News In Short-11-09-2024

Paraguay River

Syllabus: GS1/ Geography

In News

• South America’s Paraguay River, a vital route for transporting grains, has reached a record low water level.

About Paraguay River

• The Paraguay River is the fifth largest river in South America and the main tributary of the Paraná River. 
• It originates near Diamantino in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso and flows north to south, passing through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.
• One of the river’s key features is the Pantanal, a vast seasonal swamp in its upper basin, which is one of the largest tropical wetlands in the world. 
• The Paraguay River plays a critical role in transportation, agriculture, and sustaining ecosystems across its basin.

Source: DTE

PresVu for Presybyopia

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

In News

• The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved the eye drop, PresVu.
  • The eye drop has been specifically developed to reduce reliance on reading glasses for individuals with presbyopia

Presbyopia

• It is a condition where the eyes gradually lose the ability to focus on nearby objects, typically starting around age 40.
• Unlike nearsightedness or farsightedness, which are caused by the shape of the eye or lens, presbyopia occurs as the lens inside the eye becomes less flexible with age.

Source: IE

Sahariya Tribe

Syllabus: GS2/ Vulnerable Section

In News

• Over 100 malnourished children among Sahariya tribe found in Baran district of Rajasthan.

About Sahariya tribe

• The Sahariya Tribe is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) found across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. Known by various names like Seher, Sair, Sawar, Saor, and Sahara, their origins trace back to ancient times.
• Sahariyas reside in clusters called Seharana, separated from non-Sahariya community members. Their homes are made of stone boulders with stone slab roofs, known as Patore.
• The Sahariyas practice Hinduism.
• Saharia Swang Dance is a unique folk dance performed during Holi, featuring men dancing to the beats of dhol, nagari, and matki, with one male performer dressed as a female.

Source: TOI

Capacity-Building Initiatives under Digital India vision

Syllabus: GS2/ Governance

Context

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the third phase of capacity-building initiatives under Digital India vision.

About

• The initiatives focus on critical areas such as Digital Public Infrastructure, Contract and Procurement Management, the Application of AI & ML, Managing Large Digital Transformation Projects, Digital Governance, and Data Management. 
• To enhance the capabilities of officials at both Central and State levels, a series of specialized training programmes are being conducted across the country.
• The purpose of this training session is to provide a distinctive and engaging learning opportunity for the officials of the participating organization.
• Recently the Digital Public Infrastructure initiative was spearheaded by the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) MeitY, in partnership with the National Institute for Smart Governance (NISG).

Source: PIB

National Testing House to Now Certify Drones

Syllabus :GS 2/Governance 

In News

• National Test House (NTH) has been provisionally approved by the Quality Council of India (QCI) as a Certification Body for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), including drones.

About NTH 

• It is India’s largest multi-location, multidisciplinary industrial testing laboratory under the central government, dealing with a wide range of testing, calibration, and quality evaluation as per international and national standards.
  • It was established in 1912 
•  It is a premier institution under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, with a long history of supporting industrial growth through testing and quality assurance.
• Expansion: Since India’s independence, NTH has significantly expanded its responsibilities, engaging in technology related to industry, commerce, trade, import substitution, export promotion, and standardization.
  • It is offering drone certification services at a competitive fee of ₹1.5 lakh, the lowest in the industry, reflecting its commitment to supporting innovation in the drone sector.
• Importance : By providing drone certification, NTH supports India’s “Make in India” and “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” initiatives, ensuring that domestic drone technologies meet international standards and contribute to various sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, logistics, and infrastructure.

Source: IE

FATF’s  Developments and India’s Position

Syllabus :GS 2/IR 

In News

• FATF is considering enhanced disclosure norms for online wire transactions, particularly cross-border transactions, including those involving credit cards.

About FATF 

• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) was established in 1989 by the G7
  • It originally included the G7 countries, the European Commission and eight other countries.
• It sets standards and promotes effective implementation of measures to combat:
  • Money laundering
  • Terrorist financing
  • Financing of proliferation
  • Other threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
• India became a member of FATF in 2010.

Recent Developments

• FATF plans to meet with Indian private sector stakeholders in April 2025 as part of discussions on proposed changes to its recommendations.
  • FATF aims to update R.16 to ensure technology neutrality and adherence to the principle of “same activity, same risk, same rules.”
  • The revisions are intended to make cross-border payments faster, cheaper, more transparent, and inclusive while maintaining safety and security.
• FATF will release India’s mutual evaluation report soon , highlighting India’s efforts against terror financing and money laundering.

India’s Proposal:

• India is advocating for increased disclosures by fintech firms, credit card companies, and payment aggregators (PAs) at the FATF.
  • The goal is to ensure that the sender and recipient in cross-border transactions can be identified and that this information is accessible to law enforcement agencies.
• Current FATF Travel Rules: Under the FATF’s Travel Rules, cross-border financial transactions currently record data such as the name of the sender, recipient, and the country of origin.

Source:TH

Relaxation in Exclusion Criteria under PMAY

Syllabus: GS2/ Governance

Context

• The union government has announced a relaxation of the “automatic exclusion” criteria under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), expanding eligibility for the rural housing scheme.

