News In Short-01-10-2024

Permafrost 

Syllabus: GS1/Physical Geography

Context

• Glaciologists currently based at Himadri research station in Norway are digging deep to identify the probability of disasters due to permafrost collapse.

About

• Permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen—32°F (0°C) or colder—for at least two years straight.
  • These permanently frozen grounds are most common in regions with high mountains and in Earth’s higher latitudes—near the North and South Poles.
  • Almost a quarter of the land area in the Northern Hemisphere has permafrost underneath. 

• Permafrost is made of a combination of soil, rocks and sand that are held together by ice. 
  • The soil and ice in permafrost stay frozen all year long.
• As Earth’s climate warms, the permafrost is thawing. That means the ice inside the permafrost melts, leaving behind water and soil.
  • Because of the dangers, scientists are closely monitoring Earth’s permafrost.

Source: TH

Poumai Naga Tribe

Syllabus: GS1/ Human Geography, Tribes

Context

• The Poumai Naga tribe of Purul village in Manipur has banned hunting, trapping, and killing of wild animals and birds within their territory.

About

• The Poumai people or Poumai Naga, are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group that inhabit the Northeast Indian states of Manipur and Nagaland. 
• The Poumai mainly live in 100 villages that have been broadly divided into three blocks: Paomata, Lepaona and Chilivai. 
• Culture: The tribe speaks the Poula language. They follow both Christianity and indigenous beliefs.
• Laonii festival is celebrated on completion of paddy transplantation.

Source: NN

Jal Hi AMRIT Program

Syllabus: GS2/ Government policies & initiatives

In News

• ‘Jal hi Amrit’ initiative is being launched under AMRUT 2.0 reforms.

About Jal Hi Amrit Program

• The initiative envisaged to incentivise State & UTs to manage the used water (sewage) treatment plants (UWTPs/ STPs) efficiently for ensuring recyclable good quality treated water, meeting environmental standards, on a sustained basis.
• The purpose of the exercise is to build the competition among the cities, develop capacities
• and incentivise them to attain the best quality of used treated water at the treatment facilities. 
• Clean Water Credits will be awarded to Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) based on their performance in treating water. The credits are rated between 3 to 5 stars, with the rating valid for six months.
• STPs will be rated on their ability to produce high-quality treated water. The rating serves as an official recognition of their performance.

AMRUT 2.0 

• It was launched on 01 October, 2021 for the period of 05 years i.e. from the financial year 2021-22 to the financial year 2025-26.
• AMRUT 2.0 is designed to provide universal coverage of water supply through functional taps to all households in all the statutory towns in the country and coverage of sewage/septage management in 500 cities covered in the first phase of the AMRUT scheme.
  • AMRUT 1.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) was launched in 2015 with the primary aim of ensuring that every household in selected cities and towns has access to basic civic amenities to improve their quality of life.

Source: PIB

NAMASTE Scheme

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

Context

• The profiling of sewer and septic tank workers (SSWs) is being carried out by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as part of its NAMASTE programme.

About

• According to government data tabled in Parliament:
  • Of the profiled workers, 68.9% were SC, 14.7% were OBC, 8.3% were ST, and 8% were from the general category.
  • Between 2019 and 2023, at least 377 people across the country have died from hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.  

NAMASTE Programme

• In 2023-24, the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE), was brought in to replace the Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS). 
• It is a joint initiative of the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. 
• It is to be implemented in all 4800+ Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of the country, during the next three years i.e. upto 2025-26. 
• NAMASTE aims to achieve the following outcomes:
  • Zero fatalities in sanitation work in India;
  • All sanitation work is performed by skilled workers;
  • No sanitation workers come in direct contact with human faecal matter;
  • Sanitation workers are collectivized into SHGs and are empowered to run sanitation enterprises;
  • All Sewer and Septic tank  sanitation workers (SSWs) have access to alternative livelihoods;

Source: TH

Anna Darpan

Syllabus: GS2/ Governance

Context

• The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has selected Coforge Limited as the system integrator (SI) for its digital transformation project, Anna Darpan.

