Current affairs 24 August2023

 1) MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT & HIGHWAYS LAUNCHED BHARAT NCAP (NEW CAR

ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME)

👉Bharat NCAP is a new car safety assessment programme which proposes a mechanism of awarding 'Star Ratings' to automobiles

based upon their performance in crash tests.

👉It will be implemented from 31st October 2023. It is modeled on Global NCAP.

👉Applicable to vehicles of category M1 with gross vehicle weight less

than or equal to 3.5 tonnes, manufactured or imported in country.

👉M1 is motor vehicles used for carriage of passengers, comprising

eight seats, in addition to driver's seat.

👉Car manufacturers can voluntarily offer their cars tested as per

Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197.

👉Safety is assessed on three primary pillars i.e., Adult Occupant Safety,

Child Occupant Safety, and fitment of safety assist technology like

electronic stability, anti-lock braking systems, seat belt reminders,

airbags, etc

👉Cars will be awarded star ratings (one to five stars) for Adult and Child safety.

👉Voluntary in nature except in certain cases such as base variant of a popular vehicle model (minimum clocked sale of 30,000 units)

or when Ministry recommends a model for testing.

👉Increasing the export potential of car

manufacturers in India.

2) COMMITTEE ON STALLED HOUSING PROJECTS SUBMITS REPORT TO MINISTRY OF

HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (MOHUA)

👉Committee was formed by the ministry following a recommendation made by the Central Advisory Council (CAC).

👉CAC constituted under RERA 2016 is chaired by Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs.

👉Around 4.12 lakh housing units (44% in NCR) worth 4.08 lakh crores

are stalled.

👉Lack of financial viability (leading to cost overruns and delays) is the

main reason for stalled projects.

👉Finding a resolution will add more housing units and impetus to

economic growth.

👉Mandatory registration with RERA: To enhance developers’

accountability for their actions and the commitments made to

homebuyers.

👉Rehabilitation Package: By States Governments to make stalled

projects financially viable.

👉Financing of Stalled Projects: Treat it as a priority and utilise Special

Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH) Fund

👉All stakeholders (developers, financiers, land authorities, etc.) would have to take a “haircut (accept less than what is due to them).

👉Improve the Internal Rate of Return of the projects in order to attract funding.

👉Judicial interventions, like the use of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, should be “the last resort”.

3) JAPAN TO RELEASE WATER FROM FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR PLANT INTO OCEAN

👉The 1.34 million tonnes of treated radioactive water from 2011 earthquake and tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant is to be

released into the Pacific Ocean after 12 years.

👉As per International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), discharges of the treated water would have a negligible radiological impact to

people and the environment.

👉Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), nuclear plant’s operator, has been designated to execute the plan.

Fukushima plant is located on the country’s east coast, about 220 kilometres north-east of capital Tokyo.

👉Japan claims to have used “Advanced Liquid Processing System” (ALPS) to treat the water stored.

👉ALPS is a pumping and filtration system which removes most of the radioactive materials from water except tritium - radioactive

isotope of hydrogen - which is difficult to separate from water.

👉Tritiated water can damage DNA if ingested.

Exposure to radioactive materials can health problems like leukemia,

anemia, hemorrhage etc. and destroy nutrients in soil

Release of wastewater could pollute the ocean, and drive up prices of

salt and seafood.

👉China banned seafood imports from Japan including Fukushima and

Tokyo.

4) INDIAN OCEAN DIPOLE (IOD) TURNS POSITIVE

👉IOD (aka Indian Nino) is defined by the difference in sea surface temperature

between eastern and western sides of Indian Ocean.

 👉IOD has three phases:

Positive IOD when the western side of Indian Ocean, near the Somalia coast,

becomes warmer than the eastern Indian Ocean.

👉Positive IOD helps rainfall along Indian subcontinent and African coast

while suppressing rainfall over Indonesia, Southeast Asia and Australia.

👉Negative IOD in case of cooler western part and warmer eastern part. It

results in greater precipitation in Australia and drier conditions in East Africa.

👉Neutral IOD when temperatures are close to normal across the Indian Ocean. 👉IOD has a link with El Nino Southern Oscillations (ENSO) through an extension of the Walker Circulation (air flow in equatorial Pacific) to the west and associated warm water flow from Pacific to Indian Ocean.

👉Positive IOD event is often associated with El Nino (abnormal warming of equatorial Pacific Ocean) while a negative IOD is associated with La Nina (abnormal cooling).

👉Compared to ENSO events, the impacts of IODs are much weaker.

5) BANKING SYSTEM FACING LIQUIDITY

DEFICIT OF ₹23,644.43 CRORE FOR

THE FIRST TIME IN FY24: RBI DATA

👉Liquidity in banking system refers to readily

available cash to meet short-term business

and financial needs of banks.

👉RBI controls liquidity in banking system

through Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF).

LAF is operated through Repo auctions (for

absorption of liquidity) and Reverse Repo

auctions (for injection of liquidity).

👉Banking system liquidity deficit means banks do not have sufficient funds for the credit demands coming in from the customers.

👉Thus, there will be pressure on banks to raise more deposits leading to higher interest rates.

👉It may force people to resort to other modes to fulfil their credit demand.

👉Implementation of Incremental Cash

Reserve Ratio (ICRR): To absorb surplus

liquidity, RBI mandated banks to set aside an additional 10% net demand and time liabilities of May 19- July 28.

👉Payments of advance tax and GST by

businesses: Resulted in shift of liquidity away from baking sector

👉Increase in credit demand due to festive

season.

