National Current Affairs – UPSC/KAS Exams- 24th July 2019

Plastic alternative from jute

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: Bangladeshi scientist has found a way to turn the jute fibre into low-cost biodegradable cellulose sheets that can be made into greener throwaway bags that look and feel much like plastic ones.

More on the Topic: 

• The sacks are biodegradable after three months buried in soil, and can also be recycled. Bangladesh is now producing 2,000 of the bags a day on an experimental basis, but plans to scale up commercial production.
• It can be used in garments and food packaging work also as wrapping material and carrying bag.

About Jute Industry:

• Known as the ‘golden fibre’ jute is one of the longest and most used natural fibre for various textile applications.
• It thrives in tropical lowland areas with humidity of 60% to 90%. Jute is a rain-fed crop with little need for fertilizer or pesticides.
• World’s leading jute producing countries are India , Bangladesh , China and Thailand. India is the world’s largest producer of raw jute and jute goods , contributing to over 50% and 40% respectively of global production.
• The cultivation of jute in India is mainly confined to the eastern region of the country. The jute crop is grown in seven states – West Bengal , Assam , Orissa, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh , Tripura and Meghalaya . West Bengal alone accounts for over 50% of the total raw jute production.

Government Support:

• To promote and popularize jute diversification work, National Jute Board, Ministry of Textiles, acts as the apex body for promotion of the products in India and abroad.
• The Government has mandated the packaging of 100% of foodgrain and 20% of sugar in jute bags for 2018-19.
• The decision aims to benefit farmers and workers in the Eastern and Northeastern parts of the country.
• The order follows the Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory Use in Packing Commodities) Act (JPM), 1987 to protect the jute sector from the plastic packaging segment.
• The Act mandates compulsory use of sacks in certain areas to bring buoyancy to the raw jute market.

Source: The Hindu, businessline , Wikipedia

Pencil Portal

Topic: e-Governance

In News: 361 Complaints of Child Labour Resolved Through Pencil Portal.

More on the Topic:

• PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) is an electronic platform for no child labour in the country is being developed by the Labour Ministry.
• PENCIL portal has five components Child Tracking System, Complaint Corner, State Government, National Child Labour Project and Convergence.
• Online complaints in regard to child labour can also be filed by anybody on Pencil Portal.

About National Child Labour Project:

• Government had initiated the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme in 1988 to rehabilitate working children.
• Under the Scheme, survey of child labour engaged in hazardous occupations & processes has been conducted.
• The identified children are to be withdrawn from these occupations & processes and then put into special schools in order to enable them to be mainstreamed into formal schooling system.
• The entire funding is done by the Central Government (Ministry of Labour & Employment).

Source: PIB, Wikipedia

Inter-ministerial committee on virtual currencies

Topic: Economy

In News: The inter-ministerial committee set up by the government on virtual currencies has suggested banning of cryptocurrencies in India.

Recommendation of the committee:

• Impose fines and penalties for carrying on of any activities connected with cryptocurrencies
• The government should consider setting up of a standing committee to revisit the issues addressed in the report, as virtual currencies and its technology are still evolving.
• The government in consultation with the RBI, may consider approving digital rupee to be legal tender to come into effect as and when notified and to an extent as may be specified.
• The digital rupee shall be governed by such regulations as may be notified by the Reserve Bank under the relevant provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• The panel backed use of distributed ledger technology (DLT) or blockchain for selected areas. It has asked the department of economic affairs to take the necessary measures to facilitate the use of DLT in the financial field after identifying its uses.
• It has also suggested the use of DLT to reduce compliance costs for know-your-customer (KYC) requirements.

About Virtual Currencies:

• Virtual currency is a currency that operates through codes using computer technology as its basic platform.
• There are block-chains which are online registers and through these online registers, people can actually buy these currencies and mine the currencies and use them as instrument of exchange.

Concerns:

• Founded as a peer-to-peer electronic payment system, cryptocurrencies enable transfer of money between parties, without going through a banking system. It is nearly impossible to find the transaction details.
• Virtual currencies would not be overseen by any single regulatory authority. It falls outside the purview of the Reserve banks, which oversees banks, and no other body exists.
• Virtual currencies could be harnessed for illegal purposes, by providing a financial platform for terrorists, drug dealers and other criminals looking to operate outside traditional systems.
• Cryptocurrencies are also frequently targeted by hackers. In the first eight months of 2018, hackers stole nearly $1 billion from cryptocurrency exchanges.

