DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
1 – National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission: GS II – Statutory and Non-Statutory Bodies
Context:
- A Delhi-based hospital that botched an IVF procedure has been fined 1.5 crore by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) for ineptitude and indulging in unethical practises.
Concerning the NCDRC:
- A quasi-judicial organisation is the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC).
- In accordance with the Consumer Protection Act of 1986, it was established in 1988.
- A justice of the Supreme Court, either sitting or retired, or the Chief Justice of the High Court, preside over the Commission.
- A person has 30 days to file an appeal with the Supreme Court if they feel an NCDRC order has done them wrong. The Supreme Court may examine and appeal decisions made by State Commissions or District Courts.
The Consumer Protection Act’s specifics:
- In addition to describing consumers’ rights, the Consumer Protection Act also contains recommendations for advancing and defending them.
- It is the first and only Act of its kind in India, allowing regular people to resolve their issues more regularly and affordably.
- The Act mandates the creation of Consumer Protection Councils at the Centre as well as in each State and District in order to raise consumer awareness.
- The Minister in Charge of the Department of Consumer Affairs serves as the Central Council’s president.
There is also a three-tiered design available:
- In charge is the National Commission.
- the Commissions of States.
- districts’ commissions.
- This Act’s rules are applicable to both “goods” and “services.”
- The products are those that merchants and wholesalers create, produce, and provide to clients.
- This category includes services including banking, insurance, housing, telephone, power, and transportation.
About IVF:
- IVF stands for in vitro fertilisation.
- It is a more well-known type of assisted reproductive technology (ART).
- IVF uses a mix of drugs and surgical procedures to help sperm fertilise an egg in a lab setting.
Source The Hindu
2 – The Liaquat-Nehru Pact: GS I – Modern Indian History
Context:
- The anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s passing was recently honoured. In April 1950, he resigned from JL Nehru’s cabinet in protest of the divisive Nehru-Liaquat Pact.
Concerning the Nehru-Liaquat pact:
- The Nehru-Liaquat Pact, often known as the Delhi Pact, was a pact between India and Pakistan that set rules for how minorities would be treated in both countries.
- It was signed by both Jawaharlal Nehru and Liaquat Ali Khan, the two leaders of their respective countries.
- A requirement for the agreement.
- After Partition, which was accompanied by extremely violent communal turmoil, minorities in both countries realised the need for such an accord.
- More than a million Hindus and Muslims migrated to and from East Pakistan (modern-day Bangladesh) even in 1950 amid ethnic tensions and covert slaughter.
The comprehension:
- The governments of Pakistan and India have formally agreed to guarantee full equality of citizenship, irrespective of religion, protection of life, culture, property, and personal honour, freedom of movement within each nation, and freedom of occupation, speech, and worship for all minorities on its territory, subject to law and morality.
- Minorities must have the same opportunities as the dominant group to participate in public life, run for office, join the military, and work in other government agencies.
Source à The Hindu
3 – Joha rice: GS I – Indian Culture
Context:
- The nutritional advantages of delicious Joha rice were examined in this direction by researchers at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), a separate institute within the Department of Science and Technology.
In relation to Joha Rice:
- Northeastern India is where the fragrant rice known as “joha” is cultivated.
- Joha is a short-grain winter rice that is well-known for its flavour and aroma.
- Conventional knowledge holds that persons who consume Joha rice have a lower risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Features and Benefits:
- It contains the unsaturated fatty acids linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic acid (omega-3).
- These essential fatty acids, which the body cannot produce on its own, can support a number of physiological processes.
- Omega-3 fatty acids protect against a wide range of metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
- Additionally, Joha has shown effectiveness in lowering blood sugar and postponing the onset of diabetes in diabetic rats.
- Joha rice has a better balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids.
- Omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) ratios are necessary for humans to maintain a healthy diet.
- Additionally, Joha rice is rich in flavonoids, phenolics, and antioxidants.
Source The Hindu
4 – The Heliopolis Memorial: GS I – Cultural Issues
Context:
- The Prime Minister of India will pay his respects at the Heliopolis (Port Tewfik) Memorial in the Heliopolis War Cemetery in Cairo, Egypt.
When it comes to the Heliopolis Memorial:
- Over 4,000 Indian soldiers from World War One who served in Egypt and Palestine are honoured here.
- The Heliopolis Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery also honours 1,700 Commonwealth military members who died in World War 2.
- Campaign of Indian Army in West Asia during First World War
- The Indian troops played a significant role in the security of the Suez Canal in Egypt and Palestine.
- Indian cavalry participated in this conflict’s Battle of Haifa, which is commemorated in New Delhi by a war memorial.
- In Mesopotamia, the First World War effort was greatly aided by Indian soldiers.
