Daily Currentaffairs: 25 Sept 2020

Tables of contents

1.China to be Carbon Neutral by 2060

2.Impact of Domestic Indian Policies on Bangladesh

3.Buchanania Barberi

4.Data Recovery from Forensic Cloning

5.Western Tragopans

6.Shinkun La

7.Laser Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM)

8.Plastic Parks Scheme

9.Kritagya Hackathon

10.Brucella abortus S19Δ per vaccine

1.China to be Carbon Neutral by 2060

Recently, China has reiterated that the U.S. is guilty of “obstructing” the global fight against emissions as Beijing seized the climate agenda by vowing to go carbon neutral by 2060.

Status of China as a Global Emitter

• The goals, which include a pledge to reach peak emissions in 2030, announced by China, which is the world's biggest polluter and accounts for a quarter of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions.

• In addition to its embrace of global emissions-busting deals, China already feeds nearly 15% of its energy demands with non-fossil fuels.

  • The China's installation of renewable energy stands at 30% of the world total.

• China is the world’s largest energy user and greenhouse gas emitter, mines and burns half the world’s coal, and is the top importer of oil and natural gas.

• According to Global Energy Monitor, China currently has 135 gigawatts of coal-power capacity either permitted or under construction equates to about half the total coal-power capacity in the United States.

China would need to reverse recent emissions trends

• The analysts have warned about worrisome trends in the country’s commitment to fight global warming in the face of economic slowdowns.

• Coal consumption, which had declined from 2013 to 2017, driven in part by a push to improve China’s notorious air quality, began to rise again in recent years as the economy faced economic headwinds.

• The government’s next five-year plan will be a key document, detailing the necessary economic, industrial and environmental changes that will be necessary.

• China really needs to roll up their sleeves from today to capture the level of ambition.

What China needs to do to achieve target?

Renewable Energy

• China will have to increase to at least 2,200 gigawatts of solar and 1,700 of wind by 2060 to make the transition.

• China’s first homegrown reactor recently began loading fuel, and the country has started approving new plants after a freeze that lasted several years.

Fossil Fuels

• The increase in renewables would mean a reduction in fossil fuels from about 85% of the energy mix now to 25% or less.

• A reversal of China’s current path of adding capacity both in coal mining and in coal-fired power plants which would also have a major impact on employment in a country where coal mining and washing employs about 3.5 million people and provides abundant, cheap fuel for the world’s second-biggest economy.

Carbon Offsets

• China will have to find ways to carbon capture and storage, a relatively immature technology that’s little-used today because of high costs and virtually no economic benefits.

• China could also use other offset programs, such as the “nature-based solutions” it committed to last year at a UN summit, which entail large-scale tree planting and wetland restoration.

Source: The Hindu

2.Impact of Domestic Indian Policies on Bangladesh

Recently, the Economists have observed that Bangladesh is being disturbed by the recent domestic Indian policies that are perceived to be “anti-Muslim".

Impact of Domestic Indian Policies on Bangladesh

• The publication noted the increasing presence of China across various sectors of the eastern neighbour of India and Beijing gaining major infrastructure projects in the country.
• India suddenly stopped export of onions to Bangladesh but the order was partially revised with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade allowing movement of the bulk that was already stuck in various land crossings on the border.
• The official news agency of Bangladesh reported that most of the supply was in fact prevented from entering Bangladesh.
• The onion issue caused substantial public outcry that forced Dhaka to issue a diplomatic note of protest which is the second such incident involving onion exports in two consecutive years.
• The overall downward trend in India-Bangladesh ties and the rise of Chinese influence in various sectors of Bangladesh such as when the government awarded a $250 million contract to build a new airport terminal in the city (Sylhet), the Indian bidder lost out to a Chinese firm.
• China is clearly in advantage in the tug of war on the territory of Bangladesh as it has more projects in hand and has resources to wean Bangladesh away from India.

India-Bangladesh Partnership in Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery

• Bangladesh and India could climb up the global and regional value chains by further integrating their economies.
• Bangladesh accounts for the largest number of tourists (foreign arrivals) in India and with tourism being a metric of soft power, the two countries must build on their shared cultural ties and facilitate growth in the tourism and health sectors.
• India and Bangladesh have an opportunity to capitalise on the changing global order, uncertainty in the market and the unfavourable global sentiment towards China.
• There is a need for reform in land and labour markets, increased investment in human resource and improved investment and business conditions to leverage this opportunity.
• The initiatives like BIMSTEC and BBIN can be the catalyst in building stronger regional ties and help create economic corridors of trade and commerce, especially in the context of the Blue Economy (BE).
• The youth populations in both countries could play a crucial role in boosting their digital economies, and India and Bangladesh must pool their knowledge resources in the post-pandemic environment.
• Water management, in the context of climate change, will be crucial in post-pandemic times. Joint projects related to the Sundarbans and other similar ongoing initiatives should be reprioritised.

