Prelims Factoids
NAL's Octacopter delivers 50 vaccines of Covid 19 in remote areas of Bengaluru

What's the NEWS

• The National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) in Bengaluru has developed an indigenous, medium class multi-copter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or Drone that can transport essential supplies to remote locations during exigencies.

• This Octacopter with eight propellers has advanced flight instrumentation systems, on board embedded computers, and latest generation sensors for versatile applications like agricultural pesticide spraying, crop monitoring, mining survey, magnetic Geo survey mapping among others.
• The drone was successfully used in Bengaluru to deliver 50 vials of Covid 19 vaccines along with syringes in a special container from Chandapura Primary Health Centre to Haragadde Primary Health Centre.
• This drone can carry a payload of 15 kgs with a hovering endurance of 40 minutes and can fly at an operational altitude of 500 meters above the ground level.

Bilateral Relations/GSII
Five Integrated Check Posts to be set up on India Bangladesh border

What's the NEWS

• Five new Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) will be set up on the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal to ensure better connectivity and security.

• In total 7 ICPs will be set up in West Bengal which will strengthen border security and boost trade with India's neighbouring countries.
• These include 5 ICPs on the Indo-Bangladesh border and one ICP each on borders with Nepal and Bhutan.
• The five ICPs on the Indo-Bangladesh borders will be set up at Changrabandha in Cooch Behar, Phulbari in Jalpaiguri, Hilli in South Dinajpur, Mahadipur in Malda and Gojadanga in North 24-Parganas.
• One ICP will be set up at Panitanki in Darjeeling district bordering Nepal and another at Jaigaon in Alipurduar bordering Bhutan.

What's the NEWS

• The 32^nd edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) between the Indian Navy and the Royal Thai Navy is being conducted from 12 - 14 November 2021.

• Towards reinforcing maritime links between the two countries and with an aim of keeping this vital part of the Indian Ocean safe and secure for international trade, the two navies have been undertaking CORPAT bi-annually since 2005 along their International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
• CORPAT builds up understanding and interoperability between navies and facilitates institution of measures to prevent and suppress unlawful activities like Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy.
• As part of Government of India's vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with the countries in the Indian Ocean Region towards enhancing regional maritime security.
• This has been through bilateral and multilateral exercises, Coordinated Patrols, Joint EEZ Surveillance, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

• The 6^th Edition of the biennial training exercise "EX SHAKTI 2021" is being conducted from 15 to 26 November 2021 in Frejus, France.

• A platoon strength of a Gorkha Rifles Infantry Battalion is representing the Indian Army in this bilateral exercise and the French side is being represented by troops of 21^st Marine Infantry Regiment of 6^th Light Armoured Brigade.
• Exercise SHAKTI will focus on Counter Terrorism operations in backdrop of semi-urban terrain under United Nations Mandate with an aim to enhance military cooperation and inter-operability between the two Armies.
• The last edition of Exercise SHAKTI was conducted at Foreign Training Node in Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan from 31 Oct to 13 Nov 2019.
• India and France carry out three biennial training exercises namely, Exercise GARUDA with Indian Airforce, Exercise VARUNA with Indian Navy and Exercise SHAKTI with Indian Army.

Information Technology/GSIII
National Internet Exchange of India establishes dedicated "Customer -Care Unit" (24x7)
 
What's the NEWS

• National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) has taken a new initiative by establishing out a customer focused unit - "Customer-Care Unit," which will facilitate the interaction of customers with all its Business units.
• This team will support the customer queries (24x7) for all the operations.
• NIXI has three businesses, viz. - Internet Exchange, Dot IN Registry, and IRINN and all three units deal with their respective customers, supporting and managing their queries.
• At times same customer might be consuming services from two different units of NIXI and interact with two different teams.
• To overcome this and make the experience seamless, NIXI has created this Customer-Care Unit - for efficient response towards their customers.

• National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) is a not-for-profit organization (section 8 of the Companies Act 2013) working since 2003 for spreading the internet infrastructure to the citizens of India through the following activities:

1. Internet Exchanges through which the internet data is exchanged amongst ISP's, Data Centers, and CDNs.
2. IN Registry, managing, and operation of.IN country-code domain and. भारत IDN domain for India.
3. IRINN, managing and operating Internet protocol (IPv4/IPv6).

• The National Achievement Survey 2021, was successfully conducted today across all 36 states and UTs of the country.
• As per initial estimates received from 24 states/UTs nearly 96% of the sampled schools and nearly 92% of the targeted sampled children, of classes 3, 5, 8 and 10 participated in the survey.

