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

by Mentors4ias · May 25, 2019

Open Market Operations

Topic: Economy

In News: The Reserve Bank of India would inject Rs. 15,000 crore into the financial system through purchase of government bonds via the auction route.

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The government securities will be bought under open market operations (OMO). The decision has been taken in view of the evolving liquidity situation.
An Open Market Operation (OMO) is the buying and selling of government securities in the open market, hence the nomenclature.
It is done by the central bank in a country (the RBI in India).
When the central bank wants to infuse liquidity into the monetary system, it will buy government securities in the open market. This way it provides commercial banks with liquidity.
In contrast, when it sells securities, it curbs liquidity.
Thus, the central bank indirectly controls the money supply and influences the short-term interest rates.
In India, after the economic reforms of 1991, the OMO has gained more importance than the CRR (cash reserve ratio) in adjusting liquidity.

RBI employs two kinds of OMOs:

Outright Purchase (PEMO): this is permanent and involves the outright selling or buying of government securities.
Repurchase Agreement (REPO): this is short-term and are subject to repurchase.

Source: The Hindu

None of The Above (NOTA) votes

Topic: Polity and Governance

In News: According to Election Commission, Bihar registered the maximum None of The Above (NOTA) votes of about 8 lakh, with the highest share of 5.04% reported from the Gopalganj constituency.

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The high NOTA percentage was an indicator that people were frustrated with the state of affairs in their constituency, did not find any of the candidates worthy enough and therefore, even after reaching the polling station, decided to press the NOTA button.

About NOTA:

The Election Commission of India introduced the concept of NOTA in December 2013. The full form of NOTA is ‘None of the Above’.
NOTA gives the right to voters to reject all the candidates of a particular constituency if they feel that there is no deserving candidate in their constituency.
But NOTA seems ineffective in making any concrete difference in the outcome of the election results.

Effectiveness of NOTA:

Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi had said, “If 99 out of 100 votes are given to NOTA and just a single vote is given to a candidate then this candidate will be declared winner.
Know another example; even if the security of all the candidates of an assembly or a Lok Sabha constituency is forfeited due to maximum vote to NOTA, in such condition also the candidate who gets the maximum votes will be declared winner.
In a landmark decision the Haryana Election Commission had treated ‘None-of-the-above’ or NOTA option as a “fictional candidate” in municipal polls from December 2018. Now “NOTA” will be treated as a fictional electoral candidate.
If all the contesting candidates individually receive less votes than “NOTA” none of the candidates will be declared elected. The elections will be cancelled and held afresh.
The candidates securing lesser votes than NOTA would not be eligible to file nominations for fresh polls to be held later.
If a contesting candidate and the NOTA both receive equal valid votes, the candidate shall be declared elected.
Therefore, the right to the NOTA started by the Election Commission and giving it the status of fictional electoral candidate is an excellent move to strengthen the democracy.

Source: PIB

New Space India

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), was officially inaugurated in Bengaluru.

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NSIL’s main objective is to scale up industry participation in Indian space programmes.
NSIL was incorporated on March 6 2019, for commercially utilising research and development activities carried out by ISRO in the area of space with an authorised share capital of Rs 100 crore and initial paid up capital of Rs 10 crore.
NSIL will act as an aggregator for all space related activities in industry and develop private entrepreneurship in space related technologies.
Specifically, it will be responsible for manufacturing the and production of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) through technology transfer mechanisms.
It will also cater to emerging global commercial SSLV market demand, providing satellite building and satellite-based services, including supply of sub-systems for various domestic and international application needs and will enable space technology spin-offs through Indian industry interface.
NSIL would soon be organising an interaction workshop with industry in Bengaluru, wherein it would seek industry’s feedback as well as their expression of interest to take a newer and larger share of work with ISRO.

Source: The Hindu

‘Artemis’ 2024 Moon mission

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: NASA unveiled the calendar for the “Artemis” program that will return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in half a century, including eight scheduled launches and a mini-station in lunar orbit by 2024.

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The original lunar missions were named for Apollo Artemis was his twin sister in Greek mythology, and the goddess of hunting, wilderness and the Moon.
Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed mission around the Moon planned for 2020.
Next will come Artemis 2, which will orbit Earth’s satellite with a crew around 2022; followed finally by Artemis 3 that will put astronauts on lunar soil in 2024, including the first woman.
The three will be launched into space by the biggest rocket of all time, the Boeing-led Space Launch System (SLS), which is currently under development.
In addition to these missions, which will be all NASA’s efforts, there will be five launches carrying the building blocks of the lunar mini-station “Gateway” which will serve as a staging point for the Moon landing.
These will be carried out between 2022 and 2024 by private space companies, which NASA will pay for their services.
The orbital station will initially consist of a simple power and propulsion element and a small habitat module. In 2024, astronauts will stop there en route to the Moon.They will then descend to the surface on a lander.
A part of the lander will remain on the Moon while the other part will take off and allow the astronauts to return to their station, where they will board the Orion capsule and return to Earth.

Source: The Hindu

Bio-jet fuel

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: The AN-32 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was certified to fly on blended aviation fuel containing up to 10 per cent of indigenous bio-jet fuel.

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The IAF has undertaken a series of evaluation tests and trials with this green aviation fuel for the last one year. The scope of these checks was in consonance with international aviation standards.
The indigenous bio-jet fuel was first produced by the CSIR-IIP lab at Dehradun in 2013, but could not be tested or certified for commercial use on aircraft due to lack of test facilities in the civil aviation sector.
This bio-fuel would be produced from Tree Borne Oils (TBOs) sourced from tribal areas and farmers, augmenting their income substantially.

About Aviation Bio Fuel:

Aviation biofuel is a biofuel used for aircraft. It is considered by some to be the primary means by which the aviation industry can reduce its carbon footprint.
After a multi-year technical review from aircraft makers, engine manufacturers and oil companies, biofuels were approved for commercial use in July 2011.
Since then, some airlines have experimented with using biofuels on commercial flights.
The focus of the industry has now turned to second generation sustainable biofuels (sustainable aviation fuels) that do not compete with food supplies nor are major consumers of prime agricultural land or fresh water.
NASA has determined that 50% aviation biofuel mixture can cut air pollution caused by air traffic by 50–70%.
The sustainable aviation fuels certification and production pace seems insufficient to meet the IATA target of halving the CO2 emissions by 2050.

Source: The Hindu

WHO strategy on antivenom

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: A The World Health Organization has unveiled a new strategy to dramatically cut deaths and injuries from snakebites, warning a dearth of antivenoms could soon spark a “public health emergency”.

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Snakebite is one of the world’s most neglected public health crises, which results in 100,000 deaths and 400,00 people left disabled each year.
WHO has finally released a strategy that aims to cut in half the number of deaths and disability due to snakebite by 2030.
The strategy aims to cut snakebite-related deaths and disabilities in half by 2030.
An important part of the strategy is to significantly boost production of quality antivenoms.
It also aims to reshape the market and employ greater regulatory control and restore a sustainable market for snakebite treatment. There is need for a 25-percent increase in the number of competent manufacturers by 2030.
In its strategy WHO urged to Integrate snakebite treatment and response into national health plans in affected countries, including better training of health personnel and educating communities.
A significant challenge in manufacturing of antivenoms is the preparation of the correct immunogens(snake venoms).
At present very few countries have capacity to produce snake venoms of adequate quality for antivenom manufacture, and many manufacturers rely on common commercial sources.
These may not properly reflect the geographical variation that occurs in the venoms of some widespread species.