30th NOV, 2022

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TRAI RELEASES RECOMMENDATIONS ON ‘LICENSING FRAMEWORK FOR ESTABLISHING
AND OPERATING FOR SATELLITE EARTH STATION GATEWAY (SESG)’

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SESG, also known as Gateway Hub, acts as a bridge between

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space-based communication network and terrestrial
communication network (refer image).
It houses the equipment that convert Radio Frequency (RF) signal
to an Internet Protocol (IP) signal for terrestrial connectivity.
Key Recommendations

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Separate SESG License under Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and
Service Area for it shall be at National Level.
Only the companies registered under the Companies Act, 2013
shall be eligible to apply for grant of SESG Licence.
Satellite communication (Satcom) refers to any communication link Related news

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that involves the use of an artificial satellite in its propagation path. TRAI has also released its recommendations on “Use of Street Furniture
for Small Cells and Aerial Fibre deployment ".

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SatCom has two main components: Ground segment (consists of Street Furniture refers to publicly owned structures like utility poles,
fixed or mobile transmission, reception equipment) and Space billboards, lamp posts, traffic signals and public structures like bus
segment (the satellite itself ). stops etc.
Major Recommendations: Amend the Right of Way Rules (2016) for clarity
Satcom in India: GSAT-10 communication satellite, INSAT-3A etc. on Street Furniture; Infrastructure sharing by Controlling Administrative
Advantages of Satcom Authorities; Permission exemption for small cells etc.

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Provide data connectivity in remote locations due to its ability for rapid deployment.

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Enable development and growth in industry sector by augmenting geographical reach of telecom operators etc.
Cheaper over long- distance telephone transmission.
Used in global mobile communication, weather forecasting, radio/TV signal broadcasting, etc.

WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION (WMO) RELEASES ITS FIRST STATE OF

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GLOBAL WATER RESOURCES (SGWR) 2021 REPORT
Report assesses the effects of climate, environmental and
societal change on Earth’s water resources.
This includes the conditions of streamflow, terrestrial
water storage (TWS) and selected cryosphere parameters
(see image).
Key observations
With increased melting of glaciers, annual glacier run-off
increases at first, until a turning point, often called
“peak water”, is reached, upon which run-off declines.
74% of all natural disasters between 2001 and 2018 were water related.
3.6 billion people face inadequate access to water at least a month per year. It is expected to reach 5 billion by 2050.
Continued melting of glaciers shows a clear trend towards an acceleration of mass loss on multidecadal timescales.
Recommendations:
Invest in filling the capacity gap in collecting data at the national level.
Increase sharing of hydrological data at the international level.
Development of end-to-end drought and flood early warning systems.
Working together as a global hydrological community on developing annual State of Global Water Resources etc.

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GOVERNMENT E-MARKETPLACE (GEM) PLATFORM CROSSES 1 LAKH CRORE RUPEES

GROSS MERCHANDISE VALUE FOR FY 2022-2023
GeM is one stop National public procurement portal, which functions under Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
It was launched in 2016 to create an open and transparent procurement platform for government buyers.
Cumulatively, GeM has surpassed Rs 3 lakh crore Gross Merchandise value since inception.
Features of GeM

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It facilitates online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Government Departments /
Organisations / PSUs/ cooperatives.
It is paperless, cashless and contactless platform giving end to end solution.
General Financial Rules, 2017 mandates all Ministries or Departments to procure Goods and Services available on GeM from GeM.
It is managed by GeM Special Purpose Vehicle, a 100% Government Owned, Section 8 Company.

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Significance of GeM:

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Enhances transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.
Facilitates online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by Government Departments.
Up-to-date user-friendly dashboard for buying, monitoring supplies and payments.
It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction etc. to facilitate users achieve the best value of their money.

NITI AAYOG LAUNCHES CARBON CAPTURE UTILISATION UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT

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AND STORAGE (CCUS) POLICY FRAMEWORK AND ITS PROGRAMME (UNDP) TO HELP
DEPLOYMENT MECHANISM IN INDIA WASTE SEGREGATION WORKERS
ACCESS GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

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Framework aims to
develop and implement a Under this, UNDP will distribute Jan Dhan
account kits to waste pickers or Safai Sathis.

