Munich Security Conference 2024: India is non-west but not anti-west, says EAM S Jaishankar

About the Munich Security Conference (MSC):

• It is the world''s leading forum for debating international security policy. 
• Objective: To build trust and contribute to the peaceful resolution of conflicts by sustaining a continuous, curated, and informal dialogue within the international security community. 
• It has been held in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, since 1963.
• The conference is held annually in February.
• It brings together security experts, politicians, military leaders, and the defence industry from around the world.
• MSC regularly convenes high-profile events on particular topics and regions and publishes the Munich Security Report, an annual digest of relevant figures, maps, and research on crucial security challenges.

Key Facts about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):

• It is a transatlantic security alliance of 31 like-minded North American and European countries.
• It was established by the North Atlantic Treaty(also called the Washington Treaty) on April 4, 1949.
• Aim: To protect peace and to guarantee the territorial integrity, political independence, and security of the member states.
• Article Five of the treaty: If an armed attack occurs against one of the member states, it should be considered an attack against all members, and other members shall assist the attacked member, with armed forces if necessary.
• This article forms the core of the Alliance, a promise of collective defence.
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

Sandeshkhali violence: Scheduled Caste Panel Recommends President''s Rule in Bengal

About the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC):

• It is an Indian constitutional body established under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.
• Article 338 of the Indian Constitution deals with NCSC.
• It was established to provide safeguards against the exploitation of Scheduled Castes and Anglo-Indian communities to promote and protect their social, educational, economic, and cultural interests, special provisions were made in the Constitution. 
• History:
• The first Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was set up in August 1978.
• Consequent to the Constitution (Eighty-Ninth Amendment) Act, 2003, the erstwhile National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has been replaced by: the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
• Duties and Functions of the Commission:
• To investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes under the Constitution or under any other law for the time being in force or under any order of the government, and to evaluate the working of such safeguards.
• To inquire into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards of the Scheduled Castes.
• To participate and advise in the planning process of socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes and to evaluate the progress of their development under the Union and any state.
• To present to the President, annually and at such other times as the Commission may deem fit, reports upon the working of those safeguards.
• To make such reports, recommendations as to the measures that should be taken by the Union or any state for effective implementation of those safeguards and other measures for the protection, welfare, and socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes.
• To discharge such other functions in relation to the protection, welfare and development and advancement of the Scheduled Castes as the President may, subject to the provisions of any law made by Parliament, by rule specify.
• The President shall cause all such reports to be laid before each House of Parliament along with a memorandum explaining the action taken or proposed to be taken on the recommendations relating to the Union and the reasons for the non-acceptance, if any, of any of such recommendations.
• Powers of the Commission:
• The Commission shall, while investigating any matter referred to it, have the powers of a civil court trying a suit.
• The Commission shall have the power to regulate its own procedure.
• The Union and every State Government shall consult the Commission on all major policy matters affecting Scheduled Castes.
• Structure:
• The Commission shall consist of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, and three other Members.
• The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and other Members of the Commission shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.
• The conditions of service and tenure of office of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and other Members so appointed shall be such as the President may, by rule, determine.

PMFME scheme awareness camp held in Srinagar

About Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme:

• Launched on June 29, 2020, PMFMPE is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
• It is designed to address the challenges faced by micro-enterprises and to tap the potential of groups and cooperatives to support the upgradation and formalisation of these enterprises.
• Objectives: To build the capability of microenterprises to enable:
• Increased access to credit by existing micro food processing entrepreneurs, FPOs, self-help groups, and co-operatives.
• Integration with an organised supply chain by strengthening branding & marketing.
• Support for the transition of existing 2,00,000 enterprises into a formal framework.
• Increased access to common services like common processing facilities, laboratories, storage, packaging, marketing, and incubation services.
• Strengthening of institutions, research, and training in the food processing sector; and
• Increased access for enterprises, to professional and technical support.
• Outlay:
• The scheme envisages an outlay of ₹ 10,000 crores over a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
• The expenditure under the scheme would be shared in a 60:40 ratio between Central and State Governments, a 90:10 ratio with the Northeastern and the Himalayan States, a 60:40 ratio with UTs with the legislature and 100% by the Center for other UTs.
• Coverage:
• Under the scheme, 2,00,000 micro food processing units will be directly assisted with credit-linked subsidies.
• Adequate, supportive common infrastructure and institutional architecture will be supported to accelerate the growth of the sector.
• Benefits: The program has four broad components addressing the needs of the sector:
• Support to individuals and groups of micro-enterprises.
• Branding and Marketing support.
• Support the strengthening of institutions.
• Setting up a robust project management framework.
• Financial Support:
• Support to Individual micro-units:
• Micro enterprises will get credit-linked subsidies at 35% of the eligible project cost, with a ceiling of Rs.10 lakh.
• The beneficiary contribution will be a minimum of 10%,and the balance from the loan.
• Support to FPOs/SHGs/Cooperatives:
• Seed capital will be given to SHGs (at Rs. 4 lakh per SHG) for loans to members for working capital and small tools.
• Grant for backward/ forward linkages, common infrastructure, packaging, marketing, and branding.
• The Eligible Borrowers for PMFMPE can be:

• Farmer Producer Organization (FPO)
• Self-Help Groups
• Co-operatives
• Existing Micro Food Processing Entrepreneurs
• New Units, whether for individuals or groups, would only be supported for One District One Product (ODOP).

