UPSC NEWS DIARY FOR TODAY (25 August, 2022) | DAY LONG CURRENT AFFAIRS DIGEST FOR UPSC

”UPSC News Diary For Today” is every day published in the evening between 6-7 PM and contains all current affairs articles from the day on a single platform. ”UPSC News Diary For Today” covers various topics from UPSC Syllabus and is very helpful and time managing for UPSC Aspirants. The framing of this daily current affairs compilation article is easy to read and understandable also.

In the ”UPSC News Diary For Today” article, we focus on both UPSC Preliminary and Mains exam-oriented current affairs & prepare a gist of daily important news articles from leading National Newspapers, PIB, and other various official sources.

Yakshagana

• Yakshagana is a traditional folk dance form popular in Coastal Karnataka districts.
• A trip to the coastal belt would be incomplete without watching the Yakshagana – an elaborate dance-drama performance unique to Karnataka.
• It is a rare combination of dance, music, song, scholarly dialogues and colourful costumes.
• A celestial world unfolds before the audience, as loud singing and drumming form a backdrop to dancers clad in striking costumes. Hence the name Yaksha (celestial) Gana (music).
• This is a night-long event, with elaborately adorned performers dancing to the beat of drums in open-air theatres – usually in the village paddy fields after the winter crop has been harvested.

• Traditionally, men portray all roles, including the female ones, though women are now part of Yakshagana troupes.
• A typical troupe consists of 15 to 20 actors and a Bhagavatha, who is the master of ceremonies and the main storyteller.
• The performances draw crowds from far and wide, with a fair-ground atmosphere pervading the venue till dawn.

Why Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022?

• The Indian Competition Act was passed in 2002, but it came into effect only seven years later.
• The Competition Commission primarily pursues three issues of anti-competitive practices in the market: anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominance and combinations.
• As the dynamics of the market changes rapidly due to technological advancements, artificial intelligence, and the increasing importance of factors other than price, amendments became necessary to sustain and promote market competition.
• Therefore, a review committee was established in 2019 which proposed several major amendments. The long-awaited Bill to amend the Competition Act, 2002, was finally tabled in the Lok Sabha recently.

India Wind Energy Market Outlook 2026

Why in news?

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and MEC Intelligence (MEC+) have launched “Renewing wind growth to power the energy transition: India Wind Energy Market Outlook 2026.

Key Points

• As part of its transition away from fossil fuels, India has committed to sourcing half its electricity in 2030 from non-fossil fuel sources and installing 60 gigawatts (GW, or 1000 MW) of wind power by 2022. So far, only 40 GW of wind power capacity has been established.
• Wind power constituted the majority of the renewable energy mix in India, with 37.7% of cumulative installed capacity, as of March 2022.
• However, the overall estimated potential dwarfs the current installed capacity.  There is over 600 GW of onshore capacity at 120m hub height, with another 174 GW of fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind potential.
• These statistics demonstrate that there is a huge untapped wind energy potential that will be crucial for advancing the country’s clean energy transition.
• Wind energy could help India add 23.7 GW of clean capacity by 2026 with the right state and national support.

Heading the G20 and New Delhi’s Choices

Heading the G20 and New Delhi’s Choices- Relevance for UPSC Exam

• GS Paper 2: International Relations- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Heading the G20 and New Delhi’s Choices

• In about three months, India will assume for the first time the Group of 20 (G20) year-long presidency from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023, culminating with the G20 Summit in India in 2023.

India hosting G20 Summit 2023

• G20 Summit 2023 in India will be hosted as the culmination of India’s G20 Presidency (from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023).
• The subsequent months will witness India hosting over 200 meetings with hundreds of ministers, officials, diplomats, businessmen, non-governmental organisations, working groups, and engagement groups of the G20 composed of 19 powerful economies and the European Union (EU).
• India has hosted large international conferences such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in 1983 and the Third India-Africa Forum summit in 2015. But nothing compares with hosting the G20.

