National Mineral Exploration Trust

Paper 3 –Energy Resources

From the point of view of mains examination

Question: Despite being endowed with a rich mineral resources, India is importing it in huge quantities. Discuss, as well as state the utility of National Mineral Exploration Trust in this direction.

Why Should You Know?

Recently Ministry of Mines issued General Instructions to Notified Exploration Agencies for submission of project proposals to National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET).

In details –

• With an objective to boost the mineral exploration activities in the country, Central Government established ‘National Mineral Exploration Trust’ (NMET) which since its inception has been funding various Notified Exploration Agencies to carry out exploration projects across the country.
• Accordingly, NMET has issued General Instructions dated 24th February, 2021 to NEAs for submission of proposals along with detailed cost estimates based on the Schedule of Charges (SoC) of NMET for mineral exploration through NMET funds along with a certificate of actual status of proposed block area/land (whether free hold/ lease hold/ reserved by the State).
• Now, it has been observed that there is considerable delay in a number of cases in providing the certificate of the actual status of proposed block area/land  from the State authority concerned.

Notified General Instructions

This has caused unnecessary delay in starting mineral exploration in the country. Therefore, General Instructions are further clarified for submission of the project proposals for NMET fund as given below: –

• The Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd.(MECL) and other notified CPSUs shall send the request letter to State Government for certificate regarding the actual status of proposed block area/ land from the State authority.
• The State Government shall provide the certificate regarding the actual status of proposed block area/ land (about free hold/lease hold) within 60 days.
• In case of non-receipt of certificate from State Government after 60 days, the project proposal may be submitted to NMET Secretariat for technical and financial evaluation in technical cum cost committee (TCC).
• The Director, Directorate/Department of Mines and Geology, State Government will be invited to attend the  TCC meeting to clarify about the status of proposed block area during technical evaluation of the project proposal.
• Based on techno-economic suitability, approval will be accorded for carrying out exploration work for the project proposal.
• Before starting the exploration work, MECL and other notified CPSUs shall confirm that the block area is not under any lease hold and that any other State/Central/Private exploration agencies have not taken up exploration work in the proposed block area.
• This important initiative has been taken by the Ministry of Mines in order to expedite mineral exploration in the country and will help in achieving self-reliance in minerals and promoting economic growth and employment.

About the trust-

• With an objective to boost the mineral exploration activities in the country, Central Government established NMET which since its inception has been funding various Notified Exploration Agencies to carry out exploration projects across the country.
• The object of the Trust shall be to use the funds accrued to the Trust for the purposes of regional and detailed exploration in such manner as may be prescribed by the Central Government.
• The composition and functions of the Trust shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government.
• The Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 as amended in 2015, has introduced transparent and competitive auction process for grant of mineral concessions. It also provided for establishment of National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) to give impetus to the mineral exploration activities.
• The holders of Mining Lease and Prospecting Licence-cum-Mining Lease make payments equivalent to 2% of royalty, for minerals under second schedule of the Act, as NMET contribution simultaneously with payments of the royalty.
• National mineral exploration Trust (NMET) is a body working to realize the mineral potential of the country in terms of mining activity and contribute commensurately to the growth of national economy.
• The NMET fund is being utilized to undertaking studies for mineral development; regional and detailed exploration with special emphasis to strategic and critical minerals; aerial geophysical survey of obvious geological potential (OGP) and adjoining areas of India; sustainable mining with adoption of advanced scientific and technological practices and mineral extraction metallurgy.
• It also facilitates exploration activities in such a manner that areas explored can be taken up for grant of mineral concessions in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

Structure

• The apex body is the governing body, chaired by the Honorable Minister of Mines.It holds the overall control of the trust.
• The executive committee, chaired by the secretary, Minister of Mines, administers and manages its activities.

World Geospatial Information Congress

Paper 3 – Science and Tech

From the point of view of mains examination

Question: What geospatial science and technology and trained manpower will help develop an international GIS services market for the Indian geospatial industry, describe.

Why Should You Know?

On October 10, 2022 the Second United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress inaugurated in Hyderabad.

