Facts in News
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Smog Tower
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- Delhi will get its first smog tower.
About
- The Smog tower is a 24 metre-high structure fitted with fans and air filters to work as large-scale air purifiers.
- They are usually fitted with multiple layers of air filters, which clean the air of pollutants as it passes through them.
- They will draw in polluted air from the top and release purified air near the ground through fans fitted on sides.
- The tower has 40 big fans and 5,000 filters to clean the air.
- The filters installed in the tower use carbon nanofibres as a major component and are fitted along its peripherals.
Image Courtesy: TH
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Defence Startup Challenge 5.0
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- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the 5th edition of the Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC) under Innovations for Defence Excellence – Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO)
About
- DISC 5.0 is a massive leap towards leveraging the startup ecosystem to develop India’s defence technologies, equipment design and manufacturing capabilities.
- The launch of DISC 5.0 comes three years after the launch of DISC 1.0.
- It will encourage startups to become more attuned to innovative concepts and inculcate the approach of creative thinking in India’s budding entrepreneurs.
- DISC 5.0 is a reflection of the Government’s resolve of creating an ‘Atma Nirbhar’ defence sector.
- Thirty-five problem statements were unveiled under DISC 5.0.
- These are in areas such as situational awareness, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, aircraft-trainer, non-lethal devices, 5G network, underwater domain awareness, Drone SWARMS and data capturing.
Earlier editions of DISC
- In the earlier editions of DISC, more than 80 start-ups, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and individual innovators had joined as winners in over 40 technological areas.
- iDEX4fauji was a similar initiative that gave an opportunity to the Service personnel to showcase their talent in these fields.
iDEX
- It was launched in April 2018 to achieve self-reliance and foster innovation & technology development in the defence and aerospace sectors.
- It will be funded and managed by a “Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO)? formed as a “not for profit? company as per Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013 for this purpose.
- It provided a strong foundation for innovation, Research and Development (R&D) to the industry. “Initiatives like iDEX form a link between our youth, academia, R&D, start-ups and the armed forces by engaging Industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes and academia.
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DRDO’s chaff Technology to Safeguard Jets
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- Recently, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed advanced Chaff material and chaff cartridge-118/I in collaboration with High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune
- It aims to safeguard fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) from enemy radar threats.
Chaff
- Chaff is primarily an electronic counter-measure technology used by militaries worldwide to protect high-value targets such as fighter jets or naval ships from radars and radio frequency (RF) guiding mechanisms of the enemy missiles.
- The chaff deployed in the air reflects as multiple targets for the missile guidance systems, thus misleading the enemy radars or deflecting adversary missiles.
- The importance of this technology lies in the fact that a very little quantity of chaff material deployed in the air acts as decoys to deflect enemy’s missiles for ensuring the safety of the fighter aircraft.
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G-sec Acquisition Programme (G-SAP 2.0)
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- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that it will conduct an open market purchase of government securities of ?25,000 crores under the G-sec Acquisition Programme (G-SAP 2.0).
- Earlier, under G-SAP 1.0, the first purchase of government securities for an aggregate amount of Rs. 25,000 crore was made.
About
- The G-Sec Acquisition Programme (G-SAP) is basically an unconditional and a structured open market operation (OMO), of a much larger scale and size.
- RBI has called the G-SAP an OMO with a ‘distinct character’.
- The word ‘unconditional’ here connotes that RBI has committed up front that it will buy G-Secs irrespective of the market sentiment.
- This aspect is crucial as altogether different literature on the subject emerges once the assumption of certainty/commitment is built in.
G-Sec (Government Securities)
- These are debt instruments issued by the government to borrow money.
- The two key categories are treasury bills – short-term instruments that mature in 91 days, 182 days, or 364 days, and
- Dated securities – long-term instruments, which mature anywhere between 5 years and 40 years.
- T-Bills are issued only by the central government, and the interest on them is determined by market forces.
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PAT Scheme
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- The Perform, Achieve, Trade (PAT) scheme was established by the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency.
- NMEEE is one of the eight national missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) launched by the Government of India in the year 2008.
- Under PAT Scheme, the Energy Savings Certificates (ESCerts) were introduced in India in 2012 by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)
- It is a regulatory instrument to reduce specific energy consumption in energy-intensive industries, with an associated market-based mechanism to enhance the cost-effectiveness through certification of excess energy saving which can be traded.
Working:
- Under the scheme, Designated Consumers (DCs) are given specific energy-saving targets for a three-year cycle.
- The targets are given according to the current energy efficiency levels of the DCs in such a manner that energy-efficient DCs are given lower targets while DCs that are not energy efficient are given higher targets.
- While calculating the specific energy consumption a “gate-to-gate” approach is adopted, thereby including all energy consumption against the total production.
- The values are normalised to take into account factors beyond the DC’s control.
- At the end of the cycle, the DC’s performance is assessed by a cadre of professionals known as Accredited Energy Auditors who are empanelled with the BEE.
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)
- It is a statutory body and was established on 1st March 2002 under the provision of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
- It will assist in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles with the primary objective of reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy within the overall framework of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
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Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme
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- Launched in: November 2015.
- Objective: To reduce the demand for physical gold and shift a part of the domestic savings (to purchase of gold) into financial savings.
- Issuance: The Gold Bonds are issued as Government of India Stock under the Government Securities (GS) Act, 2006.
- These are issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on behalf of the Government of India.
- These bonds will be sold through various Commercial banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices (as may be notified) and recognised stock exchanges viz., National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock Exchange, either directly or through agents.
- Eligibility: It is restricted for sale to resident individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs), trusts, universities and charitable institutions.
- Price: The price is calculated based on the spot price of gold as provided by the Mumbai-based India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA).
- Term: Maturity period is 8 years, with an option to exit the investment after the first five years.
- Investment Limit: Gold bonds can be purchased in the multiples of one unit.
- The upper limit for retail (individual) investors and HUFs is 4 kilograms (4,000 units) each per financial year.
- For trusts and similar entities, an upper limit of 20 kilograms per financial year is applicable.
- Minimum permissible investment is 1 gram of gold.
- Interest Rate: A fixed rate of 2.5% per annum is applicable on the scheme, payable semi-annually.
- The interest on Gold Bonds shall be taxable as per the provision of Income Tax Act, 1961.
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