1. IRRA PLATFORM (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: Recently, the Indian Registrar of Record Keeping Agency (IRRA) was jointly developed by major stock exchanges including BSE, NSE, NCDEX, MCX, and MSE, and it was officially launched by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

Indian Registrar of Record Keeping Agency (IRRA) Platform

• About: The Investor Risk Reduction Access (IRRA) is a platform that will act as a ‘safety net’ for investors in case of technical glitches faced by a trading member or a stock broker registered with SEBI.
• The platform is not meant for taking fresh positions or orders.
• Aim: It will provide investors an opportunity to close open positions and cancel pending orders in case of disruption at the stock brokers’ end.

Need of IRRA Platform

• The increasing reliance on technology in the securities market has resulted in a rise in glitches within trading members' systems.
• These technical issues have, in some cases, led to disruptions in trading services, triggering complaints from investors.
• Such situations put investors with open positions at risk of not having any avenues to close their positions, particularly if markets are volatile.

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

• Establishment: As a statutory body in the year 1992.
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Finance.
• Aim: To protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote the development of, and regulate the securities market.

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2. MGNREGS (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: Recently, according to Union Ministry of Rural Development data, it was revealed that out of the 34 States and Union Territories, only six have recently completed a social audit of works done under the MGNREGS in more than 50% of gram panchayats.

Key Points

• Kerala is the only State to cover 100% gram panchayats.
• States to cross the 50% mark: Bihar (64.4%), Gujarat (58.8%), Jammu and Kashmir (64.1%), Odisha (60.42%) and Uttar Pradesh (54.97%). 
• Only three States have covered 40% or more villages: Telangana (40.5%), Himachal Pradesh (45.32%) and Andhra Pradesh (49.7%). 
• Poll-bound States, the numbers are really low: Madhya Pradesh (1.73%), Mizoram (17.5%) Chhattisgarh (25.06%), and Rajasthan (34.74%). The problem is uniform irrespective of the party in power across the country.  

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)

• Objective: Guaranteed Right to Work: MGNREGS is a demand-driven scheme, that seeks to provide guaranteed 100 days of wage employment per year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
• Features: Legal right to work, a time-bound guarantee of work and unemployment allowance (within 15 days), decentralised planning – i.e. Gram Sabha recommends work, demand-driven scheme.
• MGNREGA Act, 2005: It specifies a list of works that can be undertaken to generate employment such as water conservation, land development, construction, agriculture.
• Role of MGNREGA in addressing rural distress: Jobs to unskilled/semi-skilled, Reduction in poverty levels, Women labour force participation, Benefits to agri-sector, Rural Development, Creation of rural assets, Reviving MSME sector.

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3. NASHA MUKT BHARAT ABHIYAAN (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Government Schemes)

Context: Recently, the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in New Delhi to collaborate on the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA).

Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan

• Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
• Launch Year: 2020
• Implementing Body: Department of Social Justice & Empowerment
• Objectives: Creating awareness about substance abuse through activities such as awareness generation programs, targeting schools and universities, identifying dependent populations in communities, etc.

Steps taken by the government to fight drug addiction:

• National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction: The Ministry of Social Justice and empowerment prepared this for the period of 2018-25. This plan focuses on: 

oPreventive education 

oAwareness generation 

oIdentification, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation of drug dependent persons 

oTraining and capacity building of service providers through collaborative efforts of government and NGOs. 

• National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse: It was created in accordance with a provision of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

oAim: To combat illicit trafficking of narcotics, rehabilitating addicts, and preventing drug abuse.

Status of Drug Trafficking in India

• According to World Drug Report 2022: India is one of the world’s largest opiate markets in terms of users and is vulnerable to increased supply from Afghanistan.
• India is located between the two largest Opium producing regions of the world;
• Golden triangle on the eastern side: Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.
• Golden crescent on the North-Western side: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.

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4. NEW SPECIES OF FROG (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Recently, scientists have discovered a new species of frog in Arunachal Pradesh.

New Species of Frog

• About: A recently discovered species of 'music frog' has been officially named Nidirana noadihing.
• Phenotypical Distinction: The new frog within the Nidirana genus displays distinctive morphological characteristics that set it apart from its congeners.
• First-Time Confirmation in India: This marks the inaugural confirmation of the presence of the Nidirana genus in India.
• Distribution: Nidirana species have been identified in various regions, including Japan, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.

