Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 4th July 2024

Successful Completion Of 9 Years Of The Digital India Initiative:

The Prime Minister praised the successful completion of 9 years of the Digital India initiative, highlighting its role in enhancing ‘Ease of Living’ and transparency.

• Digital India Initiative launched in 2015 aims to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. It covers various projects from Central Ministries, Departments, and States/UTs.
• Key focus areas include:
  • Digital infrastructure
  • Governance
  • Services on demand
  • Digital empowerment of citizens
• The initiative encompasses nine pillars of growth, with the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) as the main coordination agency, along with other ministries and a monitoring committee led by the Prime Minister.
• Digital India focuses strongly on expanding digital infrastructure and access to rural areas through initiatives like BharatNet for internet This helps bridge the technology access gap.

Meta 3D Gen AI System:

Meta has introduced a new AI tool that can generate or retexture 3D objects in under a minute.

• Meta 3D Gen AI System is a combined AI system that can generate high-quality 3D assets, with both high-resolution textures and material maps, all within one minute.
• It uses two AI-powered sub-systems called Meta 3D AssetGen and Meta 3D TextureGen.
• The system can take text prompts from the user and produce a final output of AI-generated 3D content such as characters, props or scenes.
• Additionally, the user can also provide the system with an already created 3D mesh, which is essentially the structure of a 3D model and ask it to add texture to it.

Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT:

India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT is scheduled to be conducted from 03rd to 16th July 2024 in Umroi, Meghalaya.

• Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT is the 16th edition of the India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise.
• A Battalion of SIKKIM SCOUTS is representing the Indian contingent comprising of 45 personnel along with personnel from other arms and services.
• It is an annual training event conducted alternatively in India and Mongolia. The last edition was conducted in Mongolia in July 2023.
• Aim is to enhance the joint military capability of both sides to undertake counter-insurgency operations in a sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Mandate.
• The exercise will focus on operations in the semi-urban and mountainous terrain.
• Tactical drills during the Exercise include Response to a Terrorist Action, Establishment of a Joint Command Post, establishment of an Intelligence & Surveillance Centre, Securing of a Helipad/ Landing Site etc.
• This exercise will enable both sides to share their best practices in Tactics, Techniques and Procedures for conducting joint operations.
• The exercise will also facilitate the development of inter-operability, bonhomie and camaraderie between the two armies.
• This will also enhance the level of defence cooperation, further augmenting bilateral relations between the two friendly nations.

Jadui Pitara:

Jadui Pitara’ -a play-based learning-teaching material tailored for children between the age group of 3-8 years

• Developed under the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (part of the implementation of the New Education Policy 2020)
• Available in 13 Indian languages
• Includes playbooks, toys, puzzles, posters, flashcards, storybooks, and worksheets that reflect local culture and social contexts.
• Aim:
  • Accommodate the diverse needs of learners and pique curiosity
  • Making the learning-teaching environment more child-centric, lively, and joyful
  • Playing is crucial for children’s overall development—physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and cultural—by encouraging curiosity, exploration, and experimentation. Interactive play activities, such as talking, storytelling, and creative arts, help build strong connections among children, teachers, parents, and the community.
  • Research shows that play stimulates brain development, particularly the prefrontal cortex enhances neuroplasticity, and develops intuitive knowledge.
  • UNICEF emphasizes play’s vital role in parenting, establishing a strong foundation for children’s growth and development from infancy.

First Meeting Of The Colombo Process:

India chaired the first meeting of the Colombo Process in Geneva, marking its first time at the helm.

• Colombo Process is a regional consultative forum comprising 12 Asian member states and aims to share best practices related to overseas employment for South and Southeast Asian countries that send migrant workers abroad.
• The member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• The forum, founded by 10 of these states, makes non-binding decisions by consensus.
• The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Colombo Process Technical Support Unit (CPTSU) provide technical and administrative support.

IOM:

• Established in 1951 as part of the UN System, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It comprises 175 member states and aims to address displacement issues and facilitate pathways for regular migration.
• It leads initiatives like the Global Compact For Migration.

Megafauna:

The discovery of a 41,000-year-old ostrich nest by a team of archaeologists in Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh could provide key information about the extinction of megafauna in the Indian subcontinent.

• Megafauna term is generally used to describe animals weighing more than 50 kg.
• The term was first used by the English naturalist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace in his 1876 book, The Geographical Distribution of Animals.
• Megafauna may be classified based on their dietary type as megaherbivores (plant-eaters), megacarnivores (meat-eaters), and megaomnivores (who eat both plants and meat).
• Ostriches are megaomnivores, with an adult ostrich weighing anywhere between 90 and 140 kg, with height between seven and nine feet.
• The earliest documented evidence of the species in the subcontinent was presented by Richard Lydekker in 1884 in the Dhok Pathan deposits in Upper Siwalik (Sivalik) Hills in present-day Pakistan.
• Archaeologist S A Sali in 1989 reported the discovery of ostrich eggshell beads and engraved pieces (dating back to roughly 50,000–40,000 years ago) in an Upper Palaeolithic open-air camping site at Patne, Maharashtra.
• In 2017, researchers at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad assessed the ages of a batch of fossilised egg shells from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and established the presence of ostriches 25,000 years ago.

Windfall Tax : Increased

The Indian government has increased the windfall tax on domestically produced crude oil from Rs 3,250 per tonne to Rs 6,000 per tonne.

• A Windfall Tax is a type of tax that is levied on companies or individuals who have unexpectedly and/or dramatically gained large profits, often due to external factors beyond their control.
• It is commonly levied on industries such as oil, gas, and mining.
• The purpose is to capture a portion of the extraordinary profits that companies make and redistribute it for public good.
• It is a strategic measure to promote transparency and fairness and responsible economic practices in the energy industry.
• This hike will impact the profits of oil companies operating in India and reduce their earnings.
• India first implemented windfall profit taxes on 1st July 2022, aligning with other countries that tax excessive profits of energy companies.
• The tax rates are reassessed every 2 weeks, taking into account international crude prices from the preceding fortnight.

Xenophrys apatani : Talley Wildlife Sanctuary:

A team of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India recorded the forest-dwelling frog from the Talley Wildlife Sanctuary and named it as Xenophrys apatani.

• The discovery was made by a team of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Shillong, in collaboration with their colleagues from ZSI, Pune, and ZSI, Itanagar.
• Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.
• The sanctuary ranges in elevation from 1,200 to 3,000 meters (3,900 to 9,800 feet) and features subtropical and temperate broadleaved and conifer forests.
• Notable species include the clouded leopard, Malayan giant squirrel, Indian muntjac, and Asian palm civet.
• Additionally, 130 bird species have been observed, including the black eagle, collared owlet, and Verditer flycatcher.
• The sanctuary is also home to 16 endangered plant species, such as Panax sikkimensis, Acer hookeri, and Lilium grandiflora.