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04 FEB 2024 Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CDS, CAPF, NDA & SSB

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Written by NDI EDITOR

Feb 04 2024

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04 FEB 2024 Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CDS, CAPF, NDA & SSB
1. What is Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) scheme?
The Karnataka government recently suspended five officers for dereliction of duty in the implementation of the Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) scheme.

About Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) scheme:

  • IEDSS has been launched from the year 2009-10. This Scheme replaces the earlier scheme of Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC). 
  • The aim of this scheme is to enable all students with disabilities to pursue four years of secondary education in an inclusive and enabling environment, after completing eight years of elementary schooling.
  • It provides assistance for the inclusive education of disabled children in classes IX-XII.
  • The scheme covers all children studying at the secondary stage in Government, local body and Government-aided schools, with one or more disabilities as defined under the Persons with Disabilities Act (1995) and the National Trust Act (1999) in the class IX to XII, namely blindness, low vision, leprosy cured, hearing impairment, locomotory disabilities, mental retardation, mental illness, autism, and cerebral palsy, and may eventually cover speech impairment, learning disabilities, etc.
  • Girls with the disabilities receive special focus to help them gain access to secondary schools, as also to information and guidance for developing their potential. 
  • Setting up of Model inclusive schools in every State is envisaged under the scheme.
  • Components:
    • Student-oriented components, such as medical and educational assessment, books and stationery, uniforms, transport allowance, reader allowance, stipend for girls, support services, assistive devices, boarding the lodging facility, therapeutic services, teaching learning materials, etc.
    • Other components include appointment of special education teachers, allowances for general teachers for teaching such children, teacher training, orientation of school administrators, establishment of resource room, providing barrier free environment, etc.
  • Implementing Agency:
    • The School Education Department of the State Governments/Union Territory (UT) Administrations are the implementing agencies.
    • They may involve NGOs having experience in the field of education of the disabled in the implementation of the scheme.
  • Financial Assistance:
    • Central assistance for all items covered in the scheme is on 100 percent basis.
    • The State governments are only required to make provisions for scholarship of Rs. 600/- per disabled child per annum.
  • This scheme now subsumed under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) from 2013.
 
Source : Five Education Dept. officers suspended for misappropriation of IEDSS scheme grants
2. What is GHAR (GO Home and Re-Unite) Portal?
GHAR - GO Home and Re-Unite Portal have been developed and launched by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

About GHAR Portal:

  • It is a portal to digitally monitor and track the restoration and repatriation of children according to the protocols under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and Rules thereof. 
  • It has been developed and launched by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
  • The following are the salient features of the portal:
    • Digital tracking and monitoring of children who are in the Juvenile Justice system and have to be repatriated to another Country/State/District.
    • Digital transfer of cases of children to the concerned Juvenile Justice Board/Child Welfare Committee of the State. It will help in the speedy repatriation of children.
    • Where there is a requirement of a translator/interpreter/expert, request will be made to the concerned State Government.
    • Child Welfare Committees and District Child Protection Officers can ensure proper restoration and rehabilitation of children by digitally monitoring the progress of the case.
    • A checklist format will be provided in the forms so that the children who are being hard to repatriate or children who are not getting their entitled compensation or other monetary benefits can be identified.
    • List of Government implemented schemes will be provided, so that at the time of restoration, the Child Welfare Committees can link the child with the schemes to strengthen the family and ensure that the child remains with his/her family.

Key Facts about NCPCR:

  • It has been constituted by the Government of India under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, and is mandated to function for the protection and promotion of child rights.
  • It has the following functions:
    • Examine and review existing safeguards for the protection of child rights and recommend measures for their effective implementation.
    • Report annually and at other intervals to the central government on the effectiveness of these safeguards.
    • Investigate violations of child rights and recommend legal proceedings in appropriate cases.
    • Review existing policies, programs, and activities related to child rights and make recommendations for their improvement.
    • Promote research in the field of child rights.
    • Raise awareness of child rights and available safeguards through various means, such as publications, media, and seminars.
    • Inspect institutions where children are detained or reside, including juvenile homes, and recommend remedial action if necessary.
    • Investigate complaints and take suo motu notice of issues related to the deprivation and violation of child rights and the non-implementation of laws protecting and developing children.
  • The Commission, while investigating, shall have all the powers of a civil court.
  • The Commission is further mandated to monitor the proper and effective implementation of
    • Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
    • Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
    • Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
 
Source : GHAR (GO Home and Re-Unite) Portal for Restoration and Repatriation of Child launched by NCPCR
3. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA)
IREDA in partnership with its knowledge partner Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently convened a Strategic Meeting focusing on key aspects of business expansion and initiatives aimed at cost reduction in fund utilization.

About Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA):

  • It is a Mini Ratna (Category–I) non-banking financial institution under the administrative control of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
  • It is a Public Limited Government Company established as a Non-Banking Financial Institution (NBFC) in 1987.
  • IREDA has been notified as a “Public Financial Institution” under Section 4 ‘A’ of the Companies Act, 1956, and registered as  NBFC with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • IREDA is primarily engaged in promoting, developing and extending financial assistance for setting up projects relating to new and renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency/conservation.
  • IREDA is the single largest "Green Financier" in the country. It caters to all technologies in the renewable energy sector and predominantly provides financing for the sector.
  • Motto: ENERGY FOR EVER
  • Objectives:
    • To give financial support to specific projects and schemes for generating electricity and/ or energy through new and renewable sources and conserving energy through energy efficiency.
    • To maintain its position as a leading organization to provide efficient and effective financing in renewable energy and energy efficiency/ conservation projects.
    • To increase IREDA`s share in the renewable energy sector by way of innovative financing.
    • Improvement in the efficiency of services provided to customers through continual improvement of systems, processes, and resources.
    • To strive to be a competitive institution through customer satisfaction.
  • Funding: IREDA generates its revenue through the interest and principal repayments from the projects it finances, as well as by raising funds from the market and through borrowings.
 
Source : IREDA holds Strategic Meet, outlines plans for Business Expansion and Cost Reduction
4. What are Millipedes?
Researchers recently discovered a new genus and five new species of millipedes in remote African jungles.

About Millipedes:

  • They are any member of the arthropod class Diplopoda. (Arthropods are animals with hard exoskeletons and jointed limbs.)
  • They are cylindrical or slightly flattened invertebrates. 
  • The word “millipede” translates to “a thousand feet”—but while millipedes have many feet, none of them quite have a thousand.
  • They're not insects. They are actually more closely related to lobsters, crayfish, and shrimp.
  • There are approximately 12,000 species distributed worldwide.
  • Habitat: They are typically found in areas of high moisture and decaying vegetation, such as under trash, in piles of grass and leaves, etc.
  • Features:
    • They are usually blackish or brownish in color, but some are also red, orange, or have mottled patterns. 
    • Their bodies are split into a number of segments, and each segment has two sets of legs that attach to the body's underside, except for the first (head) segment, which is legless, and the next three segments, which each contain one pair of legs.
    • In addition, each segment contains two pairs of internal organs (i.e., two pairs of ganglia and two pairs of heart arteries). 
    • The length ranges from 2 to 280 mm (0.08 to 11 inches). 
    • They are not poisonous, but many species have glands capable of producing irritating fluids that may cause allergic reactions in some individuals.
    • Most millipedes are nocturnal and are primarily scavengers, feeding on decaying plants and occasionally dead insects. , although some species attack the roots of living plants.

Millipedes vs Centipedes:

  • Both centipedes and millipedes are made up of segments that link together to form one long body.
  • Millipedes have two sets of legs per segment, positioned directly under their body.
  • Centipedes have one set of legs per segment, positioned on the side of their body.
  • Centipedes mostly eat insects after killing them with their venom. Millipedes feast on decomposing plants.
  • They respond to threats in different ways. A millipede will coil up and release a smelly secretion. Centipedes can bite, (which is typically harmless to humans) and run away quickly.
 
Source : New genus of 'alien-faced' multi-legged forest dwellers discovered
5. What is Wheat Blast?
Researchers who have modeled for the first time how wheat blast will spread in the future found the fungal disease could reduce global wheat production by 13% until 2050.