• Habitat: Nidirana frogs are known to inhabit diverse environments such as swamps, ponds, and paddy fields, and they exhibit a tendency to construct nests for egg-laying.
• Naming after Noa-Dihing River: The new species has been aptly named after the Noa-Dihing River, reflecting its proximity to the location where specimens were discovered and collected.
• Characteristics: The amphibians showcase distinct features, including irregularly shaped and sized spots on their eyelids, dark stripes surrounding moderately large eyes, gold-rimmed pupils, and dark brown irises with a golden spackle.

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5. DGCA (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Governance)

Context: Recently, the central government has suspended the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) with immediate effect.

• The action was taken by a vigilance committee established by the DGCA to conduct its preliminary investigation into allegations of corruption.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

• About: It is the regulatory body in the field of Civil Aviation primarily dealing with safety issues.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Ministry: Ministry of Civil Aviation
• Mandate: It is responsible for regulation of air transport services to/from/within India and for enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards. 
• It also co-ordinates all regulatory functions with International Civil Aviation Organization.

Functions

• Civil Aircraft Registration
• Airport Certification
• Licensing for Aviation Personnel
• Investigation of Incidents
• Accident Prevention Measures.

Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)

• About: It is an apex Integrity Institution, possessing full independence and autonomy in its operations.
• Establishment: As a result of the Government of India's Resolution, based on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, led by Shri K. Santhanam in 1964.
• Statutory Status: The CVC gained its statutory status through the CVC Act of 2003.
• Composition: Central Vigilance Commissioner (Chairperson) and not more than two Vigilance Commissioners (Members).
• Functions: The CVC receives complaints about official corruption or abuse and recommends appropriate action.
• Review the progress of investigations conducted by the DSPE Act. Give directions to the Delhi Special Police

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6. LAW ON DEEPFAKES (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Governance)

Context: Recently, the government, led by the Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, is contemplating the imposition of penalties on both the creators of deepfakes and the platforms hosting them, as a pivotal element of forthcoming regulations aimed at curbing this growing menace.

Deepfake Technology

• About: Deepfakes refer to synthetic media, which includes videos, images, or audio recordings generated and altered using advanced artificial intelligence techniques, particularly deep learning algorithms.
• It is utilized for generating fake news and committing financial fraud, among other illicit activities.
• It involves overlaying a digital composite onto pre-existing videos, images, or audio, with cybercriminals employing Artificial Intelligence technology.

How are they made?

• The first known example of widespread use of a deepfake video was spotted on Reddit in 2017 when a user swapped the faces of celebrities.
• They scan through thousands of face shots using an AI algorithm (called encoder) that allows the machines to learn similarities between the two faces and reduces them to their shared common features, compressing the images in the process.

Regulation

• India does not have specific laws or regulations that ban or regulate the use of deepfake technology.
• Sections 67 and 67A of the Information Technology Act (2000) related to defamation and publishing explicit material is applied in cases of deepfakes.
• India’s IT Rules, 2021 require that all content reported to be fake or produced using deep fake be taken down by intermediary platforms within 36 hours.

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7. VETO POWER OF GOVERNOR (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: Recently, the Supreme Court clarified that the Governor is envisioned as a constitutional statesman guiding the state government on matters of constitutional concern and, as such, cannot exercise the authority to veto a Bill enacted by the legislative assembly.

• According to CJI, The Governor, as an unelected Head of the State, is entrusted with certain constitutional powers. However, this power cannot be used to thwart the normal course of lawmaking by the State Legislatures,”

Veto over State Bills

• The Governor has three options available when a Bill which has been passed by the State Legislature is presented for assent. 

oThe Governor gives assents to the Bill: The bill becomes an Act and is placed on the Statute Book.

oHe/She can withholds assents therefrom: The bill ends and does not become an Act.

oHe/She may return the bill for reconsideration of the House or Houses: If the governor returns the bill for reconsideration and if the bill is passed by the House or both the Houses again, with or without amendments, and presented to the governor for his assent, the governor must give his assent to the bill.

