STARTUP INDIA SEED FUND & MORE ( CURRENT AFFAIRS 2021 )

 STARTUP INDIA SEED FUND

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced launching of Startup India seed fund with 1,000 crore rupees so that there is no shortage of seed money for startups.

About:

• This was announced during the ‘Prarambh: Startup India International Summit’.
  
  
• This will help in starting and growing new startups.
  
  
• Fund of funds scheme is already helping startups raising equity capital. The Government will also help the startups in raising capital through guarantees.

IRON-ORE POLICY 2021

The Ministry of Railways has approved a new iron-ore policy governing the allocation of rakes and transportation of iron-ore.

About:

• This new policy has been named as Iron-ore Policy 2021 and shall come into effect from February 10, 2021.
  
  
• The provisions of the new policy will be updated in the rake allotment system module by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS).
  
  
• Scrutiny of documentation by Railways has been removed.
  
  
• Executive Director Rake Movement of Railway Board (EDRM) office, Kolkata which has been sanctioning programmes for movement of iron-ore traffic will have no regulatory role in the new policy.
  
  
• Customers now desirous of moving their traffic under any priority will have to give (an) undertaking that they have procured, transported and utilized materials as per rules and regulations of Central and State Governments.
  
  
• Higher priority will be given to the movement of iron-ore traffic for domestic manufacturing activity. Within the domestic movement of iron-ore traffic, priority preference will be given to steel, pig iron, sponge iron, pellet, or sinter plant owning customers having their own private sidings at both the loading as well as unloading ends.
  
  
• The categorization of priority of movement of iron ore has now been based on the availability of railway infrastructure developed by the customer, for loading or unloading, and the nature of movement between various types of sidings with a view to maximize iron-ore movement by rail.
  
  
• Old and new plants will be treated similarly as far as allotment and loading of rakes is concerned.

2020, ONE OF THE HOTTEST YEARS ON RECORD?

2020 has been recorded as one of the hottest years by various agencies.

About:

• NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies says that 2020 was the hottest year on record tying with 2016 (which held the previous record for the hottest year).
  
  
• The US NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information has said that 2020 was the second warmest year on record since 1880, when it started maintaining records.
  
  
• According to NOAA, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces for 2020 was 0.98 degree Celsius above the average for the 20th century and just 0.02 degree Celsius less than the average temperature for 2016.

MUKUNDPURA CM2

A new study by Geological Survey of India, Kolkata has shed light on the mineralogy of the meteorite which fell in 2017 in Mukundpura village near Jaipur.

About:

• The meteorite named Mukundpura CM2 was classified to be a carbonaceous chondrite. The composition of carbonaceous chondrites are also similar to the Sun.
  
  
• This is a type of stony meteorite, considered the most primitive meteorite and a remnant of the first solid bodies to accrete in the solar system.
  
  
• Meteorites are broadly classified into three groups – stony (silicate-rich), iron (Fe–Ni alloy), and stony-iron (mixed silicate–iron alloy). Chondrites are silicate-droplet-bearing meteorites, and this Mukundpura chondrite is the fifth carbonaceous meteorite known to fall in India.
  
  
• the results of the Mukundpura CM2 study are relevant to the surface composition of near-Earth asteroids Ryugu and Bennu.

DRAFT MODEL TENDER

The Finance Ministry (Expenditure Department) has drafted a model tender document for public procurement by all central government departments, in a bid to standardise the language and clauses included, and avoid contractual disputes.

About:

• Public procurement refers to the purchase of goods and services by the public sector or the government, accounting for an average 15% of GDP globally.
  
  
• In India, government procurement is estimated to constitute about 30% of GDP with the central government accounting for a major chunk.
  
  
• There is no standardised nomenclature in public procurement in India and a mix of American, European and Indian nomenclature has become common. E.g. participants in the Tender are called tenderers and bidders.
  
  
• The standard bidding document developed now, seeks to ease out this duality by mooting that
• the ‘Tender’ should refer to the tender document and process, while the term ‘Bid’ shall refer to the bidders’ pitches;
  
  
• ‘Bidder’ is to be used instead of ‘Tenderer’ to refer to potential suppliers and the usage ‘Bid document’ be done away with, as per the proposed model.
  
  
• SAKSHAM
  With a view to create awareness among the consumers of fossil fuels, Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas launched ‘SAKSHAM’, a month long campaign, highlighting the adverse health and environmental impacts of increasing carbon footprints.
  

  About:

  • ‘SAKSHAM’s idea is to convince consumers to switch to cleaner fuels and bring in behavioural change to use fossil fuel intelligently.
    
    
  • The campaign will also spread awareness about 7 key drivers that Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently mentioned, saying that collectively these would help India move towards cleaner energy.
    
    
  • The key drivers include
  • moving towards a gas-based economy,
    
    
  • cleaner use of fossil fuels,
    
    
  • greater reliance on domestic sources to drive bio-fuels,
    
    
  • achieving renewable targets with the set deadlines,
    
    
  • increased use of electric vehicles to decarbonize mobility,
    
    
  • increased use of cleaner fuels like Hydrogen, and
    
    
  • digital innovation across all energy systems.
    
  • KALARIPAYATTU
    Kalaripayattu, considered the oldest surviving martial art of the country, with a legacy of more than 3,000 years, is set to see a surge in popularity with the establishment of an academy in the Kerala capital.
    

    About:

    • Lessons in one of the most famous combat styles in the world will now be taught at Kerala Tourism’s Vellar Crafts Village en route to Kovalam.
      
      
    • The 3,500 sq ft academy in the village is scheduled to be completed in two months.
      
      
    • Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan released the syllabus of the Kalaripayattu Academy on January 16 during the inauguration of the renovated Crafts Village.
      

    SECTION 230 OF THE US’ COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT

    Soon after a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol last week, his social media accounts were suspended by Big Tech companies like Twitter and Facebook for his alleged role in inciting violence and spreading misinformation.

    

    About:

    • The incident spurred a renewed debate about Section 230 of the US’ Communications Decency Act — the controversial piece of internet legislation that permitted these tech companies to flex their powers and ban the president in the first place.
      
      
    • Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was passed in 1996 and provides legal immunity to internet companies for content that is shared on their websites. The act was first introduced to regulate pornography online. Section 230 is an amendment to the act, which holds users responsible for their comments and posts online.
      
      
    • According to the regulation, “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.”
      
      
    • This means that online companies, including social media platforms, are not liable for the content shared on their website by its users. So if a user posts something illegal on the website, the company is protected from lawsuits.