Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 27th Oct 2023

EV Charging Connector Standard:

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has recently approved a novel AC and DC combined charging connector standard for light electric vehicles (LEVs) like scooters, bikes, and rickshaws.

• This standard marks a pioneering step in the EV industry, aiming to address issues of interoperability and range anxiety.
• The newly approved EV charging standard is notable for being the world’s first to integrate alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) charging for LEVs.
• While combined AC and DC charging standards for electric four-wheelers are already in widespread use globally, this development is specifically tailored to the unique needs of smaller, two-wheeled EVs.
• One of the primary advantages of a combined charging standard is its interoperability.
• This means that a single standard can be adopted by different EV manufacturers and charging infrastructure providers.
• This feature simplifies the charging process and ensures that various EV models can use the same charging stations.

Calixcoca Vaccine : Treatment For Cocaine

Scientists in Brazil have developed a groundbreaking treatment for cocaine and crack addiction in the form of a vaccine named “Calixcoca.”

• This innovative vaccine aims to disrupt the effects of cocaine by triggering an immune response in the body
• Calixcoca functions by inducing an immune response that generates antibodies capable of binding to cocaine molecules in the bloodstream.
• This binding process results in the enlargement of cocaine molecules, rendering them too large to pass into the brain’s “reward center” or mesolimbic system.
• This area of the brain is typically stimulated by cocaine to release dopamine, the pleasure-inducing neurotransmitter.
• Consequently, individuals who receive the vaccine will not experience the desired euphoric effects of cocaine, potentially assisting them in breaking the cycle of addiction.

Vimarsh-2023 : Hackathon

A national hackathon named “Vimarsh-2023” has been unveiled with the goal of identifying innovative tools to ensure the secure utilization of 5G technology by law enforcement agencies during sensitive operations.

• The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) initiated the hackathon, which is a significant step towards enhancing the capabilities of police forces.
• The primary objective of the hackathon is to develop innovative tools that address the challenges and issues confronted by law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in adapting to and utilizing 5G technology effectively.
• The hackathon will involve three stages of idea screening.
  • Stages I and II will be conducted in a virtual mode.
  • While Stage III will take place at designated nodal centers in a physical setting, where 5G testbeds, private networks, and labs will be accessible.

Hunter’s Moon Lunar Eclipse:

Hunter’s Moon Lunar Eclipse is predicted to be seen on October 28th,2023.

• The “Hunter’s Moon” will officially be 100% illuminated at 3:35 p.m. EST on Saturday, October 28, 2023.
• The Hunter’s Moon is one of the many names given to the full moons throughout the year.
• The Hunter’s Moon can sometimes appear red or orange in color, due to the way that sunlight is scattered by the Earth’s atmosphere.
• This is especially common when the moon is low in the sky, such as during sunrise and sunset.
• This year’s Hunter’s Moon” will look both more colorful and larger than it will at any other time of night.
• It will only for about 15 minutes.
• It will also be more impactful because it’s being viewed in twilight, not darkness.
• Europe and Africa will be the best placed to see watch the entire event, but it’s a very slight partial lunar eclipse.
• At the peak of the event about 6% of the full moon will be inside Earth’s dark central shadow .
• It may look like a small bite has been taken from it.
• However, as it drifts through Earth’s lighter, outer penumbral shadow it will mostly just seem less bright than usual.

Flamingo Project And The Enigmatic S8 Tension:

FLAMINGO project aimed to shed light on this cosmic mystery, but the findings have introduced a perplexing conundrum known as the “S8 tension.”

• The S8 tension is a measure of the lumpiness or clustering of matter in the universe.
• It can be precisely calculated using low-redshift observations, such as weak gravitational lensing surveys, which provide insights into the structure of the distant, ancient universe.
• The FLAMINGO project, or Full-hydro Large-scale structure simulations with All-sky Mapping for the Interpretation of Next Generation Observations, embarked on a comprehensive quest to address this cosmic puzzle.
• Unlike previous simulations that solely considered the effects of dark matter on the evolving universe, FLAMINGO’s simulation factored in the influence of both dark matter and ordinary matter, governed by gravity and gas pressure.

DNA And Face Matching Systems At Police Stations:

Over a year after Parliament passed the Criminal Procedure Identification Act (CrPI), 2022; the Centre is preparing to introduce ‘DNA and Face Matching’ systems in 1,300 police stations nationwide, despite the Act’s provisions not yet being fully implemented.