Source: Money control, Washington post.

New Space India Limited

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: The Union Government has already set up New Space India Limited (NSIL), a wholly owned Government of India undertaking/ Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE), under the administrative control of Department of Space (DOS).

More on the Topic:

• It is a private entity, set up to aid the transfer of ISRO technologies for commercial purposes.
• NSIL was set up to meet the ever-increasing demands of Indian space programme and to commercially exploit the emerging global space market.
• This includes the small satellite programme, the small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) programme and the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV).
• This entity will be a link between ISRO and the industry and help transfer its technologies to private firms for a fee.
• Other than commercially exploiting the tech transfer of SSLV, PSLV programmes and lithium-ion cells etc, Newspace India is also meant to market space-based products in India and abroad.
• While the space agency currently has a commercial arm Antrix Corporation Limited, Newspace India will play a different role since Antrix is solely involved in commercial launches of foreign satellites.
• The emergence of NSIL would spur the growth of Indian industries in the space sector and enable Indian industries to scale up manufacturing and production base.

Source: PIB and the Wire

Biometric-based self-boarding facility

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) rolled out the option of boarding a flight without producing travel documents at each touch point with the biometric-based self-boarding facility.

More on the Topic:

• To avail this facility, a passenger has to enrol their ID, biometric data and flight details before entering the terminal. The passenger will be authenticated and verified at every touch point by biometric technology.
• The process offers the highest degree of safety and security while ensuring stringent standards of safety to data privacy.
• Passenger data will be deleted within a few hours of completion of air travel.

About Biometric Technology:

• Biometrics is the technical term for body measurements and calculations. It refers to metrics related to human characteristics.
• Biometrics authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control.It is also used to identify individuals in groups that are under surveillance.
• Examples include, but are not limited to fingerprint, palm veins, face recognition, DNA, palm print, hand geometry, iris recognition, retina and odour/scent. Behavioral characteristics are related to the pattern of behavior of a person, including but not limited to typing rhythm, gait, and voice.

Source: Hindu, Wikipedia

Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

Topic: International Relations

In News: Ministerial meeting of Coordinating Bureau of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was held recently in Caracas, capital of Venezuela.

More on the Topic:

• Theme for 2019 is Promotion and Consolidation of Peace through Respect for International Law.
• India suggested that Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) needs to be re-examined and revise its methodology and the grouping needs to undertake a new journey.

About NAM:

• Founded in 1961 in Belgrade.
• It was created by the heads of Yugoslavia, India, Egypt, Ghana and Indonesia.
• The Non-Aligned Movement was formed during the Cold War as an organization of States that did not seek to formally align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union, but sought to remain independent or neutral.
• The movement represented the interests and priorities of developing countries. The Movement has its origin in the Asia-Africa Conference held in Bandung, Indonesia in 1955.

Key features of the NAM policy:

• The five principles of Panchasheel: These principles are mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; non interference in each other’s military and internal affairs; mutual non aggression; equality and mutual benefit and finally, peaceful coexistence and economic cooperation
• The policy of non-alignment meant the acceptance of the inevitability of war but on the conviction that it could be avoided.
• The non-aligned movement emerged from India’s initiative for formulating an independent foreign policy.
• This independent foreign policy was based on a solid moral and sound political foundation.
• The non-alignment was a strategy designed to maximise newly independent India’s gains from the world system.
• India’s non-alignment gave her the opportunity to get the best of both the global superpowers of the time in terms of aid, military support etc. This was in line with her objectives of national development.

Why NAM is perceived not up to the date:

• The end of cold war lead to unipolar world and now tending towards multi-polarity. The NAM is now reached irrelevance.
• NAM could not push for reforms in the global bodies like UN, IMF, WTO.
• Inability to find solution to the West-Asian crisis. Withdrawal of one of the founder members- Egypt, after the Arab Spring.
• Most of the members are economically weak; hence they have less say in world politics or economy.

Model Mains Question: The end of cold war lead to unipolar world and now tending towards multi-polarity. Comment

Source: Business standard