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The Telangana Government recently banned the potatoes from Uttar Pradesh. Can a State Government do this? Do state government hold such powers? Yes. The Trade and Commerce is a State Subject under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
What happened?
Around 2,500 kg of potatoes are transported from UP to Telangana every day. Telangana government has now banned the potatoes imported from UP. This was done for two reasons. One, UP is exporting old stocks. Two, Telangana has become self sufficient in potato production. Telangana prefers freshly in grown potatoes (that is potatoes grown within the state) to the old stocks from UP.
Why is UP sending old stocks?
The farmers in UP sow potatoes during October to November. They harvest during Feb – Mar. They sell only one – fifth of the harvest in Mar. They store the rest in cold storages till November end. They then export the stored potatoes to other states throughout the year. Thus, UP has enough old stocks to send to other states throughout the year.
Why are other states not following UP strategy?
The UP potatoes are long grown, five to six months. The potatoes grown in other states such as HP, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Punjab are short grown, less than 60 to 75 days. Thus, only UP potatoes can be stored till November at two to four degrees Celsius. And the short-grown potatoes cannot be stored for longer time. UP potatoes are actually more nutritious for their longer growing period!
Why did Telangana ban UP potatoes?
Telangana has increased the potato acreage. It is now producing 3,500 to 4,000 acres of potatoes. The state has become the second largest paddy producer, third largest cotton producer. This is mainly because Telangana increased its irrigation. They are now producing fresh potatoes, of lesser growth period that can be sold within four to five days of harvest. Mostly, baby potatoes!
The Government of India is planning to bring a new tourism policy. The policy aims to provide better facilities and services to the tourists visiting India. It will create five missions in the country.
What are the missions of the tourism policy?
Other measures
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Puducherry on January 12, 2022 to inaugurate the 25th National Youth Festival.
Highlights
Covid-19 protocol
Those who are not vaccinated will not be allowed to participate in the Youth Festival.
Venue for the festival
The Puducherry Technological University has been chosen as one of the venues to conduct this festival. Entire campus of the University has been brought under the control of Puducherry administration. Accommodation for the youth will be provided in hostels at the University.
About National Youth Festival
National Youth Festival us an annual gathering of youth, in India. The festival is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of youth icon Swami Vivekananda. It is organized by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, in association with one of the State Governments. Thus, it is organised in a different state each year during National Youth Week.
Andhra Pradesh recently found that ‘Mud Crab Reovirus (MCRV)’ has been the reason for mass mortality of wild crab (Scylla serrata).
About Mud Crab Reovirus (MCRV)
Mud Crab Reovirus belongs the “Reoviridae” family. It is responsible for the mass mortality of wild crabs. The virus mainly affects the connective tissue of hepatopancreas, intestine and gills.
The Reserve Bank of India recently provided a new special window for bond houses called “Primary Dealers”. The window allows to exchange illiquid securities. Illiquid securities are those securities that cannot be sold easily or directly. That is, the investors buying the securities can sell them only in limited instances.
What is the new window?
The primary dealers are those dealers who buy securities directly from the government. They then resell the security to the others. Thus, their main role is to assist the government in selling bonds or securities. They earn some fees for selling these securities. The Bond house is the security firm that creates and distributes bonds. Now, these primary dealers have a separate section or window to buy securities from the government. The government securities are debt issuances.
What is the plan?
A special window is to be opened every month for the primary dealers. Though the window, the dealers can switch the illiquid securities obtained through Request for Quotes with liquid securities obtained from RBI.
What are the benefits of the window?
The move encourages the investors to invest in sovereign bonds. And also makes the primary dealers the key players in retail investments. Sovereign Bonds are debt obligations issued by government. It is issued seeking support in government spending. That is, if more number of people are buying a sovereign bond of a project, it means more people have confidence in the success of the project. This increases the share value of the government company executing the project.
The Karnataka E – Bike Taxi scheme recently received an application. This is the first application received by the scheme after six months of its unveiling.
What is E – Bike Taxi Scheme of Karnataka?
The scheme was launched by the State Government of Karnataka in July 2021. The scheme allows individual firms and private players to run electric bike taxis in the state’s capital city Bengaluru.
Key Feature
The user can avail the electric bike for ten kilometres. An odometer is fixed to measure the distance travelled. Under the scheme, the fares fall in two slabs. They are Rs 25 for the first five kilometres and Rs 50 till ten kilometres.
Considerations
As the response from the private players is not welcoming, the Karnataka Government is planning to revise the fares. It is considering to the set the base price for the first two kilometres as Rs 10. And Rs 10 for every next two kilometres. And Rs 50 for ten kilometres. The license issuance for the scheme has currently been put on hold. The State Government is looking for options revise the features and working principles of the scheme.
