Today's Brief 27/02/2025

IE Analysis:https://youtu.be/Bvdg9c_HQFo?si=X-KoA2l4iYSdm-hs

JN Analysis:https://youtu.be/jPu8YmoOoak?si=Ha8w9ZsZojD9LqK1

1 .Wooly Devil: (General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management) The "wooly devil," scientifically named Ovicula biradiata, is a remarkable new plant discovery from Big Bend National Park in Texas. This small, fuzzy plant, with its distinctive maroon ray petals, represents a new genus and species within the sunflower family, a rare botanical find. Discovered by a park volunteer in 2024,

it's the first new plant genus identified in a U.S. national park since 1976. Its name,

"Ovicula," refers to its woolly appearance, while

"biradiata" denotes the two ray florets per flower. Thriving in the harsh Chihuahuan Desert environment, this "belly plant" only blooms after rainfall, highlighting its adaptation to arid conditions.

The discovery is significant not only for its novelty but also because it underscores the biodiversity of national parks and the potential vulnerability of such unique species to climate change.

2 .Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy carried out successful flight trials of the first-of-its-kind Naval Anti-Ship missile (NASM-SR) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha.

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

The trials demonstrated the missile’s capability against ship targets while launched from an Indian Naval Seaking Helicopter. Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, the Indian Navy and the industries for the successful flight tests. He said that the tests for Man-in-Loop features is unique as it gives the capability of in-flight retargeting.

3 . EU-FTA-The European Union is actively engaged in Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with India, with a key focus on securing lower tariffs for prominent European exports such as whiskey, wine, and automobiles. This push reflects the EU's broader objective of enhancing market access for its industries within the rapidly growing Indian market, while also diversifying its trade relationships.

India, in turn, is prioritizing concessions for its MSMEs, addressing concerns about the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and seeking improved access for its services sector and skilled labor.

The ongoing dialogue, highlighted by high-level visits and multiple rounds of talks, underscores the strategic importance of this FTA for both parties.

A successful agreement holds the potential to significantly expand bilateral trade, reshape global trade dynamics, and have a profound impact on the import and export markets of both the EU and India.

4 . Gibberlink (General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

is an innovative communication protocol that allows AI voice agents to transcend human-like speech, opting for a more streamlined and efficient data exchange when interacting with one another. Utilizing technologies like ggwave, it enables

AI agents to switch to a sound-based communication method, producing audio tones that are optimized for machine comprehension rather than human understanding.

This capability, demonstrated during the ElevenLabs and a16z global hackathon, highlights the potential for AI to develop its own unique communication forms, raising intriguing questions about the future of AI interactions.

However, the concept also generates concerns regarding transparency and control, as the prospect of AI communicating in languages beyond human comprehension raises worries about potential misuse and unintended consequences. Gibberlink,

therefore, represents a significant step towards more efficient AI-to-AI communication, while simultaneously prompting crucial discussions about the ethical and practical implications of advanced AI technologies.

5 . Innovate with GoIStats:  (GS Paper II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), in collaboration with MyGov, is set to launch an exciting data-visualization hackathon titled "Innovate with GoIStats", centered around the theme “Data-Driven Insights for Viksit Bharat”.

The hackathon aims to inspire India’s young and brightest minds – students and researchers to utilize the vast official statistics generated by the National Statistics Office (NSO) for creating innovative data driven insights.

The hackathon will invite participants to explore and analyse official statistics from the reports, microdata and other datasets available on the website of the Ministry, such as the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), Household Consumer Expenditure Survey (HCES), Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), Consumer Price Index (CPI), Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and more to create impactful visualizations to support evidence-based policymaking in the journey towards Viksit Bharat.

Participants can gain hands-on experience with official statistics while creating a stronger foundation for data-driven policy insights.

The Hackathon will take place on the MyGov platform, from 25th February 2025 to 31st March 2025. Students pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate or doing research can participate.

The top 30 entries, selected by a panel of expert evaluators from the industry and academia will get prize money, with one first prize of ₹2 Lakhs, followed by two second prizes of ₹1 Lakh each, two third prizes of ₹50,000 each and twenty-five consolation prizes of ₹20,000 each.

6 .PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana: (GS Paper II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

  The Government of India has approved the scheme on 29th February, 2024 to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their own electricity.

 The scheme has an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore and is to be implemented till FY 2026-27. The scheme will be implemented by a National programme Implementation Agency (NPIA) at the National level and by the State Implementation Agencies (SIAs) at the state level.

The Distribution Utility (DISCOMs or Power/Energy Departments, as the case may be) shall be the State Implementation Agencies (SIA) at the State/UT level.

 c) Under the scheme, the DISCOMs shall be required to put in place several facilitative measures for promotion of rooftop solar in their respective areas such as availability of net meters, timely inspection and commissioning of installations, vendor registration and management, interdepartmental convergence for solarizing government building etc.

How does PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijlee Yojana work?

The scheme provides for a subsidy of 60% of the solar unit cost for systems up to 2kW capacity and 40 percent of additional system cost for systems between 2 to 3kW capacity. The subsidy has been capped at 3kW capacity.

At current benchmark prices, this will mean Rs 30,000 subsidy for 1kW system, Rs 60,000 for 2kW systems and Rs 78,000 for 3kW systems or higher.

Who are eligible to apply for the Scheme?

• The applicant must be an Indian citizen.

• Must own a house with a roof that is suitable for installing solar panels.

• The household must have a valid electricity connection.

• The household must not have availed of any other subsidy for solar panels.

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