{"id":131973,"date":"2024-09-13T19:47:51","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T14:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&p=131973"},"modified":"2024-09-16T14:46:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T09:16:20","slug":"news-in-shorts-13-september-2024","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/news-in-shorts-13-september-2024","title":{"rendered":"News In Shorts : 13 September 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Exercise AL NAJAH V<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Exercise<\/td>\n

Context: <\/b>The <\/span>Indian Army contingent<\/b> has departed for the <\/span>5th edition of Exercise AL NAJAH<\/b>, which will take place from <\/span>13th to 26th September 2024<\/b> at the Rabkoot Training Area in Salalah, <\/span>Oman.<\/b><\/p>\n

About Exercise AL NAJAH:<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Conducting between: <\/b>AL NAJAH is a <\/span>\u00a0Joint Military <\/b>exercise<\/span> between India and Oman.\u00a0<\/b>\n
      \n
    • This is the <\/span>fifth edition<\/b> of the exercise.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Purpose: <\/b>Exercise <\/span>AL NAJAH<\/b>,aims to <\/span>strengthen the joint military capabilities <\/b>of both the nations in <\/span>executing counter-terrorism operations under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Operational Environment: <\/b>This year the exercise will be based on operations in a <\/span>desert environment.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
    • Biennial Schedule: <\/b>Exercise AL NAJAH has been held <\/span>biennially since 2015.<\/b><\/li>\n
    • Previous Edition Location: <\/b>The last edition was <\/span>conducted at Mahajan, Rajasthan.<\/b><\/li>\n
    • Significance of this Exercise:<\/b> It will allow both sides to exchange best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures for joint operations.\u00a0<\/span>\n
        \n
      • It will <\/span>foster interoperability, goodwill and camaraderie<\/b> between the two armies.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Additionally, the joint exercise will <\/span>strengthen bilateral defence cooperation<\/b> between the two friendly nations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Other exercises between India and Oman:<\/b><\/p>\n

          \n
        • Navy exercise: <\/b>Naseem-Al-Bahr<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Air Force:<\/b> Eastern Bridge<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Industrial output grew 4.8% in July<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Industrial<\/td>\n

Context: <\/b>India\u2019s industrial output<\/span> grew 4.8% in July<\/b>, th<\/span>e second-slowest pace<\/b> in the financial year 2024-25, from an <\/span>upgraded 4.7% rise in June, <\/b>even as mining and electricity growth slowed, and non-consumer durables\u2019 production slipped by a sharp 4.4%, marking the third contraction in four months.<\/span><\/p>\n

About Industrial Production Index (IIP)<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  • The IIP is a <\/span>composite indicator<\/b> that measures the<\/span> short-term changes in the production volume<\/b> of various industrial products over a given period.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • \u00a0It tracks changes in the production volumes of <\/span>different industries<\/b>, including <\/span>manufacturing, mining, and electricity generation<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The IIP series in India has been<\/span> revised from time to time<\/b> by reviewing the coverage of items and industries and by improving to reflect adequately, the industrial growth and structure.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • When the index was commenced in India, the base year adopted was <\/span>1937 <\/b>and this was revised successively to<\/span> 1946, 1951, 1956, 1960, 1970, 1980-81, 1993-94, 2004-05<\/b> and recently to <\/span>2011-12<\/b><\/li>\n
  • Currently, the <\/span>base year of IIP is 2011-12<\/b>:\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Headline PMI (0 to 100): <\/b>A numerical representation of the overall business activity.<\/span>\n
      \n
    • PMI Above 50:<\/b> Indicates an <\/span>expansion<\/b> compared to the previous month. The higher the number above 50, the more significant the expansion.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • PMI Under 50:<\/b> Represents a <\/span>contraction<\/b>. The lower the number below 50, the more significant the contraction.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • PMI at 50:<\/b> Indicates<\/span> no change<\/b> in business activity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Weightage of Different Sectors<\/b>: It consists of <\/span>839 items<\/b> with the highest share of\u00a0 <\/span>Manufacturing items i.e 809<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>\n
        \n
      • Mining(29)<\/b>: 14.37 %<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Manufacturing (809<\/b>): 77.63 %<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Electricity(1):<\/b> 7.99 %<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Eight Core Sectors<\/b>\n
          \n
        • Comprising <\/span>40.27% of the weight <\/b>of items included in the Index of Industrial Production.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
        • The eight core sector industries in<\/span> decreasing order <\/b>of their weightage:<\/span> Refinery Products > Electricity > Steel > Coal > Crude Oil > Natural Gas > Cement > Fertilizers.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

ONDC launches Saarthi reference app<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"ONDC<\/td>\n

Context: <\/b>Open Network for Digital Commerce <\/span>(ONDC) recently launched Saarthi,<\/b> a reference application designed to<\/span> assist businesses <\/b>in creating their own <\/span>customised buyer-side apps<\/b>, co-developed with <\/span>Bhashini<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