Karnataka Government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Singapore-based LNG Alliance Company to set up the State’s first LNG Terminal in Mangalore.Karnataka Government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Singapore-based LNG Alliance Company to set up the State’s first LNG Terminal in Mangalore.
Key Points
Liquefied natural gas (LNG)
LNG is the liquefied form of natural gas. It has a much smaller volume as compared to natural gas in its gaseous form. This liquefied condition is used for facilitating carriage of natural gas from long distances.
LNG port terminals
Port terminals for LNG are purpose-built port terminals. They are designed to accommodate large LNG carrier ships which are designed to load, carry and unload LNG. LNG terminals are located adjacent to gas liquefaction & storage plant (export) or adjacent to a gas regasification & storage plant (import).
The citizens of Kazakhstan are protesting against the sudden fuel price hike. The ruling government resigned due to the rising tensions. Emergency has been declared in the Central Asian country.
Why protests in Kazakhstan?
The protests began when the ruling government of Kazakhstan lifted the price controls of Liquified Petroleum Gas. The prices quickly doubled after the lift. Earlier, because of its low price, the citizens had converted their vehicles to run on the fuel. Their plans shattered due to sudden price hike after the price control was lifted. This angered them and they started protesting.
What is in the protest for Russia?
Around 20% of the Kazakhs are ethnic Russians. Baikonur Cosmodrome of Kazakhstan is used as launch base for all Russian manned space missions.
What is Kazakhstan doing to control the protest?
After the Prime Minister of the country resigned, the president has taken over responsibility. He has created a security council to control the protest. Kazakhstan has sought help from its military allies, especially Russia. It has also sought the help of CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization). CSTO comprises of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Bealrus.
What is the root cause?
Kazakhstan is an oil rich country. It has huge foreign investments mainly because of its oil. It had a strong economy since its independence (after disintegration of Soviet Union). However, its autocratic form of governance has raised international concerns. The political rifts between the ruling and opposition creates the unrest. And the authorities often crack down due to the internal protests. Such conditions are always around oil issues. Oil is used as weapon to capture power
The Khelo India Games were introduced to revive the sports culture in India. The 2021 Khelo India Games were postponed due to COVID crisis. It is now to be conducted in Haryana in January 2022. The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur is to attend the games.
The Khelo India Youth Games 2022-23 is to be held in Madhya Pradesh. The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet recently approved to host the games from Bhopal. The cabinet also approved to land allocation of 50 – acre land to establish an international sports complex.
Funds allocated
The Government of Madhya Pradesh allocated Rs 176.59 crores for the first phase. Rs 15.56 crores is to be spent on operation and maintenance of International Sports Complex. Separate Funds are to be allocated for second and third phases.
Facilities
The sports stadium is to be equipped with hockey stadium with a capacity of 10,000 spectators, football area with a capacity of 4,000 spectators, landscaping, parking area, horticulture, guardrooms, gates, internal service roads, street lights and sewage systems.
Progress of works
In the first phase, an indoor sports complex is to be built in Nathu Barkheda village in Bhopal. During the second phase and third phase, a cricket stadium is to be built.
About Khelo India Youth Games 2021
Around 25 sports events are to be organised. This includes five traditional games such as Yoga, Malkhamb, Thang – Ta, Kalariyapattu and Gatka. It is to be held in five venues. They are Ambala, Panchkula, Chandigarh, Shahabad and Delhi. More than 8,500 players are to participate in the games.
Sports Expo
During the Khelo India Youth Games, the Haryana Government is planning to conduct a sports expo. It will be jointly hosted by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Authority of India.
On January 6, 2022, Japan and Australia will sign a defence agreement to boost security and defence cooperation. The signing of the agreement is considered “historic”. This is to anger China. The agreement is to expand Quad agenda. The agreement will reduce Chinese influence in ASEAN. It will aid in achieving free and open Indo – Pacific.
About the Agreement
The agreement includes sharing military facilities between the countries, landing rights, securing port access, logistic support, legal regimes, logistic support. This means the advanced F-35s (fighter jet) of Japan can now practice in Australian soil. The Australian submarines can now operate in Japanese waters. The countries can build special forces together. Both Japan and Australia share a common interest of keeping the US engaged in the Indo – Pacific.
Why will the agreement anger the Chinese?
The following recent issues reflect that the world countries are not ready to accept Chinese domination:
The countries are coming together under one objective. To put an end to Chinese domination.
