26th October, 2024

New ‘Guidelines for Import of Live Seaweeds into India’ Notified

It has been notified by Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
It aims to facilitate import of high-quality seed materials from abroad, promote seaweed enterprises in coastal villages,
uphold environmental protection and address biosecurity concerns related to the sector.
Need of Guidelines
Unique characteristics of seaweeds: Seaweeds are submerged in
water and are exposed to different environmental conditions (e.g. About Seaweeds
varying salinity levels,temperature fluctuations). It is a common name for species of marine plants
Biosecurity risks: Seaweeds can harbour various diseases, pests, and algae that grow in the ocean as well as in
and pathogens. rivers, lakes, and other water bodies.
Biological factors: Differences in reproductive strategies and Examples: Kappaphycus alvarezii, Red Algae
genetics can lead to persistence of seaweed in new environments. Gelidiella acerosa, Gracilaria edulis.
Guidelines Applications: laboratories, pharmaceuticals,
cosmetics, cardboard, paper, paint and processed
No import of the seaweed live material shall be allowed if it is known foods.
to be a vector or carrier of pathogens or listed under CITES or in the
threatened list of IUCN or that of the exporting country’s threatened India’s current seaweed production: It is only
list unless certified by the exporting country’s competent authority. 34000 tonnes against potential of around 9.7
million tonnes of seaweed per year.
Import of seaweed live material would require a valid permit from
Department of Fisheries, Government of India and clearance from Pradhan Mantri Matsya sampada Yojana
National Committee on Introduction of Exotic Aquatic Species into (PMMSY) is an flagship scheme which aims to
increase seaweed production of the country to
Indian Waters.
over 1.12 million tonnes by 2025.
Direct sale of imported seaweed in the domestic market or
international market shall not be allowed.
Neither the exporter nor the importer shall claim any intellectual property or other right on the imported material.

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) loan limit increased to 20 lakh

It is in sync with the announcement made by the Finance Minister in the Union Budget 2024-25
It aims to achieve the objective of Funding the Unfunded and facilitate upcoming entrepreneurs with a robust entrepreneurial
ecosystem.
Key Changes
A new ‘Tarun Plus’ category has been created for loans above Rs. 10 lakh and upto Rs. 20 lakh .
Eligibility: Loans under Tarun Plus are available to entrepreneurs who have availed and successfully repaid previous loans
under Tarun category.
Guarantee Coverage: for loans upto Rs. 20 lakh will be provided under Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units (CGFMU).
♦ The Fund (at its discretion) may approve a list of Institutions or their schemes, for which the guarantee cover will be
available/unavailable
♦ CGFMU was set up in 2016 under National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd., a wholly-owned company of
Government of India.
About Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (launched in 2015).
Objective: facilitate easy collateral-free micro credit of up to ₹10 lakh
Eligibility : Any Indian citizen who has a business plan for non-corporate, non-farm income generating activity such as
manufacturing, processing, trading or service sector.
MUDRA ( Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Ltd.) provides funding to financial institutions like Banks, Non-
Banking Financial Institutions (NBFC) and Micro Finance Institutions (MFI).
Various types of loan options available:
Shishu: Covers loans upto 50,000.
Kishor: Covers loans above 50,000 and upto 5 lakh.
Tarun: Covers loans above 5 lakh and upto 10 lakh.

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 Seventh India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) Concluded
It was co-chaired by the Prime Minister of India and the Federal Chancellor of Germany (who visited India).
It had the motto "Growing Together with Innovation, Mobility and Sustainability”.
Outcomes of IGC
India and Germany Relations
Demand for UN Security Council reform and urged text-based
India and Germany have a 'Strategic Partnership' since
negotiations at the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) 2000, which has been further strengthened with the launch
within a fixed timeframe. of IGC in 2011.
Emphasized respect for UN Charter principles, condemning Areas of Cooperations
any threats or use of force against nations' sovereignty and Multilateral Cooperation: Support each other on UNSC
territorial integrity. reforms within the framework of the G4.
Economic Relations: Germany was the 12th largest
Concluded Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Criminal Matters trading partner for India in 2022-23.
that will enable the sharing of information and evidence, mutual India constitutes about 1% of Germany’s total foreign
capacity building, and the sharing of best practices. trade (2022).
Concluded Agreement on the Exchange and Mutual Protection Sustainability: The Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF)
of Classified Information thereby creating a legal framework has been promoting cooperation in the priority areas of
and providing guidance on how classified information should energy security, energy efficiency, renewable energy, etc.
be handled, protected and transmitted.
Established Regional Consultations on West Asia and North Africa (WANA) between the respective Foreign Ministries, which
would be in addition to long-standing dialogue mechanisms on Africa and East Asia.
Committed to promoting a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific built on international law.
Both nations pledged to fully implement the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement (MMPA).
MMPA is an agreement between two countries that aims to improve mobility and employment opportunities for people,
while also addressing irregular migration and human trafficking.

Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying launches Pandemic Fund Project

It focuses on "Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response”
The minister also released documents on Standard Veterinary Treatment Guidelines (SVTG) and Crisis Management Plan
(CMP) for animal diseases.
About Pandemic Fund Project
It is a $25 Million initiative funded by the G20 Pandemic Fund and was established under Indonesia’s G20 Presidency (2022).
Aim: Enhance low- and middle-income country’s capacity to respond to animal health threats and pandemic through financing
investments
Implementing Entities: Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Need to focus on animal disease outbreaks
Prevent Zoonotic Diseases: 5 of 6 public health emergencies
India’s initiatives to improve Animal Health
declared by WHO had animal origin
National Animal Disease Control Program
Minimize socio-economic impacts: E.g. SARS and Avian flu are (NADCP): To control and eradicate Foot and Mouth
estimated to have caused global economic loss of $50 B, and Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis.
$30 B, respectively. Rashtriya Gokul Mission: Aims at development
Major Interventions under the Project includes:- and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds
improving their productivity.
Upgradation and expansion of animal health laboratories and
vaccine manufacturing facilities.
Enhancing early warning and surveillance mechanisms to detect outbreaks and facilitate timely interventions.
Upgrading Data Management and Analytical systems to enable better risk assessment.
Addressing Cross-Cutting Institutional Capacity Gaps at National and Regional Levels through a disaster management
framework for the livestock sector.

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 Meta and ‘IndiaAI’ unveiled the Centre for United Kingdom (UK) became first country
Generative AI, Shrijan at IIT Jodhpur to stop electricity production from Coal
Meta, in collaboration with MeitY and the All India Council The closure of its last coal-based power plant marked the end
for Technical Education (AICTE), also launched the “YuvaAI of 142 years of coal-generated electricity, which formed 40%
initiative for Skilling and Capacity Building" . of its electricity needs in 2012.
About Center for Generative AI, Shrijan The world’s first coal plant opened in London (UK) in 1882
whereas India installed its first major thermal power plant,
Aim: It will Identify & empower the next generation of the Hussain Sagar Thermal Power Station in Hyderabad in
AI innovators and entrepreneurs using open-source AI 1920.
& exploring possibilities in the Large Language Model
(LLMs). Need for closing coal-based electricity production
It will nurture 1 lakh youth developers & entrepreneurs Pollution: Energy sector contributes to around three‐
in AI skills over the next 3 years. quarters of greenhouse gas emissions (IEA).
About “YuvAI initiative for Skilling and Capacity Building" Limitation of existing commitments: As per IEA, even with
Aims: To bridge the AI talent gap in the country by the full achievement of existing pledges, it would be difficult
empowering 100,000 students and young developers to achieve the Paris Commitment (limiting temperature
aged 18-30 to leverage open-source LLMs to address real- rise to 1.5 °C).
world challenges. Feasibility of Renewable Technologies: They are now
What is Generative AI? sufficiently scalable with fast-growing investments in
Research, Energy storage technologies, etc.
It refers to deep-learning models that can generate high-
quality text, images, and other content based on the data Constraint in closing coal-based power plants
they were trained on. Reliance on Coal: Low and Middle Income and Fast growing
Countries like India and China rely heavily on coal to meet
It builds on existing technologies, like large language energy and employment needs.
models (LLMs) which uses machine learning and is
capable of recognizing and interpreting human languages. Economic Impact: The fleet of coal-fired power plants
in countries like China and India is relatively new, hence
Significance shifting would cause financial loss.
Employment:overall AI employment in India is estimated
at about 416,000 professionals. Issues with renewable energy: Like intermittency; capital
cost; lack of policy clarity, etc.
Growth:The growth rate for the sector is estimated at
about 20-25%.
Investment:Expected to contribute an additional $957 Status in India
billion to India’s economy by 2035. Current Status: Coal constitutes around 70% of total
generation capacity (September, 2024)
Challenges: Data privacy and security, lack of regulation,
Inadequate availability of AI Experts, etc. India aims to achieve Net Zero by 2070.
Key Government Initiatives for Renewable Energy
Adoption: National Green Hydrogen Mission, PM-
KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam
Utthan Mahabhiyan), PM Surya Ghar, and PLI schemes
for solar PV modules, etc.

