PIB Summary- 19th May, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Gholvad Sapota (Chikoo)

Context: Exports of GI certified Gholvad Sapota (chikoo) from Maharashtra to UK began.

Details:

• The Gholvad Sapota or Chikoo is known for its sweet and unique taste.
• Its GI certification is held by the Maharashtra Rajya Chikoo Utpadak Sangh.
• It is believed that the unique taste is due to the calcium rich soil of Gholvad village.
  • Gholvad is a village in the Palghar district of Maharashtra.
• Currently in the Palgahr district, around 5000 hectares of land is under sapota plantation. Out of 5000 farmers who grow Sapota, 147 farmers are authorized GI users.
• The Gholvad Sapota is also known as the Dahanu Gholvad Sapota (Dahanu being the Taluk in which Gholvad is located).

Additional Information:

• In India, sapota is grown in Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
• Karnataka is the highest grower of sapota, followed by Maharashtra.

National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC)

Context: New Recommendations of NEGVAC accepted by Union Ministry of Health.

Fresh recommendations of NEGVAC:

• For individuals having lab test proven COVID-19 illness, the COVID-19 vaccination is to be deferred by 3 months after recovery.
• For COVID-19 patients who have been given anti-SARS-2 monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, the COVID-19 vaccination is to be deferred by 3 months from the date of discharge from the hospital.
• Persons with any other serious general illness requiring hospitalization or ICU care should also wait for 4-8 weeks before getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
• An individual can donate blood after 14 days of either receiving the COVID-19 vaccine or testing RT-PCR negative, if suffering from COVID-19 disease.
• COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all lactating women.

Context: Survey conducted by online security solutions provider on cybercrime.

Key Findings:

• About 52% of adults do not know how to protect themselves from cybercrime.
• 59% of the adults in India had become victims of cybercrime in the past 12 months.
• Cybercrime victims collectively spent 1.3 billion hours trying to resolve these issues.
• Many fell victim to identity theft in the past 12 months and most are concerned about data privacy.
• 70% believe that remote work has made it much easier for hackers and cybercriminals to take advantage of people.

Cyber Security:

• Cyber security refers to preventing any form of unauthorized and malafide access to any of the electronic digital device.
• Cyber espionage, cyber attack, cyber terrorism and cyber warfare are various forms of Cyber-Crimes.

Cyber Volunteer Scheme:

• It is the plan of the Ministry of Home Affairs to rope in around 500 persons to flag unlawful content on the Internet for “improvement in the cybercrime ecosystem of India”.
• Its aim is to make citizens contribute to the fight against cybercrime in the country.
• It was launched by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).
• I4C was established in 2018 under the Ministry of Home Affairs to act as a nodal point at the national level in the fight against cybercrime.
• I4C has seven key components.
  • National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit,
  • National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal,
  • National Cyber Crime Training Centre,
  • Cyber Crime Ecosystem Management Unit,
  • National Cyber Crime Research and Innovation Centre,
  • National Cyber Crime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem and
  • Platform for Joint Cyber Crime Investigation

Tripura begins shifting of Mizoram Bru refugees

Context: Shifting of Mizoram Bru refugees for permanent settlement at various places in Tripura has begun.

Details:

• The process of settlement of some 35,000 Brus is taking place to respect a quadripartite accord signed in New Delhi in January 2020.
• The Tripura government selected 16 places in four districts for the settlement. The government also formed four committees to oversee arrangements.
• The refugees, who have been residing in makeshift camps in Kanchanpur in north Tripura since 1997, constantly refused to return home, citing threats to life and repression. They fled Mizoram amid ethnic tension and Mizo hardline groups always opposed their repatriation attempts.

Bru-Reang Refugee Crisis:

• Around 5,000 families consisting of around 30,000 Bru-Reang tribals were forced to flee Mizoram and seek shelter in Tripura following ethnic tension.
• These people were housed in temporary camps in North Tripura.

RBI sets up committee to review working of ARCs

Context: The RBI has set up a committee to review the working of Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARC).

Details

• The six-member committee will be headed by Sudarshan Sen, former executive director, Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• It has been set up to undertake a comprehensive review of the working of ARCs in the financial sector ecosystem and recommend suitable measures for enabling them to meet the growing requirements.

Terms of Reference of the Committee:

• The panel will review the existing legal and regulatory framework applicable to ARCs.
• It will recommend measures to improve the efficacy of ARCs.
• It will also review the role of ARCs in the resolution of stressed assets, including under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), and give suggestions for improving liquidity and trading of security receipts.
• It will also review the business models of ARCs.

Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARC):

• An ARC is a specialized financial institution that buys the Non-Performing Assets or bad assets from banks and financial institutions so that the latter can clean up their balance sheets.
• In a nutshell, ARCs are in the business of buying bad loans from banks.
• Banks can sell the bad assets to the ARCs at a mutually agreed value and concentrate on normal banking activities.
• The Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002 provides the legal basis for setting up ARCs in India.