In details

• The Second United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC 2022) began in Hyderabad on October 10.
• The five-day conference (from 10 to 14 October 2022 ) is being hosted by the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology and convened by the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.
• With the theme of ‘Geo-Enabling the Global Village: No one should be left behind,’ the Second UNWGIC 2022 will reflect on the importance of integrated geospatial information infrastructure and knowledge services to support the implementation and monitoring of sustainable development goals.
• It will also mirror the well-being of society, address environmental and climate challenges, embrace digital transformation and technological development, and catalyze a vibrant economy.
• In this congress the Union Minister for Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the geospatial economy is expected to cross Rs 63,000 crore by 2025 at a growth rate of 12.8% and to provide employment to more than 10 lakh people mainly through Geospatial start-ups.
• Unveiling a Geospatial incubator, Dr Jitendra Singh said that this would boost the current boom of technology-led start-ups.
• A Solar Calculator, the Bhunidhi portal and the National Toponymy database were also unveiled by the Minister. The dignitaries also released a report on the ‘The India experience in aligning with the IGIF’
•  The Minister Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that national organizations like the Survey of India, Geological Survey of India, National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organization (NATMO), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and National Informatics Centre have implemented several GIS-based pilot projects across a range of domains like waste resource management, forestry, urban planning, etc. to demonstrate the applications of Geospatial Technology.
• He said the democratization of the Indian geospatial ecosystem will spur domestic innovation and enable Indian companies to compete in the global mapping ecosystem by leveraging modern geospatial technologies and realiSing the dream of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” or “Self-sufficient India” fully.

‘Geo-enabling the global village with Generation Z and Alpha’

• Students from 18 schools across the country presented new ideas on how geospatial technologies can be embedded to address local challenges like protecting the heritage, soil fertility, crop diversity, clean city, water management, women empowerment, waste management, digital India, clean energy, climate change and so on to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs).
• Teams from 18 urban and rural schools across India showcased the use of geospatial information and technology in understanding local issues and its use in planning and implementing at a special event titled ‘Geo-enabling the global village with Generation Z and Alpha’ of the Second United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC).
• Efforts in mapping chemical fertilizer use in farms, as well as their production against organic fertilizer usage along with their production, were showcased.
• Students also highlighted initiatives of mapping rural biodiversity loss over time, as well as mapping of local recyclable products to source them effectively and increase their usage.
• The young teams focused on SDGs of zero hunger, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, and life on land. The event could show the way to localize the implementation of the SDGs through geospatial thinking.

About World Geospatial Information Congress

• The United Nation Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) organizes the United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) every four years with the objectives of enhancing international collaboration among the Member States and relevant stakeholders in Geospatial information management and capacities.
• The first UNWGIC was organized by China in October 2018.
• The UNGGIM has entrusted the responsibility of organizing the second UNWGIC to India during October 2022.
• India is organizing the event as a part of the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (Celebration of 75 years of Indian Independence)”.

Quantum entanglement

Paper 3 – Science and Tech

From the point of view of mains examination

Question: What do you understand by quantum induction, explain it in the context of a new discovery made by Indian scientists recently.

Why Should You Know?

Recently Indian scientists find efficient way to measure quantum involvement in high dimensional systems.

In details –

• The Nobel committee last week awarded the prestigious prize in physics to three researchers who have worked in quantum physics for a lifetime, and Indian scientists have now joined the field. They have found an easy way to measure the amount of entanglement in higher dimensional systems.
• It is noteworthy that quantum entanglement is a condition where several particles behave like a single unit even when they are separated.
• The study Indian scientists could help potentially enable better assessment of the efficacy of an entangled state for technological applications like quantum teleportation (a technique for transferring quantum information from a sender at one location to a receiver some distance away) where the success and accuracy of the process depends on the amount of entanglement as well as other quantum communication protocols.

