Jun 15 2024

Prerna Sthal to be Inaugurated on June 16

Prerna Sthal

Prerna Sthal will be inaugurated on June 16  by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar.

About Prerna Sthal

Prerna Sthal is an earmarked area within the Parliament House Complex.  where key statues, including that of Mahatma Gandhi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Bhim Rao Ambedkar, have been relocated from their original positions.

  • Relocation with Speaker’s permission: The Parliament House Complex falls under the jurisdiction of the Honourable Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The Statues are being relocated within the Complex with the Speaker’s permission.

Importance of Prerna Sthal

  • Provide detailed information about freedom fighters: The Prerana Sthal will also feature modern technology to provide detailed information about the lives and contributions of our great freedom fighters, offering visitors a deeper understanding and appreciation of their legacy. 
  • Visitors can pay tribute to the leaders: This will also serve as a place for visitors to pay their tributes to these esteemed leaders.
  • Part of the Redevelopment plan: The relocation of the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar was part of the plan to redevelop the Parliamentary precincts after the construction of the new Parliament building.
  • Convenience of the Visitors: The Prerna Sthal is being developed in such a way that the visitors coming to visit the Parliament complex view the statues of these great persons conveniently and get inspired by their life experiences.

Kashmir’s Kheer Bhawani Temple Festival

Kashmir’s Kheer Bhawani Temple Festival

Amid heightened security following four recent terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, thousands of Kashmiri Pandits gathered  at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Ganderbal district on Friday. 

About the Kheer Bhawani Temple/Ragnya Devi Temple

  • Location: It is a Hindu temple situated at the north-east of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, in Ganderbal district’s Tulmulla. 
  • Deity Worshipped: This temple is a home to Goddess Durga who is worshipped in the form of Maa Ragini.
    • The term ‘kheer’ refers to a ‘milk and rice pudding’ that is offered to propitiate the goddess
  • Historical Mentions: There is a reference of Kheer Bhawani in Kalhana’s Rajtarangini and Brigu Samhita.
  • Built by: The present structure of the spring, temple pond, and temple was established in the 1910s during the reign of Maharaja Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir, with further renovations undertaken by Maharaja Hari Singh.

Significance of Kheer Bhawani Temple and the Temple Festival

  • Prominent temple for Kashmiri Pandits: It is the most important temple for the Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir, known as the Kashmiri Pandits.
  • Belief of the sacred spring:  It is believed that the colour of the sacred spring water flowing beneath the temple here reflects the conditions in the Valley. 
  • Symbol of Communal harmony: Throughout the years, the Kheer Bhawani Mela has evolved into a symbol of communal harmony and fraternity in Kashmir. Example-Muslims also participate in the Kheer Bhawani mela, setting up stalls outside the temple to promote ‘Kashmiriyat’. 

Bump Stocks

The U.S.Supreme Court  declared  a federal ban on “bump stock” devices as unlawful. 

  • Bump stock devices were declared illegal in the United States following the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, in which 60 people were killed and 869 people injured.

Bump Stock Devices 

  • These are devices that allow a semiautomatic firearm to shoot more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger by harnessing the recoil energy of the semiautomatic firearm to which it is affixed so that the trigger resets and continues firing without additional physical manipulation of the trigger by the shooter.

 

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The Government has launched a Rs 2800 crore Digital Agri Mission as part of its agenda for the first 100 days.

About the Digital Agri Mission

The Digital Agri Mission aims to encourage and accelerate the use of digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, remote sensing, robots, and drones in agriculture.

Digital Agri Mission

    • The Mission will pave the way for creation of a nationwide farmers registry, crop sown registry, and georeferencing of village maps.
  • Timespan: It will be rolled out over the next two years (till 2025-26). 
  • Components of the Mission: 
    • Farmers Registry: To create a farmers’ registry, in which every farmer will be given a unique ID. Example- Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have already started generation of farmers’ ID.
      • Significance of Unique farmer ID:  The unique farmer ID will allow launch of new value-added services and farmers will be able to avail various government schemes including PM-Kisan and Fasal Bima Yojana through this ID. 
      • It will also enable them to avail financial services like farm loans and insurance.
    • Crop Sown Registry: The mission also envisages a crop sown registry. 
      • This will have a record of crops sown by a farmer on his land. 
      • It will help better planning and estimation of crop production.
    • India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA): The Department is finalising a framework for creating an “Agristack” in the country. This Agristack will serve as a foundation for building innovative agri-focused solutions using digital technologies. 
    • Unified Farmers Service Interface (UFSI): This aims to provide a unified platform for farmers to access various services related to weather, market prices, agro-advisory, and more.
    • Funding to States for New Technology (NeGPA): Funds are released to states and union territories for projects involving modern technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, IoT, and robotics.
    • Revamping Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC): Enhancing crop forecasting capabilities using technology.
    • Soil Health, Fertility, and Profile Mapping: Leveraging digital tools to assess soil health and fertility.
  • Pilot Projects: The pilot project has been undertaken across 6 districts — Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh, Beed in Maharashtra, Gandhinagar in Gujarat, Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab, and Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu.

