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www.iastoppers.com 12th Feb 2021 Current Affairs Analysis By IASToppers' Editorial Team | 2021-02-12 17:00:00 Polity and Governance Very low Conviction rate under the UAPA Ministry of Home Affairs recently shared data in Rajya Sabha on cases filed under sedition and UAPA in 2019 and the arrests made in connection with them. Copyright © 2021 IASToppers. All rights reserved. | Page 1/20

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Page 1: Article: 12th Feb 2021 Current Affairs Analysis - 12 Feb, 2021

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12th Feb 2021 Current Affairs AnalysisBy IASToppers' Editorial Team | 2021-02-12 17:00:00

Polity and Governance

Very low Conviction rate under the UAPA

Ministry of Home Affairs recently shared data in Rajya Sabha on cases filed under sedition and UAPA in2019 and the arrests made in connection with them.

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Highlights of the data:

Only 2.2 % of cases registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act between theyears 2016-2019 ended in convictions by court.The total 1,948 persons were arrested under the Act in 2019.The total number of the persons arrested and the persons convicted in the years from 2016 to2019 under the UAPA in the country are 5922 and 132 respectively.In 2019, as many as 96 persons were arrested for sedition (Section 194A IPC) but only 2 wereconvicted and 29 persons were acquitted.

Of the 93 cases of sedition, the charge sheet was filed in 40 cases the same year.

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA):

The UAPA is a reinforcement act to the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act(TADA) and Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).The act gives special procedures and varying powers to handle terrorist activities.

Key Amendments of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill 2019:

The Bill amends the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.The Act assigns absolute power to the central government, by way of which if the Centredeems an activity as unlawful then it may, by way of an Official Gazette, declare it so.

Definition of terrorist under the UAPA:

Whoever does any act with intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, security orsovereignty of India or with intent to strike terror or likely to strike terror in the people or anysection of the people in India or in any foreign country.The Central government may designate an organization as terrorist organization if it;

Commits or participate in acts of terrorismPrepares for terrorismPromotes terrorismInvolved in terrorism and related activities.

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Approval for seizure of property by National Investigation Agency (NIA):

Under the Act, an investigating officer is required to obtain the prior approval of the Director General of Police (DGP) to seize properties that may be connected with terrorism.The amendment empowers Director General of NIA to forfeit a property which representsproceeds of terrorism in relation to an investigation being conducted by NIA.

Investigation by NIA:

Under the Act, investigation of cases may be conducted by officers of the rank of DeputySuperintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above.Due to the shortages of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSPs) in NIA, the Bill additionally empowers the officers of the NIA, of the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate cases.

Insertion to schedule of treaties:

The Act defines terrorist acts to include acts committed within the scope of any of the treatieslisted in a schedule to the Act.

The Schedule lists nine treaties, including the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings (1997), and the Convention against Taking of Hostages (1979).

The Bill adds another treaty of International Convention for Suppression of Acts of NuclearTerrorism (2005).

[Ref: The Hindu]

Government Schemes & Initiatives

TIFAC unveils two new initiatives of Technology

Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) recently launched SAKSHAM(Shramik Shakti Manch) and a Seaweed Mission on the occasion of the 34th Foundation Daycelebrations.

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Background:

SAKSHAM (Shramik Shakti Manch):

It is a dynamic job portal which will provide opportunity for Shramiks and MSMEs.(location changed) It will provide jobs or will map the skills of Shramiks vis-à-vis requirements of MSMEs and other industries all across the country. It uses algorithm and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, for geo spatial information on demandand availability of Shramiks.

Key Features of SAKSHAM:

Facilitate creation of 10 lakh blue collar jobsDirect connect between Shramiks and MSMEs, no middleman in betweenMinimise migration of Shramiks – job opportunity in proximate MSMEsProvide analysis on skill training programmes of Shramiks.

