Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 9th July 2024

Gandaki River : 15 Year Bridge Collapsed

A 15-year-old bridge over the Gandaki River collapsed in Bihar’s Saran district recently, marking the third bridge collapse incident in the district within 24 hours.

• Gandaki River also known as the Narayani and Gandak, is one of the major rivers in Nepal and a left-bank tributary of the Ganges in India.
• It is formed by the union of the Kali and Trisuli rivers, which rise in the Great Himalaya Range in Nepal.
• From this junction to the Indian border, the river is called the Narayani.
• It flows southwest into India and then turns southeast along the Uttar Pradesh–Bihar state border and across the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
• It enters the Ganges (Ganga) Riveropposite Patna, Bihar, after a winding course of 475 miles (765 km).
• The river has a total catchment area of 46,300 sq. km, out of which 7620 sq km is located in India.
• It is bounded on the north by the Himalayas, south by the River Ganga, east by the Burhi Gandak Basin and on the west by the Ghagra Basin.
• There are about 1,710 glaciers and over 300 lakes in the upper catchment of Gandaki.
• Major Tributaries: Daraudi, Seti, Madi, Marsyandi, and Budhi Gandaki.

Bharat Bill Payment System : RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently announced that all credit card bill payments via third-party applications must now be routed through the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).

• Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) is a payment channel system conceptualized by the RBI and driven by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
• It is a one-stop payment platform for all bills providing an interoperable and accessible “Anytime Anywhere” bill payment service to all customers across India with certainty, reliability and safety of transactions.
• The system will provide multiple payment modes and instant confirmation of receipt of payment.
• It is an integrated platform connecting banks and non-banks in bill aggregation business, billers, payment service providers and retail bill outlets.
• It offers customers the convenience of payment by cataloguing various utility providers on one platform.
• BBPS offers bill collection categories like electricity, telecom, Mobile Postpaid, DTH, gas, water bills etc. through a single window.
• Other types of payments, like school/university fees, municipal taxes/ payments, mutual funds and insurance premiums, various government taxes, etc. as decided from time to time by the RBI will be incorporated in BBPS.

CAMCOPTER S-100:

India is in the process of harnessing the capability of a rotary unmanned aerial system as part of a deal with Austrian company Schiebel for their renowned Camcopter S-100 ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the country.

• CAMCOPTER S-100 is an Australian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) using a rotorcraft design.
• Produced by the Austrian company Schiebel, it was developed from 2003 to 2005.
• It has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 200 kg with 6 hours of endurance.
• It has a maximum speed of 220 km/hr and a ceiling of 5,500 m.
• It is powered by a heavy fuel engine and can carry multiple payloads which are surveillance as well as tactical in nature. The maximum payload weight is 50 kg.
• It needs no prepared area or supporting launch or recovery equipment.
• It operates day and night, under adverse weather conditions.
• The S-100 navigates automatically via pre-programmed GPS waypoints or can be operated directly with a pilot control unit.
• Missions are planned and controlled via a simple point-and-click graphical user interface.
• High-definition payload imagery is transmitted to the control station in real time.
• Using “fly-by-wire” technology controlled by redundant flight computers, the UAV can complete its mission automatically in the most complex of electromagnetic environments.

Vizhinjam International Seaport:

With the completion of the first phase of the country’s first exclusive trans-shipment port, the Vizhinjam Port is all set to receive its first mothership.

• Vizhinjam International Seaport is India’s first deepwater container transshipment port.
• It is located at Vizhinjam, a coastal town in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala.
• It is located around 10 nautical miles from the international shipping route connecting Europe and the Persian Gulf with East Asia, through which around 30 percent of global maritime cargo passes.
• It is developed in a landlord model with a public-private partnership component on a design, build, finance, operate, and transfer (“DBFOT”) basis.
• It is being built by Adani Vizhinjam Ports Private Ltd., a subsidiary of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd. (APSEZ), India’s largest private-sector port operator.
• Construction of the port began in December 2015.
• It is being designed to primarily cater to the transshipment and gateway container business, with provision for a cruise terminal, liquid bulk berth, and facilities for additional terminals.
• It has a natural draft of 18-20 meters, which means that some of the largest container vessels in the world will be able to dock here.
• There would be about 30 berths, most of which would be capable of handling mother vessels.

Pearl Spot Fish:

The Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) is preparing to launch a genome editing mission to boost pearl spot fish production.

• Pearl Spot Fish is commonly known as “Karimeen” in Kerala is an indigenous fish extensively found along the east and south-west coasts of Peninsular India.
• It is an important candidate species for aquaculture in ponds in both brackishwater and freshwater environments.
• It has an elevated laterally compressed body and a small cleft mouth. In the natural habitat, the fish is light green in colour with eight vertical bands.
• Seed of pearl spot is available throughout the year along the east and south-west coasts of India. The peak season of abundance is during the months of May-July and November-February.
• It is one of the most widely available varieties in the South, especially in the Kerala backwaters, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
• It is a low-fat, high-protein food, rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which keep our heart and brain healthy.
• This variety is also rich in Vitamin D and riboflavin, as well as in minerals such as calcium and phosphorus.

