GEOGRAPHY
1. BOKANG-BALING HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT
TAGS: PRELIMS- GS-I- GEOGRAPHY
THE CONTEXT:Residents of Pithoragarh district’s Dharchula town recently staged a protest against the proposed Bokang-Baling Hydroelectric Project.
THE EXPLANATION:
About Bokang-Baling Hydroelectric Project:
- It is a proposed hydroelectric project on river Dhauliganga in the Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand.
- It has a proposed installed capacity of 165 MW.
- The project involves the construction of a concrete gravity dam of 65 m from river bed level and an underground Power House.
- The project is being implemented by THDC India Limited.
Dhauliganga river:
- Origin: It rises in the vicinity of the NitiPassin the border regions between Garhwal region of Uttarakhand and southwestern Tibet.
- It is one of the important tributaries of Alaknanda, the other being the Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini, and Bhagirathi.
- It meets the Alaknanda River(the major source stream of the Ganges river) at Vishnuprayag in Uttarakhand.
- Length: The length of this river is about 94 km.
- Tapovan, which is famous for its hot springs, is located on the banks of Dhauliganga.
THDC India Limited:
- THDC India Limited (Formerly Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited) is a company jointly owned by the Government of India and the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
- It was registered as a Public Limited Company in 1988 under the Companies Act 1956 to operate and maintain the Tehri Hydro Power Complex and other Hydro Projects.
- It is a Mini Ratna Category-I Enterprise.
POLITY
2. WHAT IS THE COMMITTEE OF PRIVILEGES IN PARLIAMENT?
TAGS: PRELIMS- GS-II- POLITY
THE CONTEXT:Rajya Sabha Chairman recently asked the committee of privileges to investigate the alleged breach of privilege by 12 opposition lawmakers for repeatedly entering the well of the House, shouting slogans, and obstructing its proceedings.
THE EXPLANATION:
About Committee of Privileges:
- This committee consists of 15 members in Lok Sabha ( 10 in case of Rajya Sabha) nominated by the Speaker (Chairman in case of Rajya Sabha).
- In the Rajya Sabha, the deputy chairperson heads the committee of privileges.
- Powers and Functions:
- The committee examines every question involving a breach of privilege of the House or of the members or of any Committee thereof referred to it by the House or by the Speaker/Chairman.
- It also determines with reference to the facts of each case whether a breach of privilege is involved and makes suitable recommendations in its report.
- It also states the procedure to be followed by the House in giving effect to its recommendations.
- When a question of privilege is referred to the Committee by the House, the report of the Committee is presented to the House by the Chairman or, in his absence, by any member of the Committee.
- Where a question of privilege is referred to the Committee by the Speaker, the report of the Committee is presented to the Speaker who may pass final orders thereon or direct that it be laid on the Table of the House.
- The Speaker/Chairman may refer to the Committee any petition regarding the disqualification of a member on the ground of defection for making a preliminary inquiry and submitting a report to him.
- The procedure to be followed by the Committee in these cases is so far as may be the same as in applicable to questions of breach of privilege.
HEALTH ISSUES
3. WHAT IS ADENOVIRUS?
TAGS: PRELIMS- GS-II- HEALTH ISSUES
THE CONTEXT:Bengal health authorities have been asked to be vigilant after the state recently recorded a big spike in adenovirus cases.
THE EXPLANATION:
About Adenovirus:
- Adenoviruses are a group of viruses that can cause mild to severe infections throughout your body.
- They can cause a wide range of illnesses, such as the common cold, fever, sore throat, acute bronchitis, pneumonia, pink eye, and acute gastroenteritis.
- There are many different types of adenoviruses, so that people can get infected more than once.
- Adenovirus infections occur throughout the year, but they tend to peak in the winter and early spring.
- Adenoviruses can affect people of all ages, but they’re most common in children younger than 5 years old.
- Most adenovirus infections are mild, but they can be more severe in people with weakened immune systems or existing respiratory or cardiac disease.
Transmission modes:
- Adenoviruses are very contagious. They can spread from an infected individual to others via close contacts, such as touching or shaking hands.
- Infected particles can also transfer through coughing and sneezing.
- Fecal material can spread the infection via contaminated water, dirty diapers, and poor hand washing.
Treatment:
There is currently no specific course of treatment or approved antiviral medication.
Some medications with proper rest are advised to control the symptoms.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS
4. FIRST LOSS DEFAULT GUARANTEE (FLDG) SYSTEM
TAGS: PRELIMS- GS-III-ECONOMY
THE CONTEXT:Banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) have almost paused tie-ups with fintech players under the first loan default guarantee (FLDG) structure for lending in the absence of clarity on contractual agreements from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
THE EXPLANATION:
About the First Loss Default Guarantee (FLDG) system:
- FLDG is a lending model between a fintech and a regulated entity in which a third party guarantees to compensate up to a certain percentage of default in a loan portfolio of the regulated entities (RE).
- Under these agreements, the fintech originates a loan and promises to compensate the partners up to a pre-decided percentage in case customers fail to repay.
- The bank/NBFC partners lend through the fintech but from their books.
- FLDG helps expand the customer base of traditional lenders but relies on the fintech’s underwriting capabilities.
What is FinTech?
- Financial Stability Board (FSB) has defined FinTech as “technologically enabled innovation in financial services that could result in new business models, applications, processes or products with an associated material effect on financial markets and institutions and the provision of financial services”.
PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE
5. WHAT IS ‘JAADUI PITARA’?
TAGS: PRELIMS- GS-II- GOVERNANCE
THE CONTEXT:Union Education Minister recently launched an innovative learning material for foundational years of children called “Jadui Pitara”.
THE EXPLANATION:
About ‘Jadui Pitara’:
- The ‘Jadui Pitara’ or ‘Magic Collection is a play-based learning material for children in the age group of three to eight years.
- It is launched by the Union Ministry of Education.
- It has been designed on the motto of ”learning through play”, as envisaged in the new National Education Policy (NEP).
- It comprises of playbooks, toys, puzzles, posters, flashcards, storybooks, and worksheets, as well as reflecting the local culture, social context, and languages.
- It is designed to pique curiosity and accommodate the diverse needs of learners at the foundational stage.
- It is developed under the curricular goals of National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) as recommended by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
- The resources on ‘Jadui Pitara’ will be digitally available on DIKSHA platform – portal and mobile app.
- The pitara is available in 13 Indian languages.
What is the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS)?
- It is one of the four National Curriculum Frameworks (NCFs).
- It is India’s first-ever integrated Curriculum Framework for children between ages 3-8.
- It is a direct outcome of the 5+3+3+4 ‘curricular and pedagogical’ structure that NEP 2020 has recommended for School Education.
- NCF-FS has been developed by NCERT through an extensive consultative process with States & Union Territories up to grass root level and various institutions and organizations.