Source: The Hindu

3.Buchanania Barberi

Recently, the efforts of the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) to save 'Buchanania Barberi' from extinction have grabbed international attention.

About Buchanania Barberi

• Buchanania barberi (family Anacardiaceae) is a small evergreen tree which is endemic to the southern arm of the Western Ghats in Thiruvananthapuram district.
• It is categorised as ‘critically endangered’ in the IUCN Red List.
• The British botanist C.A. Barber collected the first herbarium specimen of Buchanania barberi from Thiruvananthapuram district in 1904.
• The species is on the verge of extinction due to low seed production, no clonal propagation, low natural seed germination, lack of seedling establishment and road expansion and development activities in the area.

Source: The Hindu

4.Data Recovery from Forensic Cloning

Recently, the case registered against actor by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is based on chats that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) retrieved from the “clones” of the two mobile phones.

What is mobile phone forensic cloning?

• A forensic image or clone is an exact, bit for bit copy of a hard drive or similar discrete digital data storage device.

  • It is also known as a bit stream image.

• Cloning a data storage device can be a pretty time-consuming process, and for that reason it usually makes more sense to do the cloning in the lab as opposed to at the scene.

• The investigating agencies and forensic science laboratories carry out “imaging” or forensic cloning of a mobile phone or any digital device if they believe it would aid investigation.

Difference between Forensic Cloning and Copy Pasting of Mobile Phones

• In the traditional copy-pasting of data, only the active files or the files currently present on the device are copied.

  • It would not include files that have been deleted or overwritten by the user.

• The physical acquisition of mobile phone data is a bit-for-bit copying of the data on to a physical storage which also includes all deleted data.

Can the data or allegedly incriminating chats be used as evidence in a court of law?

• If the information found on a particular device is accompanied by Section 65 (B) of Information Technology Act certificate, it can be used in a court of law against an individual.

  • The Information Technology Act certificate gives the condition for handling the electronic devices in a particular manner for it to be admissible, such as it not being tampered.

• Apart from it being used as an investigation tool, it also carries evidentiary value in a court of law.

Source: The Indian Express

5. Western Tragopans

Recently, in a first such effort globally to reintroduce the vulnerable pheasant species back into the wild, a captive-bred western tragopans have been soft-released into a forest in Himachal Pradesh.

• Six birds raised in a pheasantry at Sarahan have been soft-released into the nearby Daranghati wildlife sanctuary.

About Western Tragopans

• Western tragopan, or Jujurana, is a brightly plumed bird endemic to northwest Himalaya.

• It is the state bird of Himachal Pradesh.

• According to wildlife officials, Himachal Pradesh has seven different species of pheasants (a group of large-sized, highly colourful birds which display sexual dimorphism) of which Western Tragopan is the most elusive one.

• Sarahan pheasantry, or the Western Tragopan Conservation Breeding Centre, located at Sarahan in Shimla district is the only centre in the world where conservation breeding of the bird is being carried out.

• The upper part of Greater Himalayan National Park’s forest zone holds the world’s largest known population of western tragopan, which prefers a habitat of ringal (dwarf) bamboo beneath dense forest.

• The western tragopan feeds mostly on leaves, shoots and seeds, but also consumes insects and other invertebrates.

• It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

• It is listed as Vulnerable (VU) under the IUCN List of Threatened Species.

• Western Tragopan is endemic to the western Himalayas, occurring from Kohistan, east through Kashmir into Himachal Pradesh and possibly Uttarakhand, north-west India.

Daranghati Wildlife Sanctuary

 

It is located in Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh.

 

Monal, Tragopan, Koklas and Kalij are pheasants found here.

 

The sanctuary lies on the Dhauladhar Mountain, an intervening range that forms part of the Middle Himalaya.

Source: The Indian Express

6.Shinkun La

Recently, the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) under Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways has speeded up the detailed project report (DPR) work on Shinkun La Tunnel.

About Shinkun La

• It is a mountain pass in India, on the border between Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.

• The road to the pass, also known as Shinku La or Shingu La, is extreme.

• The Shinkun La Tunnel is the World’s Longest High-Altitude tunnel which will help keep Manali-Kargil highway operational throughout the year.

• The tunnel at Shinkun La pass will provide all-weather road connectivity between Himachal Pradesh and Leh.

• The tunnel at Shinkhun La will link the NH-3 from the Himachal Pradesh side with Darcha-Padam-Nimu road to Leh.