• The Indian government is set to implement the “DNA and Face Matching” systems at 1,300 police stations across the country under the Criminal Procedure Identification Act 2022 (CrPI) (the Act replaced the 100-year-old Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920, expanding the scope to capture additional data)
• Facial Recognition System in Policing Facial recognition systems identify and measure facial features to verify individuals from images or video frames.
• Various police departments in India, such as TSCOP and CCTNS (Telangana), PAIS (Punjab), Trinetra (UP), Police Artificial Intelligence System (Uttarakhand), and AFRS (Delhi), have implemented facial recognition technology systems.

Criminal Procedure Identification Act :

• The Criminal Procedure Identification Act (CrPI) was passed in 2022, granting police and Central investigating agencies the authority to collect, store, and analyze physical and biological samples, including retina and iris scans of arrested individuals.
• Integration with National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) NAFIS, managed by the NCRB, is integrated into the CrPI Act’s implementation. NAFIS contains fingerprint data for over 1 crore people, including accused and convicts, and is accessible at approximately 1,300 police stations nationwide.
• Nodal Agency : The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is assigned with finalising the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
• It will boost law enforcement efficiency by quickening criminal investigations, reducing crime, and maintaining order.
• It will ease daily tasks, employ Big Data for crime trends, provide real-time access via smartphone apps, and enhance public-police interaction, offering digital services like online grievance submissions for citizens’ convenience (e.g., Punjab Police’s SAANJH)

Vikram-1 Rocket:

Indian firm Skyroot Aerospace recently unveiled its indigenously-built Vikram-1 rocket.

• Planned to be launched in early 2024, Vikram-I will be Skyroot’s second rocket, after the successful launch of the Vikram-S rocket on November 18 last year, when the space start-up became the first company to launch a private rocket from the ISRO’s launch centre in Sriharikota.
• Vikram-1, named after the father of India’s space programme, Vikram Sarabhai, is a multi-stage launch vehicle with a capacity to place around 300 kg of payloads in low-earth orbit.
• It has been built by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, a space startup.
• It is an all-carbon-fibre-bodied rocket that can place multiple satellites into orbit.
• Being a solid-fuel rocket and using relatively simpler technologies would mean that launching this vehicle would require minimal infrastructure and that the rocket could be assembled and launched within 24 hours from any site.

Sea Cucumber:

Officials from the Indian Coast Guard and the customs department arrested four men who were allegedly in possession of sea cucumber and raw turmeric.

• Sea Cucumber species is a part of a larger animal group called echinoderms and is invertebrates that lives on the seafloor.
• Their body shape is similar to that of a cucumber, but they have small tentacle-like tube feet that are used for locomotion and feeding.
• There are about 1,250 species of sea cucumber, all of which belong to the taxonomic class Holothuroidea.
• They are found in all marine environments throughout the world, from shallow to deep-sea environments.
• These are benthic, meaning they live on the ocean floor.
• They excrete inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus, enhancing the productivity of benthic biota.
• Conservation status
  • CITES: Appendix II
  • Wildlife Protection Act of 1972: Schedule I

United Nations Forum On Forests:

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is organising a Country-Led Initiative (CLI) event as part of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) from 26-28 October, 2023 at the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

• United Nations Forum on Forests promotes the management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests.
• It was established in 2000 by the UN Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).
• The Forum meets annually at the UN Headquarters in New York, bringing together representatives of all member states and forest-related agencies for high-level dialogue on technical matters in odd years and policy matters in even years.
• The forum has universal membership, and is composed of all Member States of the United Nations and specialized agencies.
• India is a founding member of UNFF.

Country-Led Initiative (CLI):

• Its primary goal is to contribute to the discussions of UNFF regarding the implementation of Sustainable Forest Management and the UN Strategic Plan for Forests.
• It also aims to facilitate the sharing of best practises among UNFF member States for the implementation of SFM and UNSPF.

Jamrani Dam Multipurpose Project:

The government of India approved the inclusion of the Jamrani Dam Multipurpose Project under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana-Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (PMKSY-AIBP).

• Jamrani Dam Multipurpose Project envisages the construction of a dam near Jamrani village across river Gola, a tributary of river Ram Ganga, in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand.
• A substantial part of irrigation benefits of the project would flow to the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh.
• This project is the seventh project to be included in the PMKSY-AIBP list.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana:

• It was launched in 2015-16.
• Aim is to enhance physical access to water on farms, expand cultivable areas under assured irrigation, improve on-farm water use efficiency, and introduce sustainable water conservation practices.
• Components:
  • Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP): To focus on faster completion of ongoing Major and Medium Irrigation including National Projects.
  • Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP): It consists of four sub-components, being Command Area Development & Water Management (CAD&WM), Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI), Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies, and Ground Water (GW) Development component.