Daily Current Affairs :  07-12-2020

Table of Contents :

1. Passage Exercise (PASSEX)
2. South Asia Forum on SDGs
3. Advisory on advertisements on Online Gaming
4. Cancer Genome Atlas
5. Operation Trident

1.Passage Exercise (PASSEX)

Recently, the Indian Navy (IN) is undertaking a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Russian Federation Navy (RuFN) in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Key Highlights

• The exercise involves participation of RuFN guided missile cruiser Varyag, large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleyev and medium ocean tanker Pechenga.

• Indian Navy is being represented by indigenously constructed guided missile frigate Shivalik and anti-submarine corvette Kadmatt alongwith integral helicopters.

• The exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability, improving understanding and imbibing best practices between both the friendly navies.

• It would involve advanced surface and anti-submarine warfare exercises, weapon firings, seamanship exercises and helicopter operations.

• PASSEXs are conducted regularly by IN with units of friendly foreign navies, whilst visiting each other’s ports or during a rendezvous at sea.

INS Shivalik

 

It is multi-role stealth frigate which has been built by shipyard Mazagaon Docks Limited (MDL) under Project 17.

 

The Atmospheric Control System filters and controls the temperature and humidity of the air coming into the ship at all times, including the air being used by the engines.

 

It has the indigenous Kavach chaff-dispensing system to counter incoming missiles, as also indigenous sonars and antisubmarine warfare systems.

 

INS Kadmatt

 

It is the second ship of Project 28 (P28) class Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvettes.

 

INS Kadmatt is named after one of the large islands amongst the Lakshadweep group of Islands off the west coast of India.

 

INS Kadmatt has a multitude of networks to provide a contemporary and process oriented System of Systems for optimal functioning of the warship such as:

 

Total Atmospheric Control System (TACS),

 

Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS),

 

Integrated Bridge System (IBS),

 

Battle Damage Control System (BDCS) and

 

Personnel Locator System (PLS)

Source: PIB

2.South Asia Forum on SDGs

Recently, UNESCAP South Asia and Pacific virtually organised a special dialogue on disaster and climate resilience in South Asia during the Fourth South Asia Forum on SDGs.

Key Highlights

• It was jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Government of Maldives.

• The key objectives of the High Level meeting were to identify the opportunities and imperatives to overcome the challenges in implementing the systemic approach to disaster and public health risk management.

  • The other objectives were to formulate the strategies for capitalizing on existing regional and sub-regional cooperation mechanism including the South Asian Forum on SDG.

• It aims to scale up multi-hazard and multi-sectoral preparedness systems for future cascading disasters.

• It highlighted that South Asian nations are facing challenges of extreme weather events like floods, cyclone, heat waves, cold waves, landslides and drought as well as COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery.

Initiatives taken by India on SDG

• The vision for eliminating single-use plastics, expansion of forest cover, improvement and restoration of 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 have already started yielding positive results.

• India took the initiative for the coalition for resilient infrastructure and announced the global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), at the UN Climate Action Summit 2019.

• India is also hosting SAARC Disaster Management Centre which works closely with Universities of SAARC and BIMSTEC member States.

United Nations ESCAP

 

It serves as the United Nations’ regional hub promoting cooperation among countries to achieve inclusive and sustainable development.

 

It is the largest regional intergovernmental platform with 53 Member States and 9 associate members.

 

It has emerged as strong regional think-tank offering countries sound analytical products that shed insight into the evolving economic, social and environmental dynamics of the region.

 

Its objective is to promote inclusive and sustainable economic and social development in the Asia-Pacific region, with priority accorded to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Source: PIB

3.Advisory on advertisements on Online Gaming

Recently, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued advisory on Online Gaming, Fantasy Sports etc.

Key Highlights

• It provides that all private satellite TV channels stating that no advertisement should present online gaming for real money winnings as an income opportunity or an alternative employment option.

  • As per the ASCI guidelines, no gaming advertisement may depict any person under the age of 18 years engaged in playing an online game for real money winnings or suggest that such persons can play these games.

• According to the advisory, private television channels will have to follow the guidelines issued by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).

• All broadcasters are advised that the guidelines issued by ASCI are complied with and advertisements broadcast on television adhere to the guidelines of the ASCI.

Need for guidelines on advertisements

• The ministry said it had come to its notice that a large number of advertisements on online gaming, fantasy sports, among others, have been appearing on television, and concerns were expressed that such advertisements appear to be misleading.

• The concerns were expressed that such advertisements appear to be misleading and do not correctly convey to the consumers the financial and other risks associated.

Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI)

 

It was established in 1985 committed to the cause of Self-Regulation in Advertising.

 

It is a voluntary self-regulatory council, registered as a not-for-profit Company under section 25 of the Indian Companies Act.

 

It is aimed at ensuring the protection of the interests of consumers.

 

ASCI’s goals include monitoring, administering and promoting standards of advertising practices in India with a view to:

 

ensuring truthfulness and honesty of representations and claims made through advertising and safeguarding against misleading advertising.

 

ensuring that advertising is not offensive to generally accepted norms and standards of public decency.

 

safeguarding against indiscriminate use of advertising for promotion of products or services which are generally regarded as hazardous to society or to individuals or which are unacceptable to society as a whole.

 

ensuring that advertisements observe fairness in competition and the canons of generally accepted competitive behavior.

Source: All India Radio

4.Cancer Genome Atlas

Recently, the Minister of Science and Technology and Vice President of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has virtually inaugurated the 2nd Cancer Genome Atlas 2020 (TCGA).

Background

• It reiterated commitment of government of India to reduce the burden of cancer in the country by employing latest technologies in the genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

• It is important that India should create indigenous, open-source and comprehensive database of molecular profiles of all cancer prevalent in Indian population.

Key Highlights

• The Union Minister acknowledged the efforts of the consortium comprising of scientists and clinicians from across the world, who have come together to build an Indian Cancer Genomics Atlas (ICGA).

• The conference underlined the importance of scientific team building from diverse backgrounds in strategizing a coordinated response.

• It highlighted that establishment of Indian Cancer Genomics Atlas (ICGA) is a much needed initiative and will add value to India and to the world of science in terms of cancer treatment.

About Cancer Genome Atlas 2020 (TCGA)

• It is a landmark cancer genomics program that molecularly characterized over 20,000 primary cancer and matched normal samples spanning 33 cancer types.

• It is a joint effort between the US-National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institute.

• The TCGA generated over 2.5 petabytes of genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic and proteomic data.

• The ‘Indian Cancer Genomics Atlas (ICGA)’ has been initiated by a consortium of key stakeholders (led by CSIR) in India on the same lines of TCGA.

Source: PIB

5.Operation Trident

Recently, India celebrated December 4 as Navy Day to commemorate Operation Trident.

• The Navy plans to celebrate 2021 as ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ as part of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the victory in the 1971 war.

About Operation Trident

• Under Operation Trident, the Indian Navy sank three vessels near the Pakistani port city of Karachi.

• The stars of the mission were the then-recently acquired Soviet Osa missile boats, fitted with 4 SS-N-2 (P-15) Styx missiles.

• INS Kiltan, Katchall, Nipat, Nighat and Veer sank PNS Khaibar killing 222 Pakistani sailors, and PNS Muhafiz killing 33 Pakistani sailors.

• Operation Trident resulted in the first use of anti-ship missiles in the region as well as the first sinking of naval vessels during hostilities in the region since World War II.

Source: Indian Express

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