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According to the NSSO survey, almost every second individual in India used the Ayush healthcare system.

  • It found that 46 percent of rural and 53 percent of urban individuals rely on this traditional medicine system.

About Ayush Healthcare System  

Ayush Healthcare System

  • Ayush healthcare system includes Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy.
  • Use of the Ayush system of medicines refers to the use/adoption of one or more of the system(s) of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homeopathy for treatment/cure of diseases/ailments or for prevention of diseases/ailments on the advice of a medical practitioner/instructor.
  • This will also include home-based remedies/self-medication/self-treatment used by a member of the household knowing the preventive or beneficial effects of the treatment/medication.

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About National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)

  • Established under: The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) was established under the Ministry of Statistics in 1950.
    • Notably, on 23rd May 2019, NSSO transformed into the National Statistical Office (NSO) following its merger with the Central Statistical Office (CSO). 
  • Ministry: The NSO is overseen by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MOSPI). 
  • Functions: 
    • The National Sample Survey Office(NSSO) headed by a Director General is responsible for conducting large scale sample surveys in diverse fields on an All India basis. 
    • Primarily data are collected through nation-wide household surveys on various socio-economic subjects, Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), etc. 
    • Besides these surveys, NSSO collects data on rural and urban prices and plays a significant role in the improvement of crop statistics through supervision of the area enumeration and crop estimation surveys of the State agencies. 
    • It also maintains a frame of urban area units for use in sample surveys in urban areas. 

First Exclusive All-India Survey on Ayush

  • The first exclusive all-India survey on Ayush was conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) from July 2022 to June 2023 as part of the 79th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS).
  • This survey covered the entire country, excluding a few inaccessible villages in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
  • The broad objectives of the survey were to collect information on:
    • Awareness of people about the traditional system of healthcare (Ayush system of medicine),
    • Uses of Ayush for prevention or treatment of ailments,
    • Awareness of the households about home remedies, medicinal plants, local health tradition/folk medicine.

Findings of the Survey

Ayush Healthcare System

  • Awareness: As per the study, approximately 95 per cent of rural and 96 per cent of urban respondents are aware of Ayush.
  • Coverage: At least one member is aware of medicinal plants/home remedies/local health traditions/folk medicine in about 85 percent of rural and 86 percent of urban households.
  • Most used medicine system: 
    • Ayurveda is the most commonly used system across rural and urban areas for treatment.
    • Ayush is predominantly used for rejuvenation and prevention measures.
  • Sampling Design for Ayush Survey: 
    • First-Stage Units (FSUs): The following were considered as FSU’s: 
      • Villages in rural areas
      • Urban frame survey (UFS) blocks in urban areas
      • Sub-units (SUs) of villages or UFS blocks
    • Ultimate Stage Units (USUs): The following are considered as USU’s: 
      • Households in both rural and urban sectors
      • Sampling Method:
  • Method used: Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR) was used for the selection of the FSUs as well as households from the chosen FSUs.

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The Digital Health Incentive Scheme (DHIS) has been extended for a year by the central Government.

  • The scheme was launched on January 1, 2023 and is now extended till June 30, 2025

The Digital Health Incentive Scheme (DHIS)

It is meant for digitising patients’ health records and linking them with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Account (ABHA ID).

  • Launched by: National Health Authority (NHA) 
  • Objective: 
    • To promote digital health transactions in the country and also provide a boost to the healthcare providers for adopting digital health.
    • To  incentivise providers of digital health solutions such as hospital’s health management information system (HMIS) and laboratory management information system (LMIS) to make available the right software at an affordable cost
  • Incentive Based: 
    • Government and private hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, diagnostic labs, and pharmacies are paid Rs 20 for each additional record they digitise, over and above the threshold of 100 transactions a month.
    • The scheme is applicable to both public and private hospitals and digital solution companies (DSCs) creating digital health records which can earn incentives up to Rs 4 crores.
      • Public Digital Solution Companies include companies such as National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), which provide eHospital and eSushrut solutions to government hospitals.
  • Significance:
    • Financial Incentive: To help hospitals reimburse their expenditure on digitising their facility which was reported to be a hindrance for hospitals to move to digital health.
    • Boosting Hospital Digital Infrastructure: The scheme is on the lines of the incentives given for promotion of UPI by incenivising Hospitals and clinics have to install computers and laptops, purchase an internet connection, and software (HMIS/LMIS) to go digital.
    • Ease for Patients: DHIS enables better healthcare services and more convenience for patients by enabling digital transactions in the form of reduced waiting time, avail quick OPD registrations by scanning  a QR code 
    • Streamline Healthcare Records: Patients can also securely view, access, and share their health records with the care providers specifically benefiting the migrant workers and patients travelling from one state to another

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Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Account (ABHA ID)

ABHA ID is a unique 14 digit identification identity for people, like an Aadhaar ID allowing one to store and share their medical records digitally. 

