Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 06 December 2022

::NATIONAL::

Kanger Valley National Park

• Around 200 bird species were documented during the Kanger Valley Bird Survey in state’s first-ever systematic inter-state bird survey.

Key findings: 

• This was Kanger Valley’s first such bird survey that involved forest personnel, bird guides and citizen birdwatchers of India.
• Across 11 states, 70 birdwatchers carried out bird documentation exercise over a period of three days from November 25 to 27.
• This survey was organised by the forest department of Kanger Valley National Park and birders from Chhattisgarh in collaboration with Birds and Wildlife of Chhattisgarh and Bird Count India.
• Spot-bellied eagle-owl by Subhadra Devi; white-bellied woodpecker (the largest woodpecker in peninsular India), Malabar Trogon, pied wheatear by Kalyani Kapdi; velvet-fronted nuthatch by Sonu Arora; northern lapwing by Jageshwar Verma; Indian wolf by JueeKhopkar; and kangerdhara by Mittal Gala were among some documented species.
• Nine species of owls, ten birds of prey, 11 species of woodpeckers and many other species were documented. For rare and uncommon birds, participants took photographs and tried to record their sounds.
• This survey reconfirmed that the landscape of Kanger Valley can potentially host species that are found in the Himalayas, north-east, eastern and western ghats.

About Kanger Valley National Park:

• It is located in the state of Chhattisgarh. The name of KangerGhati National Park is derived from the Kangar river, which flows in its length.
• Kanger Valley got the status of a national park in the year 1982.
• Kanger Valley National Park is a typical mixed humid deciduous type of forest, in which the Sal, Saugaun, teak and bamboo trees are available in abundance.
• The most popular species in this area is Bastar Maina (The state bird of Chattisgarh). Bastar Maina, is a type of Hill maina (grunculaDhariosoa), which is capable of emulating the human voices.
• This National Park is home to three exceptional caves – famous for their amazing geological structures of Kutumbasar, Kailash and Dandak- Stellagmites and Stalactites. National Park is known for the presence of underground limestone caves with dripstone and flowstone.
• Tirathgarh Waterfall is located in Kanger Valley National Park.

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Smuggling in India Report 2021-22 

• The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), published Smuggling in India Report 2021-22 on the occasion of its 65th Foundation Day celebrated at New Delhi.

Key highlights of Report:

• Record number of seizures of heroin (including Mundra port seizure), gold and of cocaine, among other contraband.
• Myanmar became the main transit corridor for smuggling of goldsince pandemic (replacing Middle East) due to disruption ininternational air traffic.
• Narcotics smuggling also changed from passenger route to cargoroute because of pandemic and political changes in Afghanistan.
• Increased Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) Seizure withBangladesh, Myanmar being used as staging points to push FICN intoIndia.
• Increasing challenge due to sophisticated concealment and extraction methods used by smuggling syndicates.
• Use of cryptocurrency, dark net and physical smuggling of foreign currency due to disruption in traditional hawala settlementsact as other challenges.
• Contraventions of Foreign Trade Policy and Free Trade Agreements by misusing schemes like Merchandise Exports from India.
• Scheme / Service Exports from India Scheme, Advance Authorisation scheme etc.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

India Inequality Report 2022

• According to ‘India Inequality Report 2022: Digital Divide’, Indian women are 15 per cent less likely to own a mobile phone and 33 per cent less likely to use mobile internet services than men.
• The Oxfam India’sreport analyses the primary data from Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy’s (CMIE) household survey held from Jan 2018 to Dec 2021.

Key highlights of report

• 61 percent of men owned mobile phones in 2021, compared to just 31 percent women.
• Only 31 percent of rural population uses Internet compared to 67 percent of their urban counterparts.
• Use of computer devices has decreased (post-COVID) in rural areas.
• Likelihood of a digital payment by richest 60 percent is four times more than poorest 40 percent.
• Maharashtra has highest internet penetration, while Bihar has the lowest.

