National Current Affairs – UPSC/KAS Exams- 6th May 2019

by Mentors4ias · May 6, 2019

FAME 2

Topic: Government Initiatives

In News: Electric and hybrid vehicle (xEVs) manufacturers will have to indigenise a significant portion of components to avail benefits under a revised set of rules of the phase 2 of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, or FAME 2 scheme.

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In a first, detailed localization draft guidelines have been issued by the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) putting out a list of key components for EV manufacturers to localise with respective deadlines to avail the scheme across all approved vehicle categories.
DHI, which is the government nodal agency for FAME, has listed components used in the xEVs across vehicle categories including electric two-wheelers, electric three-wheelers and e-rickshaws, four-wheelers and electric buses (eBuses). It also charts out the associated deadlines as the effective date of indigenization of each of these parts.
The first phase of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles Scheme or the FAME scheme was introduced on 1 April 2015, while the second phase was notified in March earlier this year, and has been under implementation April onwards.
The scheme is part of the government’s increased thrust to boost electric mobility through greater indigenization and has an outlay of ₹10,000 crore till 2022 for the phase 2.
Of that, while ₹8,596 crore were allocated to the demand incentives for the xEVs, funds worth ₹1,000 crore were earmarked for rolling out the EV charging infrastructure, both split over a period of three years: FY20, FY21 and FY22.
Despite the localization push, the import of key battery components was, however, kept in the subsidy umbrella to overcome immediate technological challenges and manage costs.
The import of lithium ion cells and battery packs are charged with a basic 5% import duty. This tariff is slated to go higher to 10% and 15%, respectively, from April 2021 onwards with an intent to drive battery suppliers to localize the technology in India.
The new draft rules notifies the vehicle testing agencies to ensure strict compliance of phased manufacturing program (PMP) before issuing the eligibility certificate to the xEV manufacturers for facilitating registration of their vehicles under phase-II of Fame India scheme.
The demand incentive, under FAME 2, is based on the battery capacity wherein energy content is measured in kilowatt-hour (kWh). Initial proposal extends a uniform demand incentive of ₹10,000 per kWh for all EVs including hybrids except buses.
DHI has, meanwhile, invited applications from the xEV manufacturers for registration to comply with the incentive eligibility criteria under FAME 2 scheme.

Source: The Hindu

‘Zero Pendency Courts Project’

Topic: Polity and Governance

In News: A Delhi High Court’s pilot project report on the backlog of cases has said the Capital needed 43 more judges above the current strength of 143 to clear all the pending cases in one year. The ‘Zero Pendency Courts Project’ is a one-of-its-kind project in India aimed to study the life cycle of cases to come up with optimal timelines for cases.

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The report said with persisting delays the system becomes less credible as litigants have to wait for decades to get their cases resolved. With an increase in the number of filings over the years, the pendency of cases is bound to increase if no proper targeted steps are taken to overcome the issue.
As recently as in 2016, it was estimated that judicial delays cost India around 5% of its Gross Domestic Product annually.
Prompted by the urgent need to ensure timely justice, the Delhi High Court started the pilot project from January 2017 in certain subordinate courts in Delhi.
The primary goal of the project was to study the flow of cases in the absence of backlog.
All the 11 pilot courts entered details under the Daily Work done template between January 2017 and December 2017. It contained information on time spent on hearings and flow of cases through different stages.
The report noted that the number of criminal cases in Delhi is far more than the number of civil cases. As on March 20, 2019, there were 5.5 lakh criminal cases and 1.8 lakh civil cases pending in subordinate courts in Delhi.
It said the highest amount of time per hearing on average was spent on the final arguments stage followed by the final order or judgment. A considerable amount of time is taken on dictation, researching on case laws etc. before pronouncing the final judgment. Thus, a lot of time is spent on each of the hearings.

Reason for delays:

The reason for delays, the report said was the absence of witnesses. Evidence stage forms an important of a case.
Absence of witnesses during the evidence stage causes a serious impediment to the progress of the case.
Also, unnecessary adjournments sought by the advocates or the parties at various stages in a case delay the proceedings, thus prolonging the case life. Additionally, there is a delay in the service of summons, especially to outstation parties.
With a lesser number of judges, the workload of an individual judge would increase.It is therefore important to arrive at an optimal judge strength to handle the cases pending in the system.
It suggested bumping up the current strength of judges from 143 to an “ideal” 186 judges to clear all the pending cases in one year.

Source: The Hindu

Last captive white tiger Bajirao dies

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: Bajirao, the last captive white tiger at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai.

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The white tiger or bleached tiger is a pigmentation variant of the Bengal tiger, which is reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal and Bihar in the Sunderbans region and especially in the former State of Rewa. Such a tiger has the black stripes typical of the Bengal tiger, but carries a white or near-white coat.
The white fur caused by a lack of the pigment pheomelanin, which is found in Bengal tigers with orange color fur.
When compared to Bengal tigers, the white Bengal tigers tend to grow faster and heavier than the orange Bengal tiger. They also tend to be somewhat bigger at birth, and as fully grown adults.
As with all tigers, the white Bengal tiger’s stripes are like fingerprints, with no two tigers having the same pattern. The stripes of the tiger are a pigmentation of the skin; if an individual were to be shaved, its distinctive coat pattern would still be visible.
For a white Bengal tiger to be born, both parents must carry the unusual gene for white colouring, which only happens naturally about once in 10,000 births.
Dark-striped white individuals are well-documented in the Bengal tiger subspecies (Panthera tigris tigris) as well as having been reported historically in several other subspecies.
Currently, several hundred white tigers are in captivity worldwide, with about one hundred being found in India. Their unique white color fur has made them popular in entertainment showcasing exotic animals, and at zoos.

