Payroll Automation for Disbursement of Monthly Allowances (PADMA)

• PADMA is an automated platform leveraging latest technology which will provide seamless and timely disbursal of Pay & Allowances to around 15,000 Indian Coast Guard personnel.
• This module has been developed under the aegis of Défense Accounts Department and will be operated by Pay Accounts Office Coast Guard, Noida.
• The launch marked the beginning of the Centralized Pay System (CPS), the foundation of which is being laid down by the Defence Accounts Department Headquarters to provide one stop pay accounting solutions for all organisations under the Ministry.

Disability board asks States to assess accessibility of public buildings

• The CAB, which is required by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 to meet once in six months, held its fifth meeting recently. The last meeting was in 2020.
• Fifth Meeting of the Central Advisory Board on Disability was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi under the chairmanship of Dr. Virendra Kumar, Minister, Social Justice and Empowerment.
• The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 provides a timeline of five years for making all existing public buildings accessible by 14.06.2022.

European Union grants candidate status to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia

• European Council President Charles Michel made the announcement after discussions among leaders of the EU''s 27 member states.
• In order to join the 27-member EU bloc, the three countries will be required to carry out a series of political and economic reforms.
• The European Council, which comprises the heads of all 27 EU governments, would have the final vote on Ukraine’s membership.

Forget Pegasus, new spyware ''Hermit'' now being used by govts

• Hermit is a commercial spyware that is known to be used by governments with victims in Kazakhstan, Italy and northern Syria. The spyware was first detected in Kazakhstan in April 2022 after the government violently suppressed protests against government policies.
• Hermit is a modular spyware that hides its malicious capabilities in packages downloaded after it''s deployed.
• These modules, along with the permissions the core apps have, enable Hermit to exploit a rooted device, record audio and make and redirect phone calls, as well as collect data such as call logs, contacts, photos, device location and SMS messages.
• Hermit tricks users by serving up the legitimate webpages of the brands it impersonates as it kickstarts malicious activities in the background.

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the upgraded Ayush Wellness Centre in the President’s Estate

• The Ministry of Ayush and President Secretariat, in a joint initiative, had established the first AYUSH Wellness Clinic (AWC) of the country with all systems under one roof at President’s Estate in July 2015.
• The AWC has treatment facilities in the streams of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha &Homeopathy, and it caters to the medical needs of the President, officials of President’s Secretariat and residents of the President’s Estate.
• It is a precursor of many such clinics in various government departments and reputed institutes like AIIMS across the country.

BIS formulates standard for EV batteries following spate of fire incidents

• BIS, the National Standard Body of India, has published standards for Test Specifications for Lithium-ion Traction Battery Packs and Systems (Performance Testing) for Electrically Propelled Road Vehicles. The standard IS 17855: 2022 for these battery packs and systems is harmonized with ISO 12405-4: 2018.
• The IS 17855:2022 standard has been formulated after considering real-life scenarios for an EV such as a parked vehicle (battery is not used for an extended period of time), battery system shipped (stored), battery running at low and high temperatures, among others.
• The BIS is in the process of publishing two more standards for batteries to be used in electric passenger and goods carrying vehicles.

What is BNCAP and how will it assess vehicular safety in collisions?

• Bharat-NCAP will serve as a consumer-centric platform allowing customers to opt for safer cars based upon their star-ratings, while promoting a healthy competition among OEMs in India to manufacture safer vehicles.
• Star Rating of Indian Cars based on Crash Tests is extremely crucial not only to ensure structural and passenger safety in cars, but to also increase the export-worthiness of Indian automobiles.
• The testing protocol of Bharat NCAP shall be aligned with Global Crash Test Protocols factoring in the existing Indian regulations, allowing OEMs to get their vehicles tested at India’s own in-house testing facilities.
• Bharat NCAP will prove to be a critical instrument in making our automobile industry Aatmanirbhar with the mission of making India the Number one automobile hub in the world.