The Government of India recently announced that it has disbursed 50% of the ECRP – II funds. The announcement came as a clarification as some of the media reported that only 26.14% of the funds were disbursed. ECRP basically aims to accelerate the preparedness of health system
ECRP – II
What are the plans of ECRP – II?
Support to Central hospitals
The plan aims to support the major COVID centres such as AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, government hospitals in Shillong, Imphal, Delhi, Puducherry, Chandigarh; JIPMER. It will repurpose six thousand beds in these centres.
Strengthen NCDC
Genomic Sequencing machines are to be supplied to National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Also, Epidemic Intelligence Services, Scientific Control Room and INSACOG support are to be extended to NCDC.
Support to implement HMIS
HMIS is Hospital Management Information System. The ECRP – II will provide financial assistance to establish HMIS in all district hospitals.
Digital Yuan is the digital currency of China. It was first launched in 2014 and has been working (test working) since then. The Digital Yuan is not a crypto currency. It is controlled by the Central Bank of China. The Government of China has plans to launch the currency internationally at Winter Olympics 2022. It is equal in value to fiat currency (Paper currency).
How does Digital Yuan work?
There are two aspects in the working of the Digital Yuan. Distribution and Expense (how people spend it?). The digital Yuan is distributed by the central bank of China to the commercial banks. The commercial banks then provide the digital currency to the public. The customers can exchange cash for digital yuan. People have to use a mobile application to receive digital Yuan. These are called the Digital Yuan Wallet Apps.
Why is it in news now?
The Digital Yuan Wallet Apps are now available in Android and Apple stores. The app was first launched in 2019. The number of users using the app has increased to 10 million.
Is it similar to Bitcoin?
No. It does not work like other digital currencies like that of bitcoin. Bitcoin is not controlled by a central authority. It is controlled by the market. Say a company releases digital currency X. The value of X increases in the market if the business of the company grows. If its exports are higher than the imports. However, this is not the case with Digital Yuan. The value of Digital Yuan is completely controlled by the central bank.
Digital Yuan is backed by gold
The Chinese citizens can exchange Yuan for gold anytime. Unlike UK, India and US where gold at times exists in paper, in China it is real gold. They exchange Yuan for real gold. This system is allowed for Digital Yuan as well
The Odisha Wildlife Organization recently conducted a bird census in the Chilika lake. The organization was joined by Chilika Development Authority and Bombay Natural History Society.
About the survey
Chilika is the largest brackish water lake. Birds come to the lake to spend their winter. Around 106 personnel were deployed in the survey. This included bird experts from non – governmental organizations and government organisations. The lake was divided into 21 segments to conduct the census.
Key findings
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), scientists have detected a newborn star and the surrounding cocoon of a complex organic matter, for the first time.
Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)
ALMA is an astronomical interferometer comprising of 66 radio telescopes in Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The array observes electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths of millimeter and submillimeter. Array has been constructed at the elevation of 5,000 m in Chajnantor plateau. This location was selected for its high elevation and low humidity, which are essential factors for reducing noise and decrease signal attenuation due to atmosphere of Earth.
Satellite Internet Company of Elon Musk, Starlink, is facing a tough time in Indian market. Starlink’s India head Sanjay Bhargava also announced to quit the company.
Pre-orders in India
Starlink has already received more than 5,000 pre-orders for its devices in India. However, it is struggling to receive commercial licences. Without getting licence, it cannot offer any services here.
About Starlink
Starlink is a satellite internet constellation, launched and operated by SpaceX. The satellite constellation provides satellite Internet access, covering most of the Earth. The constellation has grown to more than 1,700 satellites as of 2021. It will eventually consist of many more mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Technical possibility of satellite internet service covers most part of the Earth. However, actual service can be delivered only in those countries that have provided license to SpaceX. Currently, beta service offering is available across 21 countries
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently approved ‘OMISURE’. Omisure is a RT – PCR kit. It is used to detect Omicron, a COVID-19 variant. It was manufactured by Tata Medical and Diagnostics.
About the kit
The kit was designed and developed by a US – based company Thermo Fisher. It was manufactured by Tata. The kit uses S Gene Target Failure to detect Omicron. It is currently the only kit in India to use this method to detect Omicron. The price of the kit is Rs 240. The cost of RT – PCR kits sold by government agencies is Rs 20 to Rs 30.
S Gene Target Failure
S gene is Spike gene of COVID -19 virus. The mutation in this gene deletes amino acids 69 and 70. This mutation helps them escape RT – PCR test. A kit or test that catches this gene deletion in COVID-19 variants are generally referred to as the S Gene Target Failure kits or S gene drop detection kit.