Indian regiments recognised on the war memorial:
- The 42nd Deoli Regiment is made up of the 58th Vaughan’s Rifles (Frontier Force), 2nd Battalion, 3rd Queen Alexandra’s Own Gurkha Rifles, 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force), 1st Battalion, 50th Kumaon Rifles, Jodhpur (Imperial Service) Lancers, and 3rd Sappers and Miners.
Source The Hindu
5 – Semiconductor industry of India: GS III – Infrastructure-related issues
Context:
- US chipmaker Micron Technology recently said it would invest up to $825 million in Gujarat to construct its first semiconductor assembly and test plant in India in response to a government incentive programme.
About semiconductors:
- It is a substance having distinctive electrical properties.
- On top of it, computers and other electronic devices can be constructed.
- It is a chemical compound that, in some circumstances, can conduct electricity but cannot in others.
- Consequently, it is the perfect medium for controlling electrical current and common electrical appliances.
What semiconductors are important for:
- An essential component of electronics, a semiconductor controls the flow of electrical current via a device.
- In a wide range of electronic devices, such as cars, smartphones, medical equipment, aircraft, and weaponry, these are widely used.
- The creation of these chips takes place in chip fabrication facilities, also called fabs.
Regarding the semiconductor sector:
- The $500–600 billion international semiconductor market is essential to the $3 trillion global electronics industry.
- A semiconductor chip is built on a thin piece of silicon. In order to construct patterns that control the flow of current while doing various computations, it is engraved with billions of tiny transistors and projected onto specific minerals and gases.
- The most cutting-edge nodes in semiconductor technology right now are 3 and 5 nanometers (nm).
- Automobiles, consumer electronics, and other devices use semiconductors with higher nanometer values whereas smartphones and laptops use those with lower values.
- All varieties of electronic devices can use integrated circuits, which are produced at semiconductor manufacturing facilities, or fabs, using silicon and other raw materials.
China’s hegemony:
- China surpassed Taiwan in terms of the proportion of worldwide sales coming from fabs.
- The US introduced the CHIPS Act, which provides companies opening fabs and producing semiconductors in the US with up to $280 billion in subsidies and investments, in response to India’s concerns over this superiority.
- The Chinese semiconductor industry is also subject to sanctions and restrictions.
Why India needs to make chips:
- India has chosen electronics manufacturing as a key sector to help its growth going forward by producing goods for both the domestic market and export to other nations.
- Putting together several imported components constitutes the bulk of the overall operation.
- It is clear that domestic semiconductor manufacture is essential to the government’s ambition to build a domestic electronics supply chain and reduce its reliance on imports from other countries, particularly China.
- India must immediately enter the global market for electronic chip manufacturing.
- As more companies try to diversify their bases from China, India has a chance to establish itself as a reliable site.
India has the following benefits:
Both work and design:
- Semiconductor manufacturing requires a sizable quantity of design and intellectual labour.
- Since many semiconductor design engineers globally are either Indian or of Indian descent, India benefits from this.
- A plethora of Indian expertise is already utilised by large chip manufacturing companies like Intel and NVIDIA to solve design problems at their India-based production facilities.
- Sanctions and an ageing population are causing China to lose control of this edge.
Large customer base:
- India, the nation with the highest population in the world, has a sizable domestic semiconductor consumption market.
Challenges:
Costly and capital-intensive:
- The process of making chips is expensive and resource-intensive.
- To build only one semiconductor fab, anywhere from $3 to $7 billion must be spent.
Governmental funding is insufficient:
- The amount of fiscal support currently anticipated is small when compared to the quantity of investments typically required to build up production facilities in the semiconductor industry.
Not utilising cutting-edge technology:
- While India first concentrated on “lagging-edge” technology nodes to supply the appliance and automobile industries, it may be difficult to develop worldwide demand because huge companies like Taiwan already offer viable cutting-edge chip technology on a global scale.
Water wasteful:
- Additionally, the government may find it difficult to provide companies with the litres of ultrapure water they need given the nation’s ongoing drought circumstances.
Power source:
- The operation depends on uninterrupted power because even little fluctuations or spikes can cause losses of millions of dollars.
Consumer demand:
- The government also has a responsibility to boost consumer demand in the semiconductor sector in order to prevent the situation where these companies are only successful as long as taxpayers are required to foot the bill for necessary subsidies.
Moving forward:
Taking the lead:
- India should make an effort to become a significant player in the semiconductor ecosystem, which now excludes significant rivals.
- This type of international semiconductor ecosystem necessitates supportive trade policies.
Financial support is crucial:
- Providing enough money for the semiconductor industry should be a top priority for the government.
Building a beneficial industrial infrastructure:
- Allied industries must be quickly connected for the Indian government to establish the ecosystem for chip fabrication.
- It’s essential to improve national competencies.
Making the design portion perfect:
Three components make up the chip:
- (Unfinished items) Hardware.
- Design and production.
- If India is able to successfully utilise its potential to generate value through design, it can defeat any nation in the world.
Source The Hindu