About

• The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has embarked on a digital transformation initiative to modernize its existing supply chain management system, known as the ‘Depot Online System’. 
• The system is being designed to streamline and enhance the entire supply chain operations and services at various levels including Mandis, Mills, Depots (both owned and hired), as well as divisional, regional, zonal, and headquarters operations.

Food Corporation of India (FCI) – FCI was setup under the Food Corporations Act 1964, in order to fulfill following objectives of the Food Policy: 1. Effective price support operations for safeguarding the interests of the farmers. 2. Distribution of foodgrains throughout the country for a public distribution system. 3. Maintaining a satisfactory level of operational and buffer stocks of foodgrains to ensure National Food Security Since its inception. – FCI has played a significant role in India’s success in transforming the crisis management oriented food security into a stable security system.

Source: PIB

RoDTEP scheme

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

In News

• The RoDTEP (Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products) scheme has been extended for domestic tariff area (DTA) units until September 30, 2025.

About 

• The scheme was launched by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in January 2021 to refund un-reimbursed taxes, duties, and levies incurred by exporters during the production and distribution of goods.
• The was introduced to replace the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), which was challenged at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
  • MEIS was deemed non-compliant with global trade rules.

Source: BS

Bidkin Industrial Area (BIA)

Syllabus :GS 3/Economy 

In News

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Bidkin Industrial Area in Maharashtra to the nation.

About Bidkin Industrial Area (BIA)

• The Bidkin Industrial Area spans 7,855 acres and is part of the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP) under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.
• It is situated 20 km south of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra, with excellent connectivity via NH-752E, proximity to Aurangabad railway station (20 km), Aurangabad Airport (30 km), and Jalna Dry Port (65 km).
• Total project cost is Rs. 6,414 crore, developed in three phases.
• It will be equipped with wide roads, quality water and power supply, and advanced sewage and common effluent treatment plants, ready for industrial allotments.

Objectives  

• The Bidkin Industrial Area aims to foster industrial growth and economic prosperity, aligning with the “Make in India, Make for the World” initiative.
• It is poised to become a beacon of industrial excellence, contributing to employment generation, boosting exports, and enhancing regional development.

Do you know ? – The National Industrial Corridor Development Programme is India’s ambitious initiative to develop new industrial cities as “Smart Cities,” integrating next-generation technologies across various infrastructure sectors. – This program aims to create futuristic industrial cities in India that can compete globally as top manufacturing and investment destinations, fostering employment opportunities and driving economic growth for overall socio-economic development.

Source: PIB

Stem Cell

Syllabus :GS 3/Science and Tech

In News

• Chinese scientists have achieved a groundbreaking success in treating chronic type-1 diabetes through a pioneering cell transplant procedure.

About 

• Unlike traditional islet transplants that require donor organs, this new method utilized “chemically induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived islets” (CiPSC islets).

About Stem Cells

• Stem cells possess the unique ability to self-renew and differentiate into various cell types during early development and growth. 
• Researchers categorize stem cells into two main types:
  • Pluripotent stem cells (including embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells), which can develop into any cell type in the adult body, and
  • Adult stem cells (or somatic stem cells), which are located in specific tissues or organs and can differentiate into specialized cell types of those tissues or organs.
• Unique properties of all stem cells:  Self-Renewal,Tissue Regeneration, and  Different stem cells have varying degrees of potency, influencing the number of cell types they can form.

Source: ET

Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)

Syllabus: GS3/Defence

Context

• The Indian Army has signed the eighth procurement contract through the government’s flagship initiative Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX).

About Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)

• It was launched in 2018, during the Defence Expo India.
• iDEX aimed to create an ecosystem to foster innovations and encourage technological development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging Research and Development Institutes, Academia, and Industries including MSMEs, Start-Ups, and individual innovators.

Source: AIR

Exercise KAZIND

Syllabus :GS 3/Defense

In News

• The 8th edition of the India-Kazakhstan Joint Military Exercise, KAZIND-2024, commenced at the Surya Foreign Training Node in Auli, Uttarakhand.

About Exercise KAZIND

• It is an annual exercise, which began in 2016, aims to enhance joint military capabilities for counter-terrorism operations in sub-conventional scenarios, particularly in semi-urban and mountainous terrains..

Source: PIB