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National Portal For Transgender Persons Launched

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-I – Society & GS-II – Policies and interventions 

In news

•  ‘National Portal for Transgender Persons’ was recently launched.
• Launched by: Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment

Key takeaways

• National Portal for Transgender Persons was developed after the Notification of Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020 was released.
• This Portal would help a transgender person in applying for a Certificate and Identity card digitally from anywhere in the country.
• The most important benefit is that it helps the transgender person to get the I-Card without any physical interface and without having to visit any office. 
• Through the Portal, they can monitor the status of their application that ensures transparency in the process.
• Getting Transgender Certificate and Identity Cards as per their self-perceived identity is an important provision of The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.

Garima Greh: A Shelter Home for Transgender Persons’ e-inaugurated

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-I – Society & GS-II – Policies and interventions 

In news

• A ‘Garima Greh: A Shelter Home for Transgender Persons’ was recently e-inaugurated in Vadodara, Gujarat.
• Inaugurated by: Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment 

Key takeaways

• Under the Scheme of ‘Shelter Home for Transgender Persons’, the ministry has decided to set up shelter homes for transgender persons who have been forced to leave their homes or abandoned by the family. 
• This is first such home in Vadodara.
• By March 31st, 2021, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Patna, Kolkata, Jaipur, Raipur, Bhubaneswar and Manipur will also have such homes to be called “Garima Greh” with a capacity for 25 persons.
• They will be run by transgender community-led organisations. 
• These shelters will also provide skill training to connect the community members with livelihood opportunities.
• This is a pilot project.
• On its successful completion, similar schemes will be extended to other parts of the country.

Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Health & GS-III – Sci & Tech

In news

• The Indian government is using eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network) in association with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to identify primary beneficiaries and vaccine distribution networks.

Key takeaways

• eVIN is an indigenously developed technology. 
• It digitises vaccine stocks and monitors the temperature of the cold chain through a smartphone application.
• The innovative eVIN was first launched across 12 states in 2015 to support better vaccine logistics management at cold chain points.
• eVIN supports the central government’s Universal Immunization Programme by providing real-time information on vaccine stocks and flows, and storage temperatures across all cold chain points across states and UTs.

Do you know?

• The government has begun its preparations for introduction of Covid-19 vaccine and a National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) has been formed as the highest group that will guide the strategies for vaccine introduction.

Decisions taken regarding Ensuring Adequate Numbering Resources for Fixed Line and Mobile Services

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Infrastructure

In news

• With the consideration of TRAI Recommendation on “Ensuring Adequate Numbering Resources for Fixed Line and Mobile Services”, Department of Telecommunications shall implement certain decisions.

Decisions taken

• All Fixed to Mobile calls will be dialed with prefix ‘0’ from 15th January, 2021.
• There will be no change in dialling plan from fixed to fixed, mobile to fixed and mobile to mobile calls.
• An announcement shall be played whenever a subscriber dials a fixed to mobile call without prefixing ‘0’.
• All fixed line subscribers will be provided with ‘0’ dialling facility.
• A total of approximately 2539 million numbering series is expected to be generated from the above. 
• This will free up sufficient numbering resources for future use.
• With the freeing up of sufficient numbering resources, more number of connections can be added in future which will be beneficial to the mobile customers at large.

FDI in Telecom

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Infrastructure; FDI

In news

• Union Cabinet approved ₹2,480 crore FDIin ATC Telecom Infra Pvt Ltd. 
• ATC Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd is looking to acquire 12.32% stake in ATC Telecom Infra Pvt Ltd through the FDI route.

• FDI up to 100% is allowed in Telecom Services Sector wherein 49% under automatic route and beyond 49% through government route subject to observance of licensing and security conditions by the licensee as well as investors as notified by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) from time to time.

NIIF’s Debt Platform approved

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Infrastructure

In news

• To drive infrastructure creation in India, the Union Cabinet approved the infusion of ₹6,000 crore equity in National Infrastructure Investment Fund’s (NIIF’s) debt platform in the next two years.