Entangled quantum

• Entangled state is a crucial state of quantum mechanics and can be used as a resource for quantum communication, quantum computation and information processing tasks that are impossible for classical systems.
• Higher dimensional systems (dimension greater than two) are proven to have advantages in both quantum computing and quantum communications. Thus experimentally realising higher-dimensional entangled states along with the studies of quantification of the entanglement are of critical importance.
• So far, all the relevant investigations towards quantifying entanglement mainly focused on providing bounds (maximum/minimum) on entanglement measures.
• The existing method of characterising quantum state is Quantum State Tomography (QST), which can then be used to quantify entanglement. It requires determination of an increasingly large number of parameters as the dimension of the system grows.
• A method for empirical estimation of entanglement for any arbitrary dimensional entangled state was not available.
• The scientists from Raman Research Institute (RRI), an autonomous Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, in a collaborative effort with scientists from the Institute for Quantum Computing, Canada have formulated analytical relations between statistical correlation measures and known entanglement measures for any arbitrary dimension.
• By using just two sets of measurements, they have experimentally quantified the amount of entanglement in a pair of three dimensional photonic qutrits at the Quantum Information and Computing lab at RRI, headed by Prof. Urbasi Sinha.

Significance

• Their research published in the journal Quantum Science and Technology gives a more experimentally friendly and less cumbersome alternative to QST.
• It explores the percentage deviation of the entanglement of the given state from the maximally (100% entangled ) entangled state as quantified by two different entanglement measures.
• For the first time it experimentally demonstrates this non-equivalence between different measures of entanglement in higher dimensional quantum state.
• The results can usher in a line of studies which can aim to shed light not only on deeper understanding of how entanglement is to be quantified but also on how to better assess the efficacy of an entangled state for a given technological application.
• The central technological importance of the research rests in the context of quantum entanglement enabled information processing, quantum computing and quantum communication protocols, which lie at the heart of 21st century quantum technologies.
• For applications in quantum teleportation and remote state preparation, the fidelity of the process depends on the amount of entanglement given by a relevant entanglement measure. Hence, given any experimentally prepared entangled state, an a priori assessment of how much entangled the state is critically helpful. It is precisely this requirement which is addressed in this research.

Mahakal Lok Project

Paper 3– Tourism

From the point of view of mains examination

Question: What is the significance of Ujjain Mahakal Temple in Hinduism, as well as the Mahakal Project, how it will help in enriching the experience of pilgrims visiting the temple here by providing world class modern facilities.

Why Should You Know?

Recently, the Prime Minister dedicated the first phase of the Mahakal Lok Project to the nation at Shri Mahakal Lok in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Let’s know about it

In details

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicated Phase I of the Mahakal Lok Project to the nation at Shri Mahakal Lok in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
• Phase I of the Mahakal Lok project will help in enriching the experience of pilgrims visiting the temple by providing them with world-class modern amenities.
• The project aims to decongest the entire area and also put special emphasis on the conservation and restoration of heritage structures.
• Under the project, the temple precinct will be expanded nearly seven times. The total cost of the entire project is around Rs 850 crores.
• The existing footfall of the temple, which is currently around 1.5 crore per annum, is expected to be doubled. The development of the project has been planned under two phases.
• The Mahakal Path contains 108 stambhs (pillars) which depict Anand Tandav Swaroop (Dance form) of Lord Shiva. Many religious sculptures depicting the life of Lord Shiva are installed along the Mahakal Path.
• The mural wall along the path is based on stories about the act of creation, the birth of Ganesha, story of Sati and Daksha among others from Shiva Purana.
• The area of plaza is spread over 2.5 hectares and is surrounded by a lotus pond which contains the statue of Shiva along with water fountains.
• The entire premise will be monitored 24×7 by Integrated Command and Control Centre with the help of artificial intelligence and surveillance cameras.

