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Posted 30 Apr 2024

8 min read

Navratna Status

Department of Public Enterprises has granted Navratna status to Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA).
- IREDA is under administrative control of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. It was established as a Non-Banking Financial Institution in 1987.

Status of Navratna is granted based on various parameters, such as,
- CPSEs which are Miniratna I, and
- have obtained ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ MoU rating in three of the last five years and
- having composite score of 60 or above in selected performance indicators.

RBI releases Draft Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Electronic Trading Platforms) Directions, 2024.
- Prior authorization or registration with RBI is required for operating ETP.
- An entity seeking authorisation as an ETP operator
  - should be incorporated in India and
  - maintain a minimum net worth of RS 5 crore.

ETP refers to any electronic system, other than a recognised stock exchange, on which transactions in eligible instruments are contracted.
- Eligible instruments include securities, money market instruments, foreign exchange instruments, derivatives etc.

NABARD has sanctioned a study on the impact evaluation of Geographical Indication (GI) products.
- Presently, 144 products supported by NABARD, are GI tagged.

About NABARD
- It is India’s apex development bank, established in 1982 under an Act of Parliament.
- Headquartered in Mumbai, it is wholly owned by Government of India.
- Mandate: to promote sustainable and equitable agriculture and rural development.
- Recommended by B. Sivaraman committee.
- Functions: Promotional and developmental initiatives, finance and refinance support, capacity building of cooperatives and regional rural banks etc.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has cancelled the registration of at least five Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) for allegedly violating provisions of FCRA.

About FCRA, 2010
- Nodal Ministry: MHA.
- Enacted during Emergency in 1976 amid apprehensions that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs.
- Amended in 2010 to consolidate the law on utilisation of foreign funds, and to prohibit their use for any activities detrimental to national interest.
- Again amended in 2020, giving the government tighter control and scrutiny over the receipt and utilisation of foreign funds by NGOs.

Pakistan launched its first Hangor class submarine which is considered a direct counterpart of India’s Kalavari class of submarines.

About Kalvari class submarines:
- Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited under Project-75, these are adaptation of French Scorpene-class submarines.
- These have diesel-electric propulsion systems and are primarily attack submarines.
- India operates six Kalvari class submarines, namely Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj, Vela, Vagir, Vagshir.
- Indian Navy is in process of installing an indigenously developed Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system to these submarines.
  - AIP system allows non-nuclear submarines to remain submerged for longer period.

A recent study highlighted that Baseflows have a stronger triggering effect on river floods in Peninsular India as compared to rainfall and soil moisture.
- Six rivers studied include Narmada, Tapi, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery.

Baseflow:
- Baseflows are streamflows which results from precipitation that infiltrates into the soil and eventually moves through soil to the stream channel.
- This is often called groundwater flow or dry-weather flow.

About Ethylene
- Colourless, flammable gas having a sweet taste and odour.
- Gaseous plant growth promoter.
- Highly effective in fruit ripening; Enhances respiration rate during ripening of fruits.
- Breaks seed and bud dormancy, initiates germination in peanut seeds, sprouting of potato tubers.
- Promotes root growth and root hair formation.
- Ethephon is most widely used compound as source of ethylene. Ethephon in an aqueous solution readily absorbed and transported within plant and releases ethylene slowly.

FSSAI directions to use Ethylene
- Permits Ethylene for artificial ripening provided concentration does not exceed 100 ppm (parts per million).
- Any source of ethylene gas coming in direct contact with fruits is not permitted.

Data from James Webb Telescope suggests a high probability of Dimethyl Sulphide (DMS) gas.
- On Earth, living beings are the primary producers of DMS.
About K2-18B
- Discovered in 2015, K2-18b is a super Earth exoplanet (planet located outside our solar system) that orbits an M-type star.
  - M stars (also called M dwarfs or Red dwarfs) are relatively cool, and smaller in size than the sun.
- It orbits K2-18 in the Goldilock zone (habitable zone) —Range of distance with right temperatures for water to remain liquid.