About

• As per this relaxation, families earning up to Rs 15,000 per month and owning two-wheelers, motorized fishing boats, refrigerators, landline can now avail the Centre’s rural housing scheme.
  • Previously, families meeting these parameters were ineligible to purchase a house under this scheme.
• The parameters that will continue to result in automatic exclusion are;
  • (Owning) motorized three/four-wheelers; mechanized three/ four-wheeler agricultural equipment,
  • Kisan Credit Card with credit limit of Rs 50,000 or above,
  • Household with any member as a Government employee,
  • Household with non-agricultural enterprises registered with Government,
  • Any member of the family paying income tax, Paying professional tax, Land ownership ceiling of 2.5 acres or more of irrigated land.
• The updated criteria align with the Centre’s goal to construct two crore additional houses under the scheme by 2028-29. 

What is PMAY-G? – The Ministry of Rural Development is implementing Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) to provide assistance to eligible rural households with an overall target to construct 2.95 crore pucca houses with basic amenities. – The beneficiaries are provided financial Assistance of Rs.1.20 lakh in plain areas and Rs.1.30 lakh in hilly States. – The Union Cabinet has approved implementation of the scheme during FY 2024-25 to 2028-29 to provide financial assistance for the construction of two crore more houses.

Source: IE

Sebi Tweaks Foreign Venture Capital Investors’ Registration Criteria

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

Context

• Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has notified rules to streamline the framework for the registration of Foreign Venture Capital Investors (FVCIs).

About

• The process of granting registration to FVCIs has been delegated to designated depository participants (DDPs) in line with provisions prescribed for FPIs (Foreign Portfolio Investors).
  • Depository Participants (DPs) are intermediaries between the depository (such as the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) or Central Depository Services Limited (CDSL) in India) and the investors or clients. 
  • Their primary role is to facilitate the process of holding and transferring securities in an electronic format.
• Sebi has made additions to the eligibility criteria for FVCI whereby Resident Indians (RIs)/ Non Resident Indians (NRIs)/ Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) can be constituent of the applicant. 

Foreign Venture Capital Investors (FVCIs).

• FVCI is an investor incorporated and established outside India, who invests primarily in unlisted securities of Venture Capital Undertakings and Venture Capital Funds. 
• They typically target high-growth potential startups or emerging businesses that require capital to scale and develop their operations.
• As of 2023, a total of 269 FVCIs are registered with Sebi. 

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

• It is the regulatory authority for the securities and capital markets in India. 
• It was established in 1988 and given statutory powers through the SEBI Act of 1992.
• SEBI’s primary goal is to protect the interests of investors, promote and regulate the securities market, and ensure its orderly functioning.

Source: ET

Polaris Dawn mission

Syllabus: GS3/ S&T

In News

• The Polaris Dawn mission, led by Jared Isaacman and SpaceX, is making history by attempting the first private spacewalk. 

About

• Spacewalks, also called extravehicular activities (EVAs), involve astronauts leaving their spacecraft to conduct experiments, repairs, or tests.
• The first spacewalk was done by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov in 1965. Today, spacewalks are crucial for advancing space science and technology.
• The Polaris Dawn mission will test new spacesuits designed by SpaceX to protect astronauts from high radiation levels encountered in the Van Allen Belts.

Van Allen Belts – The Van Allen Belts are two regions of charged particles that encircle Earth, held in place by the planet’s magnetic field. These belts were first discovered in 1958 by American physicist James Van Allen. – They form part of the magnetosphere, a protective shield around Earth that deflects harmful solar radiation and cosmic rays.

Source: IE

National Statistical Commission

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

In News

• The recent dissolution of the Pronab Sen-led Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS) by the MoSPI has reinstated the National Statistical Commission (NSC) as the primary authority overseeing statistical activities in India.

About  National Statistical Commission (NSC) 

• It was established in 2005 following recommendations by the Rangarajan Commission.
• It was empowered to handle core statistical matters, including survey methodologies and coordination across agencies.
  • However, the creation of the SCoS in 2023 led to ambiguity about the NSC’s role.
• The Chief Statistician of India is the Secretary of the Commission.

Source: IE

Air Quality Management Exchange Platform (AQMx)

Syllabus: GS3/Environmental Pollution

Context

• The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) has developed and launched an Air Quality Management Exchange Platform (AQMx).

About

• It is designed to help air quality professionals everywhere tackle air pollution. 
• The platform is a one-stop-shop that provides the latest air quality management guidance and tools proposed to meet WHO Air Quality Guidelines interim targets.
• The platform was developed in response to a resolution passed at this year’s United Nations Environment Assembly, where countries called for increased global cooperation to tackle air pollution. 
• AQMx will help to address air quality management capacity gaps, notably with curated guidance across key themes.
  • This will allow decision makers to see a more complete picture of air pollution’s impact and leading to policies that accurately reflect public health needs on a global scale.  

Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)

• It is a voluntary partnership of over 160 governments, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations founded in 2012, and convened within United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).   
• CCAC is working to reduce powerful but short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) – methane, black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and tropospheric ozone – that drive both climate change and air pollution. 

Source: UN