23rd FEB, 2021

NEWS TODAY

VISIONIASMove comes ahead of a deadline set by Iran to stop intrusive checks of its sites unless US sanctions are lifted.

Under new agreement IAEA will retain necessary monitoring and verification for a period of up to three months.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other treaties against spread of nuclear weapons entrust IAEA as nuclear inspectorate.IAEA carries out following measures according to type of safeguards agreements in force with a State.

In 2018, US pulled out of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program, and reimposed sanctions on Iran.JCPOA was signed between Iran and P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, UK and US).

However, Iran will suspend implementation of Additional Protocol, signed along with JCOPA, which gives IAEA enhanced tools to carry out inspections.

NPT type Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements to verifying State reports of declared nuclear material and activities. It includes surveillance techniques that IAEA installs at facilities.Additional Protocol: Enable IAEA to verify non-diversion of declared nuclear material and to provide assurances as to absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in a State.

IRAN, INTERNATIONAL ATOMICENERGY AGENCY (IAEA) AGREETO NUCLEAR INSPECTION DEAL

Plan comes against the backdrop of government projecting India’s digital economy to grow to $1 trillion by 2025. Also, RBI’s norms on data localization have necessitated the need for data centres.

Data centre is a dedicated secure space within a building / centralized location where computing and networking equipment is concentrated for collecting, storing, processing, distributing or allowing access to large amounts of data.

Recently, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology drafted a Data Centre policy aimed at making India a Global Data Centre hub, promoting investment and to propel digital economy growth.

Types of Data centres include

Data localization refers to storing data on any device that is present within the borders of a country where data is generated.

Co-location data center- It is a large data center facility that rents out rack space to third-party clients for housing their servers or other network equipment.Edge data centers- Highly localised storage facilities, which can effectively cater to a building, an organisation’s internal clusters of machines as well as external machines with access to the internal network.

RELIANCE JIO PLANS TO SET UP NEAR $1 BN DATA CENTREIN UP

PRIME MINISTER (PM) PUSH FOR ‘AATMANIRBHAR’ DEFENCE SECTORHighlighting need for reducing import dependence for defence equipment, PM urged private sector to take steps in design and development for defence sector.

Challenges to achieve self-reliance

India has, for years, been among the world’s top 5 importers of defence equipment (Russia being largest supplier).Only about 30% of our equipments are domestically manufactured, mainly by public sector undertakings.

Lack of growth in defence modernisation and defence capabilities.Lack of capital expenditure on domestic production, and R&D.Skewed decision-making process, bureaucratic red-tape and multiple decision-making heads leading to inordinate delays in defence procurement.

Recent steps to boost domestic defence productionMinistry of Defence announced a list of 101 items, including weapons, platforms and equipments, for which there would be an embargo on import.Bifurcation of capital procurement budget between domestic and foreign procurements.A “Fund of Funds” worth Rs. 10,000 crore for start-ups and MSMEs in defence and aerospace sector.Draft Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 hiked Indigenous Content ratio in procurement.Establishment of Chief of Defence Staff post to bring uniformity in procurement process.

IAEA was set up in 1957 to promote safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. India is a founding member.Nuclear reactors in India are placed under IAEA safeguards only if they are fuelled by uranium procured from abroad. India currently imports uranium from Russia, Kazakhstan and Canada

Amendments in 2019

Removes this provision and states that the central government will notify the term of office for the CIC and the ICs

Salaries, allowances, and other terms and conditions of service of the central and state CIC and ICs will be determined by the central government.

Removes this provision.

CIC was established under RTI Act, 2005. It consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners (IC).

Plea contended that Right to Information (RTI) Amendment Act of 2019 and its Rules cripple Central Information Commission’s objectivity and independence.

Criticism of the Amendments: Dilutes the status of CICs, dilutes independence of CICs and ICs, encroaches upon the state jurisdiction etc.

SUPREME COURT DISPLEASED WITH GOVERNMENT NOTFILING REPLY TO PLEA CHALLENGING RTI ACT CHANGES

Under RTI Act, 2005

Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and ICs (at the central and state level) will hold office for a term of five years.