• The National Achievement Survey(NAS) is a process of gathering information in order to develop a deep understanding of what students know, understand and can do with their knowledge as a result of their educational experiences.
• This process will ultimately culminate to improve the subsequent students' learning and development, through systemic interventions.
• The Achievement Survey was conducted in different mediums of instruction as available in the sampled schools.
• NAS is a scientifically designed achievement survey.
• There are 3 phases of NAS exercise, namely instrument development, sampling design and actual administration of the test.
• Grade-wise subject specific Learning Outcomes have been identified, which have been assessed through NAS.
• NCERT, being nodal academic body has done the instrument development, testing, finalization of the test items.
• Actual Administration of the test in the sampled schools was conducted by CBSE in collaboration with states and UTs, to maintain highest levels of reliability and impartiality, being a third party assessment agency external to the school education department.
• Besides student achievement test, Pupil Questionnaire, Teachers Questionnaire and School Questionnaire were also obtained to understand the various settings and perspective of students, teachers and schools.
• This will provide valuable information regarding back ground, teacher training, rural-urban, effectiveness of online education etc to comprehend the education system in a comprehensive manner.
• NAS 2021 is the first achievement survey after release of National Education Policy 2020 (NEP).
• The assessment would be used to benchmark students' learning against criteria such as process skills and learning outcomes.
• NAS 2021 will infuse the competency-based assessment system over the content and memory-based assessment as envisaged by NEP 2020.
• The results of NAS 2021 will be prepared in the form of District Report Cards, State/UT reports and National report.
• NAS will enable States and the Union Territories to identify gaps in learning outcomes and take remedial steps.
• It will also help in the capacity building for teachers and officials involved in the delivery of education in the country.
• The result from the assessment would also provide a rich repository of evidences and data points furthering the scope of research and development.

Environment/GSII
Egypt to host COP27 international climate conference in 2022 -ministry
What's the NEWS

• Egypt will host the COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2022
• The decision was taken during this year's conference, COP26
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was selected to host the COP28 international climate conference in 2023.

• For a final agreement, all countries have to agree to every word in the text agreement, drafted by the team of COP president Alok Sharma.
• This text is a synthesis of all the discussions since November 1 when the COP26 began.
• The COP26 will not unveil a treaty as in 2015 when the Paris Agreement came into being but is expected to guide implementation of the Paris Agreement, that exhorted countries to take steps to keep temperatures from rising beyond 2 degrees Celsius by the turn of the century and "pursue efforts to keep it" to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• Developing countries such as India and China are pushing for formal acknowledgement from the West that they have not delivered on past promises of providing $100 billion annually until 2020.

• UN climate talks in Scotland has concluded with a global agreement aimed at keeping alive hopes of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, and so maintain a realistic shot at saving the world from catastrophic climate change.

• The "Glasgow climate pact" was adopted despite a last-minute intervention by India to water down language on "phasing out" coal to merely "phasing down".
• The pledges on emissions cuts made at the two-week Cop26 summit in Glasgow fell well short of those required to limit temperatures to 1.5C, according to scientific advice.
• Instead, all countries have agreed to return to the negotiating table next year, at a conference in Egypt, and re-examine their national plans, with a view to increasing their ambition on cuts.
• One of the fiercest disagreements in the final hours was over the wording of an intention to abandon coal, which was watered down from a "phase-out" to a "phase-down". Yet it marked the first time that such a resolution had been made under the UN climate process.
• Poor countries were also left frustrated at the pact, which they said did not address their concerns about "loss and damage".
• This refers to the destruction caused by extreme weather, which is now hitting vulnerable countries far harder and more frequently than had been predicted.

Prelims Factoids/Location
REZANG LA

What's the NEWS

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the revamped war memorial at Rezang La in eastern Ladakh
• The memorial, dedicated to those who laid down their lives in the Battle of Rezang La during the 1962 war, now includes the names of Army personnel who lost their lives in the violent clash at Galwan last year.

• Kerala health minister issued guidelines after norovirus, a highly contagious stomach bug that causes a range of symptoms, was confirmed in the state's Wayanad district.

• Norovirus is an animal-borne disease transmitted through contaminated water and food.
• Norovirus causes gastrointestinal illness, including inflammation of the lining of the stomach and intestines, severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
• Norovirus does not significantly affect healthy people but it can be serious in young children, the elderly and people with comorbidities.
• Norovirus is easily transmitted through close contact with people who have been infected, or by touching contaminated surfaces. It can also be spread by eating food that has been prepared or handled by someone with the stomach bug.
• The virus is spread through the excrement and vomit of an infected person.

Economy
INVESTOR EDUCATION AND PROTECTION FUND AUTHORITY (IEPFA)
What's the NEWS

• Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has further simplified claim settlement process through rationalization of various requirements under Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (Accounting, Audit, Transfer and Refund) Rules, 2016.

• Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) has been established under Section 125 of the Companies Act 2013 for administration of the IEPF fund as per section 125 (3) of Companies Act 2013.
• The main objective of the authority includes to promote Investor Education, Awareness & Protection, refund unclaimed shares, dividends and other amounts transferred to it under sections 124 and 125 of the Companies Act 2013 to the rightful claimants.
• IEPFA works under the administrative control of MCA.

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