  • As per NHA, around 64 crore ABHA IDs have been created
  • The ID is linked to the digital framework of the hospitals, and all the patients records are linked to it. 
    • This ID can then be used to securely store, access, and share the healthcare records, such as doctor’s prescriptions, diagnostic test results.

 

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SEBI has proposed to the government to amend the Companies Act, 2013, to include donations made through social stock exchanges (SSEs) as part of CSR activities.

  • Objective: The proposal aims to integrate SSE contributions into Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mandates under the Companies Act.

About Social Stock Exchanges (SSEs)

  • Introduction:  It was Proposed by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the FY20 budget.
  • SSEs are platforms within stock exchanges where non-profit organizations focused on social welfare can list to raise funds.
  • Operational Platforms: Both BSE and NSE operate social stock exchanges
  • Current Listings: There are currently eight non-profit organizations listed on the NSE SSE, as stated by an NSE spokesperson.
  • The minimum donation through SSEs is ₹50 lakh, as per a SEBI notice.
  • Benefits 
    • SSES will give credibility and visibility to social enterprise
    • It will also help in increasing transparency and accountability in the social sector.
    • SSEs will allow donors to invest in social enterprises through zero coupon zero principal (ZCZP) securities. 
      • These securities will not provide any monetary returns, but they will allow donors to support the work of social enterprises.
    • SSEs will give donors more confidence that their donations are being used effectively.

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About Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

CSR is the idea that companies should evaluate and take responsibility for their impact on the environment and social welfare.

    • It promotes positive social and environmental change.
  • Main Types of CSR:
    • Environmental Responsibility
    • Ethical Responsibility
    • Philanthropic Responsibility
    • Economic Responsibility
  • Applicability under Companies Act 2013
    Criteria for Applicability: CSR provisions apply to companies with:

    • An annual turnover of ₹1,000 crore or more
    • A net worth of ₹500 crore or more
    • A net profit of ₹5 crore or more

Activities under CSR

Schedule VII of Companies Act 2013: Specifies major CSR activities, including:

  • Eradicating hunger, poverty, and malnutrition; promoting education and gender equality.
  • Combating AIDS, HIV, and other health disorders.
  • Ensuring environmental sustainability.
  • Protecting national heritage, art, and culture, including restoring historical buildings and sites.
  • Supporting armed forces veterans, war widows, and their dependents.
  • Training to promote rural sports, nationally recognized sports, paralympic sports, and Olympic sports.
  • Contributing to the PM’s National Relief Fund or other central government funds for socio-economic development and relief.

What are the Current CSR Rules?

  • CSR Spending Requirement: Companies must spend at least 2% of their average net profit over three years on social welfare activities listed in the Companies Act, 2013.
  • Eligible Donations: Currently, companies can donate to non-profit organizations outside of SSEs under their CSR activities but cannot use SSEs for this purpose.

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A recent study published in the Journal Nature suggests that Earth’s inner core began slowing its rotation in 2010, potentially altering the length of a day by fractions of a second.

USC Finds Inner Core Slowdown Since 2010, Impacting Earth’s Magnetic Field

Researchers from the University of Southern California analyzed seismic data and nuclear tests and provided “unambiguous evidence” of this slowdown, sparking debate on core dynamics and Earth’s rotation.

Earth's Inner Core

  • Reason for Slowing Down:
    • They observed a slowdown starting around 2010, possibly influenced by the outer core’s movements generating Earth’s magnetic field or gravitational forces.
  • Implications of Slowdown:
    • The inner core’s rotation is crucial in generating Earth’s magnetic field, which shields the planet from harmful solar radiation and influences geological processes.
    • Therefore, any changes in the inner core’s rotational speed could potentially impact Earth’s magnetic properties, possibly affecting geomagnetic events and natural conditions on the planet’s surface.

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Earth’s Inner Core

  • Composition and Structure: The Earth’s inner core is a solid sphere composed primarily of iron and nickel. It is roughly the size of the moon and situated over 4,500 kilometers beneath the Earth’s surface.
  • Layers of the Earth
    • Inner Core: Solid iron-nickel sphere.
    • Outer Core: Liquid layer generating the magnetic field.
    • Mantle: Viscous layer with convection currents driving plate tectonics.
    • Crust: Thin, solid outermost layer where life and geological activity occur.
  • Research and Study: Direct observation of the inner core is impossible. Instead, scientists study it by analyzing seismic waves produced by earthquakes and nuclear tests.
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A two weeks long Bonn Climate Change Conference was recently concluded with the release of an input paper on the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance.

