Prelim Bits 08-03-2024 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

State Specific Disaster

Kerala declares man-animal conflict a state-specific disaster, becoming the 1^st state in the country to do so.

• In Kerala – This announcement is due to Man-Elephant conflict which had claimed lives of many people.

• State specific Disaster – They are ‘disasters’ within the local context in the State and which are not included in the notified list of disasters of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Announced by – State Government.
• Funding mechanism – State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
• A State Government may use up to 10% of the funds available under the SDRF for providing immediate relief to the victims
• Responsible authority – State disaster management authority (SDMA) as per the Disaster Management Act 2005.
• At the state level – The Chief Minister is the ex officio chairman of the SDMA.
•  In the districts – The district disaster management authority (DDMA) is headed by the district collector.
• Powers – SDMA can take actions overriding other norms, including those under the Wildlife Protection Act.
• Section 71 of the DM Act – No court (except the Supreme Court or a High Court) shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceeding in respect of anything done by relevant authorities in pursuance of any power conferred by this Act.
• Section 72 of the Act – The provisions of this Act will have an overriding effect on any other law during the specific period.
• Coverage – It includes natural disasters like Cyclone, drought, earthquake, flood among others and also human-animal conflicts like snakebite.

References

1. The Indian Express| Kerala’s declaration of State Specific Disaster
2. NDM India| Funding during Disaster Management

International Women's Day

Globally, March 8th is celebrated annually as International Women's Day.

• International Women’s Day – A global day acknowledging the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
• It also highlights the ongoing struggles for equality and the need for continued action worldwide for accelerating gender parity.
• History – Women’s day originated from the labour movements in North America and Europe in the early 20^th century.
• Ms. Clara Zetkin proposed the concept in 1910 at International Women’s Conference in Copenhagen.
• 1^st International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911.
• United Nations
  • It celebrated its 1^st official International Women's Day on 8^th March during International Women’s Year in 1975.
  • In 1977, UN General Assembly (UNGA) formalizes and proclaimed the UN Day for Women’s Rights and World Peace.
• Significance of the Day – It lies in its ability to bring attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
• It provides a platform for collective action and collaboration in advocating for women’s rights and empowerment.

Women’s Day 2024 – UN

• Theme - ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’ with a focus on addressing economic disempowerment.
• Campaign theme - ‘Inspire Inclusion.’
• 5 key areas needing joint action
  • Investing in women, a human rights issue
  • Ending poverty
  • Implementing gender-responsive financing
  • Shifting to a green economy and care society
  • Supporting feminist change-makers
• Significance – It recognises the importance of diversity and empowerment in various spheres of society and underscoring the pivotal role of inclusion in advancing gender equality.

References

1. The Indian Express| Celebration of International Women’s Day      
2. UN| International Women’s Day 2024

IndiaAI Mission

Recently, Indian government announced the national-level IndiaAI Mission, a ‘significant step’ towards bolstering the country's artificial intelligence (AI) system.

• Aim – To establish a comprehensive ecosystem catalysing AI innovation through strategic programs and partnerships across public and private sectors.
• Financial outlay – Rs. 10,371.92 crore, over the next 5 years.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY)
• Implemented by – IndiaAI Independent Business Division under Digital India Corporation.

INDIAai is knowledge portal, research organisation and an ecosystem building initiative.

• It has 7 key Components.
• IndiaAI Compute Capacity – To build scalable AI computing infrastructure by deploying more than 10,000 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) through strategic public-private collaborations.
• An AI marketplace will be designed to offer AI as a service and pre-trained models to AI innovators.
• IndiaAI Innovation Centre (IAIC) – To undertake development and deployment of indigenous Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) and for retention of top research talent.
• IndiaAI Datasets Platform – To streamline access to quality non-personal datasets to ensure data-driven governance and catalyzing AI-based innovation and research.
• IndiaAI Application Development Initiative – To promote AI applications in critical sectors for problem statements sourced from Central Ministries, State Departments and other institutions.
• IndiaAI FutureSkills – To mitigate barriers to entry into AI programs and will increase AI courses undergraduate, masters-level and Ph.D. programs.
• Further, Data and AI Labs will be set up in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India to impart foundational-level courses.
• IndiaAI Startup Financing – To support and accelerate deep-tech AI startups.
• Safe & Trusted AI – To enable implementation of Responsible AI projects with development of indigenous tools, self-assessment checklists, other guidelines and governance frameworks.
• Significance – It will further the vision of Making AI in India and Making AI Work for India.
• It will drive forward creativity and enhance internal capabilities, safeguarding India's technological autonomy.
• Additionally, it aims to generate employment opportunities, tapping into the country's demographic advantage.

Reference

Live Mint| Approval of IndiaAI Mission

UNNATI – 2024

The Union Cabinet have approved the new industrial development scheme, Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme, 2024 (UNNATI – 2024).

• It is Central Sector Scheme.
• Objectives – To develop industries that will create productive economic activity in the manufacturing and service sectors.
• To generate gainful employment, which will lead to the area's overall socio-economic development.
• Focus areas – States of North East Region.
• Financial Outlay – Rs.10, 037 crore.
  • Part A – Incentives to the eligible units (Rs. 9737 crores), 60% to 8 NE states and 40% on First-In-First-Out (FIFO) basis.
  • Part B – For implementation and institutional arrangements for the scheme (Rs. 300 Crore).
• Nodal Agency – Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• Targets – Direct employment opportunities of about 83,000 and a significant number of indirect employment.
• Scheme period – 10 years from the date of notification and additional 8 years for committed liabilities.
• Eligibility – All new Industrial units and Expanding units for the respective incentives.
• Districts are categorized in 2 zones
  • Zone A (Industrially Advanced Districts)
  • Zone B (Industrially Backward Districts)

• Maximum Eligible benefits to one unit from all components of the scheme is Rs. 250 Cr.

Reference

PIB| UNNATI-2024, new Industrial Development Scheme for NE region

Geological Time Scale

The proposal to declare the start of the Anthropocene, a newly created epoch of the geological time scale was rejected.

• It is a fundamental scale for expressing our Earth’s 4.6-billion-year history.
• Named & classified by – The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) of International Union of Geological Sciences.
• International Chronostratigraphic Chart are the basis for the units (periods, epochs and age) of the geological time scale.

The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), founded in 1961, with 121 national members, representing over a million geoscientists, is one of the World’s largest scientific organizations.

• Criteria’s used – It uses rigorous criteria like Earth’s rock layers, or strata, and the fossils found within them to decide when each chapter started and which characteristics defined it.
• 5 broad categories – Eons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages (Larger to smaller).
  • Eon – The broadest category of geological time.
  • Ages – The smallest category.
• Each of these categories is further divided into sub-categories.
  • Triassic – It was the dawn of the dinosaurs.
  • Paleogene – It saw the rise of mammals.
  • Pleistocene – It included the last ice ages.
• The present geological time – Phanerozoic eon, Cenozoic era, Quaternary period, Holocene epoch and the Meghalayan age.
• Holocene began 11,700 years ago with the most recent retreat of the great glaciers.

• Anthropocene – Human civilizations are leaving unmistakable remnants in the mineral record, particularly since the mid-20^th century.
  • Radionuclides from nuclear tests.
  • Plastics and industrial ash.
  • Concrete and metal pollutants.
  • Rapid greenhouse warming. Sharply increased species extinctions.

References

1. The Indian Express| Declaration of Anthropocene got rejected
2. Earth at Home| Geological Time Scale