18 October 2022

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – One Nation One Fertilizer Scheme: GS II – Topic Government Policies and Interventions:

Context:

• The “One Nation One Fertilizer” plan, which mandates that all fertiliser manufacturers adopt a single trademark and logo, has changed the name of the Center’s fertiliser subsidy scheme, formerly known as the Prime Minister’s initiative, “Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna” (PMBJP).

ONOF, or One Nation One Fertilizer Scheme:

• The exclusive brand names BHARAT UREA, BHARAT DAP, BHARAT MOP, and BHARAT NPK must be used by all fertiliser businesses, state trading enterprises (STEs), and fertiliser marketing organisations, respectively (FMEs).
• The fertiliser bags will also include the logo of the Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna fertiliser subsidy programme.

Why did the government decide to use this particular tactic?

• The government currently sets the urea maximum retail price, which reimburses businesses for greater import or production costs.
• The MRPs for fertilisers are unrestricted, with the exception of urea.
• Companies are not eligible for subsidies if their MRPs are higher than what the government has expressly advised.
• The government sets the MRPs and subsidies for around 26 different fertilisers, including urea.

Potential issues with the plan:

• It might lessen the possibility that businesses selling fertilisers will start branding and marketing initiatives.
• They will only now complete contracts for government-sponsored manufacturing and importing. The two most valuable assets for any business are its long-standing farmer relationships and its brand recognition.

Source The Hindu

 2 – Defence Expo: GS II – Topic Government Policies and Interventions:

Context:

• On October 17, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that India had switched from being the world’s largest importer of defence to an exporter at the opening ceremony of the 12th edition of DefExpo in Gandhinagar.

About:

• The largest defence expo ever held in India, DefExpo 2022, will take place in Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat, from October 18–22, 2022. On October 19, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will attend the 12th edition of the event, which has the theme “Path to Pride.”
• On October 17, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh spoke at the Gandhinagar curtain-raiser news conference. The biennial expo, according to him, was created to support, market, and create alliances for the Indian aerospace industry with the ultimate purpose of meeting domestic and friendly foreign demand. He asserted that the nation’s commitment to realising the Prime Minister’s goal of “Make in India, Make for the World” will be demonstrated at DefExpo 2022 by the expanding strength of the domestic defence sector.
• Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation and the driving force behind the Swadeshi movement, would be honoured with a “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” at DefExpo 2022, according to Shri Rajnath Singh. Thanks to the dynamic leadership of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the defence sector has made great progress along the “Path to Pride” with enthusiasm and a resolve to achieve the objective of “Aatmanirbharta” in defence. We ascend swiftly to the top of the production, development, and design sectors. India’s determination to rank among the top nations in the defence and aerospace industries over the course of the next 25 years is symbolised by DefExpo 2022, which will take place during the “Amrit Kaal” festival.
• The Raksha Mantri defined “Path to Pride” as an ongoing process in which all participants, including those from the public and private sectors, MSMEs, academia, start-up businesses, and Research & Development institutions, collaborate in order to provide cutting-edge concepts and products to the world, rather than just DefExpo 2022’s theme.

Source The Hindu

 3 – Tokenisation: GS III – Topic Economy related issues:

Context:

• PayU, a Dutch company that provides payment services, declared that as of this moment, it has tokenized more than 50 million cards.

Background:

• Digital is one of the most well-liked and useful methods for obtaining services and carrying out transactions in the modern world.
• Due to the increase in the frequency of our online transactions, the majority of us have been saving our payment information on merchant websites, which means that our payment partners have access to sensitive financial information that is typically very private.

What is tokenization?

• Credit and debit card numbers are swapped for a special code known as a “token” during the tokenization process.
• Only the card, token requestor (the company that receives a client’s request to tokenize a card and submits it to the card network to issue a token), and device may use this token.

RBI wants to tokenize cards, why?

• When businesses hold credit card information, all customers are in danger if security procedures are lax. Due to multiple prior hacking events, debit and credit card information was made publicly accessible on merchant websites. The RBI wants this eliminated.
• Banks and payment processors, not retailers, are now in charge of security because card tokenization is now mandated.
• Because the merchant does not receive the real card information when the transaction is done, tokenized card transactions are regarded to be safer.

Benefits of tokenization:

• Security of transactions: Tokenization reduces the likelihood of fraud caused by the sharing of credit card information.
• Simple payments: The token can be used at point-of-sale (PoS) terminals to make contactless card purchases as well as QR code payments.
• Any card data will only be accessible to card networks and banks that issue cards.

Source The Hindu

 4 – Cheetah Reintroduction in India: GS III –  Topic Environmental Conservation

Context:

• The potential advantages to conservation are vastly overstated in the action plan for the introduction of African cheetahs into India, and they are not backed by trustworthy scientific data.
• It significantly hinders and, in some circumstances, even acts as a barrier to the implementation of many national conservation projects.
• Only one wild cheetah lives at the best locations, and they have extremely large home ranges (more than 750 sq km). For cheetahs to live, they need a sizable, suitable habitat, enough prey, and little human disturbance.

About:

• The fastest land animal on earth is the cheetah, scientifically known as Acinonyx Jubatus. The cheetah was the only large mammal that has completely vanished from India, mostly as a result of overhunting and habitat destruction.
• Sanskrit roots give the word “cheetah” its meaning of “variegated,” “adorned,” or “painted.”
• Initial historical citations:
• They are described in Strabo’s classical Greek reports of India, which were published about 200 years before the Common Era.
• In the Mughal Empire, cheetahs were frequently used for hunting. One thousand of Emperor Akbar’s animals were cheetahs.
• Cheetahs have resided in Central India for a very long period, especially in the Gwalior region. Several states, most notably Gwalior and Jaipur, used to engage in cheetah hunting.

Introduction Plan:

• Although the government of India declared cheetahs extinct in 1952, it still plans to reintroduce them.
• Asiatic cheetahs are now extinct in India as a result of habitat degradation, a lack of suitable prey, climate change, and an increase in human population.
• Iran is the only nation in the world where there is a living population of Asiatic cheetahs.
• India has been planning to introduce cheetahs since the 1960s and 1970s.
• This concept was never implemented because Tehran refused to give up its Asiatic Cheetahs due to their extremely low number.
• The size of cheetahs varies slightly between Asia and Africa. They are widespread in Africa and listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
• First group of African cheetahs would consist of four females and four males.
• Cheetahs would be let loose and kept in a 500-acre area with an electrified fence around it.
• In 15 years, there might only be 21 cheetahs left in India.

Source The Hindu