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practicable framework to
accelerate research and It will promote Financial Inclusion of Safai
development on CCUS in Sathis by moving them into the formal
India. economy through access to government
It explores the welfare programmes.

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importance of CCUS as It is facilitated through the UNDP’s plastic
an emission reduction waste management programme.

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strategy to achieve About the programme:
deep decarbonization Key objective of the programme is to help
from hard-to-abate move the waste management from
sectors, like, Steel, informal to formal.
cement etc.
In India, it is launched in partnership with

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CCUS encompasses technologies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, followed private organizations (like HDFC Bank, HUL
by recycling the CO2 for utilization and determining safe and permanent etc.), to develop a sustainable model for
storage options. (Refer image). plastic waste management and move
Need of CCUS towards a circular economy.
India is the 3rd largest emitter of CO2 in the world. It includes establishment of ‘Swachhta
Kendra’ or material recovery centres and
Help country to halve CO2 emissions by 2050 and to achieve net zero by improved socio-economic conditions of
2070. Safai Sathis.
Convert captured CO2 to green urea, building materials etc., thus contributing So far, it has collected and processed over
to circular economy. 1,38,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste.
Ensure sustainable development and growth in India, particularly for Need for the programme
production of clean products and energy. As per UNDP survey, nearly 70% of Safai
Policy recommendations Sathis come from socially-backward
groups and over 60% have no formal
CCUS policy should be carbon credits or incentives based, to promote CCUS education.
sector through tax and cash credits.
Also, only 21% reported access to Jan
Set up National Decarbonisation Fund for transition of Indian industry to a Dhan Yojana.
low carbon economy. India generates 15 million tonnes of plastic
Protect communities affected by climate change by ensuring distribution of waste every year but only a fourth of it is
economic value created by CCUS. recycled.

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ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES (AIIMS) SERVER HACK: CYBERTERRORISM,

EXTORTION CASES REGISTERED
The servers of the AIIMS are hacked for the seventh day in a row after a ransomware
attack damaged hospitals' online operation. TYPES OF RANSOMWARE:
It is feared that data of of 3-4 crore patients' could have been compromised. Locker Ransomware: Blocks basic
FIR is initiated under Section 385 IPC for extortion and Section 66/66F of Information computer functions.
Technology (IT) Act for cyber terrorism. Crypto Ransomware: Encrypts files on

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The hackers are suspected to be from China or North Korea. computer and demands a ransom from
the victim in exchange for a decryption
Ransomware is a type of malware (malicious software) which blocks access to the
key.
system or encrypts the data.
Double Extortion Ransomware:
Ransomware trends in India

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Encrypts files and exports data to
According to Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), India witnessed blackmail victims into paying a ransom.
a 51% rise in ransomware incidents in first half of FY-2022.

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Ransomware as a Service (RaaS):
This was largely due to ransomwares like Djvu, Phobos, Hive etc. Subscription-based model enabling
In terms of sectors, the IT industry was most affected, followed by manufacturing affiliates to use already-developed
and finance. ransomware tools for ransomware
Mechanism to deal such cyber-attacks: attacks.
National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC)- for taking all measures to protect CII.

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CERT-In, for responding to computer security incidents.
National Cyber Security Coordinator to coordinate with different agencies.
National Cyber Security Policy 2013.

ALSO IN NEWS

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Supreme Court has rejected a plea for in-camera hearing in a rape case.
In-camera proceedings are private, unlike open court proceedings.
These are conducted as per court’s discretion in sensitive matters to ensure protection and
privacy of parties involved.

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Proceedings are held through video conferencing or in closed chambers, and public and press
are excluded.

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In-camera proceedings These are conducted at family courts in cases of matrimonial disputes, including judicial
separation, impotence etc.
Also conducted during deposition of witnesses of terrorist activities as per court’s discretion
to protect them and maintain national security.

