Daily Current affairs: 05 Nov2020

Table of Contents

1. PRASHAD Scheme

2. IEVP Programme  2020 

3. Luhri Stage-I Hydro Electric Project

4. Committee on TRP

5. Red-headed Vulture

6. Malabar Exercise

7. Magnetic fields on the Moon

8. Federal Postcard Application (FPA)

9. Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge

10. Data Maturity Assessment Framework (DMAF)

1. PILGRIMAGE REJUVENATION AND SPIRITUAL, HERITAGE AUGMENTATION DRIVE (PRASHAD).

Recently, the Ministry of Tourism has inaugurated the “Tourist Facilitation Centre” facility constructed under the project “Development of Guruvayur, Kerala” under PRASHAD Scheme.

About PRASHAD Scheme

• The ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) was launched by the Ministry of Tourism in the year 2014-15.
• The scheme was designed with the objective of integrated development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations.
• The scheme aimed at infrastructure development such as entry points (Road, Rail and Water Transport), last mile connectivity, basic tourism facilities like Information/ Interpretation Centers, ATM/ Money exchange, etc.
• It aims to identify and develop pilgrimage tourist destinations on the principles of high tourist visits, competitiveness and sustainability.
• It is a central sector scheme under which the Central Government provides 100% funds for the improvement in the sustainability of the project.

2. INTERNATIONAL VIRTUAL ELECTION VISITORS PROGRAMME  2020 (IEVP)

Recently, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to organise International Virtual Election Visitors Programme 2020 (IEVP) in the context of the ongoing Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections.

About International Virtual Election Visitors Programme (IEVP)

• The ECI has organized International Election Visitor Programmes (IEVPs) for foreign EMBs/Organizations in the past:

           1.Lok Sabha elections in 2014

           2.Elections for a few State Assemblies in Feb/March 2017

           3.Lok Sabha Elections in May 2019

• The three international organizations such as International IDEA, International Foundation of Electoral Systems (IFES) and Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) have been invited to participate in the IEVP 2020 along with delegates from over 40 countries.
• The Programme for IEVP 2020 comprises an online briefing which would provide to the participants:

        1. An overview of the large canvas of Indian electoral process;

        2. The new initiatives taken by ECI on voter facilitation, transparency and accessibility of electoral system; and

       3. ECI’s response to  the changing needs of training and capacity building.

• The Programme will provide a unique overview of the Commission’s flagship programme for voter awareness i.e. SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation).

Additional Information

- Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP)

- It is the flagship program of the Election Commission of India.

- It is designed for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India.

- Its primary goal is to build a truly participative democracy in India by encouraging all eligible citizens to vote and make an informed decision during the elections.

- It is based on multiple general as well as targeted interventions which are designed according to the socio-economic, cultural and demographic profile of the state as well as the history of electoral participation.

3. LUHRI STAGE-I HYDRO ELECTRIC PROJECT :

Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the investment of Rs.1810 crore for Luhri Stage-I Hydro Electric Project.

About Luhri Stage-I Hydro Electric Project

• It is a 210 MW project located on Sutlej River.
• It is situated in Shimla & Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh.
• It is being implemented by Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) on Build-Own-Operate-Maintain (BOOM) basis with active support from Government of India and State Government.
• The project will generate 758.20 million units of electricity annually.

Additional Information

Sutlej River

- It is also known as Ancient Greek Zaradros, Sanskrit Shutudri or Shatadru.

- It is the longest of the five tributaries of the Indus River that give the Punjab (meaning “Five Rivers”) its name.

- It rises on the north slope of the Himalayas in Lake La’nga in southwestern Tibet.

- The hydrology of the Sutlej is controlled by spring and summer snowmelt in the Himalayas and by the South Asian monsoon.

- It enters India near Shipki La Pass from where it traverses through the many Himalayan valleys before it merges with Beas River in Punjab that in turn merges with Chenab in Pakistan before landing into Indus.

4. COMMITTEE ON TELEVISION RATING AGENCIES :

Recently, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has constituted a committee to review guidelines on Television Rating agencies in India.

About Committee on Television Rating Agencies

• The committee will be headed by Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati.
• The present guidelines on Television Rating agencies in India were notified after detailed deliberations by the Parliamentary Committee, Committee on Television Rating Points constituted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and recommendations from Telecom Regulatory Authority.
• There is a need to have a fresh look on the guidelines particularly keeping in view the recent recommendations from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

The Committee is constituted for the following purpose:

- carry out an appraisal of the existing system;

- examine TRAI recommendations notified from time to time;

- addressing the needs of the stakeholders; and

- make recommendations for robust, transparent and accountable rating system through changes.

5. RED-HEADED VULTURE :

Recently, a bird watcher from Coimbatore spotted a Red-headed Vulture near Peur which away from its existing known habitat in the region.

About Red-headed Vulture

• It is a dark, medium-sized vulture with a bare reddish head and loose flaps on the side of the neck.
• It is also known as the Asian king vulture, Indian black vulture or Pondicherry vulture.
• It is found in low numbers across India except in the western Himalayan foothills where it is common.
• It was previously widespread in Southeast Asia but it is now believed to be primarily restricted to northern and eastern plains of Cambodia and considered nearly extinct in Thailand.
• The species’ are regularly found in open country away from humans, wooded hills, thorn forest of semi-arid zones, semi-deserts and dry deciduous forests with rivers.
• It is listed as 'Critically Endangered' under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• The Red-headed Vulture feeds mainly on carrion at carcasses of large ungulates, birds, turtles and fish.

Source: The Hindu

6. MALABAR EXERCISE:

Recently, the phase 1 of the Malabar Naval Exercise kicked off with participation of Australian navy for the first time since 2007.

About Malabar Exercise

• It is a multilateral naval exercise that includes simulated war games and combat manoeuvres.
• It started in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between the Indian and US navies and Japan joined in 2015.
• The 2020 Malabar Exercise has been planned on a “non-contact-at sea” format keeping Covid-19 protocols in mind.
• The 2020 exercise will see the participation of all four Quad countries for the first time.
• It will be the second time Australia will participate.
• The last time Australia participated in Malabar Exercise was in in September 2007 with the Indian, Japanese, US and Singapore navies.

Source: The Hindu

7. ANOMALOUS LOCALISED MAGNETISM ON MOON:

Recently, the researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other institutions have found a possible answer for the long-standing mystery of the origin of the localised magnetic fields on the Moon.

Key Highlights

• The Moon lacks a core dynamo magnetic field unlike the Earth but the lunar crust has a remnant magnetisation.
• In some areas of the moon, the localised surface fields extend to hundreds of kilometre and measure up to hundreds of nanotesla or higher.
• The researchers say that the Moon must have had an internal core dynamo in the past by ruling out the earlier notion that localised magnetisation was caused by impacts of massive bodies on the Moon surface.
• It is believed that the magnetic fields that have been sensed from orbiting spacecraft originate in subsurface bodies of rock that were magnetized by an ancient global lunar field generated in the moon's core.
• The lunar magnetic anomalies are locally strong magnetic fields near the Moon caused by permanently magnetized material in its upper crust.

The major applications of lunar magnetic anomalies include investigating:

- the existence and history of a former lunar core dynamo;

- the magnetic effects of large-scale impacts on the Moon; and

- the role of the solar wind ion bombardment in producing space weathering or optical maturation (darkening with time) of airless silicate bodies in the solar system.

• The lunar magnetic anomalies are weaker by several orders of magnitude than crustal magnetic anomalies on the Earth and Mars, where efficient iron-oxide remanence carriers such as magnetite are prevalent.
• The magnetic remanence carriers in returned lunar samples are microscopic metallic iron-nickel alloy particles, produced mainly from pre-existing iron silicates by impact processes in the reducing lunar environment.