Significance of UjjainMahakal temple in Hinduism

• Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, shrines which are said to be the most sacred abodes of Shiva.
• It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The temple is situated on the side of the holy river Shipra.
• Puranas say that Lord Shiva pierced the world as an endless pillar of light, called the jyotirlinga.
• There are 12 jyotirlinga sites in India, considered a manifestation of Shiva. Besides Mahakal, these include Somnath and Nageshwar in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna in Andhra Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, Bhimashankar, Triyambakeshwar and Grishneshwar in Maharashtra, Viswanath at Varanasi, Baidyanath in Jharkhand, and Rameshwar in Tamil Nadu.
• Mahakal is the only jyotirlinga facing the south, while all the other jyotirlingas face east. This is because the direction of death is believed to be the south. In fact, people worship Mahakaleshwar to prevent an untimely death.
• The Mahakal temple finds a mention in several ancient Indian poetic texts. In the early part of the Meghadutam (PurvaMegha) composed in the 4th century, Kalidasa gives a description of the Mahakal temple. It is described as one with a stone foundation, with the ceiling on wooden pillars. There would be no shikharas or spires on the temples prior to the Gupta period.
• The city of Ujjain was also one of the primary centres of learning for Hindu scriptures, called Avantika in the 6th and 7th centuries BC. Later, astronomers and mathematicians such as Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya made Ujjain their home.
• Also, as per the Surya Siddhanta, one of the earliest available texts on Indian astronomy dating back to the 4th century, Ujjain is geographically situated at a spot where the zero meridian of longitude and the Tropic of Cancer intersect.
• In keeping with this theory, many of Ujjain temples are in some way connected to time and space, and the main Shiva temple is dedicated to Mahakal, the lord of time. In the 18th century, an observatory was built here by Maharaja Jai Singh II, known as the Vedh Shala or Jantar Mantar, comprising 13 architectural instruments to measure astronomical phenomena.

International Day of the Girl Child

Paper 2 – Social Issues

From the point of view of mains examination

Question: The main purpose of celebrating International Girl Child Day is to make people aware of women power and to make women self-reliant. Have a discussion.

Why Should You Know?

International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated every year on October 11.

In details

• October 11 is celebrated as International Day of the Girl Child all over the world. It aims to spread awareness about the rights of the girl child and provide them education, nutrition, health care, legal rights and protection from discrimination.
• Theme of the International Day of the Girl Child for 2022 is “Our time is now—our rights, our future.”
• The purpose of recognizing this International Day is primarily to increase public awareness of the problems that girls worldwide suffer, including lack of access to education, inadequate nutrition, forced child marriage, legal rights, and medical rights.

Background-

• The celebration of Girl Child Day globally was started as a ‘Plan International’ project, an NGO. This organization started a campaign called “Because I am a girl”. After which the Canadian government was contacted to take this campaign to the international level.
• The Canadian government put forward the proposal at the 55th General Assembly. The United Nations passed the resolution on December 19, 2011  and chose October 11  to celebrate  the day.
• After which the first International Day of the Girl Child   was celebrated on October 11, 2012. Since then, every day has been celebrated every year.

Purpose –

• The purpose of celebrating International Day of the Girl Child is to make the girl child aware. for their rights,  for their safety and equality. So that they can face all the challenges and problems coming.

National Girl Child Day

• National Girl Child Day is celebrated every year on January 24  in India, with the aim of spreading awareness about child sex ratio at all levels and promoting empowerment of the girl child.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao –

• The Government of India launched this scheme in 2015. Its objective is to provide education to every girl child in the country.
• It also addresses the issue of declining child sex ratio. The main objective of this scheme is to ensure the safety of the girl child.
• The scheme is a tri-ministerial effort. It is being implemented by the Ministries of Women and Child Development, Human Resource Development and Health and Family Welfare.

India-UAE High Level Joint Task Force

Paper 2- International Relations

From the point of view of mains examination

Question: The India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is a major trade agreement set out to transform bilateral economic, trade and investment ties and accelerate economic growth. Have a discussion.

Why Should You Know?

Recently Shri Piyush Goyal co-chaired 10th Meeting of the India-UAE High Level Joint Task Force on Investments along with His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

In details

• The tenth meeting of the UAE-India High Level Joint Task Force on Investments (‘The Joint Task Force’) took place On October 11, 2022 in Mumbai.
• It was co-chaired by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, and His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Background

• The Joint Task Force was established in 2013 to promote trade, investment and economic ties between the UAE and India.
• This was the first meeting of the Joint Task Force since the signing of the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and unveiling of the Joint UAE-India Vision Statement in February 2022 during the virtual summit between Shri. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.
• The CEPA is a major trade agreement set to transform bilateral economic, trade and investment ties and propel economic growth.
• Both these historic landmarks provide a clear roadmap for continued strengthening of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries at an accelerated pace.