Recommendations to bridge digital divide:

• Improve internet availability in rural and hard-to-reach areas through communitynetworks and public Wi-Fi/ internet access points.
• Government needs to improve affordability by investing in digital infrastructure,bringing a strong regulatory framework and lowering taxes on computers andphones.
• Conduct digital literacy camps, especially in rural India, and digitize panchayats andschools.

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Inflation Reduction Act 2022

• While EU countries welcome the new commitment to energy transition, they fear the $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will unfairly disadvantage their companies relative to rivals in the United States.

About:

• The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is a landmark United States federal law which aims to curb inflation by reducing the deficit, lowering prescription drug prices, and investing into domestic energy production while promoting clean energy.
• It is a reduced version of the Biden administration’s proposed Build Back Better Act.
• At the end of a decade, according to Democrats, the U.S. will realize a deficit reduction of more than $300 billion while lowering inflation, investing in energy production, and reducing healthcare costs. Of the $737 billion in revenue raised, the legislation calls for $222 billion from a 15% corporate minimum tax.
• The legislation stands to be the single largest investment in climate and energy in the U.S. to date.

Why Europe is concerned?

• The 27 EU countries are worried their companies will be cut off from U.S. tax credits for components used in renewable energy technologies like electric cars, offered under the new law on condition they are made in North America.
• EU countries consider that some 200 billion euros ($207 billion) of the U.S. subsidies are tied to locally produced content provisions that potentially violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
• Not only do the tax breaks put European companies at a disadvantage to U.S. rivals, but EU state aid rules in their current form prevent member countries from offering similarly generous tax breaks to companies looking to set up factories.

::Economy::

Startups Intellectual Property Protectionscheme

• Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently announced that IP facilitator charges have increased by almost 50 percent for patent filing under theStartups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) scheme.
• For patents, the fee for application and filing has been increased to INR 15K from INR 10K. For trademarks and designs, the fee has been increased to INR 3K from INR 2K.

About:

• SIPP scheme launched by Government of India, facilitates the start-ups to file applications for patents, designs and trademarks through registered facilitators in appropriate IP offices by paying only the statutory fees.
• The scheme of SIPP aims to promote awareness and adoption of Intellectual Property Rights amongst Start-Ups. Scheme is inclined to nurture and mentor innovative and emerging technologies among Start-Ups and assist them in protecting and commercialize it by providing them access to high-quality IP services and resources.

Criteria for application:

• Any Start-Up certified by the Start-up Certification Board as having an innovative business.
• For this purpose, Start-up means an entity, incorporated or registered in India not prior to seven years (in the case of Startups in the Biotechnology sector, the period shall be up to ten years), with annual turnover not exceeding INR 25 crores in any preceding financial year, working towards innovation, development, deployment or commercialization of new products, processes or services driven by technology or intellectual property.
• provided that such entity is not formed by splitting up, or reconstruction, of a business already in existence.
• provided also that an entity shall cease to be a Start-up if its turnover for the previous financial years has exceeded INR 25 crore or it has completed 7 years from the date of incorporation/registration.
• provided further that a Start-up shall be eligible for availing the benefits of this scheme only after it has obtained certification from the Start-up Certification Board.

::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::

Sindhuja-I

• Researchers at IIT Madras have developed and deployed a system that could generate electricity using energy from seawaves.
• The system, called asSindhuja-I, was deployed by the researchers about six kilometres from the coast of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, where the sea has a depth of about 20 metres. 
• Sindhuja-I can currently produce 100 watts of energy. It will be scaled up to produce one megawatt of energy in the next three years.

Significance:

• Seawater stores tidal, wave and ocean thermal energy.
• Tidal energy is caused by gravitational interaction between Earth, Sun, and Moon.
• Wave energy is caused by wind blowing across ocean’s surface.
• Ocean thermal energy is caused by temperature differences (thermal gradients) between ocean surface waters and deep oceanwaters.
• Advantages are No pollution, Renewable, Higher available energy densities, Predictable and Less volatile in comparison to some other REsources.
• Disadvantages are High Initial Cost, Threat to Marine Life and Navigation, Location dependent and risk of damage from natural forces.

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