UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 30th April 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Seamounts

Why in News?

Recently, scientists have reported finding 19,325 new seamounts after poring through new high-resolution data.

About Seamounts:-

• A seamount is an underwater mountain.
• They are formed through volcanic activity.
• They are hotspots for marine life.
• Like volcanoes on land, seamounts can be active, extinct or dormant volcanoes.
• Most seamounts are formed near mid-ocean ridges, where the earth’s tectonic plates are moving apart, allowing molten rock to rise to the seafloor.
  • The planet’s two most-studied mid-ocean ridges are the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the East Pacific Rise.
  • Some seamounts have also been found near intraplate hotspots and oceanic island chains with a volcanic and seismic activity called island arcs.
  • Intraplate hotspots: regions of heavy volcanic activity within a plate
• Because seamounts are formed when the molten rock comes up from below the tectonic plates, they provide information about the mantle’s composition and about how tectonic plates evolve. 
•  They are good places for life because they can cause localised ocean upwelling. 
  • Upwelling: the process by which nutrient-rich water from deep within the ocean moves up to the surface.
• A 2011 census had already mapped 24,000 seamounts across the world’s oceans.
• Since the 2011 seamount survey, altimetry has improved as:-
  •  European Space Agency launched the CryoSat-2 and Envisat, and
  • NASA and the French space agency jointly launched the Jason-1 geodetic missions.
• SARAL, a satellite that India and France developed together for oceanographic studies, made a significant contribution by further reducing radar noise and enabling the expansion of the seamount catalogue. 

Source: The Hindu

Why in News?

The members of the Kondh tribe in Odisha’s Nayagarh district have added one more event to their calendar of festivals and celebrations called Bihan Mela.

About Bihan Mela:

• It is known as the seed festival and the event is participated by the farmers.
• Preparations begin as soon as farmers have harvested Kharif crops, which include both hybrid and indigenous varieties of paddy, millets, maize and sorghum.
• Women are at the helm of this festival and carefully collect seeds of the indigenous varieties and store them in earthen pots.
• On a designated day in December, they decorate the pots with red and white motifs, place them in a bamboo basket and carry it on their head to the village where the fair is being organised.
• This was introduced to help farmers return to their traditional ways of farming like mixed cropping.

Key facts about the Kondh tribe

• They are a tribal group found in the hills and jungles of Orissa in eastern India.
• They fall into two broad divisions.
  • The Hill or Maliah Konds, who are numerically the dominant group, inhabit the interior uplands and have retained much of their original tribal culture.
  • The Plains Konds have had extended contact with the Oriya-speaking peoples of the lowlands and have adopted many aspects of Hindu religion and culture.
• They have several sub-tribes, for instance, the Dongria, Kovi, Kuttia, Languli, Penga, and Jharnia. Raj Konds etc.
• These tribal people speak languages called Kui and Kuvi.
• These belong to the Dravidian language family and have strong similarities to Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada.
• The language has no script of its own, with the Oriya script used for writing Kui, and the Telugu script used for Kuvi.

Source: Down To Earth

GS-II

Star rating system for water fixtures

Why in News?

The Centre is in the process of bringing in a star rating system for water fixtures similar to the ratings of electrical appliances.

More about News

• The new rating system would have 3-, 4- and 5-star water fixtures based on their water efficiency and this rating system would come under one umbrella called Bharat Tap
• All manufacturers adopt and promote these standards and bring in water efficient fixtures.
• Data derived from this initiative showed that on average over 30% of water can be saved

Bharat Tap

• Bharat Tap is a collaborative effort which was formulated under AMRUT 2.0 to drive water efficiency.
• It will provide low-flow, sanitary-ware at scale, and thereby reduce water consumption at source considerably.

Government Initiative for Water Conservation

• National Water Policy: National Water Policy (2012): It has been formulated by the Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, inter-alia advocates rainwater harvesting and conservation of water and highlights the need for augmenting the availability of water through direct use of rainfall. 
• Groundwater legislation: The Ministry has circulated a Model Bill to all the States/UTs to enable them to enact suitable groundwater legislation for the regulation of its development, which also includes the provision of rainwater harvesting. So far, 19 States/UTs have adopted and implemented groundwater legislation.
• Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA): It has been constituted under Section 3 (3) of the “Environment (Protection) Act, 1986” for the purpose of regulation and control of groundwater development and management in the Country.
• Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020: It has been prepared by CGWB in consultation with States/UTs which is a macro-level plan indicating various structures for the different terrain conditions of the country including estimated cost. 
• National water Awards: The Department of Water Resources, has instituted National Water awards to incentivize good practices in water conservation and groundwater recharge.
• Mass awareness programmes: Training, Seminars, Workshops, Exhibitions, Trade Fares and Painting Competitions etc. are conducted from time to time each year under the Information, Education & Communication (IEC) Scheme of DoWR, RD & GR in various parts of the Country to promote rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge to groundwater.
• Mission Water Conservation: The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has developed an actionable framework for Natural Resources Management (NRM), titled ‘Mission Water Conservation” to ensure gainful utilization of funds. 
• Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY): It is an Rs.6000 crore scheme with World Bank funding, for sustainable management of groundwater with community participation is being taken up in the identified over-exploited and water-stressed areas fall in the States of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Source: The Hindu

All India Radio network expansion

Why in News?

Prime Minister virtually inaugurated Low Power FM Transmitters of capacity of 100 Watt at 91 locations across the country, thus adding 2 crore listeners to All India Radio network.

About

• Left Wing Extremism hit areas, Aspirational Districts and border areas of the country have been given priority for the installation of the new transmitters.
• The transmitters will act as a conduit to carry information about the programmes and policies of the government as well as entertainment related content to the corners of the country.