Outcomes

• During this tenth meeting of the Joint Task Force, the co-chairs recognized the early trends of positive impact of the historic India-UAE CEPA on bilateral trade between the two countries since it entered into force in May 2022.
• The co-chairs urged businessmen on both sides to gain optimal benefits from the conducive trade ecosystem created under CEPA. The co-chairs also noted progress on various aspects of the CEPA including establishment of the CEPA Joint Committee and related sub-committees.
• The two delegations reviewed the status of the negotiations of the India-UAE Bilateral Investment Treaty. Twelve rounds of negotiations have been conducted till date.
• Both sides noted that much progress could have been achieved since the commencement of the negotiations, and therefore reiterated their commitment to accelerate the process for an early conclusion of a balanced and mutually beneficial agreement.
• Discussions also took place on ways of enhancing bilateral investments in key sectors like food security, manufacturing, infrastructure, energy and technology. In this context, it was agreed that the concerned authorities in both countries will explore establishment of efficient and integrated Single Window Solutions and Virtual Trade Corridors to reduce costs and time involved in trade and investment related procedures.
• From the UAE side, it was agreed that the Department of Economic Development of Abu Dhabi will explore this area of cooperation with the concerned counterparties in India in order to agree a mutually beneficial implementation approach.
• As a means of encouraging increased investment flows by UAE sovereign investment entities into India, the two sides reviewed UAE’s request with respect to providing tax incentives to certain UAE sovereign investment entities under existing UAE-India Tax Treaty, and India’s response to provide the same under the existing domestic tax laws of India.
• It was agreed that bilateral discussions should continue to reach a mutually beneficial outcome which meets the policy objectives of both countries. In this context, the support provided to UAE sovereign entities through the Finance Act 2020 and subsequent issuance of notifications for tax exemption was noted and appreciated.
• An important area discussed was the creation of a mechanism for carrying out bilateral trade in national currencies. Referring to the ongoing discussions between Reserve Bank of India and Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates on Unified Payment Interface (UPI) as a common digital payments platform, both sides agreed to continue discussions.
• In the positive backdrop provided by the extensive and growing trade and investment relationship between India and the UAE, the two sides acknowledged the importance of using the Joint Task Force as a forum to address specific issues and difficulties faced by the companies when investing into each other’s countries.
• India has set up a UAE Plus Desk in 2018 and established a Fast Track Mechanism in 2019 to identify, resolve and expedite issues faced by the UAE companies and investors in India. The UAE Special Desk in India was commended for its efforts in leading and facilitating UAE investments across sectors.
• In this regard, it was agreed that the Indian side will provide the necessary support to UAE Fast Track Mechanism in India to ensure speedy resolution of pending issues and difficulties experienced by a number of UAE companies and banks operating in India.
• It was also agreed that a similar India Fast Track Mechanism would be set up in the UAE immediately to resolve issues pertaining to the Indian investors in the UAE, and to assist Indian companies in market entry and expansion when investing in the UAE.
• In this context, issues pertaining to some Indian companies in UAE were noted and it was agreed that the UAE side will provide the necessary support to ensure speedy and mutually satisfactory resolution of these issues.

WADA Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) Symposium- 2022”

Paper 2 – Health

From the point of view of mains examination

Question: What do you understand by doping, is it a challenge? Elaborating on the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), explain.

Why Should You Know?

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and and NDTL is going to organise “WADA Athlete Biological Passport Symposium- 2022” from 12th to 14th October, 2022

In details

• The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) are organizing the “WADA Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) Symposium- 2022” from 12th to 14th October, 2022 in New Delhi.
• Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Singh Thakur will address the opening session of the Symposium.
• The first WADA ABP Symposium was hosted by the Anti-Doping Lab Qatar (ADLQ) in November 2015, in Doha, Qatar.
• The second WADA ABP Symposium was organized by the Italian Federation of Sports Medicine (FMSI) ain 2018, in Rome, Italy.
• This is the third WADA ABP Symposium and is being hosted in India for the first time.
• Two hundred plus participants from 56 Countries, WADA Officials, representatives and Experts from different National Anti-Doping Organizations, Athlete Passport Management Units (APMUs) and WADA Accredited Laboratories are participating in this Symposium.
• The main topic of discussion in this symposium will be recent trends, successes and challenges with the ABP, Managing confounding Factor affecting the steroidal Module, Evolving strategic testing for the ABP etc and will help WADA to work towards the detection and eradication doping in sports through APMUs.
• Since NDTL is in the process of setting up an APMU in India, this Symposium would help to create the necessary expertise in the country and will help  the Indian Sports by strengthening the Anti-doping programme of India and also enable us to become a regional leader in anti-doping. Establishing an APMU would enable India to build our capabilities in sports and become a sporting power to support Prime Minister Modi’s Vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat.

