Today’s Current Affairs: 3rd Feb 2024 for UPSC IAS exams, State PSC exams, SSC CGL, State SSC, RRB, Railways, Banking Exam & IBPS, etc
Table of Contents
MagSafe Chargers:
There are a variety of power banks that are available online, but since the launch of MagSafe chargers from Apple, the industry has evolved.
- MagSafe charger is a wireless charger/power bank that connects to the back of your wireless-compatible mobile phone to charge your phone in the easiest of ways.
- It is equipped with either a 5,000 or a 10,000 mAh battery pack on the inside, which can be used as a power backup.
- This type of charger uses the magnetic current present at the back of your mobile phone and the magnets on the MagSafe charger.
- A good MagSafe charger is just like any other wireless power bank that attaches to your mobile phone and works as a power bank.
- As with any other power bank, a MagSafe charger also needs to be charged.
Rebate Of State And Central Taxes And Levies (RoSCTL) Scheme:
The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of the Scheme for Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) for the export of Apparel/Garments and made up to 31st March 2026.
- Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) Scheme aims to reimburse all embedded State and Central Taxes/Levies for exports of manufactured goods and garments.
- It has been established as a successor for the old “Rebate of State Levies (RoSL) Scheme.
- The difference between RoSL & RoSCTL Scheme is that under the RoSL Scheme, there was no benefit on the central tax and Levies.
- But in the RoSCTL scheme, the exporter will get a rebate of both State and Central tax and Levies.
- Objective is To compensate for the State and Central Taxes and Levies in addition to the Duty Drawback Scheme on the export of apparel/ garments and Made-ups by way of rebate.
- The rebate under the Scheme shall be in the form of duty credit scrips.
- The scrips shall be issued electronically on the Customs system.
- The duty credit scrips shall be used for payment of Basic Customs Duty on import of goods.
- These scrips shall be freely transferable.
- The duty credit available in an e-scrip shall be transferred at a time for the entire amount in the said e-scrip to another person and transfer of the duty credit in part shall not be permitted.
- The period of validity of the e-scrip, of one year from its creation, shall not change on account of the transfer of the e-scrip.
- All exporters of garments/Apparel and made-ups manufactured in India are eligible to take benefit under this scheme, except entities/ IECs under the Denied Entity List of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
- It has been notified by the Ministry of Textiles. However, the scheme shall be implemented by the Department of Revenue.
Subika Painting:
Manipur boasts a rich cultural heritage but some of its invaluable art forms like Subika Paintings are on the brink of extinction due to neglect.
- Subika Paintings is a style of painting which is intricately linked to the Meitei community’s cultural history.
- It is surviving through its six manuscripts — Subika, Subika Achouba, Subika Laishaba, Subika Choudit, Subika Cheithil and Thengrakhel Subika.
- Although the royal chronicle, Cheitharol Kumbaba, doesn’t mention a specific founder, there is a possibility that this art form existed when the writing tradition was introduced in the state.
- Experts estimate the use of Subika paintings since the 18th or 19th century.
- The painting of Subika Laisaba is a composition of cultural motifs made by pre-existing features and other influences stimulated by their cultural worldviews.
- Among the six manuscripts, Subika Laishaba represents a direct and authentic continuation of the Meitei cultural tradition depicted through visual images.
- The illustrations of Subika Laishaba have visual language from the elements such as lines, shapes, forms, colours, and patterns.
- These visual images become Meitei’s cultural motif, and structure to create visual effects as well as express cultural significance, meaning and values.
- The visual images found in this manuscript are painted on handmade paper.
- It is also found that the materials of manuscripts are prepared indigenously either handmade paper or barks of trees.
Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary:
The Tamil Nadu government has declared 80,114.80 hectares of reserve forests in Bargur Hills in Erode district, as the Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.
- This region is part of the corridor that connects the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) to the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Tiger Reserve and the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and plays a crucial role in maintaining a viable tiger population.
- These forests occupy a prominent position in the Eastern Ghats as they merge with the Western Ghat at the Nilgiris.
- The vast landscape is home to diverse flora and fauna, making it an ideal habitat for various life forms.
- The landscape is interconnected to the Kollegal forests of Karnataka and the Nilgiris, creating one of the most diverse habitats in the region.
- It is one of the tiger corridors identified by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
- The region is also part of the Nilgiris Elephant Reserve and is home to a healthy population of large herbivores including elephants and the Indian Gaur.
- Also, the landscape is the catchment of the Palar River that drains into the Cauvery River and is a crucial water source for agricultural activities.
- It is also of cultural and historical significance to tribal and local communities who depend on these ecosystems for their livelihoods and traditional practices.
Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund : Continuation
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister of India approved the continuation of the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) to be implemented under the Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF) for another three years up to 2025-26.
- Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund is a Central Sector Scheme.
- It has been approved for incentivizing investments by individual entrepreneurs, private companies, MSME, Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) and Section 8 companies to establish
- the dairy processing and value-addition infrastructure
- meat processing and value addition infrastructure and
- Animal Feed Plant.
