Context: India unveils a new EV policy, easing import duties for select EV imports.

Key Provisions:

• Policy allows initial import of EV passenger cars at 15% duty for five years.
• Manufacturers must operationalize facilities within three years and achieve minimum domestic value addition (DVA).

Source: Indian Express

Context: The Indian government removed the requirement for explicit permission before launching untested Artificial Intelligence(AI) systems.

New Advisory:

1. Reframed Advisory: “In AI deployment, label under-tested models and comply with legal and ethical standards.”
2. It emphasizes labelling under-tested AI models to inform users of potential fallibility.
3. Concerns: Government overreach and lack of legal clarity in regulating AI under current technology laws.

Prelims Connect (Technology in News):

Source: Indian Express

Context:  The Government has notified new rules for overhauling the film certification process, superseding the previous 1983 rules.

Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024:

• To modernize and improve the film certification process.
• The application process moved online and mandated greater representation of women on the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
• Age based certification: Subdividing the existing UA(Unrestricted with Parental Guidance)category into three age-based categories:
  • seven years (UA 7+),
  • thirteen years (UA 13+),
  • sixteen years (UA 16+).

Source: The Hindu

Context: Address by Shaktikanta Das, RBI Governor at the Annual Conference of RBI Ombudsman.

Important Insights:

• Emphasized the need for proper data protection measures.
• Deployment of AI in fraud prevention and for personalized customer service.
• Under the Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, RBI Ombudsman plays a crucial role in impartially resolving customer grievances.

Source: The Hindu

Context: Indian Railways plans to create mega railway terminals with multi-modal connectivity in cities with a population of over 10 lakhs.

Multi-modal connectivity refers to the integration of various modes of transportation and communication(roads, railways, airways, and waterways)

Objective: To create efficient and seamless connections between different parts of a region.

Railway Development Plan:

1. The initiative is part of the ‘Viksit Bharat’ initiative aimed at infrastructure development.
2. The Ministry of Railways is focusing on enhancing passenger experience in a mission mode.

Prelims Connect (Schemes/Programs in news)

Source: The Hindu

Context: The first phase of India’s Atmospheric Research Testbed in Central India (ART-CI) was inaugurated at Silkheda, Madhya Pradesh.

Atmospheric Research Testbed:

• An open-field research program.
• Focuses on observational and analytical research of weather parameters and synoptic systems during the southwest monsoon season.
• Aims to generate high volumes of data for comparison with existing weather models to improve rainfall predictions.
• Developed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, oversees the operations.
• Phase one involves remote sensing and in-situ measurements using 25 meteorological instruments.
• Phase two will include the deployment of additional instruments such as radar wind profiler and balloon-bound radiosonde.

Significance

• Central India, particularly the Monsoon Core Zone (MCZ), is vital for rain-fed agriculture and Kharif cultivation.
• Understanding synoptic systems and their impact on monsoon rainfall is crucial for accurate forecasting.
• Climate change has led to erratic rainfall patterns, making accurate forecasting more critical.
• Silkheda’s pristine environment allows for the setup of sensitive meteorological instruments to record crucial data.

Source: Indian Express

Concerns with use of Artificial intelligence (AI) in election:

• AI can accelerate the production and diffusion of disinformation.
• AI magnifies the scale of disinformation, creates hyper-realistic deep fakes, and enables micro targeting.
• Social media companies have reduced fact-checking and election integrity teams.
• Labeling election-related advertisements generated with AI may not effectively deter misinformation.
• Creation of deceptive election-related images using AI.

The way ahead:

• The Indian government sought technical solutions from digital platforms to combat misinformation.
• Plans for a legal framework against deepfake and disinformation are set for post-elections.
• The IT Ministry issued an advisory to companies like Google and OpenAI, urging compliance with Indian laws and safeguarding electoral integrity.

Source: Indian Express

Benefits of Gaganyaan mission:

• Demonstrates India’s human spaceflight capability.
• Active participation in space exploration ensures access to rights, resources, and new technologies.
• Aims to gain control over critical technologies for future economic growth.
• Space programs generate spin-off technologies benefiting sectors like health and medicine.
• Fosters a robust science and technology ecosystem.
• Indigenization push focuses on domestic manufacture in strategic sectors like defense, space, communication, and energy.

Government steps to promote science

• Missions focussing on green hydrogen, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence.
• India participates in international projects like LIGO and Square Kilometer Array.
• New scheme promoting deep-tech capabilities in the defense sector.
• Calls for foreign companies to establish manufacturing facilities for chips and semiconductors.

The way ahead:

• Scientists stress structural reforms to enhance India’s science output.
• Sustained attention needed to maintain momentum in science initiatives.
• Addressing basic issues in science education and research crucial for significant improvement.

Source: Indian Express

Context: The Home ministry notified rules to implement Citizenship Amendment Act-2019

Significance of Citizenship Amendment Act-2019:

• Addresses challenges posed by refugee influx from neighboring countries.
• Fast-tracks citizenship for persecuted minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
• Does not affect Indian Muslims and maintains the non-discriminatory nature of the Citizenship Act.
• Only refugees who arrived in India before 2014 are eligible for the fast-tracked citizenship process.

Conclusion:

• Covid pandemic delayed the implementation of the act.
• Refugee persecution proof was not mandated in the final gazette notification.
• Applicants need to submit online applications with valid documents and endorsement from an Indian citizen.
• NGOs and citizens’ involvement are crucial for refugees navigating the citizenship application process.

Source: Indian Express

Context:

• The High-Level Committee on “One nation One election” suggested conducting simultaneous parliamentary and state legislative assembly elections.

Benefits of simultaneous elections:

• Leads to significant savings on administrative expenditure.
• Enable efficient utilization of manpower, including election officials and security personnel.
• Public life experiences less disruption
• Governance receives long-term focus, reducing obstruction to developmental programs.
• Political leaders can prioritize governance, enhancing public accountability over electioneering.

Conclusion:

• Discontinuation of simultaneous elections since 1967 was due to arbitrary use of Article 356 to topple elected governments.
• Successive governments lacked the political will to restore simultaneous elections.
• Simultaneous elections are crucial for democratic, economic, and political progress.
• Efforts towards holding simultaneous elections are hoped to yield positive results for India’s greater benefit.

Source: Indian Express

Context: Bengaluru faces severe water shortage due to Karnataka’s worst drought in four decades.

Reasons behind Bangalore water crisis:

1. Geographical Setting:

• Bengaluru lacks proximity to major rivers or coasts for water sourcing.

2. Urbanization:

• Urban expansion has led to the depletion of water repositories.
• Concretisation has hindered groundwater recharge efforts in Bengaluru.
• Reliance on man made lakes for potable water has declined over the past 30 years.

3. Governance:

• Successive governments ignored alarm bells from experts.
• Water supply infrastructure has not kept pace with the city’s rapid urbanization.
• Lake catchments have been degraded by dumping municipal waste.
• Governance deficit at the municipal level- neglecting effective solutions such as rainwater harvesting and wastewater reuse.

Steps taken by authorities to address water crisis:

• Strict measures to prevent the misuse of potable water.
• Fixed rates for water tankers delivering to residential areas.
• Taking control over private bore wells in and around the city.

Conclusion:

• Groundwater use in India surpasses aquifer recharge rates.
• Bengaluru’s water crisis serves as a warning for major cities across India.

Source: Indian Express