Context

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a cold wave in parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh over the next few days.

• According to IMD, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Saurashtra and Kutch could witness a cold wave or a severe cold wave in December. A cold wave is likely over north Rajasthan , west Uttar and Gujarat.
• Dense morning fog is likely over isolated parts of Punjab and Haryana.
• Ground frost is also on the forecast for parts of Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat over the next few

Cause of this cold wave

• A western disturbance as a cyclonic circulation lies over north Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir, according to an IMD bulletin on Thursday.
• Western disturbances are storms that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring winter rainfall to northwest India.

Recent context

Many plans under the SCM, which is funded partly by the Centre, remain incomplete due to the COVID-19 pandemic that stalled activities for most of 2020. In response, the Smart Cities Mission has extended the implementation date and given cities until June 2023 to complete the work.

Background

The Centre used a competitive process to select 100 cities for upgradation with significant investments through the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) launched on June 25, 2015. These cities were identified through a “challenge” to which State governments and local bodies responded with plans that covered showpiece projects for a specific area, as well citywide plans. These included

• integrated data,
• use of technology platforms for service delivery to citizens, and
• mainstreaming of urban development concepts to encourage other cities to adopt best practice.

In September 2020, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) expanded the emphasis on climate-friendly infrastructure in smart cities through the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 2.0 and a “Streets for People” plan that would put pedestrians and non-motorised road users at the centre of urban planning.

Context:

The union government has approved the extension of Pradhan Mantri krishi sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) till 2026, which would help in funding the irrigation projects to increase the water supply in the country.

PMKSY

• The scheme was launched in 2015, it is an amalgamation of existing components with an output-driven approach as an umbrella programme with various components envisioning increased irrigation potential.
• It has been formulated with the vision of extending the coverage of irrigation ‘Har Khet ko pani’ and improving water use efficiency ‘More crop per drop’ in a focused manner with end to end solution on source creation, distribution, management, field application and extension activities.

Context:

• The Prime Minister is set to promote the ZBNF’s benefits and provide more details on the strategies to implement it at a national conclave in Anand, Gujarat.

About ZBNF

• In the recent past, there has been a global demand to shift to sustainable farming systems, such as Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF).
• India, too, introduced ZBNF in its Union Budget 2019-20.
• ZBNF is a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing from traditional Indian practices. 
• It was originally promoted by Maharashtrian agriculturist and Padma Shri recipient Subhash Palekar, who developed it in the mid-1990s as an alternative to the Green Revolution’s methods driven by chemical fertilizers and pesticides and intensive irrigation.
• Without the need to spend money on these inputs or take loans to buy them,  the cost of production could be reduced and farming made into a “zero budget” exercise, breaking the debt cycle for many small farmers.
• ZBNF is also against vermicomposting, which is the mainstay of typical organic farming.

Context:

Chief justice of India ruled the quite low representation women at all levels in legal field and promise to take up the demand for higher representation beyond 50% on the bench.

More on the news

• Women on an average constituted only around 30% of the judges in lower judiciary
• In high court’s the percentage of women judges is nearly 11.5%, while in the supreme court there are four sitting women judges out of 33 Indore office
• Out of 1.7 million registered advocates, only 15% of women.
• In 70 years of its existence the Supreme Court has seen only 8 women judges and no woman has been appointed chief justice so far
• The ratio of women to men judges is 81:1078 in the 25 High courts of the country

Context:

The National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) envisages an aggregate monetisation potential of ₹ 6-lakh crore through the leasing of core assets of the Central government in sectors such as roads, railways, power, oil and gas pipelines, telecom, civil aviation, ports and waterways, mining, food and public distribution, coal, housing and urban affairs etc over a four-year period (FY2022 to FY2025).

Unlocking the value

• The Eight core industrial sectors that support infrastructure such as coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement, and electricity have a total weight of nearly 40% in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
• According to NITI Aayog, the strategic objective of the asset monetisation program is to unlock the value of investment in public sector assets by tapping private sector capital as well as efficiency
• According to the  annual report (2020-2021) of the Department of Public Enterprises, Government of India, there are 256 operationally-run central public sector undertakings (CPSUs), employing about one million people.Out of these, 96 have been conferred the Ratna status (72, 14, and 10 are Miniratnas, Navaratnas, and Maharatna companies, respectively).
• According to the Economic Survey 2019-20, public enterprises should be in focus as India needs to invest about $1.5 trillion on infrastructure development in order to aspire to become $5 trillion economy by the year 2024-25

Context:

• Recently, NASA launched its new Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) — the agency’s first-ever laser communications system from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA.
• The LCRD will help the agency test optical communication in space.
• Currently, most NASA spacecraft use radio frequency communications to send data. Optical communications will help increase the bandwidth 10 to 100 times more than radio frequency systems.

• LCRD will demonstrate all of the advantages of using laser systems and allow us to learn how to use them best operationally.
• With this capability further proven, we can start to implement laser communications on more missions, making it a standardized way to send and receive data.

Context:

• The Centre has informed Parliament that India supports UNCLOS and the country is committed to promoting a free, open and rules-based order rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion.
• As a State party to the UNCLOS, India promoted utmost respect for the UNCLOS, which established the international legal order of the seas and oceans.
• India developed its maritime cooperation with regional partners in consonance with the Government’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).
• The steps taken include ‘Mission based Deployments’ of naval ships and aircraft to enhance Maritime Domain Awareness, promote maritime security and address contingencies that may arise.
• In addition, India proactively engaged with regional and extra-regional maritime forces through multilateral exercises, joint surveillance, coordinated patrols among others to promote maritime security in the region in an inclusive and cooperative manner.

• The latest figures on global carbon dioxide emissions call into question the world’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
•  CO2 emissions are set to soar 4.9% in 2021, compared with the previous year, according to a study published earlier this month by the Global Carbon Project (GCP), a group of scientists that track emissions.
• During the COP26 climate  summit, advocates have been arguing about the importance of Nuclear energy as comprehensive alternatives.

Is nuclear power a zero-emissions energy source?

• Nuclear energy isalso responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, no energy source is completely free of emissions, but more on that later.
• When it comes to nuclear, uranium extraction, transport and processing produces emissions. The long and complex construction process of nuclear power plants also releases CO2, as does the demolition of decommissioned sites.
• And, last but not least, nuclear waste also has to be transported and stored under strict conditions and here, too, emissions must be taken into account.

Context:

• The Ministry of Labour and Employment provided details about the State-wise number of beneficiaries under ABRY.

About the Scheme

• Last year, the Union Cabinet gave its approval for Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana (ABRY).
• Under ABRY, the government will provide subsidy for provident fund contributions for adding new employees to establishments registered with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
• The Centre will provide the subsidy for two years for workers who lost jobs between March 1 to September 30 and for new workers employed on or after October 1.