18 FEBRUARY 2022 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS CAPF AFCAT NDA SSB

1. CLIMATE CHANGE

A new study by the University of California Davis published in the journal Nature suggests that the difference between a scenario where the Earth will be warmed by upto 1.8 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century and a scenario where the Earth will be warmed by upto 3.6 degrees Celsius depends on the social system.

About:

In other words, public perceptions of climate change, the future cost and effectiveness of climate mitigation and technologies, and how political institutions respond to public pressure are important determinants of the degree to which the climate will change over the 21st century.
The study says that there is a “strong probability” of warming between 2 and 3 degrees Celsius at the end of the century.
The key drivers of how climate change will shape up include people’s perceptions and social groups, the improvements in mitigation technology over time and the responsiveness of political institutions. These key drivers trump individual actions.

Do you know?

When it comes to global warming, one of the most prominent temperature-control goals is the figure of 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is the target set out by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement that was signed by 195 countries in 2015.
Net-zero, also referred to as carbon-neutrality, is a state in which a country’s emissions are compensated by absorption and removal of greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere.

Source : Indian Express

2. VACANCIES IN TRIBUNALS

The Supreme Court assured lawyers that it will take up the issue of vacancies in key tribunals soon, while indicating that it is a problem that cannot be simplistically resolved by sending those responsible for the appointments to jail for contempt.

About:

In September last year, a Special Bench of the Supreme Court led by the CJI had said it was “not interested in a confrontation” with the government but the court was running out of patience.
The Bench had said tribunals across the country were on the verge of collapse. Cases had been adjourned by a year.
The court had even said the only three options were to
- close the tribunals,
- make the appointments itself or
- initiate contempt action.

Do you know?

Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976: Based on the recommendations of the Swaran Singh Committee, Part XIV-A was added by the Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976, titled as ‘Tribunals’ which provided for the establishment of
- ‘Administrative Tribunals’ under Article 323-A: It gives exclusive power to the Parliament for establishing tribunals.
- ‘Tribunals for other matters’ under Article 323-B: It gives power to the concerned State Legislature to constitute Tribunals for the respective subjects specified therein.
Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985: It provides for the establishment of three kinds of administrative Tribunals: (a) The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), State Administrative Tribunals (SAT) and Joint Administrative Tribunals (JAT).

Source : The Hindu

3. WATER TAXI SERVICE IN MUMBAI

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways virtually flagged off the ‘Most Awaited’ Water Taxi for citizens of Mumbai, from Belapur Jetty.

About:

Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Udhav Thackeray presided over the on-ground function where he inaugurated the newly constructed Belapur Jetty. The Water Taxi service will connect the twin cities of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai for the first time.
The Water Taxi services will commence from the Domestic Cruise Terminal (DCT) and will also connect nearby locations at Nerul, Belapur, Elephanta island and JNPT. The service promises a comfortable, stress-free journey, is time-saving and promotes eco-friendly transport.
The Water Taxi services are going to give huge impetus to the tourism sector, especially travel to the historic Elephanta caves from Navi Mumbai.
The newly constructed Belapur jetty, built at a cost of Rs. 8.37 crore was funded in the 50-50 model under the Sagarmala scheme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

Source : PIB

4. GUJARAT BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY FOR 2022-27

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has announced New Biotechnology Policy for the year 2022-27.

About:

Under this policy, the strategic projects and mega and large projects are eligible for special packages. This will attract new investment through anchor units and existing industries and create new employment opportunities in the state.
According to this new policy, the MSMEs with a capital investment of less than 200 crore rupees will be given maximum assistance of 40 crore rupees.
Similarly, the mega and large projects with a capital investment of more than 200 crore rupees and special projects like ecosystem empowerment, emerging technologies in challenging areas and strategic importance will be assisted up to 25 percent of the total capital expenditure up to a maximum limit of 200 crore rupees.
This assistance will be provided in the form of 20 quarterly installments over five years. MSME units with a capital investment of less than 200 crore rupees will be assisted with a maximum of 5 crore rupees per annum.
Mega and large projects with a capital investment of more than 200 crore rupees and special projects like ecosystem empowerment will be given an assistance of up to 15 percent of the total operating cost up to a maximum of 25 crore rupees per annum.

Source : All India Radio

5. REFUGEES

Model laws on asylum and refugees that were drafted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) decades ago but not implemented by the government could be revised by an expert committee, according to Commission member Justice M.M. Kumar’s suggestion at a recent meeting.

About:

Though India has not signed the United Nations Refugee Convention, 1951, Justice Kumar said the refugees and asylum seekers were entitled to the rights in Articles 14, 20 and 21 of the Constitution. He highlighted the lack of a specific legislation governing refugees and asylum seekers.
The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention or the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951, is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who a refugee is, and sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum.
The Convention also sets out which people do not qualify as refugees, such as war criminals.
The Refugee Convention builds on Article 14 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the right of persons to seek asylum from persecution in other countries.

