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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 16 October 2021

::NATIONAL::

The Maharashtra government announced that they have scrapped the position of Police Naik.
Under the new system, the earlier requirement that an ASI needs to pass an internal examination to become SI been scrapped. All promotions will be done based on length of service and merit.

How does scrapping of the Police Naik post benefit the constabulary?

Until this decision, a police constable (PC) would get promoted to Police Naik (PN) after 10 years of service and later in another 10 years move to the Head Constable (HC) rank, and retire as Assistant Sub Inspectors (ASI) – one star officers – after around 30 plus years of service.
The decision to scrap the post of PN will ensure that every Constable (PC) who joins the force has the opportunity to retire at least as a Police Sub Inspector (PSI) – a two star officer – in the force.
A PC could be promoted to ASI within 20 years, leaving enough time before retirement to be posted as SI.
Retiring as PSI will mean a higher pension as compared to retirement as ASI apart from having more powers like investigating cases.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister launched MyParkings app in New Delhi.
It aims to reduce stress and help people plan their trips better.
Smart parking solution through app or through card is an effortless solution towards hassle-free parking.
The Minister said, booking of online parking slots will enable people to park their vehicles without inconvenience.
Ease of parking through the app will also help reduce pollution from vehicles by minimizing the time spent searching for parking spots.

UN isolation fund has been launched to support COP 26 delegates who contract Covid-19.
It will cover the extra accommodation costs of developing country delegates who test positive for Covid-19 during the Cop26 climate talks and need to self-isolate.
Participants who contact Covid-19 will be required to isolate for 10 full days in their accommodation, which could extend their stay in Glasgow.

About COP 26:

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference.
It is scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, between 31 October and 12 November 2021, under the presidency of the United Kingdom.
The conference is set to incorporate the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 16th meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP16), and the third meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA3).
This conference is the first time that parties are expected to commit to enhanced ambition since COP21. Parties are required to carry out every five years, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, a process colloquially known as the ‘ratchet mechanism’.

Recently, the U.S. has become the world’s epicenter for Bitcoin mining after a crackdown in China effectively eliminated the practice in the former cradle of the industry.

About:

USA replaced China as the biggest bitcoin miner with over third (35.4%) of the Global Hash Rate.
In Kazakhstan, the share of the hash rate hit 18.1% in August, up from 8.2% in April, while the Russian share grew to 11%, from 6.8% over the same period.
Hash Rate (Unit: Hashes per second or H/s), also known as Hash Power, is the measuring unit of the processing power of the Bitcoin network, specifying the computing power required to support the network and create bitcoin.
The hash rate determines the speed with which miners can solve the puzzles, add unit of currency to the blockchain ledger and receive the cryptocurrency in return.

The Supreme Court has stayed the imposition of GST on royalty paid mining rights given to a petitioner.

About:

GST at the rate of 18 per cent is imposed on royalty given to the state governments for mining rights.
While the rate schedule was earlier amended to impose GST on this royalty from January 1, 2019, the tax research unit of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) recently clarified that the tax would also be applied from July 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018. GST came into force on July 1, 2017.
Royalty paid to the state government for mining rights is a statutory levy and accordingly the question of applicability of GST is subject to judicial review as there is no quid pro quo for the payment.

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, GOI, supported a mega consortium on ‘One Health’ and launched the First ‘One Health’ project of DBT.

About:

This programme aims to carrying out surveillance of important bacterial, viral and parasitic infections of zoonotic as well as transboundary pathogens in India, including the North-eastern part of the country.
Use of existing diagnostic tests and the development of additional methodologies when required are mandated for the surveillance and for understanding the spread of emerging diseases.
This Consortium, consisting of 27 organisations led by DBT-National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad, is one of the biggest one health programs launched by Govt of India in post-COVID times.
The One health consortium consists of AIIMS, Delhi, AIIMS Jodhpur, IVRI, Bareilly, GADVASU, Ludhiana, TANUVAS, Chennai, MAFSU, Nagpur, Assam agricultural and veterinary university and many more ICAR, ICMR centres and wild life agencies.