Key takeaways

• Out of the proposed amount, ₹2,000 crore will be infused in the current financial year.
• NIIF Debt Platform is sponsored by National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
• Under NIIF, there are several funds.
• The NIIF’s debt platform will raise debt from the bond market and will provide debt/loan to infrastructure companies.
• It will act as an intermediary between the bond market and the infrastructure projects.
• Infrastructure projects do not directly raise money from the bond markets because they lack credibility in such markets. 
• The NIIF and its platforms’ ratings are good because government has invested 49% equity into it. 

Do you know?

• Any fund can raise money through two routes – Equity and Debt and can then invest this money into Equity and Debt again.

Draft Merchant Shipping Bill, 2020

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Infrastructure

In news

• Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has issued a draft of the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2020 for public consultation. 
• It aims to repeal and replace the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and the Coasting Vessels Act, 1838.

Key takeaways

• The Bill has provisions for repatriation of abandoned seafarers to improve their welfare on abandoned vessels.
• The Bill does away with requirement of general trading licence for Indian vessels to promote ease of doing business. 
• It also enables electronic means of registration, and grants statutory recognition to electronic agreements, records, and log-books.
• The Bill has clauses to increase India’s tonnage and to make the vessel a tradeable asset.
• It also seeks to introduce for the first-time statutory framework for regulating maritime emergency response against maritime incidents to promote India as a bankable shipping jurisdiction and avoid situations leading to wreck.
• To make India an active enforcement jurisdiction, the Bill incorporates powers of the Director-General to take action against vessels that are unsafe, and pose a threat to safety of life at sea and environment
• It also encourages active enforcement of pollution prevention standards.

Land-attack Version of BrahMos Missile successfully test-fired

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Defence and Security

In news

• Recently, India has successfully test-fired a land-attack version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Key takeaways

• The range of the missile has been extended to 400 km from the original 290 km.
• Its speed has been maintained at 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound.
• The test was done in a “top-attack” configuration.
• In top attack mode, the missile is required to climb sharply after launch, travel at a certain altitude and then fall on top of the target.
• In direct attack mode, the missile travels at a lower altitude, directly striking the target.

Miscellaneous

Lok Virasat organised

• India’s Films Division (FD) is organising Lok Virasat. 
• It is a festival of films on folk art and painting.

The films being streamed include:

• The Kingdom of God: It is a film on the great Indian heritage of art and culture with focus on various folk art traditions.
• Bhavai – Fading Memories: A film on Bhavai which is a folk art of Gujarat.
• Naman – Khele: A film on the ancient folk art performed in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra.
• Sahi Jata – The Fusion Cult: A film on the unique fusion of muscle and music in the form of folk art on the back-drop of the ancient Orissa town of Puri 
• Therukoothu – Dancing For Life: A film depicting the age old Tamil folk art.

(Mains Focus)

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY/ GOVERNANCE

Topic: General Studies 2:

• Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology.

Brain Fingerprinting

Context: A team of CBI officers probing the alleged rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, arrived at the Gandhinagar-based Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) with the four accused. A brain electrical oscillation signature profiling (BEOSP) test will be conducted on all four

What exactly is the BEOSP test?

• Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling (BEOSP) also known as brain fingerprinting is a neuro psychological method of interrogation in which the accused’s participation in the crime is investigated by studying their brain’s response. 
• The BEOSP test is carried out via a process known as electroencephalogram, conducted to study the electrical behaviour of the human brain.
• Under this test, the consent of the accused is first taken and they are then made to wear caps with dozens of electrodes attached to them. 

• The accused are then shown visuals or played audio clips related to the crime to check if there is any triggering of neurons in their brains which then generate brainwaves. 

