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

GS-I

Kathaprasangam: An Art Form’s Century-Long Journey

Subject: Art and Culture

Why in News?

Kathaprasangam began as a medium to narrate stories of oppression, untouchability, and human resilience. Today, it finds a place of relevance and renewal in the digital age, captivating audiences, both young and old.

About Kathaprasangam

Recently, a seismic swarm has hit the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland with more than 5,500 small earthquakes in the last three days.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recommended the incorporation of QR codes on food products, a significant step toward ensuring food safety and accessibility, especially for visually impaired individuals.

QR Code move by FSSAI

• Comprehensive Data: QR codes will encompass detailed product data, encompassing ingredients, nutritional information, allergens, production date, optimal consumption/expiry/use-by date, allergen cautions, and customer support details.
• Compliance: This effort is in harmony with the FSSAI’s Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, highlighting the importance of accessibility for people with disabilities.

QR Code Origins

• Invention: QR codes, two-dimensional matrix barcodes, was invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave for labelling automobile parts.
• Enhancing Brand Image: For food manufacturers, QR codes offer advantages such as improving brand image, fostering customer loyalty, and enhancing operational efficiency.

Significance of the Initiative

• India's Market Landscape: The growing demand for packaged foods in India, alongside a rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), highlights the importance of consumers making well-informed choices.
• Empowering Consumer Rights: This initiative aims to give consumers the tools they need to make informed decisions and to validate whether a product matches its advertised features.
• Enhancing Front-of-Pack Labelling: There is a strong recommendation for the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to integrate QR codes to assist visually impaired individuals with front-of-pack labels (FOPL) containing warning information. This approach ensures a comprehensive strategy.

Global Trends in QR Usage

• Top Users: Countries like the U.S., India, France, and the U.K. are among the leading users of QR codes.
• Market Growth: The global packaged food market, estimated at $303.26 billion in 2019, continues to expand, with QR codes playing a pivotal role in providing consumers with essential product information.
• Consumer Preference: Consumers increasingly consider food packaging as important as the product itself, with QR codes serving as a technology that enhances information accessibility and influences buying behaviour.

Conclusion

• The introduction of QR codes on food products by the FSSAI is a crucial step toward enhancing food safety and ensuring consumers have access to comprehensive product information.
• In an era of rising health concerns and growing markets for packaged foods, this initiative empowers consumers to make informed choices and underscores the importance of clear food labelling.
• QR codes are emerging as a global trend, simplifying information access and improving consumer experiences.

Source: The Hindu 

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)

Subject: International Relations

Why in News?

Recently, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that one of its members sustained injuries after shelling Houla village near the Israeli-Lebanon border.

About United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

• UNIFIL was established by the Security Council in March 1978 following Israel's invasion of Lebanon.
• Mandate based on Security Council resolutions 425 (1978) and 426 (1978) included three primary objectives:
  • Confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
  • Restore international peace and security.
  • Assist the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area.
• The mandate underwent two adjustments in response to developments in 1982 and 2000.
• UNIFIL has approximately 10,500 peacekeepers from 48 troop contributing countries.
• The mission conducts an average of around 14,500 activities per month, both day and night, within its area of operations.
• Seventeen percent of these activities are conducted jointly with the Lebanese Armed Forces.
• UNIFIL is augmented by a five-vessel Maritime Task Force.
• Funding for UNIFIL is provided through a separate account approved annually by the General Assembly.
• UNIFIL is a component of the UN peacekeeping force.

About the UN Peacekeeping Force:

• UN peacekeepers play a crucial role by offering security, as well as political and peacebuilding assistance to support nations in their challenging transition from conflict to peace.
• These efforts are guided by three fundamental principles:
  • Consent of the parties,
  • Impartiality, and
  • Non-use of force, except in cases of self-defense or the defense of the mandate.
• The Security Council holds a significant responsibility in ensuring the commitment and cooperation of all parties involved while providing missions with clear and realistic mandates.
• Presently, there are 12 active UN peacekeeping operations worldwide.
• It is noteworthy that UN Peacekeeping has been honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for its contributions.

Source: Daily Hunt

GS-III

Experiment in Solapur shows Cloud Seeding Success

Subject: Science and Technology

Why in News?

Solapur, a city with limited rainfall due to its location on the leeward side of the Western Ghats, witnessed an 18% relative enhancement in rainfall through a cloud seeding experiment.

What is Cloud Seeding?

About CAIPEEX Experiment

• The initiative, known as the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX phase-4), sought to investigate the effectiveness of hygroscopic seeding in deep convective clouds.
• Over two hours after cloud seeding, an additional 8.67mm of rainfall was recorded, resulting in 867 million litres of augmented water availability.

Importance of the Experiment

• Growing NCD Burden: As India grapples with a rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), exacerbated by the consumption of pre-packaged foods, informed consumer choices and food safety become paramount.
• Cloud Seeding Efficacy: The experiment underscores cloud seeding as an effective strategy for enhancing rainfall, particularly in regions with suitable conditions.
• Cost-Benefit Analysis: The research evaluates the cost-effectiveness of cloud seeding, estimating the cost of producing water through cloud seeding at 18 paise per litre.

Key Findings and Methodology

• Randomized Seeding Experiment: The study selected 276 convective clouds, with 150 subjected to seeding and 122 serving as the control group.
• Criteria for Seeding: Clouds with characteristics such as significant liquid water content, vertical motion indicative of cloud growth, and depth exceeding one kilometre were targeted.
• Seeding Agent: Calcium chloride flares were employed for cloud seeding, ensuring optimal dispersion and entry into growing clouds.
• Rainfall Enhancement: Seeded clouds produced more rainfall than unseeded ones, resulting in an 18% relative enhancement.