- Objectives is :
- to help increase milk and meat processing capacity and product diversification thereby providing greater access for unorganised rural milk and meat producers to organised milk and meat markets.
- To make available increased price realisation for the producer.
- to make available quality milk and meat products for the domestic consumer.
- to promote exports and increase the export contribution in the milk and meat sector.
- to make available quality concentrated animal feed to the cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig and poultry to provide balanced ration at affordable prices.
- The government of India will provide a 3% interest subvention for 8 years including two years of moratorium for loans up to 90% from the scheduled bank and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), NABARD and NDDB.
Manatees:
A record number of manatees converged at a Florida state park recently.
- Manatees are large aquatic mammals, and sometimes they’re referred to as “sea cows.”
- They belong to a group of animals called Sirenia. This group also contains dugongs.
- Dugongs and manatees are very similar in appearance and behaviour, but there is one key difference, their tails.
- Manatees have paddle-shaped tails, and dugongs have fluked tails, giving it a whale-like appearance.
- Manatees inhabit shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers.
- Conservation Status: Manatee species are listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species.
31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian:
The US State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale of 31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian to India.
- The MQ-9B Predator drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle. MQ-9B SeaGuardian is a maritime-focused version of the SkyGuardian remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS).
- The MQ-9B drones are also known as “Predators”. They are High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones that can fly for over 40 hours using a satellite.
- Out of the 31 MQ-9B Predator drones, of which the Navy will get 15 SeaGuardian drones, while the Army and the Indian Air Force will get eight each of the land version – SkyGuardian.
- They can be used for offensive missions, reconnaissance, surveillance, and intelligence operations.
Employees Provident Fund Organisation : Employee Rating Survey
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) have jointly launched the Employer Rating Survey to assess and encourage employers’ support for increasing women’s participation in the workforce.
- The employer rating survey was launched at an event “Women in the Workforce for Viksit Bharat” by the EPFO (Ministry of Labour and Employment) and the MoWCD.
- The survey’s data and feedback from female employees aim to offer valuable insights for informed policymaking on women’s workforce participation.
- The primary objective of the survey is to evaluate and rate employers based on their commitment and support for women’s participation in the workforce.
- This involves assessing the measures and facilities provided by employers to create an environment conducive to women’s employment.
- The survey involves rating employers based on their support for women’s participation in the workforce.
- It serves as a tool to gauge the progress and efforts of employers in creating an inclusive work environment.
- The survey has a detailed questionnaire seeking organisation details, including whether the company provides an Internal Complaints Committee for addressing Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) formalities, crèche facilities for children, and transportation facilities during late hours.
- The EPFO has distributed the questionnaire to its approximately 300 million customers nationwide, making it a comprehensive effort to gather data on a large scale.
- The survey has also sought answers on whether there is ‘equal pay for equal work’ for male and female workers along with a query on the availability of flexible or remote working hours for women.
Indian Gray Wolf:
The Indian gray wolf has recently been sighted in the confines of National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS) in Uttar Pradesh.
- The last sightings were reported during ‘Operation Bhediya’ carried out between 1997 and 2000 to map the canines’ footprint in Chambal.
- Scientific Name: Canis lupus pallipes
- Conservation Status
- IUCN: Least Concern
- Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule I
- CITES : Appendix 1
- National Chambal Sanctuary, is also known as the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary.
- NCS is located on the Chambal River near the tri-point of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Digital Detox Initiative:
The Karnataka government recently announced a new ‘Digital Detox’ initiative in collaboration with the All India Game Developers Forum (AIGDF).
- The programme aims to spread awareness about the negative impacts of excessive technology use and encourage more mindful digital habits.
- The goal of the ‘Digital Detox’ initiative is to reduce the amount of time people spend immersed in digital devices and social media. Speaking at the GAFX 2024 event, Minister for IT&BT Priyank Kharge said the programme intends to address issues like mental health problems, shortening attention spans, and weakening in-person relationships that can stem from digital dependence.
- The Karnataka government will work together with AIGDF, which represents India’s gaming industry, on the ‘Digital Detox’ program.
- This collaboration reflects how technology itself can potentially provide solutions for problems arising from technology overuse.
- The gaming industry has a key role to play in encouraging responsible use of digital entertainment.
Champai Soren : Jharkhand’s New Chief Minister
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) Champai Soren has taken oath as the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand on February 2, 2024.
- He was accompanied by Satyanand Bhokta and Alamgir Alam who were sworn in as Cabinet Ministers. Mr. Champai was elected as the new leader of the JMM Legislature Party following Hemant Soren’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after he met the Governor and submitted his resignation as Chief Minister.
- Champai Soren will be 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand. He is from the Jharkhand’s Kolhan region which comprises East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts.
- In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the majority alliance has 47 MLAs JMM 29, Congress 17 and RJD 1.
- The BJP has 26 members and the AJSU Party three.
- The NCP and CPI (ML) have one lawmaker each, apart from two Independents.