Importance of G20

• G20 is the world’s informal steering directorate on global economic issues. G20 entails the responsibility of shaping decision-making on key challenges facing the world today.
  • G20 summit is preceded by a large quantum of preparatory deliberations that feed into the final outcome.
• The G20 membership represents nearly 90% of the world’s GDP, 80% of global trade, and 67% of the planet’s population.
• It is an advisory body, not a treaty-based forum and, therefore, its decisions are recommendations to its own members.
• The weight of this powerful membership carries enormous political and economic influence.
• The representation of the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, and other multilateral institutions in it makes the G20 an incomparable body.

Contemporary Challenges Faced by G20 Grouping

• Even present chair Indonesia is facing following challenges leading to 2022 Bali summit (in November) where all G20 leaders may not be sitting physically in the same room.
  • Disastrous impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic,
  • War in Ukraine,
  • India-China border tensions,
  • EU/U.S.-Russia hostility, and
  • Deteriorating U.S.-China relations
• At G20 Summit 2023, India’s mission will be not only to save the G20 but also the future of multilateral cooperation in diverse domains of the grouping’s multi-dimensional agenda.
  • The outcome in Bali will affect the Delhi summit.
  • Indian officials are thus carefully planning their strategy as the burden and the prestige of the presidency are bestowed on India.

Heading the G20 and New Delhi’s Choices

As a president and host of G20 Grouping, India is guided by the triple motivation of promoting India’s national interest, leaving its mark on the G20, and maintaining its primacy as an effective instrument of global governance.

• Promoting Brand India: G20 presidency offers a unique branding opportunity for India’s recent achievements, including the ability to combat COVID-19 effectively at home and abroad through vaccine aid and diplomacy. Other major achievements are-
  • India’s digital revolution,
  • Its steady progress in switching to renewables,
  • Meeting its targets to counter climate change, and
  • Its push for self-reliance in manufacturing and reshaping global value chains.
  • New trends in entrepreneurship, business innovation, the rise of many start-ups as unicorns, and gender progress.
• It can also be utilised to transform India’s sub-optimal physical infrastructure to create an attractive investment and tourism destination, especially as several important G20 meetings will be hosted outside Delhi.
• Asserting Leadership of Global South: four democracies on the path to becoming powerful economic players — Indonesia, India, Brazil, and South Africa — hold the presidency from December 2021 to November 2025.
  • This offers a rare opportunity for synergy and solidarity to advance the interests of the developing world and to assert their combined leadership of the Global South.
• Promoting IBSA: An exceptional coincidence is that all three members of IBSA- India, Brazil, and South Africa- will hold the G20 presidency consecutively in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
  • IBSA needs an urgent rejuvenation by convening an informal meeting of its top leaders, perhaps on the sidelines of the Bali summit to develop a cohesive plan to project the priority concerns of the Global South.
• Projecting India as a Chief Global Diplomat: As the G20 president, India will be obliged to take a broader view of the G20 agenda to synthesise divergent interests of all constituents of the forum:
  • Five permanent members of the UN Security Council,
  • The developed world united under the flag of the G7,
  • Five members of BRICS, and
  • Other G20 members such as Argentina and Mexico.
• Including the Interests of Non-G20 Members: As the president and host, India should factor in the perspectives of countries not represented in the G20.
  • India will advocate an inclusive approach, with pragmatic and human-centric solutions to global issues.
  • An important aim should be to end Africa’s marginalisation by elevating the African Union (AU) from permanent observer to a full-fledged member of the G20, thus placing it on a par with the EU.

Conclusion

• India should combine an India-focused view, promote the vital interests of the Global South, and demonstrate diplomatic acumen to communicate with and reconcile the viewpoints of rival and adversarial power centres such as the West, Russia, and China.

G-20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting 2022

Tomato Flu

Tomato Flu- Relevance for UPSC Exam

• GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to: Health.

Tomato Flu in News

• Recently, cases of Tomato Flu reported from at least four states — Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Odisha.
• In this context, the Union Health Ministry issued a set of guidelines on prevention, testing, and treatment of the Tomato Flue infection.

What is Tomato Flu?