üThus, the governor enjoys only a suspensive veto. The position is same at the Central level.

oHe/She can reserves the Bill for the consideration of the President: The President may either give his assent to the bill or withhold his assent to the bill or return the bill for reconsideration of the House or Houses of the state legislature.

üWhen a bill is so returned, the House or Houses have to reconsider it within a period of six months.

üThe bill is presented again to the presidential assent after it is passed by the House or Houses with or without amendments.

üIt is not mentioned in the Constitution whether it is obligatory on the part of the president to give his assent to such a bill or not.

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8. AGNI INITIATIVES (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Government Scheme)

Context: Recently, the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda Sciences (CCRAS), launched the "Ayurveda Gyan Naipunya Initiative" (AGNI) aimed at enhancing knowledge and skills for physicians practicing in the field of Ayurveda.

Ayurveda Gyan Naipunya Initiative" (AGNI)

• Nodal Ministry: MMinistry of AYUSH
• Aim: To provide a platform to Ayurveda practitioners for reporting their innovative practices & and experiences in various disease conditions.
• Objective: To promote the culture of reporting evidence-based practices among the Ayurveda Practitioners.
• To document successful treatments for various diseases for the purpose of education and academics.
• To identify interested practitioners for collaboration and capacity building through training in research methods and clinical practices.
• To undertake research for mainstreaming pragmatic practices through scientific validation and evidence-based appraisal.

Central Council for Research in Ayurveda Sciences (CCRAS)

• About: It is an autonomous body under Ministry of AYUSH.  
• Aim: To undertake, coordinate, formulate, develop and promote research on scientific lines in Ayurveda.

Other Initiatives to Promote Ayurveda

• SPARK: This program focuses on providing research opportunities in Ayurveda for undergraduate scholars.
• PG-STAR : The PG-STAR scheme is designed to offer training in Ayurveda research specifically tailored for postgraduate scholars.
• SMART: The SMART program aims to integrate Ayurveda research into the mainstream for teaching professionals, fostering a connection between research and teaching in the field.

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9. SAME SEX MARRIAGE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Social Issues)

Context: The Supreme Court agreed to consider a bundle of petitions seeking a reconsideration of its recent judgment.

• By a 3-2 majority, the recent judgment had refused to accord legal sanction to same-sex marriage, & also declined to grant constitutional protection to civil unions and adoption rights for queer couples

Earlier judgements of Supreme Court:

• In Shafin Jahan v. Asokan K.M. and others 2018: Sc declared marriage as a Fundamental Right. Referring to Universal Declaration of Human Right and the Puttaswamy case, the SC held that the right to marry a person of one’s choice is integral to Article 21.
• In Navjet Singh Johar and others v. Union of India 2018: SC accepted the LGBTQ Community entitled to all Constitutional Rights. In this case, SC decriminalised all consensual sex among adults, including homosexual sex.

Global position on same-Sex Marriage

• The Netherlands was the first country in 2001to legalise same-sex marriage by amending one line in its civil marriage law. 
• Over 30 countries legally perform and recognize marriages between same-sex couples as of 2022.
• Mexico is the most recent country to legalize same-sex marriage.
• The right to marry is not expressly recognized either as a fundamental or constitutional right under the Indian Constitution.

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10. GREEN HYDROGEN (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env & Eco)

Context: Recently, India and Finland engaged in discussions regarding the manufacturing of green hydrogen electrolyzers within India.

• India announced a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme this year for green hydrogen production and for manufacturing electrolyzers.

Hydrogen

• It is a gaseous substance that is colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic, and highly explosive.
• It is the lightest, simplest, and most abundant member of the chemical elements in the universe.

Green Hydrogen 

• About: This gas is generated through the process of electrolysis, which involves the separation of water into hydrogen and oxygen.
• Production: Green hydrogen is manufactured by electrolysis, using renewable energy sources like solar, wind, or hydropower.
• India's Green Hydrogen Production: India has initiated the production of green hydrogen with the goal of increasing non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030.

• Recent Development: India recently established its first pilot plant for 99.99% pure green hydrogen in Duliajan, located in eastern Assam at the Jorhat pump station of a major petroleum exploration company.
• National Green Hydrogen Mission: To establish India as a worldwide centre for producing, applying, and exporting Green Hydrogen and its associated products.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

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