👉Selling of dollars by RBI lead to absorption of liquidity.

👉RBI’s instruments for liquidity infusion:

Marginal Standing Facility, Variable Rate Repo auction, Statutory Liquidity ratio, 

6) NATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY (NTCA) ACCORDS FINAL APPROVAL TO

DHOLPUR-KARAULI TIGER RESERVE (DKTR)

👉Now, after being notified by the State government DKTR will become the 54th Tiger Reserve (TR) of India and 5th of Rajasthan.

👉Ranthambore, Sariska, Mukundra Hills and Ramgarh Vishdhari are the remaining four TRs in Rajasthan.

👉TRs are notified by State Governments on the advice of NTCA under

Section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) or WPA Act, 1972.

👉TR, considered as critical for tiger conservation, consists of two parts:

Core or critical tiger habitat: National Park or Sanctuary status

👉Buffer or peripheral area: A lesser degree of habitat protection is required

👉Project Tiger launched in 1973 is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of

MoEFCC.

👉Tiger Conservation Plan and Tiger Conservation Foundation to be prepared by the state government under WPA for tiger reserve management.

👉TRAFFIC to facilitate improvements in India’s anti-poaching efforts.

👉Leveraging technology

M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers Intensive-Protection &

Ecological Status): An android app for monitoring.

👉Project ‘E-Bird Technology for Tiger 

👉Conservation’: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as a Surveillance and Monitoring tool.

Conservation Genetics: Used in low tiger density areas to detect tiger presence.

7) African Union

👉AU is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states (including

Niger).

Genesis: Established in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity

(OAU, 1963-1999).

HQ:

Vision/Objective: Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own

citizens.

 India’s cooperation project in AU: Pan-African e-Network Project, Indian Technical

 and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, etc.

8)Ultra-processed food

👉WHO study found a rapid rise of UPF sale in India in 10 yrs.

UPFs are a category of food products that have undergone extensive processing and contain a

significant amount of additives (preservatives, artificial flavours, colours, etc.)

Ex. Snacks, sodas, fast food items.

Effects of high intake of UPFs: Leads to obesity, digestive problems, inhibits type 2 diabetes,

cardiovascular issues etc.

Initiatives: FSSAI has formed a committee to review and highlight new challenges in the area

of nutraceuticals and UPF.

9) India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)

👉IPPB was established in 2018 under Ministry of Communication to use the vast network of India

Post as Payment bank to enhance penetration of banking services.

Payments Bank can carry out most banking operations but can’t advance loans or issue credit

cards.

Government of India owns 100% equity in IPPB.

10) Chabahar Port

👉It is reported that India and Iran have agreed not to seek

commercial foreign arbitration for disputes between users

and operators at Chabahar Port.

Chabahar is India's first foreign port project.

It is located in Iran's southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan

province on Gulf of Oman.

It has two ports -- Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti.

It is considered as a gateway that would enable India to bypass

Pakistan and access Afghanistan, and ultimately Central Asia.

With its strategic location near Strait of Hormuz and Indian

Ocean, port offers significant potential.

11) Terms in news

👉Eco-anxiety

 Eco-anxiety is defined as an overwhelming sense of fear, sadness, and dread due to warming of

 the planet.

 It may cause post-traumatic stress disorder, suicides due to economic fallouts (for instance

 due to flood), heat induced aggression, or nagging stress.

👉 Climate doom- ism

 Climate doom-ism is a belief that humanity has lost the battle against climate change and mankind is on its way to extinction.

 It is based on the idea that humanity has passed the point of being able to do anything at all about global warming.

12) Mental Health Action Plan for WHO South-East Asia (SEA) Region 2023–2030

👉The plan has been launched to promote mental well-being, prevent mental disorders, in SEA

Region.

Earlier, member States of the WHO SEA Region adopted the 2022 Paro Declaration on Universal

access to people-centred mental health care and services.

Paro Declaration calls for increased funding for community-based mental health networks

and continuous supply of medicines and rehabilitation.

WHO World Mental Health Report 2022 estimates nearly 1 billion people living with a mental

disorder globally

13) Methylotuvimicrob ium buryatense 5GB1C

👉Methylotuvimicrobium buryatense 5GB1C is a methanotroph (methane-eating microorganism)

bacterial strain.

It can potentially remove methane from major emission sites like landfills, paddy fields, and oil

and gas wells.

Harnessing this bacteria on a large scale can keep 240 million tonnes of methane from

reaching the atmosphere by 2050.

Bacteria produce biomass after consuming methane, which can be used as feed in aquaculture.

Methane is over 85 times more potent than carbon dioxide on a 20-year timescale and

responsible for nearly 30% of total global warming.

14) Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

👉US Food and Drug Administration approved the first vaccine “Abrysvo (RSV Vaccine)” that

protects new-borns.

Vaccine is given to pregnant mothers during latter stages of their pregnancies.

RSV is a highly contagious virus that causes respiratory infections in individuals of all age

groups especially infants and elderly.

It is the most frequent cause of Lower Respiratory Tract Diseases in infants worldwide.

RSV vaccine is also available for people at 60 and older.

15) SeamlessM4T AI model

👉Meta, Facebook parent company, has launched AI model named Seamless4T.

This AI model can perform speech-to-text, text-to-speech, speech-to-speech, text-to-text

translation for nearly 100 languages.

It is considered as an improvement over “No Language Left Behind”, a text-to-text machine

translation AI model that supports over 200 languages.