Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 21 December 2022

::NATIONAL::

Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022

• Parliament passed the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 whichempowered the Government to establish carbon markets in India and specify acarbon credit trading scheme.

Carbon Markets:

• These are trading systems in which carbon credits are sold and bought.
• One tradable carbon credit equals one tonne of carbon dioxide or theequivalent amount of a different greenhouse gas reduced, sequestered or avoided.
• Article 6 of the Paris Agreement provides for carbon markets to fulfil NDC targets.

Types Carbon Markets:

• Voluntary markets: Carbon credits here are called Verified Emission Reductions (VER).
• A corporation looking to compensate for its unavoidable GHG emissions purchases carbon credits from an entity engaged inprojects that reduce, remove, capture, or avoid emissions.
• Compliance markets: Set up by policies at the government level, they mostly operate under a principle of a ‘cap-and-trade” system.

Issues with the Bill

• Lack of clarity on the trading mechanism- whether it will be akin to the cap-and-trade schemes.
• No clarity on whether certificates under already existing schemes would also be interchangeable and tradable, i.e., Renewable Energy Certificates etc.

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ARNALA

• The ARNALA ship is inducted into the Indian Navy recently.

About:

• The ARNALA ship is built under ASW SWC Project.
• Arnala class of ships will replace the Abhay class ASW Ships of the Indian Navy and are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters and Low-Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters.
• The ship has been named Arnala to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Arnala by the great Maratha warrior, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

ASW SWC Project:

• It is the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft project under which many ships are being built for the Indian Navy
• The ASW SWC ships will be capable of detecting and neutralizing various underwater threats.
• ASW SWC ships have a displacement of 900 tons with a maximum speed of 25 knots and an endurance of 1800 NM.
• These ships will have over 80% indigenous content, ensuring that large-scale defense production is executed by Indian manufacturing units thereby generating employment and capability build up within the country.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

India to build 1,700-km frontier highway 

• Recently, India and Chinatroops clashed along theYangtze river in Tawangsector in Arunachal Pradesh.

About:

• There are certain areasalong the LAC in theTawang Sector that areareas of differing perception and Chinareportedly has beenbuilding infrastructureon its side.
• It is part of the Chinese Salami Slicing tactic or Cabbage strategy.
• It is a strategy of acquiring new territories, at the expense of its neighbours, under this China tests the other claimants through aggressive actions,then back off when it meets significant resistance.

Significance:

• In this context,the government will construct NH-913 new frontier highway inArunachal Pradesh within the next five years.
• It will boost seamless movement of defence forces and equipment to theborder.
• It will also cater to developmental needs and well-being of people living inborder areas.

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The Universal Postal Union

• The Union Cabinet has approved the ratification of amendments to the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) as contained in the Eleventh Additional Protocol to the Constitution signed during the 27th Congress of the Universal Postal Union held at Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) from 9-27 August, 2021.

About:

• The approval enables the Department of Posts, Government of India to have the “Instrument of Ratification” signed by the Hon’ble President of India and have the same deposited with the Director General of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union.
• This would fulfil the obligations arising from Article 25 and 30 of the UPU Constitution which provides for ratification of the amendments to the Constitution adopted by a Congress as soon as possible by the member countries.
• The Universal Postal Union (UPU) established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU's headquarters are located in Bern, Switzerland. 

::Economy::

Long haul trains

• Indian Railways has successfully operated two long haul freight trains “Trishul” and “Garuda” for the first time over South-Central Railway (SCR). 

About:

• Long haul trains, which are twice or multiple times longer than the normal composition of freight trains, provide a very effective solution to the problem of capacity constraints in critical sections.
• Trishul is SCR’s first long haul comprising of three freight trains, i.e., 177 wagons.
• SCR is a one of the five major freight loading railways on IR. Bulk of SCR’s freight traffic moves in certain arterial routes such as Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada-Gudur-Renigunta, Ballarshah-Kazipet-Vijayawada, Kazipet-Secunderabad-Wadi, Vijayawada-Guntur-Guntakal sections. 
• Saving of path across congested routes, quicker transit time, maximizing throughput of critical sections, saving in crews are the major operational benefits of running long haul trains, which help IR serve its freight customers better.

::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::

Quantum Communication 

• The Quantum Communication Lab was inaugurated at Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT). The indigenously developed Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) solution by C-DOT was also unveiled which can support a distance of more than 100 kilometers on standard optical fiber.

About:

• Quantum Technologies can broadly be divided into four verticals viz. Quantum Computing, Quantum Communications, Quantum Sensors and Quantum Materials. 
• Quantum Technologies are based upon phenomena exhibited by microscopic particles (like photons, electrons, atoms etc.) which are quite distinct from the way normal macroscopic objects behave. 

Centre for Development of Telematics:

• Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a premier telecom research & development organization under Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, is leading the effort in the Quantum Communications vertical of NM-QTA. C-DOT has developed Product in one of the most promising applications of Quantum Communications viz. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and is continuing to pursue research in this area. 
• Development of QKD solution will address the threat that rapid advancement in Quantum Computing poses to the security of the data being transported by the current communication infrastructure.
• C-DOT is actively looking to collaborate with other national & international institutes and organizations working in the area of Quantum Communications to synergize efforts in this nascent field.

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