  • The paper is likely to be developed into a formal negotiating draft that can be agreed upon at COP29 of UNFCCC in Baku, Azerbaijan.

A New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance

The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) is the increased Target for mobilizing climate finance upwards of $100 billion for the post 2025 period mandated by the Paris Agreement of 2015. The increased target, or the for the post-2025 period, is to be finalised this year in COP 29.

  • Bonn Meetings: Hosted a technical expert dialogue (TED10) to enable in-depth examination of the elements of the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance (NCQG) 
  • Demands and Suggestions: 
    • India Proposal: India has formally proposed that developed countries should commit themselves to providing at least $1 trillion every year after 2025.
    • Arab Countries: The Arab countries have said this figure should be at least $1.1 trillion. 
    • African countries have demanded $1.3 trillion.

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Climate Finance Architecture

  • Obligation and  Mobilisation: 
    • Mandate:  The UNFCCC and Paris Agreement in accordance with the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities” mandates the countries listed in Annexure 2 of UNFCCC ie. 25 countries and the European Economic Community as being responsible for providing climate finance to developing countries to fight climate change due to their Historical responsibility.
    • Mobilisation: The developed countries promised to mobilise $100 billion every year from 2020 towards this purpose.
    • Progress: An Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report  claimed that this $100 billion target had been met for the first time in 2022.
  • Need: 
    • Inadequate Financing:  As per an UNFCCC assessment, developing countries needed about $6 trillion between 2023 and 2030 just to implement their promised climate actions.
    • Facilitating Climate Actions: Financing Mechanism is needed for facilitating mitigation or adaptation works, for collecting and reporting climate data on a daily basis. Developing countries have a large capacity gap for this kind of work.
    • Adaptation needs: The developing countries require between $215 billion and $387 billion annually. 
    • Achieve Net Zero: The global transition to clean energy needed an investments of about $4.3 trillion every year till 2030, and about $5 trillion annually after that till 2050 to reach a global net zero status.
  • Challenges: 
    • Shifting responsibility: Developed countries are not enthusiastic about keeping their promise and is often seen to be shifting their responsibilities arguing that many other countries are now economically better off than in the early 1990s 
    • Burdensome: The developed countries argue the onerous nature of the  requirements that are too huge for the original group of listed countries to meet. 
    • Needs Inclusivity: China, the world’s second-largest economy, oil-rich Gulf countries, and others like South Korea are not part of Annexure 2 but are significant contributor to the climate change.
    • Cutting aid: Many rich nations have been cutting their aid budgets, citing fiscal pressures, even as developing countries struggle with debt that makes spending on climate action harder.
  • Way Forward:
    • Clarity on Climate Finance: Developing nations demand clarity on what constitutes climate finance, insisting that development finance should not be counted as climate finance and that funds should not be provided as loans.
    • Reflect new realities: Provision of climate finance needs to be extended beyond just developed countries to include certain well performing developing countries also to finance the climate goal and reflect ‘new economic realities.
    • Set mandates: Developed countries should collaborate,  set the mandates, raise resources, and define the authorising environment and policy priorities for development co-operation in their capacity as a donor governments.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The UNFCCC is the United Nations entity  established in 1992  tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change.  

  • Membership: The Convention has near universal membership of 198 Parties.
  • Parent Treaty: The Convention is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Agreement 1997 Kyoto Protocol
  • Paris Agreement:
  • The main aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep the global average temperature rise this century as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. 
  • The objective:  It is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system, in a time frame which allows ecosystems to adapt naturally and enables sustainable development.
  • The secretariat: It is located in Bonn, Germany.

 

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Climate Finance

Climate finance refers to local, national or transnational financing drawn from public, private and alternative sources of funding that seeks to support mitigation and adaptation actions which will address climate change.

  • The UN Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement call for financial assistance from Parties with more financial resources (developed countries)  to those that are less endowed and more vulnerable. 
  • Principle:  The funds are mobilised according to the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities” whereby developed countries are to provide financial resources to assist developing countries in implementing the objectives of the UNFCCC.
  • Supports: 
    • Mitigation: Large-scale investments are required to significantly reduce emissions. 
    • Adaptation: Significant financial resources are needed to adapt to the adverse effects and reduce the impacts of a changing climate
  • Financial Mechanisms:
    • Global Environment Facility (GEF): It  has served as an operating entity of the financial mechanism since the Convention’s entry into force in 1994.
    • Green Climate Fund (GCF)  established at COP 16, in 2010.
    • Funds: The Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) and the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), are managed by the GEF
      • The Adaptation Fund (AF) was established under the Kyoto Protocol in 2001.

 

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UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
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Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
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