About Wheat Blast:

  • Wheat blast, caused by the plant fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, is a fast-acting, severe disease of wheat that causes bleaching of the heads.
  • Magnaporthe oryzae can infect many grasses, including barley, lolium, rice, and wheat, but specific isolates of this pathogen generally infect limited species; that is, wheat isolates infect preferably wheat plants but can use several more cereal and grass species as alternate hosts.
  • It spreads through infected seeds, crop residues, and spores that can travel long distances in the air.
  • It thrives in warm and humid conditions, making regions with such climates particularly susceptible.
  • The pathogen is also resistant to fungicides.
  • The seriousness of the disease is indicated by the fact that crops are burned to avoid this disease.
  • Effects:
    • It causes progressive bleaching of the heads, lower yields, and poor seed quality.
    • Stems and leaves are discoloured, with dark brown, eye-shaped lesions on leaves.
    • Sometimes dark grey spores can be seen.
    • It can shrivel and deform the grain in less than a week from the first symptoms.
  • History of the Outbreak:
    • First found in Brazil in 1985, it spread quickly through South America, infecting around three million hectares of wheat within a decade.
    • In 2016, it made it across to Bangladesh, and in 2020, it was confirmed in Africa, in crops in Zambia.
 
Source : Researchers: Wheat blast could reduce production by 13%
6. What is Cygnus X-1?
Astro Sat, India’s first, dedicated multi-wavelength astronomy mission, accomplished the difficult task of measuring the X-ray polarisation of the Cygnus X-1 black hole system

About Cygnus X-1:

  • It was discovered over four decades ago.
  • It is one of the first confirmed black hole systems in our galaxy.
  • The black hole in Cygnus X-1 is 20 times heavier than the Sun, and has a companion - a heavy supergiant star (40 times more massive than the Sun) in a binary system.
  • It is located at a distance that is about 400 times more than the distance between Earth and Sun.
  • Due to the gravitational pull of the black hole, material from the supergiant falls and spirals in towards the black hole.
  • This process leads to the formation of a thin accretion disk which is responsible for soft X-rays.

Significance of X-ray Polarisation

  • Normal X-ray measurements only reveal the energy or intensity of the radiations.
  • Polarisation characteristics of X-rays, which tells about the orientation of the oscillating electric field, holds clues on the geometry and other properties of the black hole.
  • This measurement of high polarization in this source in the 100-380 keV implies that radiation emitted from the source at energies above 100 keV, is likely to have originated at the black hole jet.
  • Polarization is one of the properties that a photon carries from the celestial objects in the sky.
 
Source : AstroSat detects polarised high energy X-rays for first time from a black hole
7. Exercise Vayu Shakti-24
The Indian Air Force will be conducting Exercise Vayu Shakti-24 on 17 February 2024 at the Pokhran Air to Ground Range, near Jaisalmer.

About Exercise Vayu Shakti-24:

  • The Indian Air Force is slated to carry out three large scale war games on February 17, namely, Vayu Shakti, Gagan Shakti and Tarang Shakti.
  • It will be a riveting demonstration of the offensive and defensive capabilities of the IAF, spanning across day and night.
  • The exercise will also showcase joint operations with the Indian Army.
  • Exercise Vayu Shakti
    • The IAF will first undertake the major "Vayu Shakti" firepower demonstration, which is held once every three years, with 135 fighters, aircraft, helicopters and drones at the Pokhran field firing ranges.
  • Gagan Shakti’
    • The second mega exercise will be ‘Gagan Shakti’.
    • In this, almost the entire air fleet race would be activated from north to south, and from west to east to test integrated war fighting strategies and tactics with the other two forces and other stakeholders.
    • All the potent weapon systems like the Rafale fighter aircraft and the S-400 air defense systems would be participating in the ‘Gagan Shakti’ exercise.
    • The exercise, which is held once in five years, is also going to be the biggest ever of the series with active participation from other two services.
  • Tarang Shakti
    • The third major exercise, Tarang Shakti, would be the first ever multinational exercise to be held in the country.
    • This will see aircraft from friendly air forces like the US, Germany, France, Australia and neighbouring and other friendly countries taking part in it.
 
Source : EXERCISE VAYUSHAKTI-2024
8. C- CARES Portal
Recently, the Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs launched a web portal of Coal Mines Provident Fund Organization (CMPFO) namely C- CARES.