Multilingualism is crucial, says Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti chairman

About Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti:

• It is a High-Powered Committee for the Promotion of Indian Languages.
• It has been constituted by the Ministry of Education, Government of India in 2021.
• Mandate: The mandate of this committee would be to explore and recommend pathways for the holistic and multidisciplinary growth of Indian languages as envisaged in the National Education Policy 2020.
• It has also been entrusted to advise the Ministry on all matters pertaining to the revitalization of existing language teaching and research and its extension in various institutions in the country.
• To perform the tasks assigned to it, the High-Powered Committee may appoint sub-committees/study groups.
• The committee may organise seminars, workshops, conferences, and webinars to highlight the need for the promotion of Indian languages.
• It may also interact and coordinate with any institution of the Central/State Government dealing with teaching, research, and extension/promotion of languages.
• Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University (SLBSNSU), New Delhi would provide secretarial assistance and space to house the High-Powered Committee and meet the related expenditure as per the Government of India rules, regulations and instructions from time to time.
• The SLBSNSU has been also entrusted to appoint consultants and experts/scholars/officials/young professionals on a short-term basis and to conduct seminars, workshops, webinars, etc. as per the recommendations of the Committee.
• Necessary finance towards the same would be provided by the Ministry of Education (MoE) to the University under relevant budget heads.

CMS COP14: Draft resolution for conservation of hawksbill turtle & angel shark adopted

About the International Single Species Action Plan:

• It is the key instrument developed under the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).
• Purpose: It is for the purpose of implementing coordinated measures to restore migratory waterbird species to a favourable conservation status.
• International cooperation among the species’ range states is essential for the implementation of these action plans.

What is the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA)?

• It is an intergovernmental treaty dedicated to the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago.
• It is developed under the framework of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• It brings together countries and the wider international conservation community in an effort to establish coordinated conservation and management of migratory waterbirds throughout their entire migratory range.
• It covers 255 species of migratory waterbirds that are ecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part of their annual cycle.
• The Agreement area stretches from the northern reaches of Canada and the Russian Federation to the southernmost tip of Africa, covering 119 Range States from Africa, Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia and Canada
• The Agreement has three main bodies:
• Meeting of the Parties (MOP), the governing body of AEWA;
• Standing Committee (StC), responsible for steering the operations between sessions of the MOP;
• Technical Committee (TC), responsible for providing scientific and technical advice.
• The Agreement’s Secretariat (UNEP/AEWA Secretariat) based in Bonn, Germany, supports the Parties and services the bodies of the Agreement.

Is Russia testing a new anti-satellite weapon?

About Anti-Satellite Weapon:

• It is designed to debilitate or destroy satellites that are already in orbit and operational.
• Types of Anti-Satellite Weapons: ASATs are broadly classified into two types namely
• Kinetic energy methods: This involves launching a missile that intercepts and physically collides with the target satellite to destroy it. The kinetic energy ASATs physically collide with satellites and can reach altitudes. These ASATs can be ballistic missiles, drones, and other satellites.
• Non-kinetic methods: They use non-physical attacks such as cyber-attacks, jamming, and even lasers to blind satellites without physically destroying them. 
• All of these attacks can be launched from the air, low orbit, or even ground installations.
• These can even undertake pellet cloud attacks on the enemy''s low-orbit satellites.
• Other ASAT capabilities include cyber-attacks on space systems, Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) explosion devices, directed energy (laser-based) weapons and targeted missiles for the destruction of satellites to sabotage the enemy''s military operations. 
• There are many countries which have this capability, but only four countries — including India — have demonstrated their ASAT capabilities.
• Issues:
• These weapons generate a tremendous amount of space debris, which poses a hazard to all space operations, including civilian and commercial satellites.

Power Grid unfazed by proposed O&M norms changes by CERC

About Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC):

• It is a statutory body established by the Government of India under the provisions of the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998.
• CERC is the Central Commission for the purposes of the Electricity Act, 2003, which has repealed the ERC Act, 1998.
• The Commission consists of a Chairperson and four other members including the Chairperson, Central Electricity Authority, who is an ex-officio Member of the Commission.
• The Commission intends to promote competition, efficiency, and economy in bulk power markets, improve the quality of supply, promote investments, and advise the government on the removal of institutional barriers to bridge the demand supply gap and thus foster the interests of consumers. 
• Mandatory Functions:
• to regulate the tariff of generating companies owned or controlled by the Central Government;
• to regulate the tariff of generating companies other than those owned or controlled by the Central Government specified in clause (a), if such generating companies enter into or otherwise have a composite scheme for generation and sale of electricity in more than one State;
• to regulate the inter-State transmission of electricity;
• to determine tariff for inter-State transmission of electricity;
• to issue licenses to persons to function as transmission licensee and electricity trader with respect to their inter-State operations;
• Improve access to information for all stakeholders.
• to adjudicate upon disputes involving generating companies or transmission licensee in regard to matters connected with clauses (a) to (d) above and to refer any dispute for arbitration;
• to levy fees for the purposes of the Act;
• to specify Grid Code having regard to Grid Standards;
• to specify and enforce the standards with respect to quality, continuity, and reliability of service by licensees;
• to fix the trading margin in the inter-state trading of electricity, if considered, necessary;
• to discharge such other functions as may be assigned under the Act.