Significance:

Facilitate creation of 10 lakh blue collar jobs.Empower Sharamiks by projecting their candidature directly to the MSMEs and other employersand would also address aspects related to their skill proficiency levels. Eliminate the dependence of industry on the middlemen / labour contractor for their manpowerrequirements.

SEAWEEDS:

Looking at the immense latent and untapped potential of seaweeds in India, TIFAC had launchedmission on Seaweeds.

It envisages the following activities:

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Establishing model demonstration farms over one hectare for cultivation of economicallyimportant seaweeds in nearshore and onshore along the Indian coast such as:

Kappaphycus all over Indian coastGracilaria dura in GujaratGracilariaverrucosa in Chilka lake (Odhisa)Ulva linza or Ulva proliferain Chilka lake (Odhisa)Ulva lactuca or Ulva fasciata or Ulva indica all over India coast

Establishment of seaweed nurseries for supplying seed material for large scale farming.Onshore cultivation for:

Seedling supply facility Seaweed cultivation for processing

Establishment of processing technologies/recipes for edible seaweeds Setting up of processing plant for integrated production of plant growth stimulants (sap) alongwith industrially important cell wall polysaccharides (phycocolloids) such as agar, agarose,carrageenan and alginates from fresh seaweedsValue addition technologies aimed at making high value products for niche markets (personalcare, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, feed supplements)

Stakeholder/ Supporting agencies:

CSIR- CSMCRI, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), CSIR – Central FoodTechnological Research Institute (CFTRI) and Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT).Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) labs State Fisheries Departments

What is Seaweed?

The term seaweed is used to refer to an assemblage of a diverse group of multicellular marinemacroalgae that usually grow along the coastlines of oceans mostly as benthic forms(occasionally as floating forms) across different geo-climatic regions.Seaweeds are generally regarded as marine plants since they are photosynthetic and thus, have similar ecological roles as that of other plant.Seaweed farming or kelp farming is the practice of cultivating and harvesting seaweed.

Seaweed production:

Seaweed worldwide production: China produces ~57 %, Indonesia ~28% followed by SouthKorea, whereas India is having a mere share of ~0.01-0.02%. In India, Commercial seaweeds cultivation lacks as compared to South-East Asian countries.The cultivation in ?10 million hectares or 5% of the EEZ area of India can:

Provide employment to ~ 50 million peopleSet up new seaweed industryContribute to national GDPOcean productivityAbates algal blooms, sequesters millions of tons CO2Cleans ocean

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Provide bio-ethanol of 6.6 billion litres

Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC):

TIFAC is an autonomous organization set up in 1988 under the Department of Science &Technology.As per the recommendation of Technology Policy Implementation Committee (TPIC) in 1985,Cabinet approved the formation of TIFAC in 1986.It is mandated to assess the state-of-art of technology and set directions for futuretechnological development in India in important socio-economic sectors.

Mandate of TIFAC:

To obtain from appropriate sources and project the estimates of the nature and quantum of thelikely demands of goods and services in various sectors of the economy against 10 and 25years’ time-frames on the basis of:

Normative approachesExploratory approaches

To prepare Technology Impact Statements, to uncover the likely implications andconsequences, of the existing as well as newly emerging technologies.Ensuring timely availability of requisite technologies relevant to the needs of the country onfuturistic basis Establishing a purposeful linkage between technology development and technology importpolicies, to identify priority areas of research in relation to the socio-economic, environmental andsecurity needs of the country.Devise and set up suitable information collection, analysis and programming groups.

[Ref: PIB]

Issues related to Health and Education

A gene therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

A gene therapy costing ?16 crore is the only shot of life for children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)Type 1, a rare genetic disease.

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About the Therapy:

Zolgensma by Novartis, is the therapy approved by U.S. regulators in May 2019.It has since then turned into an effective drug for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.The therapy is a one-time infusion that takes about an hour.The treatment works by supplying a healthy copy of the faulty gene, which allows nerve cells tothen start producing the needed protein. That halts deterioration of the nerve cells and allows thebaby to develop more normally.

About Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA):

SMA is a disease caused by loss of nerve cells, which carry electrical signals from the brain tothe muscles.It is a severe form of the disorder with muscle weakness evident at birth or within the first fewmonths of life.Without treatment, this disease is ultimately fatal.The protein needed for this signalling is coded by a gene for which everyone has two copies -one from the mother and the other from the father.A child develops this disorder only if both the copies are faulty. The disease as it progresses, makes it extremely difficult for the babies to carry out basicactivities like sitting up, lifting their head or swallowing milk.Most children with spinal muscular atrophy type I do not survive past early childhood due to respiratory failure.

[Ref: The Hindu]

Economy

The Significance of Crude oil crossing US$ 60 per barrel

The price of Brent Crude has risen by over 50 per cent since the end of October, 2020 after prices hadremained around $40 per barrel for five months.

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Why has the price of crude oil risen sharply?

Major oil-producing countries had cut oil production in 2020 after a sharp fall in demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic.Expectations of strong improvements in demand with the global rollout of the Covid-19 vaccinehave also put upward pressure on crude oil prices.

How is oil price determined?

Many of the largest oil-producing countries in the world are part of a cartel known as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).In 2016, OPEC allied with other top non-OPEC oil-exporting nations to form an even morepowerful entity named OPEC+ or OPEC Plus.

OPEC+ controls over 50% of global oil supplies and about 90% of proven oilreserves.

As a cartel, the OPEC+ member countries collectively agree on how much oil to produce, whichdirectly impacts the ready supply of crude oil in the global market.If OPEC+ countries are unsatisfied with the price of oil, it is in their interests to cut the supply ofoil so prices rise.

Implications for India:

India imports of 80 per cent of its crude oil requirements.The rise in the price of Brent crude will lead to an increase in India’s import bill.

About OPEC:

It is an intergovernmental organization of 13 countries.It was founded in 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, andVenezuela).The 13 member countries account for an estimated 44 per cent of global oil production and 81.5 per cent of the world's "proven" oil reserves.

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Objective: To coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its member countries and ensure thestabilization of oil markets, in order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply ofpetroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers, and a fair return on capital for thoseinvesting in the petroleum industry.Headquarters: Vienna, Austria

About OPEC Plus:

The non-OPEC countries which export crude oil along with the 13 OPEC countries are termedas OPEC Plus countries.OPEC Plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman,Russia, South Sudan and Sudan.

Difference between Brent Crude & West Texas Intermediate (WTI):

Brent Crude is more ubiquitous, and most oil is priced using Brent Crude as the benchmark, two-thirds of all oil pricing.In the United States, West Texas Intermediate is the preferred measure and pricing model.

It is also slightly "sweeter" and "lighter" than Brent.Brent Crude is produced near the sea, so transportation costs are significantly lower.

In contrast, WTI is produced in landlocked areas, making transportation costs moreonerous.

WTI is slightly lower in price than Brent.

[Ref: Indian Express]

Privatization of Public Sector Banks

The Union Budget for 2021 has proposed to privatize two Public Sector Banks.

The two banks that will now be privatized will be selected through a process in which NITI Aayogwill make recommendations, which will be considered by a core group of secretaries ondisinvestment.

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Need for the Proposal:

Years of capital injections and governance reforms have not been able to improve the financialposition of in public sector banks significantly.Many of them have higher levels of stressed assets than private banks, and also lag the latteron profitability, market capitalization and dividend payment record.In 2019, the government merged ten PSU banks into four.Privatization will free up the government, the majority owner, from continuing to provide equitysupport to the banks year after year.

Challenges faced by Public Sector Banks:

Non-Performing Assets (NPAs):Compared with private banks, PSU banks continue to have high Non-Performing Assets(NPAs) and stressed assets.As per the RBI’s Financial Stability Report, gross NPA ratio of all commercial banks mayincrease from 9.7% to 16.2% for public sector banks; from 4.6% to 7.9% for private banks.This would mean the government would again need to inject equity into weak public sectorbanks.