Source: All India Radio

7.Laser Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM)

Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test-fired the Laser Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) from the Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun.

About Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM)

• It is an indigenously-developed Laser-Guided ATGM under the Cannon Launched Missile Development Programme by Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE).

• The missile employs a tandem HEAT warhead to defeat Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) protected armoured vehicles.

• It is designed to destroy modern as well as future enemy battle tanks.

• The missile's head provides it with the guidance to actively engage a moving target, including low-flying helicopters.

• The missile uses a warhead that has the capability to neutralize armoured vehicles which have reactive armors, which are specially-designed protective armours used in military vehicles.

Source: The Indian Express

8.Plastic Parks Scheme

Recently, the Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers has said that the government is coming up with a scheme of Setting up of Plastic Parks with a state-of-the-art infrastructure through cluster development approach.

About Plastic Parks Scheme

• Plastic Park is an industrial zone, developed in cluster approach for establishing units for plastic enterprises and its allied.

• Under the scheme, the Central Government provides grant funding up to 50% of the project cost, subject to a ceiling of Rs. 40 crore per project.

• The remaining project cost is to be funded by the State Government, beneficiary industries and by loan from financial institutions.

• The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals has approved setting up of 10 Plastic Parks in the country, out of which 6 parks have been given final approval in the States of Assam, Madhya Pradesh (two parks), Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand.

  • The Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for setting up of Plastic Parks in the States of Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh are under evaluation and proposal for setting up of two new Plastic Parks are under process.

• The details of the 6 Plastic Parks are as under:

  • Madhya Pradesh: The Plastic Park at Tamot has completed physical infrastructure and purchase of equipment for common facility centers (CFC) is in progress. One unit is functional in the Plastic Park.

  • Madhya Pradesh: The Plastic Park at Bilaua is at implementation stage and work of development of physical infrastructure is in progress.

  • Odisha: The Plastic Park at Paradeep is at implementation stage and work of development of physical infrastructure is almost completed.

  • Jharkhand: The Plastic Park at Deoghar is at implementation stage and work of development of physical infrastructure is in progress.

  • Tamil Nadu: The work at Plastic Park at Thiruvallur has started recently and   land filling on the site is in progress.

  • Assam: The Plastic Park at Tinsukia is at implementation stage and work of development of physical infrastructure is in progress.

Source: PIB

9.Kritagya Hackathon

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has announced the 'Kritagya Hackathon'.

About Kritagya Hackathon

• KRI-TA-GYA explains KRI for Krishi (Agriculture), TA for Taknik (Technology) and GYA for Gyan (Knowledge).

• It is planned by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP).

• It is an Ag-Tech Hackathon to promote innovation in farm mechanization.

• It is a joint initiative by NAHEP and Agricultural Engineering Division.

• Eligibility: Students, faculties and innovators/entrepreneurs from any university/technical institution across the country can apply and participate in the event in the form of a group.

  • Under the programme guidelines, a group can contain a maximum of four participants with not more than one faculty or more than one innovator or entrepreneur.

• Significance: It will help in enhancing the learning capabilities, innovations and disruptive solutions, employability and entrepreneurial drive in Farm Mechanization sector.

  • It will help in taking forward the vision of high-quality higher education with equity and inclusion as envisaged in NEP-2020.

  • It is aimed at providing innovation in farm mechanization with special emphasis on women friendly equipments.

National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP)

 

It was launched in 2017 by the Government of India with the support of World Bank.

 

It has been formulated by ICAR with a total cost of US$ 165 million for five years starting from 2017-18.

 

Its objective is to support the National Agricultural Research and Education System in providing more relevant and better quality education to the students.

 

The project aims to develop resources and mechanism for supporting infrastructure, faculty and student advancement, and providing means for better governance and management of agricultural universities.

Recently, a Technology License Agreement ceremony on “Brucella abortus S19Δ per vaccine” was held between ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) and Hester Biosciences Limited.

About Brucella abortus S19Δ per vaccine

• It is developed by ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI).

• The vaccine has DIVA capability meaning that it can differentiate between naturally infected and vaccinated animals.

• In India, calf-hood vaccination is practiced using live attenuated B. abortus S19 strain for control of the disease.

  • B. abortus S19 strain is a very strong immunogen and provides lifelong immunity.

• The vaccine candidate was developed under DBT funded “Brucellosis network program”.

National Control Program on Brucellosis (NCPB)

 

Brucellosis is an infectious, contagious and zoonotic disease of animals caused by Brucella.

 

Brucellosis is responsible for abortions in Cattle, Buffalo, Sheep and Goats leading to infertility.

 

Under the NCPB, all female cow calf and all female buffalo calf of 4-8 moths age are being vaccinated.

Source: PIB

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