NASA Mars helicopter makes first flight on another planet

Context: NASA successfully flew its tiny helicopter Ingenuity on Mars.

Details

• Ingenuity’s flight is the first powered flight on another planet.
• Ingenuity travelled to Mars attached to the underside of Perseverance, which touched down on Mars on February 18, 2021.
  • Perseverance is on a mission to search for signs of extra-terrestrial life.
• Ingenuity’s goal, by contrast, is to demonstrate its technology works, and it won’t contribute to Perseverance’s science goals.
• It has a wireless communication system, and is equipped with computers, navigation sensors, and two cameras.
• It is solar-powered, able to charge on its own.

Note:

• The first powered flight on Earth was achieved by the Wright brothers in 1903 in North Carolina.
• A piece of fabric from that plane has been tucked inside Ingenuity in honour of that feat.

The ordinance route is bad, repromulgation worse

Context: The central government has repromulgated the ordinance that establishes a commission for air quality management in the National Capital Region, called the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020.

• This has raised questions about the practice of issuing ordinances to make law, and that of re-issuing ordinances without getting them ratified by Parliament.

Ordinance:

• The Constitution permits the central and state governments to make laws when Parliament (or the State Legislature) is not in session.
• As lawmaking is a legislative function, this power is provided for urgent requirements, and the law thus made has an automatic expiry date.
• The Constitution states that the ordinance will lapse at the end of six weeks from the time Parliament (or the State Legislature) next meets.

Details

• While an ordinance was originally conceived as an emergency provision, it was used fairly regularly. State governments also used this provision very often.
  • In the 1950s, central ordinances were issued at an average of 7.1 per year. The last couple of years has seen a spike, 16 in 2019, 15 in 2020, and four so far in 2021.
• The issue was brought up in the Supreme Court through a writ petition by D.C. Wadhwa.
• In 1986, a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court ruled that repromulgation of ordinances was contrary to the constitutional scheme.
  • It said that it would be a colourable exercise of power for the Government to ignore the Legislature and to repromulgate the Ordinance.
  • Such a scheme would be repugnant to the constitutional scheme as it would enable the Executive to transgress its constitutional limitation in the matter of lawmaking and to covertly and indirectly take on the law-making function of the Legislature.
  • However, the judgment did not stop the practice.
• In 2017, a seven-judge Constitution Bench declared this practice to be unconstitutional.
  • Even this judgment has been ignored.

Issues

• Governments, both at the Centre and States, are violating this principle.

Central Government

• The Indian Medical Council Amendment Ordinance was issued in September 2018 and reissued in January 2019.
• In the case of the ordinance on Commission for Air Quality Management, while the ordinance of October 2020 was laid in Parliament on the first day of the recent Budget Session, a Bill to replace it was not introduced. Now, the ordinance has been repromulgated.

State Government

• In 2020, Kerala issued 81 ordinances, while Karnataka issued 24 and Maharashtra 21.
• Kerala has also repromulgated ordinances.

Conclusion:

• The legal position is clear, and has been elucidated by constitution benches of the Supreme Court.
• Ordinances are to tackle exigencies when the legislature is not in session, and expire at the end of six weeks of the next meeting of the legislature.
  • This time period is given for the legislature to decide whether such a law is warranted.
• Repromulgation is not permitted as that would be a usurpation of legislative power by the executive.
• The legislatures and the courts should check the practice. That is what separation of powers and the concept of checks and balances means. By not checking this practice, the other two organs are also abdicating their responsibility to the Constitution.

Protecting children in the age of AI

The article talks about the need for protecting the rights, privacy, and well-being of children in a world increasingly powered by virtual reality and artificial intelligence (AI).

Details

• AI is shaping behaviours, preferences, perceptions of the world and much more.
• This has led to double imperatives of getting all children online and creating child-safe digital spaces.

Significance of AI

• AI can offer playful and creative opportunities for children, that promote enhanced literacy, social skills and language development.
• In the field of education, AI can and is being used to tailor learning materials and pedagogical approaches to the child’s needs.
  • Intelligent tutoring systems, tailored curriculum plans, and imaginative virtual reality instruction offer rich and engaging interactive learning experiences that can improve educational outcomes.

Concerns:

Bridging the digital divide:

• Not everyone can tap into the opportunities offered by this transformation.
  • According to UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as many as two-thirds of the world’s children do not have access to the Internet at home.

Unsafe virtual playgrounds:

• While video gaming and chat forums offer an online space for children to socialise with their friends, multiple reports identify such virtual playgrounds as honeypots for child predators.

Digital addiction:

• As an ancillary consequence of the underlying business model, AI systems driving many video games and social networks are designed to keep children hooked through algorithms and gimmicks.
• Children, from a tender age through adolescence, are becoming digitally addicted.

Post Truth discourse:

• Right when children and youth are forming their initial views of the world, they are being sucked into virtual deep space, including the universe of fake news, conspiracy theories, hype, hubris, online bullying, hate speech and the likes.

