National Current Affairs – UPSC/KAS Exams- 30th March 2020

by Mentors4ias · March 30, 2020

Karnataka govt uses technology, data and surveillance to contain Covid-19

Topic: Governance

In News: Learning from countries like South Korea, the Karnataka government has now turned to its in-house experts on technology, and the IT resource base in Bengaluru to deal with COVID epidemic.

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One of the tasks assigned to a 10-member Covid-19 task force comprising IAS officers with expertise in the fields of technology, medicine and healthcare is to develop a system to track all persons who visited foreign countries during the period of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The system, which should be readysoon, would also track those who have tested positive and all their known and unknown contacts.
Different “Applications (or Apps)” are already in the pipeline for informing people about the places where they may have come in contact with a Covid-19 positive person.
One of the applications for mobile phones called “Corona Watch,” which gives details of places visited by Covid-19 positive persons in Karnataka in the 14-day incubation period of the virus, has been released through the state government’s official portal.
The home quarantine app will require people to click their photo and send it to health officials who will be able to use geotags of the photo to know where the picture is taken. With several home-quarantined persons found socialising and visiting theatres, malls, play areas, the app is expected to curb this during the mandatory period of social isolation.
The task force is also using software and data from telecom service providers to get information on people who were in the vicinity of these people and officials will notify them saying — ‘you were in the vicinity of Mr Y who is now a corona positive patient. Please report for a quarantine’.
The task force is using tower location information from telecom providers and available apps to notify people about their possible interaction with Covid-19 positive persons.

Source: Indian Express

Himalayan Ibex

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: A recent study by scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has proved that Himalayan Ibex, distributed in the trans-Himalayan ranges of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, is a distinct species from the Siberian Ibex.

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Siberian Ibex is a species of wild goat and is distributed in diverse habitats, ranging from cold deserts, rocky outcrops, steep terrain, high-land flats and mountain ridges to low mountains and foothills.
From Mongolia, its distribution extends towards Altai, Hangai, Gobi-Altai, the Hurukh mountain ranges as well as Sayan Mountains near Russia and scattered populations in the small mountains of Trans-Altai Gobi.
In Asia, Ibex is distributed in the Montane habitats, ranging in elevations from 500 m to 6,700 m in countries like India, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Southern Siberia and China.
In India, the Ibex is distributed mainly in the trans-Himalayan ranges of the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh up to the river Sutlej.
The study was conducted under the National Mission on Himalayan Studies implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

National Mission on Himalayan Studies:

· The NMHS envisages to work towards a set of linked and complementary goals including:

(i) Fostering conservation and sustainable management of natural resources,

(ii) Enhancing supplementary and/or alternative livelihoods for IHR peoples and overall

economic and ecological well-being of the region,

(iii) Controlling and preventing pollution in the region,

(iv) Fostering increased/augmented human and institutional capacities and the knowledge

and policy environments in the region,

(v) Strengthening, greening, and fostering development of climate-resilient core

infrastructure and basic services assets.

Source: Hindu

Red Flag Excercise

Topic: Defence and Security

In News: The U.S. Air Force has cancelled the Phase-I of Red Flag due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

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It is a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise meant to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment over the Joint Pacific Alaska range complex.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) was also to take part in the exercise with its Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets.
The IAF joined Red Flag for the first time in 2008 in Nevada.
It has deployed Su-30MKI, Jaguar strike aircraft, the Il-78 tankers and the C-17 strategic airlift aircraft in the exercise.
However, it had said it would not take part in every edition of the biennial exercise because of the high cost involved.

Source: Hindu

MPLADS Funds

Topic: Polity and Governance

In News: The Vice President of India appealed to all Members of Parliament to contribute at least Rs. 1 crore initially from their MPLADS funds to supplement the Government’s efforts in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

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The MPLADS is a Plan Scheme fully funded by Government of India. The annual MPLADS fund entitlement per MP constituency is Rs. 5 crore.
MPs are to recommend every year, works costing at least 15 per cent of the MPLADS entitlement for the year for areas inhabited by Scheduled Caste population and 7.5 per cent for areas inhabited by S.T. population.
In order to encourage trusts and societies for the betterment of tribal people, a ceiling of Rs. 75 lakh is stipulated for building assets by trusts and societies subject to conditions prescribed in the scheme guidelines.
Lok Sabha Members can recommend works within their Constituencies and Elected Members of Rajya Sabha can recommend works within the State of Election (with select exceptions).
Nominated Members of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the country.
All works to meet locally felt infrastructure and development needs, with an emphasis on creation of durable assets in the constituency are permissible under MPLADS as prescribed in the scheme guidelines.
Expenditure on specified items of non durable nature are also permitted as listed in the guidelines.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has been responsible for the policy formulation, release of funds and prescribing monitoring mechanism for implementation of the Scheme.

Source: PIB

PM-CARES Fund

Topic: Government Policies

In News: ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund) has been set up as a national fund to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The primary objective of having a dedicated national fund is to deal with any kind of emergency, such as the situation following COVID-19 outbreak, and to provide immediate relief to the affected.
The trust will be chaired by the prime minister and members include defence minister, home minister, and the finance minister.
This fund will enable micro-donations as a result of which a large number of people will be able to contribute with the smallest of denominations.
Contribution by corporates to PM-CARES Fund will be considered as CSR expenditure under the companies law.
The CSR initiatives of companies thrust on creating value in the lives of the communities around its areas of business and manufacturing operations.

Source: Indian Express

National Teleconsultation Centre (CoNTeC)

Topic: Government Policies

In News: The Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare launched the National Teleconsultation Centre (CoNTeC).

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The CoNTeC is a Telemedicine Hub established by AIIMS, New Delhi, wherein expert doctors from various clinical domains will be available 24×7 to answer the multifaceted questionsfrom specialists from all over the country.
It is a multi-modal telecommunications hub through which 2 way audio-video and text communications can be undertaken from any part of the country as well as the world at large.
The modes of communication will include simple mobile telephony as well as two way video communications, using WhatsApp, Skype and Google Duo.
The CoNTeC is also fully integrated with the National Medical College Network (NMCN) to conduct a full fledged Video Conference (VC) between the 50 Medical Colleges connected through the NMCN with its National Resource Centre located at SGPGI, Lucknow.

Source: Hindu

Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti

Topic: Government Policies

In News: The Ministry of Defence has launched Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti for creating greater Intellectual Property (IP) in Defence Production Ecosystem.

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The Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) has been entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating and implementing the programme.
DGQA is under the Department Of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence.
The organization provides Quality Assurance (QA) cover for the entire range of Arms, Ammunitions, Equipment and Stores supplied to Armed Forces.
It aims to achieve the goal of self-reliance in the defense sector to generate Intellectual Property in India and marks a departure from the culture of seeking Transfer of Technology (ToT) from foreign sources.

Source: PIB

Biological Weapons Convention

Topic: International Affairs

In News: 45th anniversary of the Biological Weapons Convention’s entry into force has commemorated recently.

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Biological Weapons Convention was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the production of an entire category of weapons.
The Convention was the result of prolonged efforts by the international community to establish a new instrument that would supplement the 1925 Geneva Protocol.
The Geneva Protocol prohibits use but not possession or development of chemical and biological weapons.
It commits the 183 states which are party to it as of August 2019 to prohibit the development, production, and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons.
There is no formal verification regime to monitor compliance and effectiveness of the Convention.

Source: Hindu