Omicron and S gene
The S Gene target failure or S gene drop out is one of the prominent indicators to establish the presence of Omicron. In India, the COVID tests screen for Rd, Rp, E and N genes. Even if one of these genes are found, the test result is positive for COVID-19. So far S gene test was not conducted in the country as there was no requirement for it.
On January 4, 2022, deputy chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia handed over the first caste certificate based on Single mother.
How caste certificates were issued earlier?
Earlier, SC/ST caste certificates were issued only on the basis of fathers’ caste certificate or paternal side certificates. because of this procedure, many single mothers were unable to get SC/ST caste certificates for their children.
Background
Circular to amend the procedure for issuance of ‘SC/ST caste certificate’ based on the caste certificate of single mother was issued on July 20, 2020, after getting approval from the Revenue Minister of GNCT Delhi.
Struggle of Geeta Devi
Geeta Devi, aged 30, was struggling to get the Scheduled Caste scholarship for her son in 2020. She was informed by his son’s school that she requires to submit caste certificate of her son in order to get scholarship. After visiting the sub-district magistrate (SDM) office, she was asked to bring husband’s cate certificate as proof to get one for her son. Her struggle ended and her case became the first in city where a child received caste certificate on the basis of his single mother’s documents.
The Plan Bee was launched by Northern Frontier Railway. It aims to keep the elephants away from the train tracks. The plan recently won Best Innovation Award from the Indian Railways.
What is Plan Bee?
The plan installs unique devices along the railway tracks. These devices create the buzzing sounds of swarming bees. Elephants get irritated to the buzzing sounds of bees. And try to stay away from the sound. Thus, by creating the buzzing sound, the device keeps the elephants away from the track. The sound produced by the device is audible from a distance of 400 metres.
About the device
The device was first installed near Kamakhya station in Assam. And today the devices are installed in more than 56 locations. These places are under the jurisdiction of the North Frontier Railways. So far, Plan Bee has saved 950 elephants.
Need for Plan Bee
According to Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, between 2009 and 2021, more than 186 elephants were killed in train accidents. Of these, Assam accounted for the largest number of elephant deaths due to train accidents. It was followed by West Bengal and Odisha.
North Korea recently tested submarine launched ballistic missile. North Korea has yet again violated UN resolution with the test. The United Nations had passed resolution banning North Korea from testing nuclear devices and ballistic missiles.
About the missile
The missile test range was around 310 miles. The test was conducted in the ocean waters between Japan and North Korea. However, there is no way to confirm the test. Norther Korea considers the missile as the world’s most powerful weapon. The test information was revealed by Japan.
Why is North Korea missile test a concern?
The North Korean missiles tests are a great concern to the US. This is because, most of their missile ranges are capable of reaching the major cities of the US. For instance, Hwasong – 14 missiles have a range of 10,000 kilometres. This was the first intercontinental missile of North Korea. Hwasong – 15 is capable of reaching peaks greater than 4,500 kilometre in space. The International Space Station orbits at 450-kilometre altitude from the earth! North Korean missiles are capable of reaching heights ten times the altitude of International Space Station. Hwasong – 15 has not yet been tested. It is a liquid fueled missile. The size of the missile surprised the world experts when it was put on show in 2020. The missile size was small for its potent of destruction. Apart from this, North Korea has developed several other dangerous weapon systems. They are thermonuclear bombs, Nodong missiles, Musudan missile, etc.
UN on North Korea missiles
The UN prohibits North Korea from testing ballistic missiles. However, UN allows North Korea to test cruise missiles.
As per Reserve Bank of India (RBI), State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank continue to be identified as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs), similar to 2020 list of D-SIBs.
How RBI places D-SIBs in buckets?
What is D-SIBs?
Some banks become domestic systemically important, because of their size, cross-jurisdictional activities, lack of substitutability & interconnectedness, and complexity. Such banks are perceived as banks which as ‘Too Big To Fail’ (TBTF). This perception creates an expectation of government’s support at the time of distress in these banks.
Commerce Ministry of India is planning to launch “Brand India Campaign” in order to give momentum to exports of services as well as products in new markets.
About Brand India Campaign
What is the need of such campaign?
There is a need of such uniform campaign because presently, different sectors are being promoted with individual identities in different ways.
Who will run the campaign?
The Brand India Campaign will be run by India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF).
Branding Steering Committee
Under the campaign, an agency will be selected and a Branding Steering Committee will be set up for the purpose. Furthermore, uniform logo identity will be created and branding creatives like films, TVCs, digital banners & print ads will be developed.
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