Source: The Hindu

Topic: Economy

In News: The Reserve Bank of India has slapped monetary penalty on five pre-paid payment instrument issuers including Vodafone m-pesa and Phonepe, for violating regulatory guidelines.

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RBI has identified certain violations of RBI circular on Issuance and Operation of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) in connection with certain product features of an open loop prepaid card (co-branded) previously issued by the bank.
Prepaid payment instruments are those which facilitate purchase of goods and services against the value stored on such instruments. Value stored on them is paid by the holder using a medium (cash, debit card, credit card etc).
These are generally issued in the form of smart cards, mobile wallets, paper vouchers, internet accounts/wallets.
Prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) come with a pre-loaded value and in some cases a pre-defined purpose of payment. They facilitate the purchase of goods and services as well as inter-personal remittance transactions such as sending money to a friend or a family member.
These payment instruments are licensed and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. There are three types of PPIs—closed system PPIs, semi-closed system PPIs and open system PPIs.
The most common example of a closed system PPI is a brand-specific gift card. Such cards, physical or otherwise, can be used only at specific locations, and cannot be used to transfer funds from one account to another.

Source: The Hindu

IIT Delhi 3D prints human skin

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi have successfully 3D bioprinted human skin models that have certain anatomically relevant structural, mechanical and biochemical features similar to native human skin. The bioprinted skin produced in the lab by the team is already being used by ITC Ltd for experiments.

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The bioprinted skin model will have wide applications in testing cosmetics. It can also reduce and probably even replace testing on animals.
It can also be used for testing dermatology drugs on human skin and at a future date even help in testing drugs for personalised medicine.

About 3D Printing:

Three-dimensional printing (3-D printing), also known as Additive manufacturing (AM) is a process of joining materials to make objects from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer. It is basically a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file.
This is opposite of ‘Subtractive Manufacturing’which works on removal of material to create a desired object. It is similar to a man who cuts a stone to create a sculpture.
3D printing starts by making a virtual design of the object to be created. Virtual design can be made using a 3D modelling program such as CAD (Computer Aided Design) or 3D scanners.
The 3D digital copy is then put into a 3D modelling program. The model is then sliced into hundreds or thousands of horizontal layers in preparation for printing.
This prepared file is thus uploaded in the 3D printer which reads each slices in 2D format and then proceeds to create the object layer by layer and the resulting object has no sign of layering visible, but a 3 dimensional structure.

Organ Printing:

A printable organ is an artificially constructed device designed for organ replacement, produced using 3D printing techniques. The primary use of printable organs is in transplantation. Research is currently being conducted on artificial heart, kidney, and liver structures, as well as other major organs.
Modified inkjet printers have been used to produce three-dimensional biological tissue. Printer cartridges are filled with a suspension of living cells and a smart gel, the latter used for providing structure.

Source: The Hindu

Rapid Drying of North East India

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: Northeast India, one of the wettest places on the Earth has been experiencing rapid drying, especially in the last 30 years. Some places which used to get as high as 3,000 mm of rain during the monsoon season have seen a drop of about 25-30%.

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A recent research found that changes in the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) a pattern of fluctuations in the ocean, particularly over the north Pacific basin — are mainly associated with this declined rainfall.
Just like El Nino/La Nina in the tropical Pacific, PDO has a signature for a longer time (on the decadal scale) in the sea surface temperatures and its interaction with the atmosphere, which in turn affects the northeast Indian summer monsoon.
The research results show out that the reduction in rainfall during a major part of the last 114 years may be associated with global man-made factors, while the trend during the last 36 years is associated with natural phenomena.
Previous studies have found that a dry spell may be preceded by a wet spell, so the researchers warn that “change in land cover and deforestation could potentially result in more natural disasters, for example, flash flood, landslides from torrential rains, and damage to crops and biodiversity.”
Policymakers should take these long-term predictions into account while planning construction of dams, power plants, etc. to prevent loss of property.

Pacific Decadal Oscillation:

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a pattern of Pacific climate variability similar to ENSO in character, but which varies over a much longer time scale. The PDO can remain in the same phase for 20 to 30 years, while ENSO cycles typically only last 6 to 18 months.
The PDO, like ENSO, consists of a warm and cool phase which alters upper level atmospheric winds. Shifts in the PDO phase can have significant implications for global climate, affecting Pacific and Atlantic hurricane activity, droughts and flooding around the Pacific basin, the productivity of marine ecosystems, and global land temperature patterns. Experts also believe the PDO can intensify or diminish the impacts of ENSO according to its phase.
The Asian Monsoon is also affected, increased rainfall and decreased summer temperature is observed over the Indian subcontinent during the negative phase.

Source: The Hindu