Classification through AI:

• While it is important for children to understand and appreciate different perspectives, preferences, beliefs and customs, to build bridges of understanding and empathy and goodwill, AI is sorting them into tribes, and feeding them customised information.
• Unless the educational and performance data on children is kept confidential and anonymous, it can inadvertently typecast or brand children, harming their future opportunities.

How to balance the tremendous good AI can do for children, while mitigating inadvertent harm and misuse?

Way Forward:

• Most countries do not yet have the legal framework in place. There is a need to encourage and support the tremendous good AI can do for children’s growth and development, while simultaneously mitigating the harm.
• The next phase of the fourth Industrial Revolution must include an overwhelming push to extend Internet access to all children.
• There is a need for norms and standards to protect children online, similar to the evolved norms and standards to protect children in the physical world.
• There is a need for a multi-pronged action plan with legal and technological safeguards, greater awareness of how AI works behind the scenes.
• Children and young people must be equipped with the knowledge, tools and awareness to protect themselves, considering their unique vulnerabilities.
  • Tools like trustworthy certification and rating systems are needed to enable sound choices on safe AI apps.
  • Anonymous accounts must be banned.
  • Enforceable ethical principles of non-discrimination and fairness embedded in the policy and design of AI systems are needed.

Conclusion:

In short, a safe online space for children, without algorithmic manipulation and with restricted profiling and data collection is the need of the hour. Online tools that help prevent addiction, promote attention-building skills, expands children’s horizons, understanding and appreciation for diverse perspectives, and help build their social-emotional learning capabilities are important.

A huge, costly mistake

Context: The governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have signed an agreement that nudges forward a long-stalled multi-crore, controversial project to link the Ken and the Betwa rivers.

National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC)

• In August 2020, the Centre constituted the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC).
• It was established to provide guidance on all aspects of COVID-19 vaccination, such as prioritisation of population groups, procurement, inventory management, vaccine selection, vaccine delivery and tracking mechanism.
• NEGVAC comprising of technical experts, senior officials of Central Ministries concerned and Zonal representatives of States has been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the vaccine administration campaign.

EU Council approves conclusions on Indo-Pacific strategy

What’s in News?

The Council of the European Union has approved conclusions on a European Union strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

• The renewed EU commitment to the Indo-Pacific will have a long-term focus and will be based on upholding democracy, human rights, the rule of law and respect for international law.
• The strategy looks at reinforcing the EU’s strategic focus, presence and actions with the aim to contribute to regional stability, security, prosperity and sustainable development, at a time of rising challenges and tensions in the region.

EU’s Concerns:

• Current dynamics in the Indo-Pacific have given rise to intense geopolitical competition adding to increasing tensions on trade and supply chains as well as in technological, political and security areas.
• Human rights are also being challenged.
• These developments increasingly threaten the stability and security of the region and beyond, directly impacting the EU’s interests.

Six-Month CBID Program on Rehabilitation of Divyangjan

Context:

Union Minister has virtually launched a six-month Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) Program on rehabilitation of PwD (Persons with Disabilities).

Program Aims:

• The program aims to create a pool of grassroots rehabilitation workers at the community level who can work alongside ASHA and Anganwadi workers to handle cross disability issues and facilitate the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society.
• It has been designed to impart competency-based knowledge and skills among these workers to enhance their ability to successfully discharge their duties.
• These workers will be called ‘Divyang Mitra’ i.e. friends of persons with disabilities.

Details

• The Rehabilitation Council of India and the University of Melbourne (Australia) have been working on this program for the last two years.
  • This is in the wake of an MoU signed between the governments of India and Australia in 2018 for cooperation in the disability sector.
• The course will be launched initially on a pilot basis for two batches in 7 National Institutes of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and 7-9 voluntary organisations having experience in Community Based Rehabilitation programme.
• The National Board of Examination in Rehabilitation under the Rehabilitation Council of India will conduct examinations and award certificates to pass-out candidates.
• The program will be available in English and Hindi, along with 7 regional languages.

AIM-ICDK Water Innovation Challenge

Context: Global finals of the AIM-ICDK Water Innovation Challenge conducted.

AIM-ICDK Water Innovation Challenge:

• Conducted by:
  • Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog
  • Innovation Center Denmark (ICDK) – a unit under Embassy of Denmark
  • Denmark Technical University (DTU)
• The aim of the AIM-ICDK Water Innovation Challenge (also called Next Generation Water Action (NGWA) Water Innovation Challenge) was to identify promising innovators from India, who could represent and form the Indian participation in the global Next Generation Water Action program hosted by International Water Association and Denmark Technical University.
  • Next Generation Water Action: An initiative by DTU to engage young talents from leading universities and innovation hubs of 5 countries (India, Denmark, Kenya, Ghana and South Korea) to build their skills and apply their technical disciplines, innovation capacity and solutions to challenge and catalyse water solutions towards smart liveable cities.