Lowering of Capital to Risk-weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) requirement:RBI’s requirement of a minimum CRAR of 9%, to prevent banks from becoming highlyleveraged, is 1% higher than the Basel III norms for internationally active banks.Such a high CRAR is impractical for PSU banks.

Banks under Prompt Corrective Action (PCA):11 PSBs have been placed under the PCA framework by the RBI based on factors such ascapital inadequacy and high NPAs.These banks have restricted lending and deposit-taking capabilities as a result.The RBI should provide a roadmap to these banks to enable them to come out of PCA and

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resume normal operations.Incentives for PSB employees:

There exists a wide gap between the remuneration received by the seniormanagement of the PSBs and that of the private banks.The retirement age of CEOs of PSBs should be increased to 70 years (similar toprivate banks) to utilize the expertise of senior bankers.

Powers of the RBI in case of PSBs:

RBI can, (i) inspect the bank, (ii) consult with the government on appointing senior bank officials,and (iii) have a nominee on a PSB’s management committee.The government should constitute a high-powered committee to evaluate the powers of theRBI with respect to PSBs as provided under various statutes.

[Ref: Indian Express]

NDB to invest $100 m in NIIF Fund of Funds

New Development Bank (NDB) has recently announced a commitment of $100 million into the NIIF Fundof Funds (FoF).

Key highlights:

The FoF will now hold $800 million in commitments.NDB joins the Government of India (GoI), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) andAsian Development Bank (ADB) as an investor in the FoF.This investment marks NDB’s first equity investment into India and its first-ever investmentinto a Fund of Funds.

Significance:

It will provide additional funds to Indian private sector businesses facing difficulties during thistime of crisis. It allows NDB to access a diversified range of portfolio funds.It supports the Government of India’s ongoing effort to promote investment in infrastructure. NDB support will address investment gaps and the availability of institutional funding for

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domestic private equity funds in India, contributing overall to infrastructure development andeconomic growth.

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL):

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund is a collaborative investment platform for international and Indian investors, anchored by the Government of India.It was set up as an alternative investment fund (AIF) in December 2016 with a planned corpusof ?40,000 crore.The Indian government has 49 % stake in NIIF with the rest held by marquee foreign anddomestic investors such as Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.It was established to provide long-term capital to the country’s infrastructure sector.It invests across asset classes such as:

InfrastructurePrivate equityOther diversified sectors with the objective to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns forits investors.

Mandates:

NIIF’s mandate includes investing in areas such as energy, transportation, housing, water, wastemanagement and other infrastructure-related sectors in India.

The three funds are:

NIIF currently manages three funds each with its distinctive investment mandate. Master Fund:

It is an infrastructure fund.Objective: Primarily investing in operating assets in the core infrastructure sectors such as roads,ports, airports, power etc.

Fund of Funds: It was established in 2018.Objective: To provide homegrown Indian private equity fund managers access to an India-focussed institutional investor that operates at scale.Managed by fund managers who have good track records in infrastructure andassociated sectors in India. Some of the sectors of focus include Green Infrastructure, Mid-Income & AffordableHousing, Infrastructure services and allied sectors.

Strategic Investment Fund: Is registered as an Alternative Investment Fund II under SEBI in India.

Objective: To invest largely in equity and equity-linked instruments.It will focus on green field and brown field investments in the core infrastructure

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sectors.

New Development Bank (NDB):

It is a multilateral development bank operated by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, Chinaand South Africa).It was agreed upon during 5th BRICS summit held in Durban, South Africa in 2013.It was established in 2014, at the 6th BRICS Summit at Fortaleza, Brazil.Objective: The bank is set up to foster greater financial and development cooperation amongthe five emerging markets.The bank will be headquartered in Shanghai, China.Voting Powers: Each participant country will be assigned one vote, and none of the countrieswill have veto power.

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[Ref: The Hindu]

Environment, Ecology & Disaster Management

Loss of crops due to extreme Floods in India

Government data indicates that India lost crops on 18 million hectares to extreme floods between 2017and 2019.

