Daily Current Affairs for UPSC Exam 16 December 2022

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC 16 December

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC: Daily Current Affairs for UPSC article covers important articles of the day which is important for various competitive exams like UPSC, State PCS, SSC and various Bank Exams.

5-G Forest Reform

5-G Forest Reform in News

The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has taken various reform/initiatives for securing forest for growth and livelihood.
Information was given by the Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

5-G Forest Reform

Wood Based Industries (Establishment and Regulation) Guidelines, 2016

The Ministry has issued Wood Based Industries (Establishment and Regulation) Guidelines, 2016 and amendment dated 11th September 2017 to decentralize the regulatory processes concerning the wood based industries for the development of the sector in the country.

Amendment to the Indian Forest Act, 1927

To promote cultivation of bamboo in non-forest areas and to achieve the objective of increasing the income of farmers and green cover outside forest area, the Ministry has amended the Indian Forest Act, 1927 to exempt Bamboo grown in non- forest area from definition of tree, and thereby doing away with the requirement of felling/transit permit for its transport and economic use.

National Transit Pass System

For seamless movement of timber, bamboo and other minor forest produce, the Ministry has also launched National Transit Pass System on pilot basis for issue of online transit permits.
This system will help in monitoring and keeping records of movement of timber and issue of transit permits for inter-state and intra-state transportation of timber and bamboo and other minor forest produce from private lands/ government/private depot.

PARIVESH portal

The Ministry has developed web based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications PARIVESH portal (Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive Virtuous and Environmental Single-window Hub).
PARIVESH portal is a single-window integrated forest and environmental management system for online submission and monitoring of the proposals submitted by the proponents for seeking Environment, Forest, Wildlife and Coastal Regulation Zone clearances from Central Government.
It is a GIS based system and analytics platform that provides information to various stakeholders using Decision Support System functionality.

E-Green Watch portal

Further, e-Green Watch portal of the Ministry is an advanced technology based platform designed to facilitate automation, streamlining and effective management of processes related to plantations and other forestry works taken up under CAMPA fund.
Forest Survey of India (FSI) carries out analysis of geo-spatial data (polygons) of various plantations uploaded by the State Forest Departments on e-Green Watch portal for accuracy of location, area and year of plantation.

Van Agni Geo-portal

Forest Survey of India has also developed Van Agni Geo-portal to provide user-friendly interactive viewing of the forest fire related data for continuous monitoring and tracking of large forest fires in near real-time basis.
Van Agni Geo-portal serves as a single point source for the information related to forest fires in India.

New Age Museums

New Age Museums in News

Recently, Minister of Culture, Tourism informed that Ministry of Culture operates Museum Grant Scheme (MGS) and Scheme for Promotion of Culture of Science for establishment of New Age Museums.

Various Initiatives for Development of New Age Museums

Important Scheme: Ministry of Culture operates two schemes namely-
- Museum Grant Scheme (MGS) for establishment of Museums and
- Scheme for Promotion of Culture of Science (SPoCS) for establishment of Science Cities/Science Centres/Innovation Hubs.
Key Objectives: These schemes aim to provide financial assistance to State Governments, Societies, Autonomous bodies, Local Bodies, Public Sector Undertakings and Trusts registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
- The funds are to be utilized for establishment/development and create a congenial spatial setting for diverse exhibitions, galleries and visitors’ amenities, digitization, etc. in the Museums and Science Cities/Science Centres/Innovation Hubs.

Other Initiatives to Build Museums

Archaeological Experiential Museum Building: It is being established at Vadnagar, Gujarat with a Project Cost of Rs.212.1 Cr.
- This Museum is being developed with an aim to showcase and create an awareness of the unique history of Vadnagar which has its roots laid before 3 rd Century BC and demonstrates an uninterrupted continuum of human habitation for more than 2500 years.
- The project is envisaged to house inter-alia a state-of-the-Art Archaeological Experiential Museum to showcase recovered antiquarian material as well as audio-visual galleries to recreate past history and display the wealth of ancient wisdom of Vadnagar.
Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya: a Museum showcasing the life and legacy of all Prime Ministers of our country has been inaugurated on 14th April, 2022.
- It is a state of art museum using Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Holographic Projections to present the life and works of the Prime Ministers of India.

Foreign Satellites Launched by ISRO

Foreign Satellites Launched by ISRO in News

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology informed that ISRO through its commercial arms has successfully launched 177 foreign satellites belonging to 19 countries during the last five years.

Foreign Satellite Launch by ISRO

Client Countries: From January 2018 to November 2022, ISRO has successfully launched 177 foreign satellites belonging to countries like Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and USA, on-board PSLV and GSLV-Mk III launchers under commercial agreement.
Revenue Generated: Forex generated through launching of these 177 foreign satellites from January 2018 to November 2022 is approximately 94 million USD and 46 million Euro.

IN-SPACe

IN-SPACe is a single-window agency for the promotion and handholding of Non-Government Entities in conducting end-to-end space activities.
IN-SPACe has resulted in a remarkable interest in the Start-up community, with 111 space-startups registered, as on date, on the IN-SPACe digital platform.

National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC)

NMSKCC in News

Information about National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC) was given by the Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC)

About: National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC), implemented by the Department of Science and Technology, under the NAPCC promotes research, knowledge generation and capacity building relating to climate science.
Mandate: The National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change mission has been revised to align its objectives and priorities with the commitments of the country.
There are focused research and development (R&D) programmes in climate change science and adaptation which are carried out through-
- Twelve Centres of Excellence (CoE),
- Twenty three major R & D programmes;
- Seven Network Programmes and
- Seven capacity building programmes.
Thirteen Climate Change centers/ cells have been set up in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana to carry activities that connect their state action plans on climate change with NMSKCC priorities of action.

India’s Updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)

Background: At Glasgow Summit (COP 26 of UNFCCC), Indian Prime Minister had announced intensifying India’s climate action through five targets termed as “Panchamrit”.
- This update to India’s existing NDC translates the ‘Panchamrit’ announced at COP 26 into enhanced climate targets.
Updated NDC (Panchamrit): In order to curb the climate change, India aims to-
- Reach non-fossil energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030,
- Meet 50% of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030.
- Reduce total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonne
- Reduce carbon intensity of the economy to less than 45% by 2030 and
- Achieve net zero carbon emission by 2070.
Implementation: India’s updated NDC will be implemented over the period 2021-2030 through programs and schemes of relevant Ministries /departments and with due support from States and Union Territories.
Significance: The updated NDC seeks to enhance India’s contributions towards achievement of the strengthening of global response to the threat of climate change, as agreed under the Paris Agreement.
- Such action will also help India usher in low emissions growth pathways.
- It would protect the interests of the country and safeguard its future development needs based on the principles and provisions of the UNFCCC.
- The updated NDC also represents the framework for India’s transition to cleaner energy for the period 2021-2030.