• The first avalanche monitoring radar has been installed at a forward post in north Sikkim along the boundary with China.
• Located at an altitude of 15,000 ft, the radar, the first of its kind in India, has the capability to detect an avalanche within three seconds of its trigger and will assist in saving lives of troops and reducing damage to property.
• It uses a series of short microwave pulses which detect an avalanche in under three seconds. The radar can permanently scan the targeted slope for avalanche and track the path of the avalanche and its size in case it is triggered.
• The radar can see through snow, fog as well as in the night, making it an all-weather solution and covers an area of 2 sq km, obviating the requirement to place additional instruments in dangerous avalanche-prone areas.
• The radar is also linked to an alarm system enabling automatic control and warning measures in case an avalanche is triggered. Images and videos of the event are automatically recorded for future analysis.
• The Army will operate the radar made by the Defence Geoinformatics and Research Establishment (DGRE). Lieutenant General Tarn Kumar Aich, Commander of the 33 Corps, inaugurated it.

• Indian author and poet Meena Kandasamy has been announced as this year’s recipient of the Hermann Kesten Prize by the PEN Centre in Germany’s
• The Hermann Kesten Prize honours personalities who, in the spirit of the charter of the PEN association, stand up for the rights of persecuted authors and journalists.
• The PEN Center, Germany, will present the award to the Indian author at a ceremony in Darmstadt on November 15 this year.
• The winner will receive an amount of €20,000 ($19,996) as prize money. This year, the PEN Center is also honouring the website “Weiter Schreiben” (German for “Keep writing”) with a special award for encouragement, for giving authors in exile and writers from conflict zones a platform to express their thoughts.

About Meena Kandasamy:

• Meena Kandasamy was born in 1984 in Chennai, Kandasamy is a feminist and anti-caste activist whose work revolves around the issue of gender, caste, sexuality, patriarchy, and oppression by the Brahmanical system.
• Her novels have been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the International Dylan Thomas Prize, the Jhalak Prize and the Hindu Lit Prize.
• She previously held an editorial role at the English-language magazine ‘The Dalit’. Kandasamy has been a vocal critic of the arrest of fellow writers like Varavara Rao and former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba.

• Coal India Limited (CIL) is scheduled to sign agreements with three other major public sector undertakings – Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and GAIL (India) – next week for setting up four Surface Coal Gasification (SCG) projects.
• As per an official statement released by the Ministry of Coal, the Memorandum of Undertaking (MoU) among the government-run firms will be signed on 27th September 2022 in New Delhi.
• These PSUs will join hands for setting up of coal-to-chemical projects through Surface Coal Gasification (SCG) route.
• Through SCG route coal is converted into syngas that can be subsequently processed for downstream production of value-added chemicals. These are otherwise produced through imported natural gas or crude oil. Envisaged end products would be di-methyl ether, synthetic natural gas and ammonium nitrate.
• The upside of the proposed projects are reduced forex outgo and direct and indirect employment generation to the tune of 23,000, the Ministry of Coal said in a statement.
• With the twin objectives of self-reliance and energy independence, Ministry of Coal has set a target for achieving 100 million tonne coal gasification by 2030.

• Dr M Srinivas has been appointed as the director of All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS, New Delhi.
• Dr Srinivas who is Dean of ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Hyderabad, will succeed Randeep Guleria who has been holding the post since March 2017.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Dr. Srinivas to the post of AIIMS director.
• His appointment is for a period of five years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post or till attaining the age of 65 years.

