1. PM Modi launched ‘Call Before u Dig’ app
Tags: National National News
The Prime Minister on 22 March launched the ‘Call Before u Dig’ (CBuD) app, to tackle Uncoordinated digging and excavation.
An overview of the news
The mobile application is an initiative of the Department of Telecom, Ministry of Communications.
It aims to prevent damage to underlying assets such as optical fiber cables, which is caused by unorganized quarrying and mining, which leads to a loss of about Rs 3,000 crore every year.
This will save potential business losses due to lesser disruption of essential services like road, telecom, water, gas and electricity and reduce the inconvenience caused to citizens.
The app will connect excavators and property owners so that planned excavation can be carried out in the country while ensuring the safety of underground assets.
Significance
The App will save potential business loss and minimise discomfort to the citizens due to reduced disruption in essential services like road, telecom, water, gas and electricity.
2. AFSPA removed from most areas of North Eastern states
Tags: National National News
Centre has decided to further reduce the jurisdiction of ‘disturbed areas’ under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.
An overview of the news
The decision has been taken in view of the significant improvement in the security situation in North-East India.
Compared to 2014, there has been a 76 percent reduction in extremist incidents in 2022.
During this period, there has been a 90 percent reduction in the deaths of security personnel and 97 percent in the deaths of civilians.
Earlier, in a historic move, the Center brought down the disturbed areas in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur from April 2022 under AFSPA.
What is AFSPA?
Armed Forces Special Powers Act, (AFSPA),1958, gives armed forces the power to maintain public order in “disturbed areas.”
It came into force decades ago in the context of insurgency in the northeastern states.
It provides "special powers" to the army, air force and central paramilitary forces.
The Act provides that if "reasonable suspicion exists", the armed forces may also arrest any person without warrant; May enter or search premises without warrant and prohibit possession of firearms.
What are the Disturbed Areas?
A disturbed area means which is declared by notification under Section 3 of the AFSPA.
A region may be disturbed because of differences or disputes between members of different, racial, religious, language or regional groups or castes or communities.
The Central Government or the Governor of the State or administrator of the Union Territory have power to declare the whole or part of the State or Union Territory as a disturbed area.
3. AFSPA removed from most areas of North Eastern states
Tags: National National News
Centre has decided to further reduce the jurisdiction of ‘disturbed areas’ under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.
An overview of the news
The decision has been taken in view of the significant improvement in the security situation in North-East India.
Compared to 2014, there has been a 76 percent reduction in extremist incidents in 2022.
During this period, there has been a 90 percent reduction in the deaths of security personnel and 97 percent in the deaths of civilians.
Earlier, in a historic move, the Center brought down the disturbed areas in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur from April 2022 under AFSPA.
What is AFSPA?
Armed Forces Special Powers Act, (AFSPA),1958, gives armed forces the power to maintain public order in “disturbed areas.”
It came into force decades ago in the context of insurgency in the northeastern states.
It provides "special powers" to the army, air force and central paramilitary forces.
The Act provides that if "reasonable suspicion exists", the armed forces may also arrest any person without warrant; May enter or search premises without warrant and prohibit possession of firearms.
What are the Disturbed Areas?
A disturbed area means which is declared by notification under Section 3 of the AFSPA.
A region may be disturbed because of differences or disputes between members of different, racial, religious, language or regional groups or castes or communities.
The Central Government or the Governor of the State or administrator of the Union Territory have power to declare the whole or part of the State or Union Territory as a disturbed area.
4. Bhupender Yadav launches Aravalli Green Wall Project
Tags: Environment National News
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav inaugurated the Aravalli Green Wall Project on March 26 at Tikli village in Haryana in a program organized on the occasion ofInternational Forest Day.
An overview of the news
The project will increase the green cover and biodiversity of Aravallis through afforestation, reforestation and restoration of water bodies.
It will also improve soil fertility, water availability and climate resilience of the region.
The project will benefit the local communities by providing them withemployment opportunities, income generation and ecosystem services.