• The test results are then studied to determine the participation of the accused in a crime
• To be fair to the accused, forensic experts also prepare probes on the basis of their alibis and then present two hypothesis in front of them to invoke their brain’s reaction. 
• The tests are based on the phenomenons of ‘knowledge’ and ‘experience’. A person’s brain might have knowledge of the crime committed and the alibi they have come up with. But it is the ‘experience’ of having participated in the crime that determines their guilt.

What differentiates a BEOSP test from a polygraph or a lie detector?

• The BEOSP procedure does not involve a question answer session with the accused and is rather a neuro psychological study of their brain. 
• In a polygraph test, the accused person’s physiological indicators are taken into account which include blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration and skin conductivity. 
• However, experts say that while a person might be able to control their pulse rate and BP even in times of distress, a BEOSP test offers a much more credible result.

Why were the accused brought to Gandhinagar FSL?

• Founded in 1974, the Gujarat state FSL in Gandhinagar is India’s premier laboratory for forensic sciences and technical investigation. 
• The FSL has a total of 1100 staff and offers varied services including suspect detection system, computer forensics, narco analysis as well as an accredited ‘cow meat’ testing mobile laboratory.
• Other states refer their cases here because of the latest cutting edge technological advancements in the laboratory along with sufficient expertise of the staff which are to the international standards
• Among the high-profile cases that were studies by Gujarat FSL were the Nithari serial killings, the Aarushi murder case, the Godhra train burning case, the Shakti Mill gangrape case and the on-going Narcotics Control Bureau case involving Bollywood.

Can these tests be admitted as evidence?

• Not as a standalone. 
• In 2010, the Supreme Court passed a judgment in the Selvi versus State of Karnataka case where the bench observed that narco analysis, polygraph and brain mapping tests cannot be forced upon any individual without their consent and the test results cannot be admitted solely as evidence. 
• However, any information or material discovered during the tests can be made part of the evidence, observed the bench.

GOVERNANCE/ SOCIETY

Topic: General Studies 1, 2:

• Urbanization, their problems and their remedies. 
• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. 

Women Friendly Cities

Context: Urban planning in India does not factor in gender perspectives. Cities need to be redesigned to address the concerns of women.

Issues

• Personal security, digital security and infrastructure security
• All these have a multiplier effect on the position of women — these can negatively affect their access to public spaces, jobs and even how much leisure time they can spend. 
• Indifference to concerns of women results in a difficult commute and poor childcare facilities.
• The segregation of commercial and residential areas automatically increases the commute from work to home and creates entry barriers to mobility for women.
• Shared transport has been found to be generally unsafe. But in the absence of dedicated footpaths or cycle tracks, women commuters have little option.

Way Ahead

• To make cities women-friendly, urban planners must focus on two core issues —greater safety from violence and adequate childcare support.
• Mixed land-use, by encouraging office space and commercial areas in residential localities, makes for regular use of streets, better lighting and encourages women to use public spaces.
• Chandigarh Model – This city factored in local markets, commercial offices, schools, public parks, post offices, police posts and medical clinics into the design of each small locality or sector.
• Reliable childcare facilities, are necessary if we expect women to enter the job market, sustain jobs and also pursue leisure activities. 
• Ensuring that enough creches are available throughout the city is important to set women free and support them in discharging their parental duties. 
• For construction sites, mobile creches could be the answer.

(TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE)

Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section)

Note: 

• Correct answers of today’s questions will be provided in next day’s DNA section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. 
• Comments Up-voted by IASbaba are also the “correct answers”.

Q.1 Consider the following statements:

1. Bhavai is a folk art of Rajasthan.
2. Naman – Khele is the ancient folk art performed in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra.

Which of the above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q.2 Which of the following sectors allow FDI?

1. Manufacturing of cigars
2. Atomic  Energy
3. Telecom services
4. Pharma sector

Which of the following is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 4 only
3. 3 and 4 only
4. 3 only

ANSWERS FOR 26th November 2020 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK)

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