Today's News 26 March 2019
नीति आयोग फिनटेक कॉनक्‍लेव 2019
नीति आयोग 25 मार्च, 2019 को नई दिल्‍ली के डॉ. अम्‍बेडकर नगर अंतरराष्‍ट्रीय केन्‍द्र में एक दिनभर चलने वाले फिनटेक कॉनक्‍लेव का आयोजन किया। इसका उद्देश्‍य भारत के फिनटेक क्षेत्र में बढ़ती ऊंचाइयों को आकार देना, भविष्‍य की रणनीति एवं नीतिगत प्रयासों के लिए योजना बनाना तथा व्‍यापक वित्‍तीय समावेश के लिए कदमों पर विचार करना है। इस कॉनक्‍लेव में वित्‍तीय स्‍थान- केन्‍द्रीय मंत्रालयों, विनियामकों, बैकरों, स्‍टार्टअप्‍स, सेवा प्रदाताओं एवं उद्यमियों के प्रतिनिधि भाग लिए।
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants-hindi/19417-2019-25
#FinitechConclave #Policy #Commission #NitiAayog #India #SEBI #MSME

अर्थव्यवस्था में तरलता की स्थिति बेहतर
वित्त मंत्रालय और भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक (RBI) ने 25 मार्च 2019 जानकारी दी है कि अर्थव्यवस्था में तरलता (लिक्विडिटी) आरामदायक स्थिति में है। उन्होंने यह भी कहा कि इसमें रुपी-डॉलर स्वैप विंडो के जरिए 35,000 करोड़ रुपये का और बूस्ट दिया जाएगा। आर्थिक मामलों के विभाग के सचिव सुभाष चंद्र गर्ग ने पत्रकारों को बताया कि तरलता आरामदायक स्थिति में हैं। तरलता को बढ़ाने के लिए RBI की ओर से रुपये-डॉलर स्वैप व्यवस्था के नए उपकरण के बारे में पूछे जाने पर गर्ग ने कहा कि यह आरबीआई की ओर से उठाया गया सार्थक कदम है।
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants-hindi/19416-2019-03-26-04-16-50
#RBI #SubhashChandra #dollar #economy #FinanceMinistry

Global Energy Transition index
India has moved up two places to rank 76th on a global energy transition index, which has ranked 115 economies on how well they are able to balance energy security and access with environmental sustainability and affordability. Sweden remains on the top on this annual list compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) and is followed by Switzerland and Norway in the top three, as per its latest report released on 25 March 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/19421-global-energy-transition-index
#WEF #India #BRICS #China #Brazil #CO2

Chandrayaan 2 to carry NASA science instrument
India's second moon mission Chandrayaan 2, scheduled for launch in April, would be carrying a NASA science probe. Chandrayaan 2 will carry NASA-owned laser retroreflector arrays that allow scientists to make precise measurements of the distance to the Moon, the US space agency officials said, during the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in Texas.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/19420-chandrayaan-2-to-carry-nasa-science-instrument
#NASA #Chandrayaan2 #ISRO #India #spacecraft

Magnetoreception found in Human
Many people are able to unconsciously detect changes in the Earth’s magnetic fields, according to scientists who claim to have found concrete evidence of a new human sense — magnetoreception. Researchers from California Institute of Technology in the US and the University of Tokyo in Japan offer experimental evidence that human brain waves respond to controlled changes in Earth-strength magnetic fields.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/19419-magnetoreception-found-in-human
#Magnetoreception #Human #Earth #magneticfields #eNeuro

SC dismisses plea of Triple Talaq
The Supreme Court 25 March 2019 dismissed a plea challenging the constitutional validity of an ordinance which makes the practice of instant ‘triple talaq’ a punishable offence. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi dismissed a plea of a Kerala-based outfit and said it will not like to interfere.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/19418-sc-dismisses-plea-of-triple-talaq
#SC #TripleTalaq #RanjanGogoi #SupremeCourt

First country to issued BSID
India has become the first country in the world to issue smart ID card to seafarers containing their facial biometric details which will replace the existing Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC)—a passport-like document.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21339-first-country-to-issued-bsid
#BSID #CDC #PoS #IDs #India #IDcard #LaunchofSeafarers #Identification

Repeal of Articles 104, 193
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he would soon approach the Union government and make a request for bringing a Constitutional (amendment) Bill in the Parliament to repeal Article 104 and Article 193 of the Indian Constitution which have now become irrelevant.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21338-repeal-of-articles-104-193
#Articles104 #LokSabha #Speaker #OmBirla #amendment #NeVA

China’s One Country Two Systems policy
Protests in Hong Kong, now in its 13th consecutive week, have brought a decades-old policy of the People’s Republic of China back into focus — One Country Two Systems.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21337-china-s-one-country-two-systems-policy
#China #OneCountry #TwoSystems #policy #HongKong