The objective of this initiative is to green a buffer zone of about 5 km of Aravalli mountain range spread over five states.
75 water sources will be rejuvenated under the project, starting with five water sources in each district of the Aravalli landscape on March 25.
The project will also involve massive tree plantation drive and conservation of water resources in the Aravalli region.
The project will cover barren land in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Bhiwani, Mahendragarh and Rewari districts of Haryana.
About Aravali Green Wall Project
The project is part of the Union Forest Ministry's vision of creating green corridors across the country to combat land degradation and desertification.
The project covers the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi where the Aravalli hills are spread over an area of 6 million hectares.
The project will involve rejuvenation and restoration of ponds, lakes and rivers as well as planting of native species of trees and shrubs on scrub, barren land and degraded forest land.
The project will also focus on agro-forestry and grassland development to enhance the livelihood of local communities.
About Aravalli Range
It extends from Himmatnagar in Gujarat to Delhi for a distance of about 720 km, which extends to Haryana and Rajasthan.
It is thousands of years old, formed when the Indian subcontinental plate collided with the mainland of the Eurasian plate.
According to carbon dating, copper and other metals were mined in the Aravalli range around the 5th century BCE.
Its height is between 300 m to 900 m.
Its highest peak is Guru Shikhar (1,722 m) on Mount Abu.
5. Government hikes raw jute MSP Rs 300 to Rs 5,050 per quintal
Tags: Economy/Finance National News
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 24 March increased the minimum support price (MSP) of raw jute by Rs 300 to Rs 5,050 per quintal for 2023-24 season.
An overview of the news
The approval is based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
The MSP of Raw Jute (TD-3 equivalent to earlier TD-5 grade) has been fixed at Rs 5,050 per quintal for 2023-24 season.
The announced MSP for raw jute for the 2023-24 season is in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production announced by the Government in the Budget for 2018-19.
It assures a minimum of 50 per cent as profit margin.
This is one of the important and progressive steps towards ensuring better remunerative returns to the jute growers and promoting quality jute fibre.
The Jute Corporation of India shall continue as the nodal agency of the Central Government to conduct price support operations and the loss, if any, incurred in such operations shall be fully reimbursed by the Central Government.
What is Minimum Support Price (MSP)?
MSP is the rate at which the government buys food grains from farmers.
This is based on the calculation of at least one and a half times the cost of production incurred by the farmers.
The Government of India fixes the MSP for 24 items twice a year.
When the market price falls below the declared MSP, the government buys food grains from the farmers at the MSP rate.
Who decides MSP?
The MSP price is calculated by an expert committee under the ministry of Agriculture.
The expert committee is called CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Price).
It recommends the MSP to the Agricultural ministry and the ministry announces the MSP.
However the Agricultural Ministry is not bound to accept the recommendation of the CACP.
6. ISRO launches heaviest rocket LMV-3
Tags: Science and Technology National News
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 26 March successfully launched India’s largest Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) rocket/OneWeb India-2 Mission with 36 satellites onboard from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
An overview of the news
The LVM-III will deploy 36 satellites of the UK-based Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The OneWeb Group Company has inked a contract with ISRO's commercial arm NewSpace India Ltd to launch 72 satellites into LEO.
The first satellite deployment collaboration between the two organisations took place in October 2022 with ISRO launching 36 satellites of OneWeb.
In the second mission on 26 March, the remaining 36 satellites, each weighing approximately 5805 kg, were placed into a circular low Earth orbit of 450 km by the LVM3 M3 launch vehicle.
LVM3 had five consecutive successful missions including the Chandrayaan 2 mission.
About OneWeb
OneWeb is a global communication network powered from space, enabling connectivity for governments and businesses.
Bharti Enterprises is a major investor in OneWeb group.
After the SSLV-D2/EOS07 mission in February, the OneWeb India-2 Mission is ISRO’s second successful launch this year.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
It was established on 15 August 1969.