About C- CARES Portal:

  • It is developed and designed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
  • The portal, will allow CMPF subscribers and coal companies to login and perform various functions tailored to their needs.
  • While the subscribers can access and view their individual details and subscription status, the coal management can submit contribution details, subscribers’ particulars and claims for online settlement and payment through the portal.
  • It will also ensure paperless working, timely and accurate settlement of claims, reduction in processing time and grievance redressal.
  • The portal being a public service platform is intended to benefit the CMPF subscribers who are working in the coal sector as well as its pensioners.

Key facts about the Coal Mines Provident Fund Organization

  • It is an autonomous organization under the aegis of Ministry of Coal established in the year 1948.
  • It was established for administering Provident Fund and Pension schemes for the purpose of providing social security to the coal sector workers.
 
Source : Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi launches C-CARES, web portal of CMPFO
9. What is Nano DAP?
Recently, the Finance Minister of India, presenting the interim budget announced the expansion of the application of Nano DAP on various crops in all agro climatic zones.

About Nano DAP:

  • It is a unique liquid fertilizer product that contains nanoparticles of Diammonium Phosphate (DAP).
  • It is a source of nitrogen and phosphorus – 2 key primary nutrient essential for the growth of crops. 
  • It is containing 8% Nitrogen and 16% Phosphorus by volume.
  • Unlike conventional DAP, which comes in granular form, IFFCO’s Nano DAP is in liquid form.
  • It has an advantage in terms of surface area to volume, as its particle size is less than 100 Nanometre (nm).
  • Advantages of NANO DAP
    • Higher Crop Yield:​ ​Due to small size and more surface area to volume ratio; seed treatment and foliar application of Nano DAP at critical growth stages enhances nutrient availability to crops.​ Hence, Crop yield increases due to increase in leaf chlorophyll, photosynthesis, root biomass, number of effective tillers and branches.​
    • Quality Food: ​Nutritional quality of harvested food produce was found to be better in terms of protein and nutrient content.
    • Reduction in Chemical Fertilizer Usage​​: Enhanced use efficiency of one bottle (500 ml) of Nano DAP can potentially replace the phosphorus requirement met by conventional DAP by 50%.​
    • Environment Friendly: Production of Nano DAP is energy and resource friendly. Precision and targeted application of this to crops therefore leads to agriculture sustainability and safety of the environment by reducing soil, air and water pollution.
    • It is more pocket-friendly than its conventional counterpart. A 500 ml bottle of Nano DAP, equivalent to a 50-kg bag of conventional DAP
    • It is set to significantly reduce this import burden.

What is DAP?

  • DAP, or di-ammonium phosphate, is the second most commonly used fertiliser in India after urea.
  • It is high in phosphorus (P) that stimulates root establishment and development — without which plants cannot grow to their normal size, or will take too long to mature.
 
Source : In Interim Budget 2024, Sitharaman says use of Nano DAP to be expanded: What is this made-in-India fertiliser?
10. Law Commission of India
The 22nd Law Commission of India led by Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi has recommended that the offence of criminal defamation should be retained in the new criminal laws.

About Law Commission of India:

  • It is a non-statutory body and is constituted by a notification of the Government of India, Ministry of Law & Justice.
  • It is constituted with a definite terms of reference to carry out research in the field of law and the Commission makes recommendations to the Government (in the form of Reports) as per its terms of reference.
  • It functions to the Ministry of Law and Justice as an advisory body.
  • History of Law Commission of India
    • The first pre-independence law commission was established in 1834 by the British Government in India.
    • It was established by the Charter Act of 1833and was chaired by Lord Macaulay.
    • The first Law Commission of independent India was established in 1955 under the chairmanship of the former Attorney General for India C. Setalvad.
    • This Commission was created for a period of three years and this practice has persisted ever since then, resulting in the reconstitution of Law Commissions every three years via executive orders.
  • The executive orders that constitute the Law Commissions also specify their scope and purpose, and thus these fluctuate periodically.
  • .Since then, twenty one more Law Commissions have been constituted, each with a three-year term and with certain terms of reference.
  • The Law Commission has taken up various subjects on references made by Department of Legal Affairs, Supreme Court and High Courts.
  • The Twenty Second Law Commission has been notified with effect from 21st February, 2020 for a term of 3 years.
 
Source : Retain defamation as offense in criminal law: Law Commission Report
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Written by NDI EDITOR

National Defence Institute's Editor

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