New clues on humans evolution
A “remarkably complete” 3.8-million-year-old skull of an early human has been unearthed in Ethiopia, scientists announced on August 28, a discovery that has the potential to alter our understanding of human evolution.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21336-new-clues-on-humans-evolution
#Newclues #humans #evolution #MRD #London

Helicopter with Mars 2020 rover
Scientists at NASA have attached the Mars Helicopter to the Mars 2020 rover which the US space agency intends to send to the neighbouring red planet next year.
Read More: http://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21335-helicopter-with-mars-2020-rover
#Helicopter #Mars #NASA #JPL #planet #aircraft

KSG PODCAST | India’s new policy on air sports Source: By Rishika Singh: The Indian Express #upsc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPG8CkQt5eg
#UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

KSG PODCAST | India’s new policy on air sports Source: By Rishika Singh: The Indian Express #upsc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPG8CkQt5eg&list=PLCUwtp5IghZmJBi1h7xiAhsORKmmumVsR&index=67
#UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

KSG PODCAST | India’s new policy on air sports Source: By Rishika Singh: The Indian Express #upsc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPG8CkQt5eg&list=PLCUwtp5IghZmJBi1h7xiAhsORKmmumVsR&index=181
#UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

Today's Headlines - 07 August 2023
Draft National Deep Tech Startup Policy
GS Paper - 3 (Economy)

The office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government put out a draft National Deep Tech Startup Policy (NDTSP) for public comment, following two versions that were iterated at high levels with other government departments, academia and stakeholder firms. The policy seeks to “ensure India’s position in the global deep tech value chain,” in areas such as semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and space tech.

More about the Policy

The policy seeks to bolster research and development in deep tech start-ups, which work on fundamental and technical problems, unlike firms that monetise technology with distinguished business models.
The policy also seeks to find approaches to provide financing to deep tech start-ups at critical moments, such as before they go to market with their products or ideas.
Additionally, the policy seeks to simplify the intellectual property regime for such start-ups, ease regulatory requirements, and proposes a slew of measures to promote these firms.
For instance, the NDTSP suggests that an Export Promotion Board be created to ease barriers of entry for Indian deep tech start-ups into foreign markets and those clauses to ease such market access be included in foreign trade agreements.
The policy also includes resource-intensive policy approaches to attract global talent, such as offering “networking opportunities to international deep tech startups and experts interested in relocating and contributing to the local ecosystem.
Since expertise and regulatory overview of different aspects of deep tech and its supply chains are under different Ministries, the policy suggests the creation of an “Inter Ministerial Deep Tech Committee” to regularly review the requirements of enabling the deep tech ecosystem to function better.

International agreement

The policy restates the government’s disappointment with international agreements that it argues have left India on the backfoot in terms of manufacturing and development power.
India’s experience with some aspects of international cooperation has had a deleterious effect on the domestic ecosystem. A key example of this is the Information Technology Agreement-I that India joined in 1997.
The policy calls for a more multi-pronged approach to protect Indian interests. The need of the hour is a coordinated, comprehensive push to optimally engage with international partners and multilateral institutions to push the Indian Deep Tech Ecosystem, the policy says.

#upsc #news #headline #Draftnational #Deeptech #Startup #policy #economy #principal #scientific #adviser #NDTSP #global #AI #semiconductors #artificial #intelligence #spacetech #fundamental #technical #technology #monetise #critical #property #resource #networking #indian #internationalagreement #ecosystem

Today's Headlines - 11 August 2023
MPC has kept interest rate unchanged
GS Paper - 3 (Economy)

Interest rates in the Indian financial system will remain unchanged following the decision of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to keep the main policy instrument – the Repo rate – unchanged at 6.50 per cent on 10 August 2023. Equated monthly instalments (EMIs) of home, vehicle and other loans are expected to remain steady for the time being.

Why is the RBI in pause mode?

The pause in the Repo rate – the rate at which RBI lends money to banks to meet their short-term funding needs – on 10 August 2023 is for the third time since the RBI started hiking the Repo rate in May 2022 to check inflation.
In April policy, the MPC members, in a surprise move, had unanimously decided to pause the rate hike cycle.
Monetary policy transmission is still underway after the RBI slashed the Repo rate by 250 basis points since May 2022 and headline inflation is expected to remain above the five per cent level and even touch even 6.2 per cent in the second quarter of this year.
While the vegetable price shock may reverse quickly, possible El Nino weather conditions along with global food prices need to be watched closely against the backdrop of a skewed southwest monsoon so far.