• The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the Council for Industry and Scientific Research (CSIR) have partnered to support an outreach programme designed to promote the chemical sciences in schools and universities.
• About 2000 students across the country participated in RSC’s Global Coin experiment organised across over 30 CSIR laboratories.
• The two organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), committing to work together on the CSIR’s Jigyasa programme – an India-wide outreach programme aimed at school children and researchers.
• The MoU will be a non-financial one and will be time-bound for at least three years with an option of renewal, stated the Ministry of Science and Technology.
• As per the Ministry, the Jigyasa programme will complement existing educational programmes in India. For example, the RSC-Jigyasa partnership will help to expand the RSC’s existing teacher training programme and Chemistry Camps, and will be launching several online education initiatives.
• As part of the launch event for the Jigyasa programme, the collaboration is organising a Global Experiment including all the CSIR’s laboratories.
• At least 2,000 schoolchildren, 150 teachers, and 350 volunteers took part in the ‘RSC’s Global Coin experiment organised across over 30 CSIR laboratories, in which participants are asked to compare batteries made from different types of coins. The participants will then be able to compare their data with that of participants from around the globe.
• The MoU was signed by both organisations at a ceremony on 22 September. It was signed by Dr. Geetha Vani Rayasam from the CSIR and Paul Lewis, Chief Operating Officer, RSC in the presence of Dr N Kalaiselvi, Director General of the CSIR and Dr Venugopal Achanta, Director of National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL).

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development has called for the creation of “Poshan Vatikas” throughout the country in anticipation of the month-long Poshan Maah celebrations in September 2021.
• The government said that four lakh 37 thousand Anganwadi Centres have set up Poshan Vatikas or Nutri-gardens to provide easy and affordable access to fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants and herbs.
• The Nutri-gardens have been set up under the Poshan Maah Scheme (2018) and aimed at improving nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
• Under the Poshan Maah Scheme, efforts are being put into setting up Nutri gardens with backyard poultry and fishery units across the country.
• Around 1.10 lakh medicinal saplings have also been planted across some selected districts of six states. More than 75 thousand sensitization camps have been conducted to promote millets and backyard kitchen gardens. Beyond the locally available wholesome produce, these Nutri-gardens will reduce external dependency and will make communities proactive in maintaining their nutritional security.
• To replicate the idea of Nutri-gardens around new Anganwadi centres, close to 40 thousand land identification drives have been conducted. Also, more than 1.5 lakh events on these nutria-gardens have been reported so far.
• The main idea behind setting up of these gardens is to provide a fresh and regular supply of locally produced fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants to women and children straight from a Nutri-garden at or near an Anganwadi Centre. They can also play an important role in enhancing dietary diversity by providing key micronutrients through local fruits and vegetables.
• Launched in 2018, POSHAN Abhiyaan is a key component of Mission Poshan 2.0 which seeks to address the challenges of malnutrition in children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers through a strategic shift in nutrition content and delivery. It also aims at promoting practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity.
• In India, child malnutrition has been improving gradually. As per reports, comparing the two National Family Health Surveys conducted in the years 2016 and 2021, children who are underweight reduced by 3.7 percentage points, those who are stunted reduced by 2.9 percentage points, and those who are wasted reduced by 1.7 percentage points.

• India has exported the first consignment of plant-based meat products from Nadiad in the Kheda district of Gujarat to California in the United States.
• In a move to boost exports of unique agricultural processed food products, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Authority, APEDA, facilitated the export of the first consignment of plant-based meat products under the Vegan Food category.
• Plant-based food products have a huge export potential in the international market due to the high nutrient value of vegan food products. Due to its rich fibre and lesser cholesterol contents, vegan food products are becoming alternative food products across the globe.
• The 5,000 kg consignment consisted of mini samosas, hot and spicy strips, momos, spring rolls, nuggets, and grilled patty, among other products.
• APEDA has planned to promote a variety of vegan food products, including pancakes, snacks, and cheese to the countries of Australia, Israel, New Zealand, and others in the coming months.

About APEDA:

• The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by the Parliament in December, 1985.
• Basmati Rice has been included in the Second Schedule of APEDA Act.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Indian banks may continue their fundraising spree in the next few months by issuing Basel III-compliant and infrastructure bonds as they rush to meet rising credit demand and lock in funds at cheaper rates.