About Saarthi<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Saarthi is a <\/span>reference application <\/b>developed by<\/span> ONDC <\/b>to <\/span>help businesses create customized buyer-side apps with multilingual capabilities.<\/b><\/li>\n
  • Collaboration: Developed in <\/span>collaboration with Bhashini,<\/b> an AI-driven language translation tool.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Language Support:<\/b><\/li>\n
  • \n
      \n
    • Initially supports<\/span> 5 languages<\/b>: Hindi, English, Marathi, Bangla, Tamil.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Plans to <\/span>expand to 22 languages<\/b> offered by <\/span>Bhashini<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      About Open Network Digital Commerce (ONDC)<\/b><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Open Network Digital Commerce (ONDC) is an<\/span> interoperable network<\/b> based on the <\/span>BeckN protocol <\/b>that anyone can <\/span>piggyback on<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
      • The ONDC entity, a not-for-profit company incorporated under<\/span> Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013,<\/b> manages and operates the ONDC Network.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • It is responsible for <\/span>building and maintaining the underlying infrastructure<\/b> (common registries and protocols) and <\/span>defining the rules <\/b>of engagement and <\/span>code of conduct <\/b>for the Network Participants through the<\/span> ONDC Network Policy <\/b>and the <\/span>ONDC Network Participant Agreement<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Seamless operations: It seeks to <\/span>break down silos in digital commerce<\/b> by enabling platforms of varying configurations (big or small) to <\/span>connect and operate seamlessly<\/b> on it.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Network Participants<\/b>: It comprises different entities called <\/span>Network Participants,<\/b> including <\/span>Buyer Applications, Seller Applications, and Gateways<\/b> that perform the search and discovery function<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Open \u00adnetwork model: <\/b>The government wants to <\/span>change the fundamental structure of the e-\u00adcommerce market <\/b>from the current <\/span>platform\u00ad-centric model to an open \u00adnetwork model<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        About Bhashini:<\/b><\/p>\n

          \n
        • Bhashini is a <\/span>National Language Technology Mission (NLTM)<\/b> that provides <\/span>language technology solutions<\/b> to make <\/span>digital services and products accessible to al<\/b>l Indians in their native languages.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Bhashini’s <\/span>services i<\/b>nclude:\u00a0<\/span>\n
            \n
          • Translation:<\/b> Bhashini uses artificial intelligence to translate services into 22 Indian languages in real time.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Voice-based access:<\/b> Bhashini provides voice-based access to digital services and the internet.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Content creation:<\/b> Bhashini helps create content in Indian languages.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Education and health:<\/b> Bhashini provides services for education and health.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • Bhashini was <\/span>launched by Prime Minister<\/b> Narendra Modi in <\/span>July 2022<\/b>. The name Bhashini stands for <\/span>Bhasha Interface for India<\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

PM addresses second International Conference on Green Hydrogen<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"PM<\/td>\n

Context: <\/b>Recently, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the International Conference on Green Hydrogen via video message.<\/span><\/p>\n

About International Conference on Green Hydrogen:<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  • The Government of India has organised an International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH-2024) on <\/span>11-13 September 2024 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Purpose: To discuss the<\/span> recent advances and upcoming technologies <\/b>across the entire Green Hydrogen value chain.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Participants:<\/b> Global scientific community and industry experts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    About Green Hydrogen:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

      \n
    • It is produced by<\/span> electrolysis of water <\/b>using<\/span> renewable energy<\/b> (like Solar, Wind) and has a<\/span> lower carbon footprint.<\/b><\/li>\n
    • Electricity splits water into <\/span>hydrogen and oxygen.<\/b><\/li>\n
    • By Products:<\/b> Water, Water Vapor.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \"PM<\/p>\n

      National Green Hydrogen Mission:<\/b><\/p>\n

        \n
      • The <\/span>Union Cabinet has approved <\/b>the National Green Hydrogen Mission in <\/span>Jan 2023.<\/b><\/li>\n
      • Budget Outlay: <\/span>Rs. 19,744 crore,<\/b> for various components.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Aims: To make India a<\/span> global hub for the production<\/b>, utilization, and <\/span>export<\/b> of green hydrogen and its derivatives. Sets export targets from 2027 onwards.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Central PSUs <\/b>like NTPC Ltd, NLC India Ltd. etc expected to establish capacity to generate green hydrogen at<\/span> commercial scale<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Proposes <\/span>viability gap funding, loans, grants<\/b> etc to support pilot projects in green hydrogen storage, fuel cell technology, applications in mobility etc.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Institutes <\/span>governing framework<\/b> for standards, regulations, testing protocols related to production, storage, transportation of green hydrogen.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Implementation: <\/span>Ministry of New & Renewable Energy<\/b><\/li>\n
      • Sub Schemes<\/b> under the National Green Hydrogen Mission:<\/span>\n
          \n
        • Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition Programme (SIGHT)<\/b>: It will fund the <\/span>domestic manufacturing <\/b>of electrolysers and produce green hydrogen.<\/span>\n
            \n
          • Aims to support<\/span> 4GW of domestic electrolyser manufacturing capacity<\/b> and assist production of <\/span>1 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • Green Hydrogen Hubs:<\/b> States and regions capable of<\/span> supporting large scale production<\/b> and\/or <\/span>utilization of hydrogen<\/b> will be identified and developed as<\/span> Green Hydrogen Hubs.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Salt Pans<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Salt<\/td>\n