Implications and Future Prospects

• Water Management: While cloud seeding alone cannot alleviate droughts, it can contribute to an 18% increase in rainfall and partially address water requirements.
• Cost Reduction: Utilizing indigenous seeding aircraft could reduce costs by over 50%, making cloud seeding more accessible.
• High-Resolution Numerical Model: The study has developed a numerical model to help stakeholders identify target locations, suitable clouds for seeding, and effective strategies for enhancing rainfall.

Source: Indian Express

What is the ‘SIM Swap Scam’ — and how can you protect yourself?

Subject: Cyber Security

Why in News?

In recent years, the SIM swap scam has emerged as a significant threat to individuals’ financial security.

• This fraudulent scheme exploits the link between physical SIM cards and banking applications, allowing scammers to gain access to victim’s bank accounts and personal information.

SIM Swap Scam: An Overview

• Exploiting Technological Advances: The SIM swap scam capitalizes on the integration of banking applications with phone numbers, enabling the generation of OTPs (One-Time Passwords) and the receipt of critical bank-related messages.
• Acquiring Personal Data: Scammers begin by collecting victims’ personal details, including phone numbers, bank account information, and addresses, often through phishing or vishing (voice phishing) techniques. Phishing involves sending malware-laden links through emails or messages to steal personal data.
• Forging Victim Identity: Armed with the stolen data, fraudsters visit a mobile operator’s retail outlet, impersonating the victim with forged ID proof. They falsely report the theft of the victim’s SIM card and/or mobile phone. As a result, they obtain a duplicate SIM card. Notably, fraudsters can secure a duplicate SIM even if the original is still functional. All activation messages and information are directed to the scammer rather than the victim.

Why do victims receive Missed Calls?

• Strategic Communication: In contrast to typical scams that involve tricking individuals into divulging OTPs and private data during phone calls, the SIM swap scam operates differently.
• Distraction Tactic: Fraudsters initiate missed calls to their targets, prompting victims to check their phones and potentially ignore network connectivity issues.
• SIM Exchange Execution: Perpetrators use these missed calls as a diversion while they execute the SIM swap. Once the SIM is swapped, fraudsters gain control over all calls and messages through the victim’s SIM, allowing them to initiate transactions unnoticed.

How do scammers withdraw money?

• Phishing Information: After acquiring personal data through phishing attacks, scammers use this information to access bank portals and generate OTPs required for fund withdrawal.
• OTP Access: Having control over the victim’s SIM card, fraudsters receive all OTPs, enabling them to authenticate transactions and steal money.
• Data Sources: Accused individuals purchase data from hackers involved in data breaches or from online portals. Data breaches often involve private companies losing vast amounts of customer data.
• Example: In April, Rentomojo, an electronics and furniture rental company, reported a data breach, acknowledging unauthorized access to customer data due to a cloud misconfiguration.

Arrests and Challenges

• Absence of Arrests: Delhi Police has not made any arrests related to the SIM swap scam. The accused effectively evaded capture by discarding duplicate SIMs and operating from multiple locations.
• Cryptocurrency Conversion: Stolen funds are often converted into cryptocurrency, making tracking Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency transactions impossible due to encryption.

Protecting Yourself from SIM Swap Fraud

• Stay Vigilant: Be cautious of vishing or phishing attacks and avoid clicking on suspicious links or sharing sensitive information.
• Don’t Ignore Missed Calls: Don’t ignore missed calls or switch off your phone, especially if you receive multiple missed calls. Contact your mobile operator immediately if such activity occurs.
• Regularly Update Passwords: Change bank account passwords regularly for added security.
• Set Up Alerts: Register for regular SMS and email alerts for banking transactions to stay informed.
• Report Fraud: In case of fraud, promptly contact your bank authorities to block your account and prevent further fraud.

Source: Indian Express

Improvised Explosive Device (IED)

Subject: Science and Technology

Why in News?

The Kerala Police chief confirmed that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used in the multiple blasts that took place at the convention centre of a Christian religious group in Kochi recently.

About Improvised Explosive Device (IED):

• Definition of IED (Improvised Explosive Device): An IED is a type of unconventional explosive weapon that can assume various forms and be activated through diverse means.
• Utilization of IEDs: IEDs are employed by a range of entities including criminals, vandals, terrorists, suicide bombers, and insurgents.
• Diversity in IED Forms: Due to their improvised nature, IEDs can manifest in various forms, spanning from a small pipe bomb to a complex device capable of inflicting significant damage and casualties.
• Factors Influencing Damage: The magnitude of damage inflicted by an IED is contingent upon its size, construction, placement, and whether it employs a high explosive or propellant.
• Origin of Term "IED": The term IED gained widespread use during the Iraq War which commenced in 2003.
• Components of an IED: An IED comprises distinct elements, including an initiator, switch, main charge, power source, and container.
• Enhancements and Shrapnel: IEDs may be encased in or filled with supplementary materials, commonly known as “enhancements,” such as nails, glass, or metal fragments. These are designed to amplify the amount of shrapnel propelled by the explosion.
• Initiation Methods: An IED can be set off through a variety of methods, contingent on the intended target.
• Explosive Materials in IEDs: Numerous readily available substances, such as fertilizer, gunpowder, and hydrogen peroxide, are employed as explosive materials in IEDs.
• Composition of Explosives: Explosives consist of a fuel and an oxidizer, with the latter providing the necessary oxygen to sustain the reaction.

Source: Times of India