Basel Norms

• Basel norms or Basel accords are the international banking regulations issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.
• The Basel norms is an effort to coordinate banking regulations across the globe, with the goal of strengthening the international banking system.
• It is the set of the agreement by the Basel committee of Banking Supervision which focuses on the risks to banks and the financial system.
• Objective: To improve the banking sector’s ability to absorb shocks arising from financial and economic stress, to reduce the risk of spill over from the financial sector to the real economy, to raise capital standard and to implement strong international compensation standards aimed at ending practices that lead to excessive risk-taking.

BASEL I

• BCBS introduced the capital measurement system called Basel capital accord in 1988. It was also known as Basel 1.
• It was almost entirely concerned with credit risk.
• It established the capital and risk-weighting structure for banks.
• The required minimum capital was set at 8% of risk-weighted assets (RWA).
• RWA refers to assets with varying risk profiles. For example, an asset backed by collateral would be less risky than a personal loan with no collateral.
• Capital is divided into two categories: Tier 1 capital and Tier 2 capital.

BASEL II

• BCBS published Basel II guidelines in June 2004, which were considered to be refined and reformed versions of the Basel I accord.
• The guidelines were founded on three pillars, as the committee refers to them:

• Capital Adequacy Requirements: Banks should keep a minimum capital adequacy requirement of 8% of risk assets.
• Supervisory Review: According to this, banks were required to develop and implement better risk management techniques for monitoring and managing all three types of risks that a bank faces: credit, market, and operational risks.
• Market Discipline: This necessitates stricter disclosure requirements. Banks must report their CAR, risk exposure, and other information to the central bank on a regular basis.

BASEL III

• The Basel III guidelines were published in 2010.
• These guidelines were put in place in response to the 2008 financial crisis.
• There was a need to further strengthen the system because banks in developed economies were undercapitalized, over-leveraged, and relied more on short-term funding.
• Furthermore, the quantity and quality of capital required under Basel II were deemed insufficient to contain any additional risk.
• The Basel III norms aim to make most banking activities, such as trading books, more capital-intensive.
• The guidelines are intended to promote a more resilient banking system by focusing on four critical banking parameters: capital, leverage, funding, and liquidity.
• It consists of undisclosed reserves, preference shares, and subordinate debt.
• In 1999, India adopted the Basel 1 guidelines.

About Basel III compliant Bonds

• The bonds qualify as tier II capital of the bank, and has a face value of Rs 10 lakh each, bearing a coupon rate of 6.24 per cent per annum payable annually for a tenor of 10 years.
• There is a call option after 5 years and on anniversary thereafter.
• Call option means the issuer of the bonds can call back the bonds before the maturity date by paying back the principal amount to investors.

• In order to recover bad loans and reduce Non-Performing Assets (NPA), the Board of Director (BoD) of Kangra Central Cooperative Bank Ltd has launched a one-time settlement policy facilitating the loan defaulters to clear their debts.
• This was stated by Rajiv Bhardwaj, Chairman of the Kangra Central Cooperative Bank Ltd. (KCCBL).
• He said the BoD had issued a notification to implement this policy.
• It has its Head Office at Dharamshala.

History of KCCB:

• Came into existence on 17th March 1920.
• Indora Banking Union was merged and 2nd Branch of the Bank opened at Nurpur in Jan’1956
• Palampur Banking Union was merged and 3rd Branch of the Bank opened at Palampur in Jan’1957
• Nanaon Banking Union was merged and 4th Branch of the Bank opened at Hamirpur in Oct’1958
• The Bank entered into the deposit mobilisation scheme of Pong Dam Area aggressively and secured maximum share of Deposit Bank Deposits increased from Rs. 256 Lacs in 1971-72 to Rs. 1054 Lacs in 1973-74.

• Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rajinder Garg said Himachal had attained saturation in providing LPG connections as every household in Himachal had been provided with a gas connection.
• He said there was not a single house which did not have a LPG connection. “It is because of this that Himachal had become the first smokeless state of the country.
• Every household was provided free LPG connection under Mukhya Mantri Grahini Suvidha Yojna in 2018 and Govt. has provided over 3.40 lakh gas connection.