Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 1st August 2022

Pryushan Parv:

Jain festival in which Jain Monks and Nuns stay with the community and provide them instructions and guidance. It is also a festival of “Forgiveness”.

• It is usually celebrated in August or September (rainy season)
• During Paryushan, Jains increase their level of spiritual intensity often using fasting and prayer/meditation to help.
• The five main vows are emphasized during this time- Ahiṃsā(Non-violence), Satya (Truth), Asteya (Non-stealing), Brahmacharya (Chastity), Aparigraha (Non-possession)
• Pratikraman is also performed by many Jains during the festival.
• The word Pratikraman is made from the combination of two words, Pra meaning return and atikraman meaning violation

Seekho Aur Kamao Scheme:

The scheme has nearly 59% female trainees (far greater than earmarked 33%) in 2020-21.

About the Scheme:

• Nodal ministry: Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Minority Affairs (since 2013-14)
• Aim: Upgrading the skills of minority youth (14-35 years age group) and ensure 75% placements, out of which 50% should be in the organized sector.
• Post placement support of Rs. 2000/- per month is provided to placed trainees for two months as placement assistance.
• Implementation: Through selected Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs).

Aridity Anomaly Outlook Index : IMD

Recently Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) released the Index for the month of July

Key findings:

• Nearly 660 of 756 districts (85%) were facing different degrees of aridity, while only 63 are non-arid.
• At least 196 districts are in the grip of a ‘severe’ degree of dryness and 65 of these are in Uttar Pradesh
• Nearly 69% of India is dry land
• Impacts of drought in agriculture, especially in the tropics where defined wet and dry seasons are part of the climate regime.
• Both winter and summer cropping seasons can be assessed using this method.
• Large Arid regions are found in the desert of Rajasthan, Rann of Kutch and semi-arid regions of Punjab and Gujarat, rain shadow areas of Western Ghats.

District Legal Services Authorities:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the inaugural session of the first All India District Legal Services Authorities Meet in New Delhi on July 30, 2022.

• The first-ever national-level meet of District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) is being organized at Vigyan Bhawan by National Legal Services Authority.
• The meeting will deliberate on the creation of an integrated procedure to bring homogeneity and synchronization across DLSAs.
• There are a total of 676 District Legal Services Authorities in the country.
• They are headed by the District Judge who acts as Chairman of the authority.
• Through DLSAs and State Legal Services Authorities, various legal aid and awareness programs are implemented by National Legal Services Authority.
• The DLSAs also contribute towards reducing the burden on courts by regulating the Lok Adalats conducted by NALSA.

Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS):

PM Modi will launch the ministry of power’s flagship Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) on July 30, 2022.The scheme is aimed at improving the operational efficiencies and financial sustainability of the power distribution companies (discoms).

• The scheme, with an outlay of over Rs 3.03 trillion in five years to FY26, will enable discoms to modernise and strengthen the distribution infrastructure and improve the reliability and quality of supply of power to end consumers.
• It also aims to reduce the AT&C (aggregate technical and commercial) losses to pan-India levels of 12-15% and ACS-ARR (average cost of supply-average revenue realised) gap to zero by 2024-25.
• REC and PFC have been nominated as nodal agencies for the scheme.
• RDSS mandates compulsory installation of smart meters across the country.
• The Centre has set an ambitious target of installing 250 million smart meters by 2025.
• With this new scheme coming into force, all other previous schemes such as Integrated Power Development Scheme, Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana and Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) would stand subsumed.

MiG-21 Bison Aircraft Of The Indian Air Force (IAF) Crashed In Barmer, Rajasthan:

A MiG-21 Bison aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan, on July 28, killing the two pilots aboard the trainer version of the fighter aircraft.

• There have been six MiG-21 Bison crashes in the last two 20 months, with five crashes in 2021 and one in 2022.
• Five pilots have lost their lives in these crashes. However, this is the first fatal trainer aircraft crash of the MiG-21 Bison in a long time.
• There are four squadrons of MiG-21 Bison aircraft currently in service in the IAF with each squadron comprising 16-18 aircraft, including two trainer versions.
• Out of these one squadron, Srinagar-based No 51 Squadron, is going to be retired from service or ‘number plated’ in IAF jargon on September 30 this year, leaving three squadrons in service.
• Out of these three squadrons, one will be number plated each year and, thus, MiG-21 Bison will be phased out of IAF by 2025.
• The IAF is looking towards reviving these squadrons back into service with the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.

Mission Vatsalya:

Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a centrally sponsored scheme through State/UT Governments namely Mission Vatsalya.

• Under it, a monthly grant of Rs. 4000/- per child is provided for family based non-institutional care including Sponsorship (kinship) or Foster Care or After Care.
• The Mission Vatsalya in partnership with States and Districts provides support to a 24×7 helpline service for children as defined under the JJ Act, 2015.
• The Mission Vatsalya Scheme envisages setting up Cradle Baby Reception Centres in at least one Specialized Adoption Agency (SAA), preferably government run, in each District, to save the abandoned children and look after them with due care and affection till he/she is given in adoption.

India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX):

The Prime Minister has laid the foundation stone of the headquarters building of the International Financial Services Centers Authority (IFSCA) in GIFT City, Gandhinagar.