Why RBI has hiked inflation projection and its impact

On 10 August 2023, the RBI revised its FY2024 inflation projection to 5.4 per cent from 5.1 per cent announced in June.
It said CPI inflation is expected to be at 6.2 per cent in the second quarter, 5.7 per cent in the third quarter and 5.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of FY2023-24.
This means the high policy rates will remain high for long and, therefore, a rate cut can be expected only in Q1 FY25.
The spike in tomato prices and the rise in cereal and pulses contributed to inflation. However, vegetable prices may see a significant correction.
Retail inflation (measured using the consumer prices index or CPI) had declined to an 18-month low of 4.3 per cent in May from 5.7 per cent in March, remaining under the RBI’s comfort zone of 2-6 per cent for two consecutive months.
However, inflation has picked up since then and it’s likely to rise in the range of 6-6.8 per cent in July from 4.81 per cent in June. The RBI is mandated to keep CPI at 4 per cent with a band of +/- 2 per cent.

Why has RBI retained the stance of withdrawal of accommodation?

The RBI has focused on its stance of ‘withdrawal of accommodation’ until all risks to inflation dissipate. An accommodative stance means the central bank is prepared to expand the money supply to boost economic growth.
Withdrawal of accommodation will mean reducing the money supply in the system which will rein in inflation further.

#upsc #news #headline #MPC #rate #economy #indian #financial #system #policy #EMI #RBI #bank #hiked #CPI #zone #withdrawal #level #monetary #committee #instalments #mode

The 640-page NCF, an update on the draft released in April, was developed by a 13-member steering committee led by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan.

#upsc #news #headline #national #curriculim #NCF #education #indian #school #vision #national #policy #interdisciplinarity #proposals #preparatory #secondary #grades #middlestage #nativetoindia #mathematics #arteducation #physical #enviromental #subjects #period #communication #writingskills #local #global #twolanguages #mandatory #history #journalism #semestersystem #bank #comprehensive #annualsystem #NCERT #development #academicsession #NEP #NCF #kKasturirangan #ISRO #commerce #science #humanities #english #sanskrit

Today's Headlines - 11 September 2023
National Strategy for Robotics
GS Paper - 3 (Emerging technology)

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has invited public comments as well as inputs from stakeholders on the draft "National Strategy for Robotics" (NSR). The strategy is aimed at "strengthening all pillars in the innovation cycle of robotic technology, while also providing a robust institutional framework for ensuring the effective implementation of these interventions. Presently, in terms of annual industrial installations, India ranks 10th globally as per the World Robotics Report, 2022.

What's in the draft?

The draft NSR proposes a policy framework for the implementation of robotics in various sectors, with the aim of making India a global robotics leader by 2030.
It also builds upon the mandates of the Make in India 2.0 plans, which identify robotics as one of the 27 sub-sectors to further enhance India's integration in the global value chain.
The draft has so far identified manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and national security as the four core sectors to prioritise robotics automation.
According to the current draft, MeitY will serve as the nodal agency for robotics, with a two-tier institutional framework to facilitate the implementation of the NSR.
The implementation will be directly undertaken under MeitY's 'National Robotics Mission' or the NRM.
The draft also proposes fiscal and non-fiscal interventions by the NRM, for upscaling innovation in robotics.
These interventions will be specifically aimed at developing funding mechanisms for robotics start-ups as well as promoting exports.
Major recommendations of the draft NFR

First and foremost, the NFR has recommended the creation of a robust regulatory framework, led by the Robotics Innovation Unit (RIU), an independent agency that will function under MeitY as a part of India AI.
The NFR also proposes the implementation of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in Robotics.
The CoEs will be categorised under foundational and applied research. The NFR suggests that for application-based research, CoEs should enlist private sector intervention in priority sectors to help with experimental prototyping, as well as small-volume production for the initial phase of commercialisation.
The current draft also lays out clear plans for providing advisory support to start-ups, harnessing the research potential of higher education institutes, and the development of robotics industrial zones.
Why is the NFR needed?

Besides the aim of integrating robotics into the identified sectors, the draft also points out that "there is a general lack of adoption and growth of the robotics ecosystem in India."
The primary challenges are high import dependence, costly hardware components, and insufficient investments in research and development.
Robots consist of numerous complex and minute parts that need precise knowledge and skills for assembling.
The current state adoption of robotics in the country is "too ambitious, keeping in mind the lack of skilled resources, technical expertise impeding the growth of the robotics ecosystem in the country.

#upsc #headine #news #national #strategy #robotics #emerging #technology #ministry #technology #NSR #world #makeinindia #sectors #global #chain #policy #framework #Meity #pillars #cycle #healthcare #agriculture #security #implementation #draft #fiscal #nonfiscal #mechanisms #RIU #hardware #components #ambitious #resourses #technical #ecosystem