• About: Tomato flu or tomato fever is characterised by fever, joint pain, and red, tomato-like rashes usually seen in children below the age of five years.
  • Tomato Flue is accompanied by other symptoms of viral fevers such as diarrhoea, dehydration, nausea and vomiting, and fatigue.
• Symptoms: The red “tomato” rashes were traditionally restricted to the mouth (tongue, gums, and inside of the cheek), palms, and soles.
  • However, now doctors are also reporting rashes on the buttocks, and a shedding of nails.
• Causes: researchers believe that it is hand-foot-and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by a group of enteroviruses (viruses transmitted through the intestine) like Coxsackievirus A-6 and A-16.
  • Another pathogen — Enterovirus71 — that also causes the disease. However, this one is not very prevalent now.
• Impacts: In almost all cases, say 99.9% cases, the disease is self-limiting. But, in a small number of cases it can lead to CNS (central nervous system) complications.

Treatment for Tomato Flu

• There is no specific treatment or vaccine available for the Tomato Flu Disease.
• Those with the Tomato Flu infection are treated symptomatically, such as prescription of paracetamol for fever.

Prevention of Tomato Flu- Centre’s Advisory to States

As it happens mainly in children, the Centre’s advisory to states that was issued focuses on preventions in these age groups.

• As per the advisory, anyone suspected to have the infection should remain in isolation for five to seven days after the onset of the symptoms.
• It states that children must be educated about the infection and asked not to hug or touch other children with fever or rashes.
• The children should be encouraged to maintain hygiene, stop thumb or finger sucking, and use a handkerchief for a running nose, the advisory states.
• If a child develops symptoms, they should be isolated, their utensils, clothing, and bedding must be regularly sanitised, they must be kept hydrated, and the blisters must be cleaned using warm water
• It also states that testing should be conducted to take measures if there is an outbreak.
  • Any respiratory, faecal, or cerebrospinal fluid samples (in cases with encephalitis or inflammation of the brain) have to be collected within 48 hours of illness.
  • The biopsy of the lesions or skin scraping samples does not have such time limits.

Forever Chemicals: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAs)

National Gopal Ratna Awards

National Gopal Ratna Awards- Relevance for UPSC Exam

• GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges
  • Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

National Gopal Ratna Awards in News

• Recently, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying invited applications for National Gopal Ratna Awards during 2022.
• The National Gopal Ratna awards are to be conferred on the occasion of National Milk Day (26^thNov, 2022).

National Gopal Ratna Awards

• About: The “Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM)”, was launched in December 2014 for the first time in the country, with a view to conserve and develops indigenous bovine breeds in a scientific manner.
• Objective: National Gopal Ratna Awards are conferred under Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) with an objective to encourage the Milk producing farmer, individuals working in this sector, and Dairy cooperative societies who provide market access to the milk producers.
• Concerned Ministry: National Gopal Ratna Awards are conferred by the , Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• Online Application: Eligible candidates can apply online through the National Award portal i.e., https://awards.gov.in from 01.08.2022 onwards.
  • The closing date for the submission of applications is 09.2022.

National Gopal Ratna Awards Categories

National Gopal Ratna Award during 2022 in the following categories:

• Best Dairy farmer rearing indigenous cattle/buffalo breeds (list of registered breeds annexed)
• Best Artificial Insemination Technician (AIT)
• Best Dairy Cooperative Society/ Milk producer Company/ Dairy Farmer Producer Organisation.

National Gopal Ratna Awards

The National Gopal Ratna Award consists of a Certificate of merit, a memento, and amount in each category as under:

• 5,00,000/-(Rupee five lakh only) -1st rank
• 3,00,000/- (Rupee three lakh only) -2nd rank and
• 2,00,000/- (Rupee two lakh only) -3rd rank

Government’s Efforts to Develop and Conserve Indigenous Bovine Breeds

• Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying is making many efforts for the effective development of the Animal Husbandry and Dairy sector to provide sustainable livelihood to the farmers.
• Indigenous bovine breeds of India are robust and possess the genetic potential to play a crucial role in the national economy.
• Government has also launched schemes like Rashtriya Gokul Mission (Gokul Grams) for scientific development and Conservation of the indigenous bovine breeds