About the findings:

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India has suffered a huge crop loss on 18.176 million hectares (mha) of land, roughly 8.5 percent of the total gross cropped area due to floods from 2017-2019.

Of this, 10.68 mha was affected in 2019 alone.The intensity of extreme floods has increased in the country, affecting newer areas that were notflood-prone earlier.Amongst all the states, Madhya Pradesh has been the most affected.

Flood Management and Border Areas Programme:

The projects for flood management and control are formulated and implemented by respectivestate governments/Union Territories from their own resources and as per their priority.Objective: To assist the State Governments to provide reasonable degree of protection againstfloods in critical areas.Central Govt. has been providing financial assistance to states/UTs for implementing someprojects in critical areas through a scheme called Flood Management Programme (FMP) sinceXI Plan.Under the Programme, central assistance is provided to State Governments for taking up worksrelated to river management, flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, floodproofing, restoration of damaged flood management works and anti-sea erosion.The works under the scheme will protect valuable land from erosion and flooding and help inmaintaining peace along the border.The scheme also caters to Hydro-meteorological observations and Flood Forecasting oncommon rivers with the neighboring countries.

[Ref: Down to Earth]

India’s first CNG Tractor launched

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways recently launched India’s first-ever diesel Tractor,converted to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

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Specific benefits of converting the Tractor to CNG for a farmer are:

Produces more power/equal in comparison to Diesel-run engine. Overall emissions are reduced by 70% as compared to diesel. It will help farmers to save up to 50% on the fuel cost.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG):

CNG is simply natural gas mainly comprised of methane that is stored under high pressures.It is an odorless, gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons.It is a fuel that can be used in place of petrol (gasoline), diesel fuel, and liquefied petroleumgas (LPG). CNG is used in light-, medium-, and heavy-duty applications.

Advantages of CNG:

Environmentally Friendly:It is one of the cleanest burning transportation fuels.It burns cleaner than petroleum-based products because of its lower carbon content. It produces the fewest emissions of all other fuels and contains significantly lesspollutants than conventional liquid fuels. It produces 20-30% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and 95% fewer tailpipeemissions than petroleum products. It produces no evaporative emissions as they are completely sealed.

It is economical as it has zero lead and is non-corrosive, non-dilutive and non-contaminating.It helps in increasing the life of the engine and it requires less regular maintenance.

It is cheaper as:CNG prices are far more consistent than fluctuating petrol pricesThe average mileage of CNG vehicles is better than that of diesel/petrol driven vehicles

It is safer as CNG tanks come with a tight seal, which reduces the possibility of explosion whilerefuelling or in the event of a spill. It is the future as currently around it accounts for 12 million vehicles throughout the world.It is part of Waste to Wealth as stubble (Parali) can be used as a raw material for producing Bio-CNG.

Thus, it will help the farmers to earn money by selling it to the Bio-CNG production unitsin their locality.

Disadvantages of CNG:

CNG Gas stations have limited availability. CNG gas expands more, thus it require more space for storage.Reduced performance:

Engine performance drops by as much as 10% with regular use.Issue with engine injectors: The fuel injectors get dried and blocked and prolonged use in thisway leads to wear and tear of the engine.It requires a steady flow of fuel in the tanks along with petroleum for lubrication.

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[Ref: PIB]

Science and Technology

India not fully prepared for roll-out of 5G

A standing committee of Lok Sabha on Information Technology has said that sufficient preparatory workhas not been undertaken for launching of 5G services in India.

Findings of the parliamentary standing committee on IT:

Despite the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) having submitted a report on the steps tomake India 5G ready as early as August 2018, there was very little progress on the ground.Lack of various approvals around spectrum such as;

Uncertainty around auctions High reserve price of spectrum Inadequate and poor development of test cases Low reach of optical fibre across IndiaDeficient back-haul capacity

The reserve price for auction of 5G was one of the highest in the world. It needed to be rationalised, taking into account the per capita income of the country andby comparing it with reserve price mandated by other countries.