Significance

• The inauguration of the 91 FM transmitters is expected to benefit underprivileged individuals who have previously lacked access to this facility.
• This will strengthen cultural connectivity as well as intellectual connectivity.
• It will give a push to digital entrepreneurship in villages. Digital India has not only given new listeners to the radio but a new thought process as well
• This could be linked to the strength of the country and the collective power of the duty among the countrymen.
• The radio has come to the fore in innovative ways through podcasts and online FM.

Conclusion

• As India continues to enhance its FM connectivity, the government remains committed to democratizing technology and promoting social connectivity. The addition of these new transmitters will ensure more people can access vital information, entertainment, and cultural content, ultimately strengthening the nation through continuous dialogue.

All India Radio 

• All India Radio, formally known as Akashvani since 1957, is India's national public radio broadcaster and a branch of Prasar Bharati.
• It was founded in 1936 and is the sister service of Doordarshan, an Indian television broadcaster owned by Prasar Bharati.
• All India Radio (AIR) is the country's most well-known public service radio station.
• It is run by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Its slogan is 'Bahujan Hitaya: Bahujan Sukhaya,' which translates to 'serving, educating, and entertaining the public.'

Source: PIB

GS-III

Unified Security Force

Why in News?

The government is considering the creation of a Unified Security Force for all airports in the country along the lines of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the U.S.  which will also combine immigration and customs.

About Unified Security Force

• Indian Scenario: The concept received a green flag from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2023.
  • Discussions were held about expanding the scope of an Indian TSA-like force to include security for sea and land ports, as well as roads and highways.
  • In India, the proposal comes at a time when the country is pegged to be the third-largest aviation market in the world by 2024 and is already the third-largest domestic aviation market after the U.S. and China.
  •  It is also the world’s fastest-growing market at 9%, though it accounts for only 2% of the global passenger traffic.
• Global Status: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in the wake of 9/11 in the U.S. to strengthen the security of the nation’s transportation systems while ensuring freedom of movement for people and commerce.

Need and Significance  

• The total number of airports in the country is also targeted to grow from the current 148 to 220 by 2025, and airlines have more than 1,000 aircraft on order.
• Today, coordination with a multitude of agencies becomes difficult. 
  • Therefore, In a fast-growing aviation market, we need a robust system. 
• There is a need for a unified security agency for aviation and also shipping, metro, road, rail, and land and sea ports.
• The move would also help in integrating policy, regulations, and implementation by bringing them under one body. 

Challenges 

• Airports will have to procure security infrastructure and have often cited financial constraints and delayed upgradation. 
• The proposal for a unified agency means it will also be tasked to buy security infrastructure such as x-ray machines and full body scanners.

Way Ahead 

• The exact contours of the proposal are yet to be finalised and the move could result in a merger of the CISF with the BCAS. 
• Government must deliberate over “the move to a TSA-based concept across all airports in the next three to four years. 
  • We should have a seamless security system.
• The Bureau of Immigration, which works under the Intelligence Bureau of the Union Home Ministry is responsible for immigration checks at airports, sea ports, and land borders. 
  • But once the TSA is a reality, the immigration functions will also fall under it. 

Source: The Hindu

Front running in Trading

Why in News?

Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India barred five entities from the securities market and impounded illegal gains of Rs 2.44 crore made by them in a case pertaining to front-running.

About Front Running in Trading:

• What is it? It is an illegal practice in the stock market where an entity trades based on advanced information from a broker or analyst before the information has been made available to its clients.
• It is illegal in India.
• The strategies commonly used to front-run trades are Buy-Buy-Sell (BBS) trading pattern and the Sell-Sell-Buy (SSB) trading pattern.

What is Buy-Buy-Sell (BBS) trading pattern?

• In this trade pattern, the alleged front-runner by using the non-public information regarding an impending buy order of the big client places his buy order before the big client's buy order.
• As and when the big client places a buy order, the price of the security rises and the alleged front-runner sells the securities bought earlier.
• In this way, at the raised price the alleged front-runner makes a profit.

What is the Sell-Sell-Buy (SSB) trading pattern?

• In this trading pattern, the alleged front-runner by using the non-public information regarding an impending sell order of the big client places his sell orders before the big client's sell order.

When the big client places a sell order the price of the security falls which allows the alleged front-runner to buy back the securities at a lower price to meet his obligations which he had created earlier by selling securities.

Source: Economic Times

AGNI DAMAN-23

Why in News?

The Indian Army’s HQ, Southern Command, recently conducted a day-long fighting exercise, ‘Agni Daman - 23’ with 56 firefighting columns, including 32 from civil agencies.

About AGNI DAMAN-23:

• It is a firefighting exercise conducted under the aegis of Indian Army’s HQ, Southern Command.
• Objective: Enhance synergy among firefighters to work together in the event of major fire incidents.
• The exercise was conducted at 29 Field Ammunition Depot (FAD) , Dehu Road, Pune.
• A total of 56 firefighting columns including 32 from civil agencies like National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), MC Alandi, Fire Department Pimpri Chinchwad, PMRDA Akurdi, MIDC Ambi Talegaon, MC Talegaon Dhabade, Nagar Parishad Chakan, Main Fire Department Bhawani Peth, Tata Motors Ltd, Mahindra Vehicle Ltd & Bajaj Auto participated in the exercise.
• The exercise provided impetus & opportunity to the combatant manpower including central/state agencies to perform coordinated firefighting & render maximum aid in minimum possible time to the affected areas to save precious lives & valuable assets.

Source: Times of India