Rashtriya Gokul Mission

• About: The Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) is being implemented for development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds since December 2014.
  • RGM is also continued under umbrella scheme Rashtriya Pashudhan Vikas Yojna from 2021 to 2026 with a budget outlay of Rs.2400 crore.
• Significance: Rashtriya Gokul Mission is important in-
  • Enhancing milk production and productivity of bovines to meet growing demand of milk and
  • Making dairying more remunerative to the rural farmers of the country.
• Funding: All the components of Scheme will be implemented on 100% grant-in-aid basis except the components of-
  • Accelerated breed improvement programme under the component subsidy of Rs 5000 per IVF pregnancy will be made available to participating farmers as GoI share;
  • Promoting sex sorted semen under the component subsidy upto 50% of the cost of sex sorted semen will be made available to participating farmers and
  • Establishment of breed multiplication farm under the component subsidy upto 50% of the capital cost maximum upto Rs.2.00 crore of the project will be made available to entrepreneur.
• Objectives:
  • To enhance productivity of bovines and increasing milk production in a sustainable manner using advance technologies.
  • To propagate use of high genetic merit bulls for breeding purposes.
  • To enhance Artificial insemination coverage through strengthening the breeding network and delivery of Artificial insemination services at farmers’ doorstep.
  • To promote indigenous cattle & buffalo rearing and conservation in a scientific and holistic manner.

E-GOPALA Portal

Rashtriya Gokul Mission | Gokul Grams

Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile

Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile- Relevance for UPSC Exam

General Studies III- Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

In News

The indigenously-developed ship-borne weapon system, Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM), was successfully flight tested by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Indian Navy off the Chandipur coast in Odisha.

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

• VL-SRSAM has been designed and developed jointly by three facilities of the Defense Research and Development Organization for deployment of Indian Naval warships.
• The key DRDO facilities that contributed to the development of the system are Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Research Centre Imarat (RCI), both from Hyderabad, and Research & Development Establishment (Engineers) based in Pune.
• The missile has the capability of neutralizing various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets.
• The tactic of sea skimming is used by various anti-ship missiles and some fighter jets to avoid being detected by the radars onboard warships and thus, these assets fly as close as possible to sea surface and thus are difficult to detect and neutralize.

The design of VL-SRSAM

• The missile has been designed to strike at the high-speed airborne targets at the range of 40 to 50 km and at an altitude of around 15 km.
• Its design is based on Astra missile which is a Beyond Visual Range Air to Air missile.
• Two key features of the VL-SRSAM are cruciform wings and thrust vectoring.
• The cruciform wings are four small wings arranged like a cross on four sides and give the projective a stable aerodynamic posture. The thrust vectoring is an ability to change the direction of the thrust from its engine controlling the angular velocity and the attitude of the missile.
• VL-SRSAM is a canisterised system, which means it is stored and operated from specially designed compartments.
• In the canister, the inside environment is controlled, thus making its transport and storage easier and improving the shelf life of weapons.

Significance

• In Naval warfare, a warship has to employ various defense mechanisms to protect itself from anti-ship missiles and adversary aircraft.
• One of the age-old methods is chaffs — which is a countermeasure technology used worldwide to protect naval ships from enemy’s radar and Radio Frequency (RF) missile seekers.
• Another method is deploying missiles to counter Anti-Ship missiles. These systems have to have a swift detection mechanism, quick response, high speed and high manoeuvrability.
• The VL-SRSAM claims to have all these qualities.

Overseas Investment Rules

Overseas Investment Rules- Relevance for UPSC Exam

General Studies III- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

In News

The Finance Ministry has released the Rules for Foreign Exchange Management (Overseas Investment Rules), 2022 subsuming extant regulations for Overseas Investments and Acquisition and Transfer of Immovable Property outside India Regulations, 2015.

The news Overseas Investment Rules

• With an eye on wilful defaulters, the new rules says that -Any Indian resident will have to seek an no objection certificate before making any overseas financial commitment:

1. Who has an account appearing as a non-performing asset
2. Or is classified as a wilful defaulter by any bank

• Or is under investigation by a financial service regulator or by investigative agencies in India.