Also in News

Asiatic Golden Cat 21st Livestock Census

Recently Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii) was spotted at The Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Assam's Manas National Park. launched 21st Livestock Census to have updated data on livestock
About the Asiatic Golden Cat population, allowing government to address key issues like disease
Habitat: Found in forests ranging from tropical/subtropical control, breed improvement, and rural livelihoods
evergreen forests, mixed and dry deciduous forests and tropical
rainforests. About 21st Livestock Census
Range Countries: It is native to the northeastern Indian Schedule: To be conducted during October, 2024- February, 2025.
subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China.
Key Features:
Characteristics
Common coat colour is golden or red brown, but it may also Fully digitized (similar to 20th census);
be dark brown or even grey. Data on 16 species of livestocks and their 219 indigenous
Its size is medium with relatively long legs. breeds are going to be captured
Mainly Nocturnal but recent data indicates that it may be Covers data on pastoralists for the first time.
diurnal.
Protection status Focus on Gender Roles in Livestock Rearing
IUCN status: Near Threatened. Livestock census has been conducted every five years since
India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I and 1919 (last being in 2019).
Schedule IV.
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 SPICE (Smart, Precise Impact, Cost-Effective) Flue Gas Desulfurization
2000 Bomb
Israel launched a SPICE 2000 bomb to destroy a building in Lebanon. NITI Aayog recently raised questions about the necessity of flue gas
About SPICE 2000 Bomb desulfurization installations in India’s thermal power plants.
It is a guidance kit that can be attached to 2,0000-pound bombs About Flue Gas Desulfurization(FGD)
to carry out precision strikes.
It is a scrubbing technique which uses an alkaline reagent
It is made by Israel’s government-owned Rafael Advanced (sodium or calcium based) to remove SO2 from flue gas of fossil-
Defense Systems. fueled power stations or coal-fired power plants.
Key-features: Flue gas also called as exhaust gas/stack gas emanates from
combustion plants and contains particulate matter (dust),
Autonomous operation. sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide etc.
Tactical flexibility in trajectory.
It is of various types(e.g dry sorbent injection, wet limestone
Low collateral damage. based, sea water based)
Simple mission planning.
Pinpoint accuracy and effective target destruction. The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has
mandated FGD installation in thermal power plants and set sulfur
dioxide emission standards.
Exploitation of Green Certification Systems
Greenwashing, free riding, and outdated certification systems raise Nature Conservation Index(NCI), 2024
questions about sustainable certifications systems. Recently, the Nature Conservation Index(2024) was released.
Greenwashing: Involves making false claims on eco-friendly About NCI
credentials of a company without meeting required standards.
India’s Rank: 176 out of 180 countries.
Free Riding: Allows businesses to benefit from the positive image
of certifications without genuinely implementing sustainable Developed by: Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and
practices. Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of Negev and BioDB.
com
Solution: These practices could be avoided through the use of
disruptive green technologies like Biophilic Designs. It evaluates conservation efforts using four markers:
Biophilic design creates spaces that connect people with Land management,
nature, thereby producing a positive environmental impact. Threats to biodiversity,
They inherently support green building practices by utilizing Capacity and governance, and
natural materials and mimicking natural processes reducing Future trends.
the ecological footprint of a building. E.g., Green Roofs.
It is a data-driven analysis of each country’s progress in balancing
conservation and development.
Doctrine of Coverture
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA)
Supreme Court (SC) is to hear petitions challenging Marital Rape
Exception (MRE) under Section 375 and Section 63 of the Indian NASA unveiled Prototype (called the Engineering Development Unit
Penal Code and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 respectively. Telescope).
SC in Joseph Shine Vs Union of India (2018) held that MRE stems The telescope was built as part of LISA.
from the doctrine of coverture. About LISA
Doctrine of Coverture The mission is led by ESA (European Space Agency) in partnership
with NASA .
Legal doctrine under English common law, that places a married It will be the first space-based observatory dedicated to studying
woman under the cover of her husband treating them as a single gravitational waves.
entity. Gravitational Waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time
It suspends the very being or legal existence of a woman after emitted during the most powerful events in the Universe, such
marriage. as pairs of black holes coming together and merging.
In theory, it seeks to pass on her property to the husband, Launch: Mid 2030s.
restricting her ability to hold property, enter into contract, etc. It will consist of three identical spacecraft that will trail Earth in
its orbit around the Sun.

Places in News Italy (Capital:Rome)

First India-Italy bilateral cyber dialogue was held in India.

Political Features:
Location: South-central Europe.
Land boundaries: France, Switzerland Austria and Slovenia (on the Northern side).
Maritime Boundaries: Mediterranean Sea and Ionian Sea(South), Adriatic Sea (East), Tyrrhenian
Sea (West),
Geographical features:
Major Rivers: Po,Adige,Tiber.
Highest point: Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc).
Climate: majorly Mediterranean climate.

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