Prelim Bits 05-08-2021 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs
iasparliament
August 05, 2021
IAC-1Vikrant
Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’ is the 1st aircraft carrier designed and built in India. It is designed by Indian Navy's Directorate of Naval Design.
It is an example of ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ with more than 76% indigenous content.
The ship has,
A very high degree of automation for machinery operation, ship navigation and survivability,
Propulsion and Power Generation equipment/ systems,
An incomparable military instrument with its ability to project Air Power over long distances.
Boeing’s Starliner
The launch of Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) or the Crew Space Transportation-100 (CST-100) has been postponed.
This spacecraft is part of an uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station. The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Purpose - Starliner has been designed to accommodate seven passengers or a mix of crew and cargo for missions to low-Earth orbit.
It has an innovative, weldless structure and is reusable up to 10 times with a 6-month turnaround time.
It features wireless internet and tablet technology for crew interfaces.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
The main objective of this program is to make access to space easier in terms of its cost, so that cargo and crew can be easily transported to and from the ISS, enabling greater scientific research.
NASA selected Boeing and SpaceX as commercial partners for this program in September 2014 to develop transportation systems for transferring crew from the US to the ISS.
It plans to lower its costs by sharing them with commercial partners.
It gives the private companies incentive to design and build the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services.
Fast Track Special Courts
The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of Fast Track Special Court (FTSCs) including exclusive POCSO Courts from 2021 to 2023.
The Central Share is to be funded from Nirbhaya Fund.
The enactment of Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 by the Central Government led to the establishment of FTSCs in 2019 as Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
FTSCs are dedicated courts that ensure swift dispensation of justice and, it strengthens the deterrence framework for sexual offenders.
Currently covering 28 States, it is proposed to be expanded to cover all 31 states which are eligible to join the Scheme.
National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2017
The Government has notified National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2017 (NPMF, 2017) to encourage marine fishing in the Indian waters.
NPMF provides guidance for promoting ‘Blue Growth Initiative’, which focuses on ushering 'Blue Revolution’.
It aims to ensure the health and ecological integrity of marine living resources of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) through sustainable harvests for the benefit of present and future generations of the nation.
Strategy of NPMF is based on 7 pillars - Sustainable development, socio-economic upliftment of fishers, principle of subsidiarity, partnership, inter-generational equity, gender justice and precautionary approach.
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
Department of Fisheries is implementing this flagship scheme for 5 years period from financial year 2020-21 to 2024-25 in all States/UTs.
Welfare-related activities supported under PMMSY primarily include,
Insurance cover for fishers, fish farmers, fish workers, fishing vessels,
Livelihood support and nutritional support for socio-economically backward active traditional fishers during fishing ban/lean period,
Supply of boats and nets to traditional fishermen, and safety kits for traditional and motorized fishing vessels, etc
To know more about Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, click here.
Compliance Information Portal
The Central Board for Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) launched the Indian Customs Compliance Information Portal (CIP).
CIP provides free access to information on all Customs procedures and regulatory compliance for nearly 12,000 Customs Tariff Items.
It would provide complete knowledge of all import and export related requirements for all items covered under the Customs Tariff thereby improving the ease of doing cross border trade.
Another important feature of CIP is a pan India map showing all the Customs seaports, airports, land customs stations etc.
