Current Affairs for IAS Exams -12 January 2023

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 12 January 2023

::NATIONAL::

Curative Petition

The Supreme Court told the Centre it cannot decide its curative plea seeking an additional Rs 7,844 crore from the successor firms of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) for giving compensation to the victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.

About:

The concept of curative petition originated from the case of Rupa Ashok Hurra Vs. Ashok Hurra.
A curative petition, is the final and last option for the people to acquire justice as mentioned and promised by the Constitution of India.
A curative petition may be filed after a review plea against the final conviction is dismissed.
It is meant to ensure there is no miscarriage of justice, and to prevent abuse of process.
A curative petition must be first circulated to a bench of the three senior-most judges, and the judges who passed the concerned judgment, if available.
Only when a majority of the judges conclude that the matter needs hearing should it be listed — as far as possible, before the same Bench.
A curative petition is usually decided by judges in chamber, unless a specific request for an open-court hearing is allowed.
It shall be open to the Bench at any stage of consideration of the curative petition to ask a senior counsel to assist it as amicus curiae.
In the event of the Bench holding at any stage that the petition is without any merit and vexatious, it may impose exemplary costs on the petitioner.

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National Clean Air ProgrammeReport

A progress report on National Clean Air Programme(NCAP) from Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA),an independent research organisation has published their report recently.

Key highlights:

The reportindicated that:

1.   Only 49 of 131 cities recorded an improvement in air quality in FY 21-22.
2.   Less than 50% utilisation of total funds released under NCAP.
3.   Only 37 cities completed source apportionment studies (list out and quantifymajor sources of pollution in a city) which were supposed to be completed in 2020.
About NCAP:

Started in 2019, it is a time-bound, national level strategy from CentralGovernment to tackle air pollution problem across country in a comprehensivemanner.
It aims a 40% reduction in Particulate Matter (PM) concentrations by 2026 (base year 2017) in 131 cities.
City-specific action plans are prepared to regulate PM2.5 and PM10.
Progress is monitored by PRANA portal (Portal for Regulation of Air-pollution in Non-Attainment cities).
Delhi continued to be most polluted city in 2022 (for PM2.5) based on Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Polyethylene Terephthalate

Researchers from the University of Cambridge, the United Kingdom have developed a system that can transform polyethylene terephthalate (PET)plastic waste and greenhouse gases into sustainable fuels and other valuable products – using just the energy from the sun.

About:

Conversion of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and plastics — two of the biggest threats facing the natural world — into value-added products, driven by solar energy, is an important step in the transition to a more sustainable, circular economy, the study said.
However, it is challenging to convert the two simultaneously in an integrated process.
The researchers developed an integrated reactor with two separate compartments: One for plastic and one for greenhouse gases. The reactor uses a light absorber based on perovskite — a promising alternative to silicon for next-generation solar cells.
The team designed different catalysts, which were integrated into the light absorber. By changing the catalyst, the researchers could then change the end product.
Tests of the reactor under normal temperature and pressure conditions showed the reactor could efficiently convert polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and CO2 into different carbon-based fuels such as CO, syngas or formate, in addition to glycolic acid.
The reactor produced these products at a rate that is also much higher than conventional photocatalytic CO2 reduction processes.

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Global Economic Prospects Report

Global Economic Prospects reportissued bi-annual basis examinesglobal economic developments andprospects, with a special focus on emergingmarkets and developing economies (EMDEs).

Key Projections:

Global GDP Growth projected 1.7% in 2023 -third-weakest pace since 1993,overshadowed only by 2009 and 2020global recessions.India is expected to grow at 6.6% in 2023.
Reasons for slowdown are elevated Inflation,higher interest rates, reduced investment and disruptions caused by Russia-Ukraine war.
Any additional adverse shocks could pushthe global economy into recession.
Recession is a significant, pervasive, andpersistent decline in economic activity –at least for two consecutive quarters ofnegative GDP for most analysis.
EMDEs are facing a multi-year period ofslow growth driven by heavy debt burdensand weak investment.
This may threaten progress on broaderdevelopment and climate goals inEMDEs.
Small states - countries with 1.5 millionpeople or fewer - are more vulnerablebecause of their reliance on external tradeand financing, limited diversification,elevated debt, and susceptibility tonatural disaster.
Steps needed for EMDEs include moreinvestment to create jobs and increaseoutput, greater debt transparency, strongercooperation to increase cross-border tradeetc.

::Economy::

Viscose Fibre

The Association of Man-made Fibre Industry of India (AMFII) has appealed to the Union Finance Ministry to accept the recommendations of the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) on levy of anti-dumping duty (ADD) on imports of Viscose Staple Fibre from Indonesia.

About:

Viscose is a type of rayon originally known as artificial silk, in the late 19th century, the term “rayon” came into effect in 1924.
The name “viscose” derived from the way this fibre is manufactured; a viscous organic liquid used to make both rayon and cellophane.
Viscose is the generalised term for a regenerated manufactured fibre, made from cellulose, obtained by the viscose process.
As a manufactured regenerated cellulose fibre, it is neither truly natural (like cotton, wool or silk) nor truly synthetic (like nylon or polyester) – it falls somewhere in between.
Viscose is a low-cost fabric, which is popular thanks to its myriad of qualities.
It is versatile, Highly absorbent and Inexpensive fibre.
It can be found in cotton end uses, as well as luxurious velvet’s and taffeta’s. Viscose can also be found in feminine hygiene products, as well as tire cords.

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::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Comet

Discovered by Palomar Observatory, USA the Comet willappear for the first time in 50,000 years recently.

About:

Comets are frozen leftovers from formation of solar system(4.6 billion years ago) composed of dust, rock, and ices.
They range from a few miles to tens of miles wide, but as they orbit closer to the Sun, they heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a planet.
Billions of comets are orbiting our Sun in Kuiper Belt (calledshort-period comets) and even more distant Oort Cloud(called long-period comets).
Comets actually have two separate tails. One looks white and is made of dust.
This dust tail traces a broad, gently curving path behind the comet.
The other tail is bluish and is made up of electrically charged gas molecules, or ions. The ion tail always points directly away from the Sun.