July 22 and 23 Current Affairs

1. Akash-NG.

IN NEWS:

Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight-tested the New Generation Akash Missile (Akash-NG), a surface-to-air Missile from Integrated Test Range (ITR) off the coast of Odisha on July 21, 2021.

KEY POINTS:

• The flight trial was conducted from a land-based platform with all weapon system elements such as Multifunction Radar, Command, Control & Communication System and launcher participating in deployment configuration.
• The missile system has been developed by Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories.
• The launch was witnessed by the representatives of Indian Air Force. In order to capture flight data, ITR deployed a number of Range stations like, Electro Optical Tracking System, Radar and Telemetry. The flawless performance of the entire weapon system has been confirmed by complete flight data captured by these systems.
• During the test, the missile demonstrated high manoeuvrability required for neutralising fast and agile aerial threats.
• Once deployed, the Akash-NG weapon system will prove to be a force multiplier for the air defence capability of the Indian Air Force.
• Production agencies Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) also participated in the trials.

SOURCE:PIB

2. MPATGM.( Man Portable Antitank Guided Missile)

IN NEWS:

DRDO successfully flight-tests indigenously developed MPATGM for minimum range.

KEY POINTS:

• The missile was launched from a man portable launcher integrated with thermal site and the target was mimicking a tank.
• The missile hit the target in direct attack mode and destroyed it with precision. The test has validated the minimum range successfully.
• All the mission objectives were met.
• The missile has already been successfully flight tested for the maximum range.
• The missile is incorporated with state-of-the-art Miniaturized Infrared Imaging Seeker along with advanced avionics.
• The test brings the development of indigenous third generation man portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile close to completion.

SOURCE:PIB

3. RBI to Introduce Digital Currency.

IN NEWS:

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is working on a phased implementation strategy for its own digital currency and is in the process of launching it in wholesale and retail segments in the near future.
• A high-level inter-ministerial committee set up by the Finance Ministry had recommended Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) with changes in the legal framework including the RBI Act, which currently empowers the RBI to regulate issuance of bank notes.

KEY POINTS:

Digital Currency:

• It is a payment method which exists only in electronic form and is not tangible.
• It can be transferred between entities or users with the help of technology like computers, smartphones and the internet.
• Although it is similar to physical currencies, digital money allows borderless transfer of ownership as well as instantaneous transactions.
• Digital currency is also known as digital money and cybercash.
• E.g. Cryptocurrency

Need:

Addressing the Malpractices:

• The need for a sovereign digital currency arises from the anarchic design of existing cryptocurrencies, wherein their creation, as well as maintenance, are in the hands of the public.
• With no government supervision and ease of cross-border payments, renders them vulnerable to malpractices like tax evasion, terror funding, money laundering, etc.
• By regulating digital currency, the central bank can put a check on their malpractices.

Addressing Volatility:

• As the cryptocurrencies are not pegged to any asset or currency, its value is solely determined by speculation (demand and supply).
• Due to this, there has been huge volatility in the value of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin.
• As CBDCs will be pegged to any assets (like gold or fiat currency) and hence will not witness the volatility being seen in cryptocurrencies.

SOURCE:TH

4. Gaon Buras

IN NEWS:

• Recently, the Assam Cabinet announced that Gaon Buras, village-level functionaries of the district administration, will be called ‘Gaon Pradhans’.
• The government has reasoned that a number of young men (and women) become Gaon Buras, and thus, the word ‘Bura’ (meaning old in Assamese) is no longer appropriate.

Key Points

• Gaon Buras are the village headmen. They are the eyes, nose, ear of the district administration at the village level.
• There are about 6,000 Gaon Buras in Assam. Women ‘Gaon Buras’ are not very common and they take over, if their husbands die.

Duties:

• Maintaining a population register of the village, maintaining land records, helping police investigate crime, etc.
• It involves now maintaining a log of Covid-19 cases in the village, organising vaccination camps, functioning as booth-level officers during elections etc.
• To issue a ‘Gaon Bura certificate’, a certificate that determines the permanent residency in a particular village.
• It became crucial during the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for women to establish linkages with their husbands and parents.

