UPSC Quiz – 2024 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 13th July 2024

·       It has been established to promote self-reliance in Defence Technology as a part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

·       It is a programme of the Ministry of Defence.

·       This programme is executed by the DRDO to meet the requirements of the Tri-Services, Defence Production, and DRDO.

·       The Scheme encourages the participation of public/private industries, especially MSMEs and startups, so as to create an ecosystem for enhancing cutting-edge technology capability in the defence sector.

·       In addition to providing the grants-in-aid for the development of indigenous technology, the scheme also provides the industry with various benefits.

Funding Support:

·       The project cost of up to INR 50 crore will be considered for funding.

·       The funding may be up to 90% of the total project cost.

·       Industry may work in collaboration with academia or research institutions. The work involvement of academia cannot exceed 40% of the total project cost.

·       The funding will be linked to mutually agreed milestones.

·       Funds will be released either in advance against a bank guarantee of the same amount as collateral, or reimbursement based on the completion of milestones.

·       Subsequent installments will be released on successful completion of milestones.

·       Project Duration: The maximum development period will be four (4) years.

Eligibility:

·       A public limited company, a private limited company, a partnership firm, a limited liability partnership, a one-person company, or a sole proprietorship registered as per applicable Indian laws registered in India especially MSMEs and Startups.

·       The industry must be owned and controlled by a resident Indian citizen.

·       An entity with excess of 49 percent foreign investment will not be eligible.

·       Startups must be recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as per Government of India (GOI) guidelines.

·       Startups incorporated for less than three years from date of submission of application will be considered as nascent startups.

·       A nascent Startup should be incubated at one of the Central/State government assisted incubators.

·       Startups should not have received any grants/grants-in-aid by any government scheme for a similar technology.

·       The startup must be owned and controlled by a Resident Indian citizen with a shareholding of at least 51%.

·       A bacteriophage is a type of virus that infects bacteria.

·       The word “bacteriophage” literally means “bacteria eater,” because bacteriophages destroy their host cells.

·       They are the most common biological entities in nature.

·       Also known as phages, these viruses can be found everywhere bacteria exist, including, in the soil, deep within the earth’s crust, inside plants and animals, and even in the oceans.

·       Thousands of varieties of phages exist, each of which may infect only one type or a few types of bacteria or archaea.

·       All bacteriophages are composed of a nucleic acid molecule that is surrounded by a protein structure.

·       The nucleic acid may be either DNA or RNA, and it may be double-stranded or single-stranded.

How does it infect bacteria?

·       A bacteriophage attaches itself to a susceptible bacterium and infects the host cell.

·       Following infection, the bacteriophage hijacks the bacterium’s cellular machinery to prevent it from producing bacterial components and instead forces the cell to produce viral components.

·       Eventually, new bacteriophages assemble and burst out of the bacterium in a process called lysis.

·       Bacteriophages occasionally remove a portion of their host cells’ bacterial DNA during the infection process and then transfer this DNA into the genome of new host cells. This process is known as transduction.

Uses:

·       They are common natural entities that can destroy bacteria that are resistant to drugs such as antibiotics.

·       Phage therapy holds promising potential in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

·       It is a revolutionary class of extremely large telescopes that will enable us to explore deeper into space and observe cosmic objects.

·       It is an ambitious international project involving India, the United States, Canada, China, and Japan that aims to significantly advance our understanding of the universe.

·       It is a next-generation astronomical observatory designed to provide unprecedented resolution and sensitivity with its massive 30-meter primary mirror, advanced adaptive optics system, and state-of-the-art instruments.

Primary goals:

·       Study the early universe and the formation and evolution of the first galaxies and stars after the Big Bang.

·       Investigate the formation, structure, and evolution of galaxies across cosmic time.

·       Study the relationship between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies.

·       Investigate the formation of stars and planetary systems.

·       Characterize exoplanets and study their atmospheres.

·       The implementation of the MRA between India and Taiwan is a landmark achievement as it is the first bilateral agreement for organic products.

·       The implementing Agencies for the MRA are Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India and Agriculture and Food Agency, Ministry of Agriculture (AFA), Taiwan.

·       Under this agreement, agricultural products produced and handled organically in conformity with the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) and accompanied by an organic demonstration document issued by an accredited certification body under NPOP are allowed for sale in Taiwan as organically produced including display of the “India Organic” logo.

Significance

·       It will ease the export of organic products by avoiding dual certifications; thus, reducing compliance cost, simplifying compliance requirement by adhering to only one regulation and enhancing trade opportunities in the organic sector.

·       It will pave the way for the export of major Indian organic products such as Rice, Processed Food, Green/Black and Herbal Tea, Medicinal plant products etc to Taiwan.

·       GeM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.

·       It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users, achieve the best value for their money.

·       The purchases through GeM by Government users have been authorised and made mandatory by Ministry of Finance through General Financial Rules, 2017.

·       GeM SAHAYAK – Is a program to reach out to the last mile sellers and simplify public procurement.

·       It aims at creating a PAN INDIA network of 6-7000 trained and certified accredited trainers.

·       The trainers would offer their services to potential and existing GeM Sellers in navigating on GeM and enhancing business opportunities.

·       Buyers too will benefit from the services of these SAHAYAKS in terms of creation of bids and other value-added services.

·       GeMAI – GeM is all set to deploy its generative AI-based chatbot called “GeMAI” in the coming quarter.

·       The AI tool has been trained to provide solutions based on a nuanced analysis of queries raised by Buyers and Sellers through various complaint and feedback mechanisms.

·       Conversational analytics and business intelligence using generative AI are also being harnessed to build a robust AI-powered chat bot.

·       The Aabhar Collection – GeM launched its signature initiative called “The Aabhar Collection” as part of its ‘Vocalforlocal’ outlet store marketplace.

·       The Aabhar collection showcases over 120 exquisite and hand-crafted gift items and hampers, featuring select products from One District One Product (ODOP) and Geographical Indication (GI) categories.

·       It marks an important milestone in enhancing visibility of indigenous arts & crafts and showcasing the rich tapestry of Indian heritage and culture.