Changes in overseas investment norms

• Any resident in India acquiring equity capital in a foreign entity or overseas direct investment (ODI), will have to submit an Annual Performance Report (APR) for each foreign entity, every year by December 31.
• No such reporting shall be required where a person resident in India is holding less than 10% of the equity capital without control in the foreign entity.
• No other financial commitment other than equity capital or a foreign entity is under liquidation.

Ceiling on investment

• Any resident individual can make ODI by way of investment in equity capital or overseas portfolio investment (OPI) subject to the overall ceiling under the Liberalized Remittance Scheme (LRS) of the Reserve Bank.
• Currently, the LRS permits $2,50,000 outward investment by an individual in a year.
• These norms make it easier for domestic corporates to invest abroad.

Prohibitions

• Any Indian resident, who has been classified as a willful defaulter or is under investigation by the CBI, the ED or the Serious Frauds Investigation Office (SFIO), will have to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC).
• NOC can be obtained from his or her bank, regulatory body or investigative agency before making any overseas “financial commitment” or disinvestment of overseas assets.
• The rules also provide that if lenders, the concerned regulatory body or investigative agency fail to furnish the NOC within 60 days of receiving an application, it may be presumed that they have no objection to the proposed transaction.
• Additionally, the new rules also prohibit Indian residents from making investments into foreign entities that are engaged in real estate activity, gambling in any form, and dealing with financial products linked to the Indian rupee without the specific approval of the RBI.

Benami Law

Benami Law- Relevance for UPSC Exam

General Studies III- Money Laundering and its prevention.

In News

The Supreme Court has declared as “unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary” the amendments introduced to the Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988 in 2016, which apply retrospectively and can send a person to prison for three years even as it empowers the Centre to confiscate “any property” subject to a benami transaction.

What is Benami Property?

• Benami in Hindi means without name.
• So, a property bought by an individual not under his or her name is benami property which can include property held in the name of spouse or child for which the amount is paid out of known sources of income.
• A joint property with brother, sister or other relatives for which the amount is paid out of known sources of income also falls under benami property.
• The transaction involved in the same is called Benami transaction.
• The benami transactions include buying assets of any kind — movable, immovable, tangible, intangible, any right or interest, or legal documents.

What is the Benami Law?

• The first act against benami properties was passed in 1988 as the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988.
• To block all loopholes, the government in July 2016 decided to amend the original act.
• So, after further amendment, Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016 came into force on November 1, 2016.
• The PBPT Act defines benami transactions, prohibits them and further provides that violation of the PBPT Act is punishable with imprisonment and fine.
• The PBPT Act prohibits recovery of the property held benami from Benamidar by the real owner. Such, properties are liable for confiscation by the Government without payment of compensation.

The Amendments

• The 2016 law amended the original Benami Act of 1988, expanding it to 72 Sections from a mere nine.
• Sections 3(2) and 5 were introduced through the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016.
• A Bench, led by CJI N.V. Ramana, declared Sections 3(2) and 5 introduced through this amendment as unconstitutional.

Section 3(2)

• According to this, a person can be sent behind bars for a benami transaction entered into 28 years before the Section even came into existence.
• CJI Ramana held that the provision violated Article 20(1) of the Constitution. Article 20(1) mandates that no person should be convicted of an offence, which was not in force “at the time of the commission of the act charged as an offence”.

Section 5

• It said that “any benami property shall be liable to be confiscated by the Central Government”.
• The court held that this confiscation provision cannot be applied retrospectively.
• The CJI dismissed the government’s version that forfeiture, acquisition and confiscation of property under the 2016 Act was not in the nature of prosecution and cannot be restricted under Article 20.

Need to curb benami transactions

• Rather than hoarding the black money in cash, the tax evader invests their accumulated illegal money in buying benami properties
• The whole process affects the revenue generation of government hampering growth and development of the state.
• Since the percentage of tax payer in the country is a dismal low, the government fails to successfully implement its policies and schemes due to lack of resources.
• Benami transactions also serves the illicit purpose of money laundering.

Way Forward

• Due process of law needs to be followed in true letter and spirit while enacting a tough law against benami properties which is the need of the hour to check corruption.

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