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Latest World Trade Organization (WTO) Goods Trade Barometer hints toward slowing of trade
growth in the rest of 2022 and into 2023.
WTO's Goods Trade Barometer index is a composite leading indicator for world trade, providing
real-time information on merchandise trade trajectory relative to recent trends.
Its baseline value is 100. A value greater than 100 suggests above trend growth while a value
Goods Trade Barometer below 100 indicates below-trend growth.
The current Goods Trade Barometer Index reading is 96.2.
Recently, Government allowed Indian Airlines to take wide-body aircraft on wet lease for up to one year.
Wet lease refers to renting of the plane along with operating crew and engineers.
In technical term, wet leasing is called ACMI, i.e. Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance.
Dry lease is when the airline leases only the vehicle.
Aircraft Leasing Damp Lease is the middle between two where an airline wet-leases a plane but uses its own
cabin crew.

It was established in 1964 as a not-for-profit, non-government, non-political, professional

association.
It promotes the collective interests of television and radio broadcasters as well as key industry
players and facilitate regional and international media co-operation.
Asia-Pacific Broadcasting
It has over 250 members in 70 countries (including from India).
Union (ABU)

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Government has exempted ISRO from getting nod for use, storage of solid propellant for space
rockets.
Earlier, it was required to take a license form the PESO.
PESO, formerly known as Department of Explosives, (HQ: Nagpur) is the nodal agency for
regulating safety of hazardous substances such as explosives, compressed gas and petroleum
under the:
Petroleum and Explosives Explosives Act, 1884; Petroleum Act, 1934; and related rules.
Safety Organisations (PESO)
It is an arm of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry Of Commerce

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And Industry.

ICRISAT and Asian Development Bank (ADB) developed high-resolution spatial maps for
farmland mapping for insurance claims.
Maps cover whole South Asia, home to 1.9 billion people and 230 million hectares of net

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cropped area.
Spatial maps assess impact of floods and droughts.

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Spatial maps to assess International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is a non-profit,
droughts, floods non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in the drylands of
Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Jeypore Ground Gecko has been included in Appendix II of CITES.

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This reptile is endemic to India.
It is found in Eastern Ghats and is known to be present in southern Odisha and northern Andhra
Pradesh.
Threats: Habitat loss and poaching for domestic and international trade.
Jeypore Ground Gecko IUCN Status: Endangered

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(Cyrtodactylus jeyporensis)
Not protected under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

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Zombie virus is virus emerged due to thawing of permafrost as global temperature is rising.
Researchers examined ancient viruses samples collected from permafrost in the Siberia region
of Russia.
The oldest virus is 48,500 years old, called Pandoravirus yedoma.

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Pandoravirus was discovered below the bottom of a lake in Yukechi Alas in Yakutia, Russia.
Zombie Virus It has the potential to be infectious and hence pose a "health danger" after researching live

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cultures.
It is world’s first Intranasal Vaccine, manufactured by Bharat Biotech received approval for
Covid booster doses from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
It is a recombinant replication deficient adenovirus virus vectored vaccine.

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Adenovirus is a nuclear-replicating DNA virus with a linear double-stranded genome.
COVID Suraksha Program of Department of Biotechnology helped to partially finance product
iNCOVACC
development and clinical trials.

It was the first spacecraft that undertook the first flyby of mars, becoming the first-ever
spacecraft to take close-up photographs of another planet.
It was a mission of NASA, launched in 1964.
Its day of launch is commemorated as Red Planet Day.
Mariner 4

Scientists predicted that the Shiveluch volcano in Russia’s far

eastern Kamchatka peninsula is gearing up for its first
powerful eruption in 15 years.
Shiveluch Volcano is one of the largest and most active
volcanoes in Kamchatka peninsula, Russia.
Kamchatka is home to 29 active volcanoes, part of a vast belt
Shiveluch Volcano of Earth known as the “Ring of Fire” which circles the Pacific
Ocean and is prone to eruptions and frequent earthquakes.

Exercise It is an Annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise conducted by Indian
Samanvay 2022 Air Force along with the representatives from the ASEAN countries.

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