Important Information:

A brief History:

• It belongs to the colonial era, when the British appointed the oldest person in the village as the head, who would oversee matters relating to land and revenue in a particular area.
• Post-independence, the government continued with the institution and made the Gaon Bura a formal part of the Assam Revenue and Disaster Management department, increasing his responsibilities, and eventually introducing a small honorarium for the role.
• In Arunachal Pradesh, too, the Gaon Buras (and Buris) are the most important village-level functionaries.

SOURCE:IE

5. PRODUCTION-LINKED INCENTIVE (PLI) SCHEME FOR SPECIALTY STEEL.

IN NEWS:

Union Cabinet approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for specialty steel.

KEY POINTS:

• The duration of the scheme will be five years,  from 2023-24 to 2027-28.
• The five categories of specialty steel which have been chosen in the PLI Scheme are:
• Coated/Plated Steel Products
• High Strength/Wear resistant Steel
• Specialty Rails
• Alloy Steel Products and Steel wires
• Electrical Steel

• There are 3 slabs of PLI incentives, the lowest being 4 % and highest being 12% which has been provided for electrical steel (CRGO).
• With a budgetary outlay of ₹6322 crores, the scheme is expected to bring in investment of approximately ₹40,000 crores and capacity addition of 25 MT for speciality steel.
• It is expected that the speciality steel production will become 42 million tonnes by the end of 2026-27.
• Speciality steel has been chosen as the target segment because out of the production of 102 million tonnes steel in India in 2020-21, only18 million tonnes value added steel/speciality steel was produced in the country.

SOURCE:MINT

6. National Farmers Welfare Program Implementation Committe.

IN NEWS:

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister inaugurated the office of National Farmers Welfare Program Implementation Committee.

KEY POINTS:

• The National Farmers Welfare Program Implementation Committee would act as a project monitoring unit for the implementation of
• PM-Kisan Yojana,
• Kisan Maandhan Yojana,
• Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and
• other schemes of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Important Information :

PM-Kisan

• The Central Government has implemented the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme to make farmers self-reliant and to provide direct income support for agricultural expenditure.
• Under this scheme, an amount of Rs 1.37 lakh crore has been transferred to the accounts of more than 11 crore farmer families so far.

SOURCE:PIB

7. 11th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation meeting.

IN NEWS:

On July 21, 2021, while addressing the 11th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) meeting, S Jaishankar India’s External Affairs Minister has called for a “collective and collaborative” response to effectively deal with the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, saying that national boundaries are not respected by this virus.

KEY POINTS:

• India considers the Mekong region of great importance and hence seeks a multi-dimensional engagement with Mekong countries.
• India wants to identify newer areas of cooperation and doing so will broaden the partnership of the countries.
• Addressing the meeting, S Jaishankar has said that India wants to promote better connectivity in this region through economic, digital and people-to-people connectivity.
• In the meeting finding ways to the fight against the pandemic through better MGC partnership was reflected upon. S Jaishankar said that the partner nations need to work together in addressing the crisis.
• India said that Mekong Ganga Cooperation stands on a strong foundation based on shared historical and geographical ties and cooperation among the countries should be improved to bring progress and prosperity.

Important Information:

MGC

The MGC initiative was launched in the year 2000 with the aim of boosting cooperation in tourism, connectivity and culture and other range of areas. This initiative comprises of six countries, they are: India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

SOURCE:TH

8. Liverpool removed from World Heritage status.

IN NEWS:

On 21st July, 2021 Liverpool was removed from the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites after being granted the title in 2004.

KEY POINTS:

• The decision was taken after a secret ballot was done by the UNESCO committee. They voted in favour stripping Liverpool of this status.
• Liverpool gained its World Heritage status in 2004, in recognition of its maritime history. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was one of the world’s major trading centres.
• The heritage list has been designed to preserve and recognize the buildings, monuments and other sites, and this decision to remove Liverpool will puncture a hole in the prestige of the city.
• Previously, only two sites have lost their heritage status: The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman in the year 2007, and the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany in the year 2009.
• Sites are removed if they do not preserve and maintain the sites properly.

SOURCE:TH