National Current Affairs – UPSC/IAS Exams- 25th June 2019

by Mentors4ias · June 25, 2019

Artificial Intelligence

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: For decades, people have fearfully imagined armies of hyper-efficient robots invading offices and factories, gobbling up jobs once done by humans. But in all of the worry about the potential of artificial intelligence to replace rank-and-file workers, we may have overlooked the possibility it will replace the bosses, too.

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At some of the call centres worldwide artificial intelligence is acting as managers. For example If the employee talking too fast the program which made up of algoritam and installed on the employees system flashes an icon of a speedometer, indicating that he should slow down. If sound sleepy the software displays an “energy cue,” with a picture of a coffee cup.Not empathetic enough, A heart icon pops up.

Concerns:

The goal of automation has always been efficiency, but in this new kind of workplace, AI sees humanity itself as the thing to be optimised.
Amazon uses complex algorithms to track worker productivity in its fulfillment centres, and can automatically generate the paperwork to fire workers who don’t meet their targets, as The Verge uncovered this year. (Amazon has disputed that it fires workers without human input, saying that managers can intervene in the process.)
IBM has used Watson, its AI platform, during employee reviews to predict future performance and claims it has a 96% accuracy rate.
Using AI to manage workers in conventional, 9-to-5 jobs has been more controversial.
Critics have accused companies of using algorithms for managerial tasks, saying that automated systems can dehumanise and unfairly punish employees. And while it’s clear why executives would want AI that can track everything their workers do, it’s less clear why workers would.

About Artificial Intelligence:

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.
These processes include learning (the acquisition of information and rules for using the information), reasoning (using rules to reach approximate or definite conclusions) and self-correction.
To make it simple – Artificial Intelligence is intelligence exhibited by machines.
It is a branch of computer science which deals with creating computers or machines as intelligent as human beings.
The term was coined in 1956 by John McCarthy at the Dartmouth conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Model Mains Question: Is artificial general intelligence probable? Can a machine decipher any problem that a human being can solve using intelligence? Or are there hard boundaries to what a machine can accomplish?

Source: The Hindu

RCEP

Topic: Bilateral Relations

In News: Government officials said it would be ‘premature’ to suggest India could be cut out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) being negotiated by 16 countries led by the ASEAN bloc, if it doesn’t agree to join it by the year-end.

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The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed mega-regional Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between 16 Asia-Pacific countries.
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was established in order to broaden and deepen the engagement among parties and to enhance parties’ participation in economic development of the region.
It was established by the leaders of 16 participating countries on November 12, 2012 at Phnom Penh summit.
The RCEP will include all the nations with which the ASEAN has trade deals — New Zealand, Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea.
The RCEP negotiation includes: trade in goods, trade in services, investment, economic and technical cooperation, intellectual property, competition, dispute settlement, e-commerce, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and other issues.
India has consistently focused on services trade norms, such as those allowing the free movement of trained professionals across national boundaries.
This would effectively allow Indian professionals such as chartered accountants, teachers and nurses to practice in other RCEP nations without the need for bilateral mutual recognition agreements.
Since India has an abundance of trained labor that is interested in migrating while sending remittances back home, this is a prime focus area for the country.
Indian firms have created more than 100,000 local jobs in RCEP countries, apart from cost savings and enhanced competitiveness, even with limited expatriate presence.

Concerns:

There are two set of challenges to India in case of RCEP.
The first is to extract meaningful concessions for enhancing market access in RCEP Participating Countries.
The second is to do a trade deal which will provide the necessary instruments that will ensure the economic viability of farmers and industries.
Especially small-scale producers and small farmers need protection in the face of relentless import competition.
India needs a tariff regime that must be flexible enough to allow tariffs to be calibrated.
Such flexibilities are provided by WTO’s tariff regime, which has allowed the increase in actual applied tariffs on particular products.
Such flexibilities are, however, not allowed in any of the free trade agreements (FTAs), like the RCEP.India needs to negotiate its stand especially in this case.
The talks have seen little movement since partner nations have been unwilling to concede on crucial issues under planning since 2012.
The crucial issues of goods, services including easier movement of professionals and, investment are also the areas of negotiation.
The main bone of contention is market access for foreign goods and reduction of import duties on them.
This is the discussion area where India is gravely cautious since manufacturing powerhouse China is part of the arrangement.
India fears the RCEP pact will allow China to push its products at lower prices and finally capture the marke

Source: The Hindu

RBI unveils online portal for filing grievances

Topic: e-Governance

In News: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a Complaint Management System (CMS), an online portal to facilitate bank customer grievance redressal processes.

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The CMS portal can be accessed on RBI’s website and complaints can be lodged against any of the entities regulated by the central bank.
CMS will be accessible on desktops as well as on mobile devices. The RBI also plans to introduce a dedicated Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System for tracking the status of complaints.
CMS provides features such as acknowledgement through SMS and email notification, status tracking through unique registration number, receipt of closure advises and filing of appeals, where applicable.
Data from CMS can be leveraged by the RBI for analytics, which can be used for regulatory and supervisory interventions.

Source: The Hindu

Passport Seva Project

Topic: e-Governance

In News: The government is on its way to integrate all the diplomatic missions and posts into the Passport Seva Project shortly. India would soon deliver passport booklets with advanced security features.