Source: The Hindu

8. ASTRONAUTS TO CAST THEIR VOTES FROM SPACE:

Recently, the NASA astronaut Kate Rubins cast her vote for the U.S. Presidential Election 250 miles above the Earth's surface.

Key Highlights

• The voting from space has been possible since 1997 when a bill was passed to legally allow voting from space in the U.S. state of Texas.
• In 1997, NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first American to vote from space on the Mir Space Station.
• The voting from space is a form of absentee voting under which the process starts with filling a Federal Postcard Application (FPCA).
• The U.S. military members and their families fill the same form while serving outside of the country.
• The ballot is encrypted and only accessible by the astronaut and the clerk to preserve the vote’s integrity.

Procedure of Absentee Voting through Federal Postcard Application (FPCA)

• Once the FPCA is approved, a trial is conducted and the county clerk who manages elections in the astronaut's home county sends a test ballot to a team in the Space Center.
• After a successful test, a secure electronic ballot generated by the clerk's office of the various counties in Texas is uplinked to the Johnson's Mission Control Center to the voting crew member.
• An e-mail with crew member-specific credentials is sent from the county clerk to the astronaut and these credentials allow the crew member to access the secure ballot.
• The secure and completed ballot travels through NASA's Space Network, like most data transmitted between the space station and mission control.
• The network is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

Additional Information

Absentee Voting in India

- It refers to a vote cast by someone who is unable to go to the polling station.

- The system is designed to increase voter turnout.

- The Representation of the People Act, 1950 allows heads of states and those serving in the armed forces to vote through postal means.

- India already allows absentee voting through some form of absentee voting including postal ballots, proxy voting, or the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) which includes: Citizens above 80 years of age, Members of the Indian armed forces, Members of the armed police force who are serving outside their state, and People employed by the government of India serving a post outside the country

- In July 2020, the ECI announced the extension of postal ballots to senior citizens over 65, disabled citizens, and “COVID 19 suspect or affected persons” in the Bihar Elections.

Source: The Hindu

9 . NURTURING NEIGHBOURHOODS CHALLENGE

Recently, the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (HUA) has launched 'Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge'.

About Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge

• It is a challenge for cities to develop and implement initiatives to improve the quality of life of young children, caregivers and families.
• The challenge is conducted with the support of the Bernard van Leer Foundation, Netherlands with technical support from World Resources Institute (WRI)-India.
• The challenge will be open to all smart cities, cities with more than five lakh population and capital cities of states and union territories.
• It is a three-year challenge which will help cities to:

       1. re-imagine parks and open spaces;

       2. improve access to early childhood facilities;

       3. adapt public spaces with early childhood-oriented amenities; and

       4. create accessible, safe, walkable streets for young children and families

Source: The Hindu

10. DATA MATURITY ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK (DMAF)

Recently, the Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs has released the 'Data Maturity Assessment Framework (DMAF)'.

About Data Maturity Assessment Framework (DMAF)

• It aims to evaluate data ecosystems of cities and training programme for city data officers (CDOs) of 100 Smart Cities.
• It would support cities in the creation of ''culture of data'' under the ''DataSmart Cities'' initiative of the Smart Cities Mission.
• Under the DMAF, the government aims to enable cities to assess their own data maturity with respect to a standardized framework covering aspects of enabling policies, governance structures, data management, capacity building and stakeholder engagement at the city level.

Additional Information

DataSmart Cities Initiative

- It is an initiative under the Smart Cities Mission.

- It aims to leverage the potential of data to address complex urban challenges in Smart Cities.

- It would focus on evolution of culture of data driven governance in Smart Cities.

- It would encourage cities to setup building blocks of Data Culture at the City level such as setting up Smart City Data Alliance, Smart Cities Data Network and City Data Strategy etc.

- It also intends to enable peer to peer learning across cities over the data driven governance and outline reusable use cases for Smart cities in different domains.

Source: LiveMint

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