Daily Current Affairs – 2020

(7^thOct)

Resources: The Hindu /PIB

Topic: For Prelims and Mains

                                    Wildlife Week:

Source:  PIB/the Hindu

Topics:  GS III (Environment)

Why in News?

Wildlife Week is annually celebrated across India between 2nd to 8th October with an aim to protect and preserve the flora and fauna of India.

The first Wildlife Week was observed in 1957.

The Wildlife Week 2020 is celebrated from 2nd October to 8th October 2020.

History of Wildlife Week:

The Indian Board of Wildlife was constituted and the idea of Wildlife Week was conceptualized in 1952 to raise the awareness about the long term goals of protecting the wildlife of India.

Project Tiger:

• The Government of India has taken a pioneering initiative for conserving its national animal, the tiger, by launching the ‘Project Tiger’ in 1973(Centrally Sponsored Scheme).
• From 9 tiger reserves since its formative years, the Project Tiger coverage has increased to 50 at present, spread out in 18 of our tiger range states.
• This amounts to around 21% of the geographical area of our country.
• The tiger reserves are constituted on a core/buffer strategy.
• The core areas have the legal status of a national park or a sanctuary, whereas the buffer or peripheral areas are a mix of forest and non-forest land, managed as a multiple-use area.

NATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY (NTCA):

• NTCA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it under the said Act. the authority is Chaired by the Union Ministerof Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

Project Elephant: It is a centrally sponsored scheme and was launched in February 1992 for the protection of elephants, their habitats and corridors.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change provides the financial and technical support to major elephant range states in the country through the projec

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                              Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI): 

Source:  PIB/the Hindu

Topics:  GS III (Economy)

Why in News?

Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology (MeitY) has approved 16 eligible applicants under the PLI Scheme. Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing notified on 1^st April, 2020, extends an incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales (over base year) of goods under target segments that are manufactured in India to eligible companies, for a period of five years subsequent to the base year (FY2019-20).

What is the PLI scheme?

As a part of the National Policy on Electronics, the IT ministry had on April 1 notified a scheme which would give incentives of 4-6 per cent to electronics companies which manufacture mobile phones and other electronic components such as transistors, diodes, thyristors, resistors, capacitors and nano-electronic components such as micro electromechanical systems.

Key Features of the Scheme:

• Companies that make mobile phones which sell for Rs 15,000 or more will get an incentive of up to 6 per cent on incremental sales of all such mobile phones made in India.
• In the same category, companies which are owned by Indian nationals and make such mobile phones, the incentive has been kept at Rs 200 crore for the next four years.
• The PLI scheme will be active for five years with financial year (FY) 2019-20 considered as the base year for calculation of incentives.
• All investments and incremental sales registered after FY20 shall be taken into account while computing the incentive to be given to each company.
• For the first year, the total incentive to be given has been capped at Rs 5,334 crore, while for the second and third year it has been kept at Rs 8,064 and Rs 8,425 crore, respectively. 

• In the fourth year, the incentive will be hiked substantially to Rs 11,488 crore, while in the fifth and final year, the incentive to be distributed has been capped at Rs 7,640 crore. The total incentives over five years has thus been kept at Rs 40,951 crore.

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                        FACTS FOR PRELIMS

• Section 29 of the POCSO Act:

Section 29 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act says that when a person is prosecuted for committing an offence of sexual assault against a minor, the special court trying the case shall presume that the accused is guilty.

Why in News?

The Delhi High Court has ruled that the presumption of guilt embedded in Section 29 of the POCSO Act gets triggered and applies only once the trial begins, i.e after charges are framed against the accused.

• Exercise Bongosagar: 

Second Edition of Exercise Bongosagar was recently conducted in Northern Bay of Bengal.

3rd edition of IN – BN Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) was also conducted in Northern Bay of Bengal from 4 to 5 October 2020.

Facts:

• It is a bilateral naval exercise between Indian Navy (IN) and Bangladesh Navy (BN).
• Aim:developing inter-operability and joint operational skills through conduct of a wide spectrum of maritime exercises and operations.

The first exercise was held in 2019. The second edition of Exercise Bongosagar assumes greater significance since it is being conducted during Mujib Barsho, the 100th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh