VISION

 GS SCORE Current Affairs May 2021 Week 2 PDF

1)  International Day of Argania: 10 May

•In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 10 May the International Day of Argania. The resolution, submitted by Morocco, was co-sponsored by 113 member states of the United Nations and adopted by consensus. The argan tree (Argania Spinosa) is a native species of the sub-Saharan region of Morocco, in the southwest of the country, which grows in arid and semiarid areas.

2)  Himanta Biswa Sarma chosen Assam’s new chief minister

•Himanta Biswa Sarma has been named as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam on May 08, 2021. He will replace incumbent Sarbananda Sonowal. He will take the charge of the office with effect from May 10, 2021.

•The BJP party won a second straight term in the 2021 assembly polls in the state. The party won 60 seats in the 126-member Assam assembly. Mr Sarma joined the BJP six years ago in 2015, after quitting the Congress.

3)  New Delhi ranks 32nd in Global Prime Residential Index by Knight Frank

•London-based property consultant Knight Frank has ranked New Delhi and Mumbai in 32nd and 36th positions respectively in the Global Prime Residential Index. While Bengaluru moved down by four places in Q1 2021 and is ranked 40; Delhi and Mumbai dipped one place each in the same period.

•Three Chinese cities – Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou lead the index this quarter. Shenzhen recorded the strongest performing world region with a growth of 18.9%, while New York was the weakest performing market with negative 5.8% growth. Some of the world’s top metropolises, New York, Dubai, London, Paris and Hong Kong are seeing prices soften. New York was the weakest-performing global city during the period.

4)  PM Modi Participates in Virtual India-EU Leaders’ Meeting

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the India-EU Leaders’ Meeting, held in a hybrid format. The India-European Union Leaders’ Meeting is hosted by Portugal. Portugal currently holds the chair of the grouping. PM Modi attended the event at the invitation of the President of the European Council Mr Charles Michel.

•The leaders of all the 27 EU Member States, as well as the President of the European Council and the European Commission, participated in the meeting. This is the first time that the EU hosted a meeting with India in the EU+27 format.

Key highlights of India in the meeting

•It was proposed to further strengthen the India-EU Strategic Partnership based on a shared commitment to democracy, fundamental freedoms, rule of law and multilateralism.

•The leaders decided to resume negotiations for balanced and comprehensive free trade (FTA) and investment agreements.

Three key thematic areas of discussion included

1.foreign policy and security;

2.COVID-19, climate and environment; and

3.trade, connectivity and technology.

•An ambitious and comprehensive ‘Connectivity Partnership’ was launched between India-EU with a focus on enhancing digital, energy, transport and people-to-people connectivity.

•A finance contract of Euro 150 million was also signed for the Pune Metro Rail Project by the Indian Ministry of Finance and European Investment Bank.

5)  Indian Army sets up Covid Management Cell for real time response

•The Indian Army has set up a Covid Management Cell to bring greater efficiency in coordinating real-time responses to address the exponential rise in Covid cases across the country. It helps in assistance to civil administration in the form of testing, admissions in military hospitals, and transportation of critical medical equipment.

6)  PESCO: EU approves US participation for the first time

•The European Union recently approved the requests of Norway, Canada and the United States to participate in the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) defence initiative. This is the first time, the European bloc has allowed a third state to participate in the PESCO project. The countries will now participate in the Military Mobility Project in Europe.

7)  Kalki Koechlin Authors her Debut Book Titled ‘Elephant In The Womb’

•Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin is making her debut as an author, with her first book titled “Elephant In The Womb”. The book, which is yet to be released, is an illustrated non-fiction book on motherhood. It is illustrated by Valeriya Polyanychko and published by Penguin Random House India (PRHI). The book narrates about pregnancy and parenting for mothers, expectant mothers, and “anyone even thinking about motherhood”.

8)  Nepal’s Kami Rita scales Everest for record 25th time

•Nepalese climber, Kami Rita has scaled Mount Everest for the 25th time, breaking his own record for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak. Rita, 51, first scaled Everest in 1994 and has been making the trip nearly every year since then. He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and skills are vital to the safety and success of the hundreds of climbers.

9)  Anupam Kher wins best actor award at New York City International Film Festival

•Anupam Kher won the Best Actor award for his performance in the short film Happy Birthday at the New York City International Film Festival. The film has been directed by Prasad Kadam and produced by FNP Media. Besides Anupam, Happy Birthday stars Aahana Kumra. The film also won the Best Short Film award at the festival.

10)  Lewis Hamilton clinches his fifth successive Spanish Grand Prix

•Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) won the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix, held on 09 May 2021. This win is the fifth successive Spanish Grand Prix title of Lewis Hamilton and the third win of this season. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing-Netherlands) came second followed by Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland) at third position. The race was the fourth round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship.

📰 Coronavirus waves inevitable without appropriate protocol: experts

 Why in news?

The government has decided to revise the National Electricity Policy (NEP) by invoking Section 3 of the Electricity Act, 2003.

What is the move about?

• The 2003 Act mandates that the central government shall prepare the NEP in consultation with the state governments and the Central Electricity Authority.
• The government has constituted a committee now.
• It would finalise the draft NEP which has been circulated, after seeking views of stakeholders.
• The first NEP was formulated in 2005.

What progress has happened since 2005?

• Between 2005 and 2021, generation capacity (inclusive of renewable capacity) has gone up by about 251 GW.
• The renewable generating capacity has gone up to 94 GW (from wind, solar, small hydro and biomass) from almost nothing.
• This led to about 10% of generation from renewable sources.
• An additional 2.5 lakh circuit-km of transmission lines (above 220 kV) were added during this time.
• Per capita consumption has almost doubled from 630 units to approximately 1,200 units today.
• Besides, peak and energy shortages have come down from double digit figures to about half a percentage point.
• Rural electrification is almost complete with near 100% electricity access to households (not necessarily 24 hours supply).

Why is revising the NEP essential?

• The government did not bother to revise its NEP for almost 16 years.
• The government keeps pointing to the fact that peak and energy shortages have come down drastically implying that all is well.
• But the reality is quite to the contrary.
• The situation of excess supply is illusory.
• This is because the demand has not grown at the rate it should have because of the economic downturn since the last couple of years, even before the pandemic.
• Distribution companies (discoms) have accumulated outstanding of over Rs. 6 lakh crore.
• And this seems to be going up year after year despite all government programmes to improve distribution infrastructure and restructuring of loans.
• There are other areas to be addressed too such as solar power.
• India could not join the world leaders in the area of solar power despite having the advantage of geography.
• It continues to rely on imports for capital equipment.
• India has been slow in adopting more stringent environment norms for power stations.
• It has done practically nothing on carbon capture and sequestration.
• It has not been able to add to the hydro capacity, which could play a crucial role in balancing the grid with increasing thrust on renewable generation.
• India also has fuel supply issues (coal) and is unable to meet the domestic demand through indigenous mining.

What are the shortfalls to be addressed in the new policy?

 Why in news?

The Department of Telecommunications allowed private telcos and state-run telco MTNL to start trials for 5G technology as well as its applications in various sectors.

Which firms are allowed?

• Private telecos (telecommunication companies) include Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm and Vi (formerly Vodafone Idea).
• State-run telco Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) is also allowed to conduct trials.
• The trials will last for 6 months for now.
• 5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution mobile broadband networks.
• 5G mainly works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high-frequency spectrum, all of which have their uses and limitations.

Why are the trials for 5G technology important?

• The telecom market in India is left with only three private telcos.
• The rest have surrendered to the low returns on investments over the years.
• Apart from the private telecos, the two state-run companies, MTNL and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) have also survived but are making losses.
• In order to increase their average revenue per user, it is pertinent for telcos to start offering the new 5G technology as soon as possible.
• For that, however, they will have to conduct trials in a variety of circumstances.

• Apart from the telcos, it is also important that the government be ready to roll out the new technology as soon as possible.
• The telecom sector already faces issues such as –
  1. 1. delays in approvals
     2. inadequate availability of spectrum
     3. high spectrum prices
     4. poor development of use cases
     5.  low status of fiberisation, among others
• So, India could miss the 5G opportunity if not for early measures and programmes.

How will the trials be carried out?

• In the initial phase, these trials will be for 6 months.
• This includes a 2 month period for procurement and setting up of the equipment.
• In these 6 months, telcos will be required to test their set up in urban areas, semi-urban areas as well as rural areas.
• During this period, the telcos will be provided with experimental spectrum in various bands.
• The mid-band of 3.2 GHz to 3.67 GHz, the millimeter wave band of 24.25 GHz to 28.5 GHz, and others.

What are the advantages and limitations with these bands?

• The low band spectrum has shown great promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet and data exchange.
• But the maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps (Megabits per second).
• This means that telcos can use and install it for commercial cellphone users who may not have specific demands for very high speed internet.
• However, the low band spectrum may not be optimal for specialised needs of the industry.
• The mid-band spectrum, on the other hand, offers higher speeds compared to the low band.
• But it has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.
• Telcos and companies, which have taken the lead on 5G, have indicated that this band may be used by industries and specialised factory units.
• This would help build captive networks that can be moulded into the needs of that particular industry.
• The high-band spectrum offers the highest speed of all the three bands, but has extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength.
• Internet speeds in the high-band spectrum of 5G has been tested to be as high as 20 Gbps (giga bits per second).
• On the other hand, in most cases, the maximum internet data speed in 4G has been recorded at 1 Gbps.

What were the issues resolved?

GS SCORE Fact Files: Environment Organizations & Conventions PDF

1)  World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day: 8 May

•The World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is observed every year on 8 May. The day aims to celebrate the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, to reduce the suffering of people and enabling them to lead a dignified life with independence, humanity, impartiality, universality, unity and neutrality.

•Theme 2021 World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day: ‘Unstoppable’

2)  World Migratory Bird Day: 08 May

•World Migratory Bird Day 2021 is observed globally on 8 May. The aim of the day is to raise awareness of migratory birds and the importance of international cooperation to conserve them.

•“Sing, Fly, Soar – Like a Bird!” is the theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day. The 2021 World Migratory Bird Day theme is an invitation to people everywhere to connect and re-connect with nature by actively listening to – and watching birds – wherever they are. At the same time, the theme appeals to people around the world to use their own voices and creativity to express their shared appreciation of birds and nature.

•This day is organized by a collaborative partnership among two UN treaties the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the Colorado-based non-profit organization, Environment for the Americas (EFTA). This day is a global campaign dedicated to raising awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.

3)  World Thalassemia Day: 08 May

•World Thalassemia Day is celebrated on May 8 every year to commemorate Thalassemia victims and to encourage those who struggle to live with the disease. The theme for 2021 World Thalassemia Day is “Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global Thalassaemia Community”.

4)  N Rangasamy Sworn in as Chief Minister of Puducherry

•The All India NR Congress (AINRC) founder leader N Rangasamy has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Puducherry, for a record fourth time, on May 07, 2021. N Rangasamy was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Lieutenant governor (additional charge) Tamilisai Soundararajan.

•Prior to this, the 71-year-old served as Chief Minister of Puducherry from 2001 to 2008 as a member of the Indian National Congress and then from 2011 to 2016 as a member of AINRC. It will be the first time that Rangasamy will be heading a coalition cabinet, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the UT, which has members from BJP and AINRC.

5)  Himachal Pradesh is Building ‘Forest Ponds’ to Harvest Rainwater

•Under the Parvat Dhara scheme, the Himachal Pradesh government has initiated rejuvenation of water sources and recharging aquifers through the forest department with an outlay of Rs 20 crore. The work was started in 10 forest divisions that include Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Jogindernagar, Nachan, Parvati, Nurpur, Rajgarh, Nalagarh, Theog and Dalhousie.

•Under the scheme, the cleaning and maintenance of existing ponds have been done. Also, the construction of new ponds, contour trenches, dams, check dams and retaining wall to control the soil erosion has been done. The scheme aims to enhance the water level by retaining water for the maximum period. Efforts are also being made to improve the green cover by planting fruit-bearing plants.

6)  Prahlad Singh Patel Virtually Participates In G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting

•Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (I/c), Prahlad Singh Patel participated in G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting held in Italy on 4th May 2021. This dialogue aimed to collaborate in protecting tourism businesses, jobs and taking initiatives to frame policy guidelines to support the sustainable and resilient recovery of travel and tourism.

•He also conveyed India’s support for the Principles for the transition to a green travel and tourism economy submitted by UNWTO as a further contribution to the policy area “Green Transformation” to embrace sustainability in tourism.

7)  RBI sets up an advisory group to assist RRA 2.0

•The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted an advisory group to assist the second Regulatory Review Authority (RRA 2.0), which was set by the central bank on May 01, 2021 to streamline regulations and reduce the compliance burden of regulated entities. The Advisory Group will be headed by SBI Managing Director S Janakiraman.

Other members of the 6-member advisory group are:

•T T Srinivasaraghavan (Former Managing Director and Non-Executive Director, Sundaram Finance),

•Gautam Thakur (Chairman, Saraswat Co-operative Bank),

•Subir Saha (Group Chief Compliance Officer, ICICI Bank),

•Ravi Duvvuru (President and CCO, Jana Small Finance Bank),

•Abadaan Viccaji (Chief Compliance Officer, HSBC India)

8)  Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the 2nd World War

•Every year during May 8-9, the United Nations marks the Time of Remembrance and reconciliation for those who lost their lives during the Second World War. The day pays tribute to all the victims of the Second World War. This year is the 76th Anniversary of World War II.