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India is on its way to deliver passport booklets with advance security features being produced at the India Security Press, Nashik. They would have chips installed for security.
As part of the Passport Seva Project (PSP), a Mission Mode Project, implemented by the Government with a view to comprehensively overhaul passport issuance system, Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) have been set up and operationalised as extended arms of the existing 37 Passport Offices across the country.
The Passport Portal, passportindia.gov.in, is web-based and can be accessed by anyone, anytime and anywhere. The citizens are free to apply online and obtain appointments themselves or seek the assistance of anyone else to obtain appointments.
With a view to address the challenge of digital divide in the country, especially in the rural hinterland, the Government in association with M/s. CSC e-Governance Services India Limited {which is promoted by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY)}, has facilitated online filing of passport applications, through the vast network of over one lakh CSCs across rural hinterland.
The online appointment system has been introduced to minimize waiting time for applicants.
The entire process is online and streamlined including interface with the Indian police for verification of personal particulars of applicants and with India Post for tracking delivery of passports. Status of applications can be tracked through the passport website or through mPassport Seva.
As police verification of personal particulars and antecedents of applicants is critical to Passport issuance, Passport Offices keep in touch with Police to expedite Police Verification reports.
A Productivity Linked Incentive Scheme has been implemented aimed at increasing productivity of Central Passport Organisation officials.

Source: The Hindu

Battle of Imphal

Topic: History

In News: Former adversaries Britain and Japan came together at the inauguration of the Imphal Peace Museum to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Imphal that saw some of the fiercest fighting of World War II at Maibam Lokpa Ching popularly known as Red Hill.

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The Battle of Imphal took place in the region around the city of Imphal, the capital of the state of Manipur in northeast India from March until July 1944.
Japanese armies attempted to destroy the Allied forces at Imphal and invade India, but were driven back into Burma with heavy losses.
Together with the simultaneous Battle of Kohima on the road by which the encircled Allied forces at Imphal were relieved, the battle was the turning point of the Burma Campaign, part of the South-East Asian Theatre of the Second World War.
The Japanese defeat at Kohima and Imphal was the largest up until that time, with many of the Japanese deaths resulting from starvation, disease and exhaustion suffered during their retreat.

Source: The Hindu

Flood Hazard Atlas

Topic: Disaster Management

In News: Odisha has come out with a unique flood hazard atlas on the basis of historic flood inundation captured through satellite imagery over the period from 2001 to 2018, which is expected to help the State manage floods more efficiently.

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The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Hyderabad had taken the study on flood hazard zonation for Odisha.
A large number of satellite images acquired over 18 years (2001-2018) were used. All satellite data sets were analysed and flood layers were extracted. All the flood layers corresponding to a year are combined as one inundation layer, so that this layer represents the maximum flooded area in one year.
All such combined flood layers for 18 years were integrated into flood hazard layer representing the observed flood-inundated areas with different frequencies. This layer was integrated with the digital database layers of Odisha.
The atlas would serve as a useful resource of information for policy makers, planners and civil society groups.

Odisha-Flood Plains data:

Vast areas of the State are inundated when there is flooding every year in major rivers, namely, the Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani, Subarnarekha and Rushikulya. Some of the rivers like, the Vamsadhara and Budhabalanga, also cause flash floods due to instant run-off from their hilly catchments.
The entire coastal belt is prone to storm surges, which is usually accompanied by heavy rainfall, thus making the estuary region vulnerable to both storm surges and river flooding. Few districts in the western and southern part of Odisha are prone to flash floods.
The NRSC analysis says about 8.96% (13.96 lakh hectares) of land in Odisha was affected by floods during 2001-2018.
Out of total flood-affected area (13.96 lakh hectares), about 2.81 lakh hectares of land falls under high (inundated seven-nine times) to very high (inundated 10-14 times) flood hazard categories.

Source: The Hindu

National Electricity Distribution Company.

Topic: Economy

In News:Heralding a major change in the power distribution sector of the country, two leading public sector utilities — NTPC and Power Grid Corporation of India — have formed a joint venture to set up National Electricity Distribution Company.

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This paves way for NTPC, a leading power generator, and Power Grid, which owns India’s largest power transmission network, to get into consumer electricity supply business.
The main objective of the venture is to undertake the business for distribution of electricity in distribution circles in various states and Union Territories and other related activities.
The move could also hint at another round of power distribution reforms.
This includes the separation of content and carriage businesses in power distribution i.e the infrastructure builder for power supply and the supplier to consumers would be two separate companies.
This would bring more competition in the power distribution sector with more than one power supplier. These measures have been suggested in the latest amendments to the Electricity Act, 2003, which is yet to be tabled in Parliament.

Background:

The announcement comes at a time when the existing reform scheme UDAY has been declared as a failure by several agencies. Launched in 2015, it aimed at turning around the state-owned discoms financially and operationally. While the financial part was concluded with states taking over the losses of discoms and issuing bonds, operational front is facing challenges.
Losses of the state-owned discoms grew by over 40 per cent to Rs 21,658 crore at the end of FY19. At the same time, the dues of discoms to power gencos stood at Rs 38,023 crore.

Source: The Hindu