Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 08 March 2022

::NATIONAL::

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has successfully conducted the maiden voyage of foodgrains via inland waterways jointly covering National Waterway (NW) 1 (River Ganga) and 2 (River Brahmaputra) via the IBP route.

About the IBP route:

Indo-Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade was signed in signed in 1972.
Established under which inland vessels of one country can transit through the specified routes of the other country.
It was last renewed in 2015 for five years with a provision for its automatic renewal for a further period of five years.
It is under the overall ambit of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).
Currently, there are a total of 10 protocol routes and 11 port of calls on each side.

Importance:

It will promote economic, commercial and strategic links between India and Bangladesh.
Also, it will promote better connectivity with other neighbouring countries that are landlocked such as Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar.
Herald the growth and development of inland water transport linking Northeast India and Mainland India, thereby improving regional connectivity.

Union Law Minister proposed to adopt new, cutting-edge technologies of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to increase the efficiency of the justice delivery system.

About:

In Indian judiciary, openly accessible datasets of judgements are still a challenge.
To expedite judicial process and improve access to justice through process re-engineering and automation.
It is also helps to improve decision making, via tools for intelligent legal analytics and research.
It may also help to learn from global best practices.

Suggestions:

To establishing ground rules for such technologies,identifying and undertaking stakeholder engagement and forging partnerships to aid in the development of such technologies.

The Ninth Edition of India - Sri Lanka Bilateral Maritime Exercise SLINEX (Sri Lanka–India Naval Exercise) is scheduled at Visakhapatnam from 07 Mar to 10 Mar 2022.

About:

The exercise is being conducted in two phases; the Harbour Phase at Visakhapatnam on 07-08 Mar 22 followed by the Sea Phase on 09-10 Mar 22 in the Bay of Bengal.
Sri Lanka Navy will be represented by SLNS Sayurala, an advanced offshore patrol vessel and the Indian Navy by INS Kirch, a guided missile corvette.
The previous edition of SLINEX was conducted off Trincomalee in October 2020.
SLINEX aims to enhance inter-operability, improve mutual understanding and exchange best practices and procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations between both navies.
The Harbour Phase would include professional, cultural, sporting and social exchanges. Exercises during Sea Phase will include surface and anti-air weapon firing exercises, seamanship evolutions, aviation operations including cross deck flying, advanced tactical manoeuvres and special forces operations at sea.
These will further enhance the high degree of inter-operability already existing between the two navies.
SLINEX in consonance with India’s policy of ‘Neighbourhood First’ and Hon’ble PMs vision of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)’.

Namibia has sought India’s support to have a United Nations ban on commercial ivory trade lifted in exchange for the translocation of cheetahs to the Asian country.

About:

The ivory trade is the commercial, often illegal trade in the ivory tusks of the walrus, African andAsian elephants.
Ivory trade is banned in 1989 under United Nations Convention on International Trade inIvory trade Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Ivory is used for making luxury goods, medicinal use.
Namibia, along with southern African neighbours Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia have formally appealed to Cites to have the ivory trade ban liftedto enable them to sell stockpiles of ivory and other wildlife products internationally.

India’s first indigenous Flying Trainer HANSA-NG designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore.

About:

The objectives of sea level trials were to evaluate handling qualities, climb / cruise performance, balked landing, structural performance including positive and negative G, power plant and other systems performance.
HANSA-NG is one of the most advanced flying trainer powered by Rotax Digital Control Engine with unique features like Just-In-Time Prepreg (JIPREG) Composite light weight Airframe, Glass Cockpit, Bubble Canopy with wide panoramic view, electrically operated flaps etc.
HANSA-NG is designed to meet the Indian flying club needs and it is an ideal aircraft for Commercial Pilot Licensing (CPL) due to its low cost and low fuel consumption.

Recently, NASA began the assembly of Europa Clipper Spacecraft (ECS), which is scheduled to launch in 2024.

About:

ECS will scan Europa in search of signs of habitability as scientists believe that the moon harboursan ocean with twice the amount of water in Earth’s oceans combined beneath its icy surface, andthose oceans might have conditions suitable for life.
Europa is one of Jupiter’s four largest moons, called the Galilean satellites (others are lo,Ganymede and Callisto).

Europa Clipper:

Europa Clipper(previously known as Europa Multiple Flyby Mission) isan interplanetary mission in development by NASA comprising an orbiter.
Planned for launch in October 2024, the spacecraft is being developed to study the Galilean moon Europa through a series of flybys while in orbit around Jupiter.
This mission is a scheduled flight of the Planetary Science Division, designated a Large Strategic Science Mission, and funded under the Planetary Missions Program Office’s Solar System Exploration program as its second flight.