Context<\/b>: The Centre approved transferring 256 acres of Mumbai\u2019s salt pan land to Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL) for building rental houses for slum dwellers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About Salt Pan Lands:<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  • They are parcels of<\/span> low-lying lands where seawater flows in at certain times,<\/b> and leaves behind salt and other minerals.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Formation:<\/b> These naturally occurring expanses of land which are covered with salt and minerals are formed <\/span>where large water bodies evaporate over thousands of years<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Ecological Sensitivity:<\/b> According to the <\/span>Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification of 2011<\/b>, the salt pans fall under <\/span>CRZ-1B category<\/b>, where <\/span>no economic activity is allowed <\/b>with the exception of salt extraction and natural gas exploration.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Scale:<\/b> In all, <\/span>5,378 acres of land in Mumbai<\/b> have been designated as salt pan lands.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Usage<\/b>: They can be used for water collection and salt production. They can also support huge biodiversity.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Significance of Salt Pan Lands:<\/b><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Flood Prevention:<\/b> Salt pans act as natural flood buffers by collecting rainwater and tidal flows, preventing flooding in areas like Vikhroli, Kanjurmarg, and Bhandup.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Climate Resilience:<\/b> They mitigated the impact of the 2005 Mumbai deluge, reducing damage in the eastern suburbs.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Environmental Protection:<\/b> Salt pans, along with mangroves, prevent urban flooding and support biodiversity, hosting various bird and insect species.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Sustainability Concerns:<\/b> Development over salt pans risks increased flooding and disregards the ecological balance and conservation needs of the city.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Inflation Under 4%<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

Context:<\/b> India’s retail inflation <\/span>stayed under the RBI’s median target of 4% <\/b>for the second successive month in August.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consumer Price Index (CPI) – Retail Inflation:<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Refers \u2192<\/b> Measures change in the retail price in the prices of commodities of <\/span>both<\/b> goods and services<\/b> with reference to a base year<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Measured by \u2192 National Statistics Office, <\/b>Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Types:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\n
      \n
    • CPI for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) \u2192 <\/b>By the Labour Bureau<\/span>\n
        \n
      • Base year \u2192 2016<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • CPI for Rural Laborers and Agricultural Laborers (CPI-AL&RL) \u2192<\/b> By the Labour Bureau<\/span>\n
          \n
        • Base year \u2192<\/b> 1986-87<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • CPI for Urban Non-Manual Employees (CPI-UNME) \u2192 <\/b>Discontinued<\/span><\/li>\n
        • New CPI\u00a0 \u2192<\/b> CPI (Rural), CPI (Urban) and CPI (Combined)<\/span>\n
            \n
          • Base Year \u2192 2012<\/b><\/li>\n
          • Compiled and Published by \u2192 <\/b>The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Wholesale Price Index (WPI):<\/b><\/p>\n

              \n
            • Refers \u2192<\/b> Measures the average change for bulk sale before the retail level<\/span>\n
                \n
              • Covers \u2192 Only goods<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
              • Base Year \u2192<\/b> 2011-12<\/b><\/li>\n
              • Compiled and Released by \u2192 Office of Economic Advisor, <\/b>Ministry of Commerce and Industry<\/span>\n
                  \n
                • Released on a<\/span> monthly basis<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                • Weights \u2192<\/b> Each covered commodity in the WPI basket<\/span>\n
                    \n
                  • Based on the value of production adjusted for net imports<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    About Base Effect:<\/b><\/p>\n

                      \n
                    • Refers \u2192 Comparison of impact of the rise in price level<\/b> in corresponding period of the previous year\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
                    • Impact \u2192 <\/b>Smaller rise in the Price Index \u2192 High rate of Current inflation and vice versa<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Ozone pollution slows tropical forest growth by halting carbon absorption<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Ozone<\/td>\n

Context: A <\/b>Study, published in <\/span>Nature Geoscience, reveals ozone pollution is hindering tropical forest growth.<\/b><\/p>\n

About the study on ozone pollution and tropical forests:<\/b><\/p>\n