Globally, around 118 telecom service providers across 59 countries have started deploying 5Gnetworks.

Major players such as AT&T had started testing and deploying the technology as early as2018.China, which led the trials of 5G services, has rolled out these services covering as muchas 8 per cent of their population.

India is yet to give formal approvals for 5G testing despite all the three major private telecomplayers having submitted their applications as early as January 2020.

Reliance Jio Infocomm has announced to deploy 5G services as early as September 2020.Bharti Airtel showcased the successful demonstration of live 5G service over acommercial network in Hyderabad.

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Challenges to India for 5G network deployment:

The roll out of 5G network would be mostly in selected areas where the demand would justify thecapital expenditure put in by telecom companies and government.

In the coming 5-6 years, 5G will have been rolled out to cover 20 per cent of the worldpopulation, which is most likely to exclude a major portion of India. Comparing it to the deployment of other older technologies such as 2G, 3G and 4G, sufficientpreparatory work had not been undertaken for launching of 5G services in India.

India has not moved beyond the modest beginning stage as compared to other countries inthe world.

India is going to miss on 5G opportunities, unless time-bound action is taken in core areas whereGovernmental intervention is required.

What can help in faster roll out of 5G services?

The DoT reduced the notice period for telecom companies to six months from one year.A reduced time would mean that;

Telecom companies could soon start testing the 5G network for commercial purposes inall three bands, namely low, mid and high frequency spectrum. A faster return on the capital expenditure put in by companies as a large number of userswould be eager to try the latest technology in mobile and internet connectivity.

The country must expedite its approvals process and sort out issues to take a lead in 5G networkdeployment.DoT reach an understanding with the Department of Space and Ministry of Defence at theearliest to earmark the allocation of spectrum waves;

To build secure and trustworthy indigenous communication infrastructure.Adequate precautions should also be taken by India before installing telecom equipment fromChinese sources in the Indian telecom network.

[Ref: The Indian Express]

Key Facts for Prelims

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed on February 11 every year.It is implemented by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization) and UN-Women in collaboration institutions and civil society partners.Objective: To promote the participation of women and girls in science.Theme: 'Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19'.

Specialty Steel

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The government has recently included 'Specialty Steel’ under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI).

Key Highlights:

It would help in improving availability of 'Specialty Steel' in the country by making the countryAtmanirbhar in meeting the domestic demand.In a deregulated, open market scenario, domestic steel price is determined by market forces ofdemand and supply, trends in prices of raw materials and is also influenced by global steeltrade conditions.

Specialty steels:

They are referred to as alloy steel, contain additional alloyed materials that deliver specialproperties to the final product.Specialty steels are engineered to provide superior performance under specific conditions. Various stainless-steel alloys are included among common specialty steels.Typically, standard bearings are fabricated using chrome steel, which can be heat-treated andground to deliver durability and high load capacity, allowing the bearings to perform well inbroad applications.

Characteristics of Specialty Steels:

High corrosion resistanceTargeted resistance to high and/or low temperaturesEasily fabricatedDimensional stability and strengthNon-magneticSterile and hygienicWell suited for special applicationsLighter weightGrease-free use

Applications of Specialty Steels:

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Food and Beverage:Used in bearings for food processing equipment because they can be easily cleanedand offer high corrosion resistance maintaining durability at high and lowtemperatures.

Chemical Industry:Used in chemical processing due to its ability to resist acids, such as chlorine gas, dry chlorine, ammonium sulfate, caustic soda, and others.

Severe Environments:Well suited for bearings used in many types of severe environments.

It is a preferred choice for ball bearings and roller bearings.

[Ref: Knn India]

Babur Missile

Pakistan recently successfully tests fired surface-to-surface missile.

About missile:

It is a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile.It is capable of hitting land and sea targets with 'high precision' up to 490 kilometers away.

[Ref: Times of India]

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