Brown Palm Civet:

The Discover Koyna group, renowned for their discoveries of rare owls and butterflies, observed a rare brown palm civet in the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary

• Brown Palm Civet is also known as Jerdon’s palm civets, are endemic to the Western Ghats and play a vital ecological role as seed dispersers.
• It is solitary and nocturnal, small carnivores that thrive in the high altitude tropical rainforests
• Its distribution extends from Castle Rock in Goa to the southern tip of the Western Ghats in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. It inhabits rainforest tracts at an elevation of 500–1,300 m.
• It is predominantly frugivorous, foraging over a wide range, but has one of the smallest diet ranges among South Asia’s small carnivores.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Least Concern
  • CITES : Appendix III
• Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra.

Copernicus Climate Centre Service:

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said that the world witnessed its warmest-ever June last month with the average temperature being 0.67°C above the 1991-2020 average.

• Copernicus Climate Centre Service (C3S) is one of six thematic information services provided by the Copernicus Earth Observation Programme of the European Union.
• Copernicus is an operational programme building on existing research infrastructures and knowledge available in Europe and elsewhere.
• It supports society by providing authoritative information about the past, present and future climate in Europe and the rest of the World.
• It aims to support European climate policies and actions, contributing to building a European society with more resilience against human-induced changing climate.
• C3S relies on climate research carried out within the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and responds to user requirements defined by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).
• It is implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) on behalf of the European Commission.

89th Birthday Of Buddhist Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama:

The Dalai Lama belongs to the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, which is the largest and most influential tradition in Tibet.

• There have been only 14 Dalai Lamas in the history of Tibetan Buddhism, and the first and second Dalai Lamas were given the title posthumously.
• The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso.
• The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet.
• Bodhisattvas are realised beings inspired by a wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings, who have vowed to be reborn in the world to help humanity.
• The Dalai Lama (14th) who fled from Tibet to India with thousands of followers during the Tibetan uprising 1959, has been residing in India since then.

Axiom-4 Mission:

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has shortlisted two of its four trained Gaganyaan astronauts for the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in collaboration with the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Axiom-4 Mission:

• NASA and Axiom Space, an american privately funded space infrastructure developer signed an order for the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS, aiming to launch in August 2024 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
• The mission aims to dock with the ISS for a fourteen-day duration.
• Indian astronauts will receive training from NASA, international partners, and SpaceX, focusing on spacecraft systems and emergency preparedness, as part of India-US space cooperation goals.

Social Security For Gig Workers:

Karnataka became the second state after Rajasthan to come up with legislation for Gig Workers.

• Through a draft version of the law (Karnataka Platform-based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill), the Karnataka government aims to regulate the social security and welfare of platform-based gig workers in the state by creating a board, welfare fund, and grievance cell among the mechanisms.

Highlights of the Karnataka Bill:

• Creation of Welfare Board: Board comprising Karnataka labour minister, two aggregator officials, two gig workers, and one civil society member to be formed.
• A two-level grievance redressal mechanism for workers, and more transparency with regards to the automated monitoring and decision-making systems deployed by platforms has been envisaged by the draft bill.
• The draft mandates aggregators to make payments at least every week and to inform the worker about the reasons for any payment deductions.
• Gig workers can apply to receive a Unique ID applicable across all platforms upon registration with the board.
• Social Security and Grievance Redressal: Access to general and specific social security schemes based on contributions along with a grievance redressal mechanism for gig workers.
• The Bill aims to provide greater autonomy to the gig workers to terminate contracts and resist being over worked by employers.
• The aggregator shall not terminate a worker without giving valid reasons in writing and prior notice of 14 days.
• There is a mandate for aggregators to maintain a safe working environment for gig workers.
• Proposed fund financed by a welfare fee from aggregators along with state and worker contributions.
• Basic penalty of Rs 5,000 extendable up to Rs 1 lakh for aggregators violating conditions under the Bill.

Gig Workers:

• As per the Code on Social Security 2020, a gig worker is a person who performs work or participates in a gig work arrangement and earns from such activities outside of traditional employer-employee relationship.

Digital Bharat Nidhi:

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) released draft rules to operationalise the Digital Bharat Nidhi, in a fresh attempt by the central government to increase telecom connectivity in rural areas.

• Digital Bharat Nidhi would replace the erstwhile Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), which is a pool of funds generated by a 5 per cent Universal Service Levy charged upon all the telecom fund operators on their Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR).
• This money would be used to fund the expansion of telecom networks in remote and rural areas.
• As per the Telecom Act, contributions made by telecom companies towards the Digital Bharat Nidhi will first be credited to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI).
• All revenues that the government receives, including loans raised and all money received in repayment of loans, are credited to the CFI. The government also incurs its expenditures from this fund.
• The Central government will deposit the collected funds to the DBN from time to time.

Right To Repair Portal:

The Central government of India asked the automobile companies to join the unified Right to Repair Portal India.

• Right to Repair Portal aims to provide consumers with access to repair information for their products and reduce e-waste.
• It was launched by the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MCA) on National Consumer Rights Day 2022.
• It provides information about the circular economy, which is the new economic model that focuses on repairing and reusing products, as opposed to throwing them away.
• The portal brings together information from different sectors, including automobiles, consumer durables, mobile and electronics, and farming equipment.
• All public information related to products, services, warranties, terms, and conditions, etc. will also be easily accessible through this portal.
• It gives consumers access to affordable repair mobile phones, appliances, and other electronic devices by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or third-party repairers.
• The aim is to offer a cheaper alternative to expensive replacements to customers, instead of buying new products altogether.