• The building has been conceptualized as an iconic structure, reflective of the growing prominence and stature of GIFT-IFSC as a leading International Financial Centre.
• He also launched the India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX), India’s first International Bullion Exchange in GIFT-IFSC the NSE IFSC-SGX Connect.

Bullion Exchange:

• Bullion refers to physical gold and silver of high purity that is often kept in the form of bars, ingots, or coins.
• Bullion can sometimes be considered legal tender and is often held as reserves by central banks or held by institutional investors.
• The Government had notified in August 2020 about the Bullion Spot Delivery Contract and Bullion Depository Receipt (BDR) with underlying Bullion as Financial Product and related services as Financial Services.
• A bullion Exchange is a market through which buyers and sellers trade gold and silver as well as associated derivatives.
• There are various bullion markets around the world with the London Bullion Market known as the primary global market trading platform for gold and silver.

IIBX:

• India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX) was first announced in the Union Budget 2020 for easing the Gold Import by Jewellers in India.
• It is a platform that not only enrols jewellers to trade on the exchange, but has also set up necessary infrastructure to store physical gold and silver.
• IIBX will facilitate efficient price discovery with the assurance of responsible sourcing and quality, apart from giving impetus to the financialisation of gold in India.
• IFSCA is entrusted with notifying the eligible qualified jewellers in India for directly importing gold through IIBX.

The Annual Review Of State Laws, 2021 Report:

A report titled ”The Annual Review of State Laws, 2021” was released by PRS Legislative Research.

• As per the report, Kerala got first place in 2021, with its House sitting for 61 days, the highest for any State.
• Kerala had also promulgated 144 ordinances, the highest in the country last year.

Highlights of the Report:

• States such as Manipur, Odisha, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have laid down a minimum number of sitting days through the Rules of Procedure, varying from 40 days in Punjab to 90 days in Uttar Pradesh.
• In 2005, Karnataka even came out with a law — the Karnataka Conduct of Government Business in the State Legislature Act — with the stipulation of a minimum of 60 days
• Ordinance:Andhra Pradesh with 20 ordinances and Maharashtra with 15 followed Kerala, wherein Bills replacing 33 ordinances became Acts.
• Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh also promulgated ordinances to give effect to budget proposals.

Passage of Bill:

• 44% of the Bills adopted by 28 State Assemblies were passed within a day of their introduction.
• Gujarat, West Bengal, Punjab and Bihar were among the eight States which passed all Bills on the day of introduction.
• Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha and Rajasthan took more than five days to pass a majority of their Bills.
• In Kerala, 94% of the Bills were passed after at least five days of their introduction in the legislature.
• In respect of Meghalaya, it was 80% and in the case of Karnataka, 70%.
• Education was the top priority with 21% of all laws passed in 2021 related to this subject.
• After Education, Taxation and Urban Governance accounted for the largest share of state laws passed in 2021.
• Several of the other sectors saw crucial legislations, including ones relating to online gaming, reservation of jobs for local candidates from the state, and the safety of women and children

Google Street View:

Google Street View is launched in ten cities of India under the Guidelines of the National Geospatial Policy (NGP), 2021.

• NGP 2021 lets Indian companies collect map data and license it to others.
• Google Street View is an immersive 360-degree view of a location captured using special cameras mounted on vehicles or on backpacks by data collectors moving around the city streets.
• The images are then patched together to create 360-degree view which users can swipe through to get a detailed view of the location.
• It is available to view on Android and iOS using the app, or as a web viewer.
• Street View in India is not allowed for restricted areas like government properties, defence establishments and military areas.
• This means in a place like Delhi, the cantonment area will be out of bounds for Street View.
• The National Geospatial Policy, 2021 liberalises the geospatial sector and democratises the datasets generated by use of public funds.
• The Policy seeks to empower citizens and enterprises to create, access and use geospatial data and information for addressing developmental needs of the country while also safeguarding its security interests.
• It provides for augmenting the geospatial ecosystem in the country, as well as globally, by encouraging geospatial knowledge generation, skill sets and expertise etc.
• The Survey of India topographic data will be made widely and easily accessible.
• Geospatial data and information produced using public funds will be shared as per the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (2012).
• Efforts will be made to standardise the storage formats of geospatial data so that it becomes available in an interoperable machine-readable form.
• A standardised curriculum will be developed for geospatial data education.
• A certifying body will be constituted to review the practices of professionals such as surveyors, and certify individuals on the completion of courses in geospatial education.

Core Sectors:

India’s eight core sectors’ output growth moderated to 12.7% in June, 2022 from 18.1% in May, 2022 with all sectors except crude oil registering an uptick in production.

Eight Core Sectors:

• Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertiliser, Steel, Cement, Electricity
• These comprise 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
• The eight core sector industries in decreasing order of their weightage:
• Refinery Products> Electricity> Steel> Coal> Crude Oil> Natural Gas> Cement> Fertilizers.

Index of Industrial Production:

• IIP is an indicator that measures the changes in the volume of production of industrial products during a given period.
• It is compiled and published monthly by the Central Statistical Organization (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
• It is a composite indicator that measures the growth rate of industry groups classified under:
• Broad sectors:
  • Mining, Manufacturing, and Electricity.
• Use-based sectors:
  • Basic Goods, Capital Goods, and Intermediate Goods.
• Base Year for IIP is 2011-2012.