It is the national space agency of India. It launches its space rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Headquarter: Bengaluru
Chairman: S Somnath
7. National Science Centre organizes Innovation Festival
Tags: Festivals National News
The two-day National Science Center Innovation Festival event was inaugurated in New Delhi on 25 March.
An overview of the news
The festival was inaugurated by Prof. Balram Bhargava (Chief Guest) President, NASI, Former Secretary, Department of Health Research, Govt of India.
The closing ceremony on March 26, 2023 was presided over by Dr. Debashish Mohanty, Director, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi.
It aims to foster a passion and aptitude for science and technology and provide a unique platform to innovative and creative innovators.
The Innovation Festival consisted of Innovation Fair, Creative Robo Design, Innovative Challenges for families, Family Science Quiz, Popular Science lecture, Workshop on Intellectual Property Right and Idea Contest.
The festival provides an opportunity to the people to showcase their innovative works and the products made by them in the past.
It is a platform for innovators to showcase their creative work and interact with others from different fields.
8. Ministry of Defence inks Rs 3,700 crore contracts with BEL
Tags: Defence National News
To enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Defense Ministry on March 23 signed two separate contracts with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) at a total cost of over Rs 3,700 crore.
An overview of the news
The first contract, worth over Rs 2,800 crore, pertains to the supply of Medium Power Radar (MPR) 'Arudhra' to the IAF.
The second contract, at a total cost of about Rs 950 crore, pertains to 'Radar Warning Receivers' (RWR).
Both the projects are under the indigenously designed, developed and manufactured-IDMM category.
The radar has been designed and developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and will be manufactured by BEL.
The RWR has been designed to also enhance the capabilities of Su-30 MKI aircraft.
About Arudhra Radar
This 4D radar is capable of automatic detection and tracking of slow moving aerial targets ranging from fighter jets.
The system has an instrumented range of 400 km.
It is capable of detecting RCS targets with a range of 300 km with altitudes ranging from 100 m to 30 km.
The radar operates in either Staring or Rotation mode.
9. India participates in the 2nd Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) negotiating
Tags: International News
An inter-ministerial delegation from India led by the Department of Commerce participated in the 2nd Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Negotiations Round from March 13-19, 2023 in Bali, Indonesia.
An overview of the news
Negotiators from 13 other countries, including, the United States, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam also participated in the Bali negotiating round.
During the Bali Round, discussions covered all the four pillars of the IPEF.
India participated in the discussions related to Pillars II to IV.
The first IPEF round was held in Brisbane, Australia on December 10-15, 2022 and the Special Negotiations round in New Delhi on February 8-11, 2023.
About Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)
In May 2022, the United States launched IPEF.
It has 14 member states - Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, USA and Vietnam.
The 14 IPEF partners represent 40 percent of global GDP and 28 percent of global goods and services trade.
It has four pillars -Trade (Pillar I), Supply Chains (Pillar II), Clean Economy (Pillar III), and Fair Economy (Taxation & Anticorruption) - (Pillar IV).
Aims
To bring together its allies in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance economic cooperation.
10. Mansukh Mandaviya chairs 36th Board Meeting of Stop TB Partnership
Tags: National National News
Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Dr Mansukh Mandaviya chaired the 36th Board Meeting of the Stop TB Partnership in New Delhi on 25 March.
An overview of the news
India has identified 3 important health priorities under the G20 Presidency.
All of these focus on universal health coverage and are relevant to the response to TB elimination.
A lot of extraordinary work is being done on the ground through innovations in TB case finding, mathematical modelling, digital interventions and surveillance.
Efforts are being made to bring innovative strategies like Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, which will be a unique campaign of its kind in the world.
He pointed out that the TB vaccine is needed urgently for which its fast-track development is important.
About Stop TB Partnership
Stop TB Partnership was founded in 2001.
This is a United Nations-hosted organisation that amplifies the voices of the people, communities, and countries affected by TB.
It aims to eliminate tuberculosis as a public health problem.
Secretariat - Geneva, Switzerland.