Salary of the CIC and ICs will be equivalent to the salary paid to Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, respectively.

At the time of appointment of CIC and ICs, if they are receiving pension or any other retirement benefits for previous government service, their salaries will be reduced by an amount equal to pension.

INDIA AND IAEA

Nature-based solutions, such as reforestation with native trees, restoration of degraded lands.

Reducing short-lived climate forcers such as black carbon, ground-level ozone and methane is one of the most effective options for slowing the rate of global warming in the near term.

Transforming economic and financial systems. E.g. incorporate full natural capital accounting into their decision-making.

Setting ambitious international targetsfor biodiversity, such as expanded and improved protected area networks.

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GESTIO

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VISIONIASALSO IN NEWS

India signs defence and trade agreements with

Mauritius

Draft guidelines for influencer advertising

Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of

Traditional Industries (SFURTI)

Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM).

Kala Namak rice

Kutia Kondhs

Mandovi river

Key agreements signed:

Advertising Standards Council of India has released draft guidelines to enable consumers to easily recognise promotional content on digital platforms.

Recently, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises inaugurated 50 artisan-based SFURTI clusters spread over 18 States.SFURTI is to organize traditional industries and artisans into clusters to make them competitive and provide support for their long term sustainability, sustained employment, to enhance marketability of product etc.

Recently, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two successful launch of indigenously designed and developed VL-SRSAM.Developed for Indian Navy, VL-SRSAM is meant for neutralizing various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets.

SFURTI clusters are of two types:

It is highly resistant to rice diseases such as panicle blast, stem rot and brown spot. Water requirement is also low compared to Basmati.

It is a non-basmati scented rice variety grown primarily in tarai region of UP, is so named because its husk is black.

It originates at Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, Belagavi (Karnatka) and flows westward into Goa. It joins the Arabian Sea at Panaji.Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa are entrapped in inter-state river water dispute over this river.

To boost farm exports, UP will export this rice to Singapore.

Challenges faced: Hunger, illiteracy; lack of access to schools, health, nutrition, land ownership; lack of institutional credit and access to NTFPs.

They practice the shifting cultivation and collection and sale of non-timber forest produce.

They are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Kalahandi, Odisha.

It is also known as 'Buddha ka Mahaprasad' (an offering to Lord Buddha).It has been rebranded as Buddha Rice in order to promote it in Buddhist countries.

Also known as Mahadayi river, its 2/3rd basin lies in Goa and remaining in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Mandovi is one of the few sweet-water sources in Goa.

UN ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP) RELEASED MAKING PEACE WITH NATURE REPORTReport explains how three interconnected planetary crises- climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution- put the well-being of current and future generations at unacceptable risk.Key highlights

Over the last 50 years, human population has more than doubled, and extraction of materials, production of primary energy etc. have all more than tripled.

Environmental decline is eroding progress towards Sustainable Development Goals including ending poverty and hunger, providing clean water and sanitation, reducing inequalities etc.10% of World’s forests area has been lost through conversions to other land uses since 1990.Wetlands (remaining only 15%) are the most transformed and degraded ecosystem type.60% of fish stocks are fished at maximum sustainable yield and only 7% are underexploited.Marine plastics pollution has increased tenfold since 1980, constituting 60–80% of marine debris.

None of the global goals for protection of life on Earth have been fully met, including those in strategic plan for biodiversity 2011–2020 and its Aichi biodiversity targets.One million of the world’s estimated 8 million species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction.

Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA), India’s first such agreement with an African country.

Nature of labelling has been specified for various digital media channels such as Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Influencer marketing is a strategy that businesses use to promote their products and services by partnering with popular social media users or bloggers.

These influencers can influence people’s opinions and decisions.It is currently estimated at $75 million-$150 million.

Regular Cluster (500 artisans) with Government assistance of up to Rs.2.5 croreMajor Cluster (more than 500 artisans) with Government assistance up to Rs.5 crore.

Families are mostly nuclear and patriarchal. Adolescent females live separately at ‘youth dormitories’.

$100 million Defence Line of Credit to enable the procurement of defence assets from India.

Under CECPA, India and Mauritius would provide preferential access to a number of items like surgical equipment, medicine, and textile product.