Source : The Hindu

6. HUMAN TRAFFICKING

The conviction rate in cases of human trafficking has been on the decline, government data show.

About:

Details of cases shared in Parliament earlier this month showed that the conviction rate has been declining over the past four years although the number of anti-human-trafficking units (AHTU) in the country has increased to 696.
The conviction rate of cases related to human trafficking dropped from 27.8% in 2016 to 10.6% in 2020. Between 2018 and 2019 the conviction rate in such cases increased from 19.4% to 22.5%.
The data has been sourced from a reply by Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Kumar Mishra to a question in the Rajya Sabha earlier this month.

Source : The Hindu

7. FALKLAND ISLANDS

Four decades after the Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina ended bitterly for Buenos Aires, a statement from China on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics, that affirmed Beijing’s support for Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands.

About:

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf.
As a British overseas territory, the Falklands have internal self-governance, and the United Kingdom takes responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The capital and largest settlement is Stanley on East Falkland.
Argentina has maintained that the Falklands were illegally taken from it in 1833 and invaded the British colony in 1982. That incident resulted in what later came to be known as the Falklands War that lasted a little over three months, ending in victory for the United Kingdom.
China’s President Xi Jinping and Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez issued a joint statement last week that said China “reaffirms its support for Argentina’s demand for the full exercise of sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands,”, with the statement using the Argentine name for the territory.

Source : Indian Express

8. ACCREDITING COLLEGES

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has relaxed the eligibility criteria for accreditation of higher educational institutions.

About:

The new guidelines drawn up by the NAAC, which is an autonomous body under the UGC, allow newer institutions — those with one academic year or more — to apply for provisional accreditation.
So far, colleges and universities needed to be at least six years old in order to apply. The purpose of the change, according to the guidelines, is to “widen the horizon of accreditation”.

How many institutions in India are accredited?

There are 1,043 universities and 42,343 colleges listed on the portal of the All India Survey on Higher Education. As of February 8, there were 392 universities and 8,483 colleges that were NAAC-accredited.
Among the states, Maharashtra accounts for the highest number of accredited colleges at 1,796, which is more than twice as many as the Karnataka’s 864, the next highest.
Tamil Nadu has the most accredited universities at 43.
Pondicherry University is among the oldest accredited universities.

Source : Indian Express

9. LABHARTHIYON SE RUBAROO

Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) chaired the ‘Labharthiyon Se Rubaroo’ initiative of Ministry.

About:

Labharthiyon Se Rubaroo’ is an initiative of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
The virtual/online campaign aims to
- monitor the progress of PMAY (U) projects
- bring about able governance and transparency by direct interaction with beneficiaries
- create a platform for officials from MoHUA and respective SLNA of States/UTs to facilitate and expedite the construction of houses in their respective cities.
Salient Features:
- The entire programme shall be for 25-30 minutes, wherein interactions would be done with five beneficiaries in five ULBs.
- Labharthiyon Se Rubaroo’ will be hosted virtually. The interaction is planned to be hosted with selected beneficiaries whose houses are under construction.
Expected Outcome: Bottlenecks and challenges will be addressed resulting in achieving ‘Housing for All’ by 2022.

Source : PIB

10. GREEN HYDROGEN/ GREEN AMMONIA POLICY

Ministry of Power has notified the Green Hydrogen/ Green Ammonia Policy.

The policy provides as follows :

Green Hydrogen / Ammonia manufacturers may purchase renewable power from the power exchange or set up renewable energy capacity themselves or through any other, developer, anywhere.
Open access will be granted within 15 days of receipt of application.
The Green Hydrogen / Ammonia manufacturer can bank his unconsumed renewable power, up to 30 days, with distribution company and take it back when required.
Waiver of inter-state transmission charges for a period of 25 years will be allowed to the manufacturers of Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia for the projects commissioned before 30th June 2025.
The manufacturers of Green Hydrogen / Ammonia and the renewable energy plant shall be given connectivity to the grid on priority basis to avoid any procedural delays.
To ensure ease of doing business a single portal for carrying out all the activities including statutory clearances in a time bound manner will be set up by MNRE.
Connectivity, at the generation end and the Green Hydrogen / Green Ammonia manufacturing end, to the ISTS for Renewable Energy capacity set up for the purpose of manufacturing Green Hydrogen / Green Ammonia shall be granted on priority.

Background

Prime Minister launched the National Hydrogen Mission on India’s 75th Independence Day (i.e. 15thAugust, 2021).
The Mission aims to aid the government in meeting its climate targets and making India a green hydrogen hub.
This will help in meeting the target of production of 5 million tonnes of Green hydrogen by 2030 and the related development of renewable energy capacity.

Source : PIB

18 FEBRUARY 2022 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS CAPF AFCAT NDA SSB

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19 FEBRUARY 2022 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS CAPF AFCAT NDA SSB

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