Why in news?

• A team of scientists have derived accurate value of Pluto’s atmospheric pressure which is 80,000 times less than the atmospheric pressure at mean sea level on Earth.
• It was calculated from data obtained by observation of stellar occultation by Pluto.
  • An occultation happens when a celestial object gets hidden from the view of the observer due to another celestial object passing in between them.
• Data was calculated using 3.6-m Devasthal optical telescope (DOT) (India’s largest optical telescope) and 1.3-m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT) telescopes located at Devasthal, Nainital.

Why in news?

• Recently, Supreme Court has said the test can’t be said to be an infallible and cannot be the sole basis to decide the age of an accused who claims to be a juvenile.
• It is an age determination test of a person on the basis of assessment of his or her bony framework done through X-Rays/ CT-scans.
• The test is required to determine the age in order to fix the criminal liabilities based on which the law treats the persons differently based on their age.
• It is the primary test for age determination.
• Human bones are remodelled and new layer of bone material is laid by a process called ossification (or osteogenesis). Based upon this phenomenon, ossification test is carried out.

• This test only tells the ‘estimated’ age of a person and not the exact age.
• The test is not useful when a person has crossed 25-27 years of age. This is primarily because nearly all the bones are completely ossified and the skeletal growth ceases by the age of 25 years.

Why in news?

• Through infrastructure support granted under PURSE scheme, Indian Scientists have developed a first-of-its-kind tool for understanding the process of long-term memory consolidation in the brain.

About PURSE

• It is flagship Infrastructure program of Department of Science and Technology, commenced in 2009 exclusively for the University sector.
• The main objective of the scheme is to strengthen the research capacity of performing Indian Universities and provide support for nurturing the research ecosystem and strengthening the R&D base of the Universities in the country.
• The duration of support for PURSE Project will be for a period of 4 years.
• Pattern of funding is in the ratio 75% by DST and 25% by host institution.

Why in news?

• A new book titled “Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War” authored by Samuel Moyn was released.
  • Samuel Moyn is the Professor of Jurisprudence at Yale Law School and a professor of History at Yale University.
• This provocative book argues about the endless wars the USA created in the past including Vietnam War (1955-1975), Korean War (1950-1953), World War II (1939-1945) etc and this development might not represent progress at all.

Why in news?

• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)has launched the ‘Waste to Wealth Creation’ programme for women in the Sundarbans in West Bengal.
• In this, the women will make ornaments and showpieces from the fish scales.
• SIDBI will extend benefits to 50 women indirectly generating revenues from alternate livelihoods.
• Later, these women are expected to become a trainer for replicating and disseminating the knowledge among other aspirants. This is a part of mission Swavalamban of SIDBI that aims to support artisans to become sustainable.

Why in news?

• The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)is organising a “Darkathon-2022” to find solutions to counter drug trafficking through the
• The initiative aims at involving students, youth and technical experts to find effective solutions to unravel the anonymity of darknet markets.
• The agency recently smashed three groups of drug peddlers that were operating on the network that is accessed through encryption software which enables anonymity of users.

About Darknet

• Internet consists of three layers:
  • The first layer is public, consisting of sites that one uses frequently such as Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and LinkedIn. This layer makes up only 4% of the entire internet.
  • The second layer, the deep web, is a network where data is stored in inaccessible databases (i.e. cannot be accessed through traditional search engines like Google). It is used to provide access to a specific group of people.
    The data is generally sensitive and private (government private data, bank data, cloud data etc), so kept out of reach.
  • The third layer is the darknet which is also known as a part of the ‘Deep Web’. It is a network built over the internet which is encrypted.
    • It is basically a layer of the Internet accessible only by using special software like Tor (The Onion Router),or I2P, which stands for Invisible Internet Project.
    • Anything present on the dark web will not be pulled up in internet searches, thereby offering a high degree of anonymity.

Why in news?

• Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC) of Iran has reveled a long range ballistic Surface to surface missile.
• The missile, which uses solid fuel and has a range of 1,450 km is called the Kheiber Shekhan (Khaibar-buster), a reference to a Jewish castle overrun by Muslim warriors in the early days of Islam.
• The missile has high accuracy, is manufactured completely domestically, and can defeat missile shield systems.

Why in news?

• The Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday extended the timeline by six months till September 30, 2022 for NBFCs to adhere the new Non Performing Assets recognition norms.
• Earlier the regulator had set March 31 deadline for non-bank lenders to upgrade NPAs only after all arrears and principal dues are paid.

About Non-Banking Financial Companies

• A Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/ stocks/ bonds/ debentures/ securities issued by Government or local authority or other marketable securities of a like nature, leasing, hire-purchase, insurance business, chit business but does not include any institution whose principal business is that of agriculture activity, industrial activity, purchase or sale of any goods (other than securities) or providing any services and sale/purchase/construction of immovable property.
• A non-banking institution which is a company and has principal business of receiving deposits under any scheme or arrangement in one lump sum or in installments by way of contributions or in any other manner, is also a non-banking financial company.
• NBFCs lend and make investments and hence their activities are akin to that of banks; however there are a few differences as given below:
  • NBFC cannot accept demand deposits;
  • NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself;
  • deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not available to depositors of NBFCs, unlike in case of banks.

About NPAs

• Non-Performing Assets is a loan or advance wherein interest or installments of principal remain overdue for a period of 90 days.

Classification of NPAs

• Substandard Assets-These are the assets which have remained NPA for a period of less than or equal to 12 months.
• Doubtful Assets– If the asset is in the substandard category for a period of 12 months
• Loss Assets– These assets are of little value, it can no longer continue as a bankable asset, there could be some recovery value.

Why in news?

• Project proposals for the construction of over 60,000 houses were approved across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan under the Pradhan MantriAwasYojana (Urban) recently.
• The total number of sanctioned houses under PMAY(U) stands at 114.07 lakh, of which around 93.25 lakh have been grounded for construction and around 54.78 lakh have been delivered to the beneficiaries.
• The total investment under the PMAY(U) stands at ₹7.52 lakh crore, with ₹1.87 lakh crore central assistance out of which ₹1.21 lakh crore has already been released.

About Pradhan MantriAwasYojana (Urban)

• It is a flagship Mission of Government of India being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• It was launched on 25th June 2015 and addresses urban housing shortage among the EWS/LIG and MIG categories including the slum dwellers by ensuring a pucca house to all eligible urban households by the year 2022, when Nation completes 75 years of its Independence.
• PMAY(U) adopts a demand driven approach wherein the Housing shortage is decided based on demand assessment by States/Union Territories.
• Coverage: The Mission covers the entire urban area consisting of Statutory Towns, Notified Planning Areas, Development Authorities, Special Area Development Authorities, Industrial Development Authorities or any such authority under State legislation which is entrusted with the functions of urban planning & regulations.

Why in news?

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address at The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) World Sustainable Development Summit today via video message.
• The theme of the event is ‘Towards a Resilient Planet: Ensuring a Sustainable and Equitable Future’
• The Summit would also see participation of Ministers for Environment from about a dozen countries, representatives from the United Nations, heads of inter-governmental organizations, and delegates from 126 countries.

About The Energy and Resources Institute(TERI)

• TERI is a non-profit research institution that conducts research work in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development.
• Established in 1974 as Tata Energy Research Institute and was renamed The Energy and Resources Institute in 2003.
• It aims to focus on formulating local and national level strategies for shaping global solutions to critical issues.
• It conducts research work in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development.
• Its key focus lies in promoting clean energy, water management, pollution management, sustainable agriculture and climate resilience.