About World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) –

• The World Anti-Doping Agency is a world-class independent body created to curb the growing trend of drugs in international sports.
• It was founded on November 10, 1999 in the city of Lucen, Switzerland. WADA is currently headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
• This organization keeps its eye on scientific research around the world, increasing the ability to develop antidoping and the World Anti-Doping Code around the world.
• Wada releases a list of banned drugs every year, whose use is banned during the Games in all countries of the world.

 About The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)

• The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is the national organization responsible for promoting, coordinating and monitoring the doping control programme in sports in all its forms in India.
• Nada’s job is to adopt and implement anti-doping rules and policies that are in line with the World Anti-Doping Code.
• Collaborating with other sports-related organizations and other anti-doping organizations.
• Encourage mutual testing between national anti-doping organizations and emphasize anti-doping research and education.
• Users can get information related to NADA’s anti-doping rules, testing in competition/out-of-competition, list of items banned by the World Anti-Doping Code (WADA).
• NADA is constituted by the Central Government on November 24, 2005 under the Societies Registration Act. NADA comprises scientists and representatives of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

Toyota Flex Fuel Pilot Project

Paper 3–Energy Resources

From the point of view of mains examination

Question: Ethanol is the fuel of the future, do you agree with this, describe it as well as tell which policies have been developed by the Government of India to adopt it.

Why Should You Know?

Recently, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari launched the first pilot scheme of Japanese carmaker Toyota’s Flex Fuel-Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle (FFV-SHEV).

In details

• Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has launched the first pilot scheme of Japanese carmaker Toyota’s Flex Fuel-Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle (FFV-SHEV).
• The car coming under this is the first such car in the country which can be run on 100% ethanol.
• Flex-fuel is a fuel made by mixing gasoline and methanol or ethanol, with a smaller amount of petrol and a higher amount of the rest.
• It is noteworthy that at the 62nd Annual Session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had announced that he would unveil the first flex-fuel car in India, after which the work on the project was started.
• In fact, this car is being seen as a petrol-diesel option. This car is pollution free, which will not have any bad effect on the environment.

About the car

• The FFV-SHEV car has a flex-fuel engine and an electric powertrain, which deliver higher fuel efficiency by using high ethanol.
• Also, these cars are capable of utilizing any high combination of ethanol blending from 20% to 100%.
• The Flex Fuel Kit is fitted to Toyota’s Corolla models. It is an Altis FFV-SHEV, imported from Toyota Brazil for a pilot project. Toyota Brazil introduces new technology for Flex Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle.

Upcoming hydrogen car

• The Indian government is also working on hydrogen cars. The aim of the government is to provide green hydrogen at the rate of at least 1 dollar (about 80 rupees) per kilogram.
• If this happens then it will be very economical to drive the car. Along with this, the rising prices of petrol and diesel will also get relief. This is an electric car only.
• The electricity required to run it is generated from the hydrogen fuel cell installed in it. These fuel cells generate electricity by performing a chemical reaction between the oxygen in the atmosphere and the hydrogen in its fuel tank.
• Water (H2O) and electricity are generated by the chemical reaction of these two gases. The car runs on this electricity. Whereas the power control unit in it sends the extra power to the battery in the car to be stored.

What is ethanol?

• Ethanol is actually a type of alcohol, which can be mixed with the petrol of vehicles and used as fuel in vehicles.
• It is produced from sugarcane crop, but it can also be prepared from many other sugar crops.
• Ethanol is an eco-friendly fuel and protects the environment from hazards. The use of ethanol releases 35 percent less carbon monoxide.
• Not only this, it also reduces carbon monoxide emissions and sulfur dioxide. Apart from this, ethanol also reduces the emission of hydrocarbons. Ethanol contains 35 percent oxygen.
• Many countries in the world are now experimenting and thinking about its use, but it is most commonly used in Brazil. You will be surprised to know that about 40 percent of the vehicles in Brazil are running on 100 percent ethanol. Along with this, the rest of the vehicles are also  using fuel mixed with 24 percent ethanol.
• It is noteworthy that the Government of India has set a target of adding up to 20 percent ethanol to petrol and diesel by the year 2025.

