guidelines.
• Auditing also gives investors, creditors, and other stakeholders reasonable assurance that they can rely on a company and its integrity.