National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG)

Paper 3 –Economy

From the point of view of mains examination

Question: How are India and Bangladesh strengthening administrative relations? Explain by giving about the National Center for Good Governance (NCGG).

Why Should You Know?

Recently Capacity Building of Bangladesh civil servants started atNational Centre for Good Governance ( NCGG), Mussoorie.

In details –

• The two-week 53rd Capacity Building programme in the Field Administration for the Civil Servants of Bangladesh was inaugurated at National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) at Mussoorie today.
• Prior to 2019, fifteen hundred civil servants of Bangladesh have been imparted training at NCGG.
• After successful completion of phase–I, capacity building of another 1,800 civil servants of Bangladesh have been taken up, which is planned to be completed by 2025.
• This is the only institute in the country to have trained 1,727 field–level officers of Bangladesh Civil Service such as Assistant Commissioners, Upa-Zila Nirbhai Officers/ SDMs and Additional Deputy Commissioners.
• It also imparted training to all the then active deputy commissioners of Bangladesh. It has been a decade since the capacity building programmes were initiated and thus many of the trainee officers have reached levels of Additional Secretary and Secretary in the Bangladesh Government resulting in synergy in governance between the two countries. 

About Capacity Building programme

• The Capacity Building programme for civil servants of developing countries aims at equipping them with cutting edge knowledge, skills and tools to deliver and design effective public policy in an increasingly complex and inter-dependent world.
• It is expected that this will achieve good governance and ultimately sustainable development apart from providing rich cross-country experience so that there is no need to reinvent the wheel.
• The Centre is sharing the initiatives being taken in the country such as e-governance, digital India, universalisation of public services, approach to sustainable development goals, usage of Aadhar in service delivery, public grievance redressal mechanism and disaster management with special reference to coastal region among other important areas.
• During the programme, the participants will also be taken to see various developmental works like Delhi Metro, Smart city, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Central Information Commission, Election Commission of India, etc.

About National Centre for Good Governance

• The National Centre for Good Governance was set up in 2014 by the Government of India as an apex institution in the country.
• It focuses on good governance, policy reforms, training and capacity building, and to also work as a think tank.
• It has taken up capacity building of civil servants of several foreign countries in partnership with MEA.
• It has imparted training to civil servants of 15 countries such as Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Seychelles, Gambia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Laos, Vietnam, Bhutan, Myanmar and Cambodia. These training were found to be highly useful by the participating officers.

India-NorwayMeeting

Paper 2 – International Relations

From the point of view of mains examination

Question: Discuss what kind of relations have been established in the field of education between India and Norway recently.

Why Should You Know?                      

Recently a meeting of the India-Norway Joint Working Group on Higher Education was held.

In details

• India hosted the 6th meeting of the India-Norway Joint Working Group on Higher Education on 11th October 2022 in New Delhi.
• The meeting was chaired by Ms. Neeta Prasad, Joint Secretary, International Cooperation, Ministry of Education from Indian side and by Ms. Anne Line Wold, Director General, Ministry of Education and Research from Norwegian side. The Ambassador of Norway to India also participated in the meeting.
• The Joint Working Group was established to monitor and oversee the implementation of the MoU on Cooperation in the field of Higher Education signed between India and Norway on 25th April 2022.
• The two sides reviewed the progress made under the Indo-Norwegian Cooperation Programme developed under the ambit of the previous India-Norway MoU signed in 2014 and deliberated upon overall higher education policy and priorities, student/faculty mobility and cooperation in the field of skill development.

About Norway

• Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway,is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
• The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of Norway. Bouvet Island, located in the Subantarctic, is a dependency of Norway; it also lays claims to the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land.
• The capital and largest city in Norway is Oslo.
• The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden. It is bordered by Finland and Russia to the northeast and the Skagerrak strait to the south, on the other side of which are Denmark and the United Kingdom.
• Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea.
• Its main- and official language is Norwegian.