Science and Technology/GSIII
International Geological Congress

What's the NEWS

• The 36^th International Geological Congress (IGC), themed "Geosciences: The Basic Science for a Sustainable Future" will be held here during 20-22 March, 2022 on a virtual platform.

Know! about IGC

• The 36^th IGC is a joint endeavour of the Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Indian National Science Academy and the Science Academies of Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
• Described as the Olympics of Geosciences, the IGCs are held quadrennial, under the aegis of the International Union of Geological Congress (IUGS), the Scientific Sponsor of the IGCs.
• They draw participants to the tune of around 5000 - 7000 delegates from all over the world.
• The event would provide a unique platform for knowledge and experience sharing in the field of geosciences and professional networking.
• It would give first-hand information on latest technologies in mining, mineral exploration and management of water, mineral resource and environment.
• It would also facilitate increased academic production and create opportunities for capacity building across geoscientific streams.
• The 36^th IGC has been themed as "Geoscience - the Basic Science for a Sustainable Future".
• India, leading its regional partners had bid in the 34^th International Geological Congress at Brisbane in 2012 to host the 36^th IGC in India in the year 2020. India won the bid.
• The present Congress originally scheduled to be held during 2-8 March, 2020 was postponed due to Covid Pandemic.
• 58 years ago India had hosted the 22^nd session of the IGC which was the first IGC on the Asian soil.

Governance/GSII
National eVidhan Application (NeVA)

What's the NEWS

• National eVidhan Application (NeVA) is a Mission Mode Project for Digital Legislatures to make the functioning of all Legislative Houses in the country paperless has been developed on the theme of ‘One Nation - One Application'.

Know! about the project

• NeVA is transforming all State Legislatures into ‘DIGITAL HOUSES' so as to enable them to transact entire Government Business on digital platform including information exchange with the State Government Departments in digital mode.
• NeVA is not only bringing greater synergy, coordination, transparency and accountability between the Legislature and the executive in a State, but also across the States.
• Keeping in view the latest technological development in the field of ICT, maximum use of AI& IOT has been made to make NeVA a robust IT product.
• To adopt National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA), Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) have been signed with 18 States
• Out of these 18, Detailed Project Reports have been submitted by13 States
• As a special achievement, Bihar Legislative Council became the first House in the country to transit to NeVA platform completely on 25th Nov, 2021 and conducted Winter Session, 2021on the NeVA platform in paperless mode.
• They will also be conducting the ensuing Budget Session, 2022 on the NeVAplatform.
• Odisha Assembly also presented their budget 2021 in paperless mode using NeVA.

Know! about NeVA

• NeVA is a Unicode compliant software having provision for easy access to various documents like List of Questions, List of Business, Reports etc. bilingually viz. English and any regional language.
• This application is spearheading the principle of ‘One Nation- One Application' with the objective of Cloud First and Mobile First to serve Members' FIRST.

Sciecne and Technology/GSIII
Green Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)

What's the NEWS

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways launched the world's most advanced technology - developed Green Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Toyota Mirai
• Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd and International Center for Automotive Technology (ICAT) are conducting a Pilot Project to study and evaluate the world's most advanced Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Toyota Mirai which runs on hydrogen, on Indian roads and climatic conditions.
• This is a first of its kind project in India which aims to create a Green Hydrogen based ecosystem in the country by creating awareness about the unique utility of Green Hydrogen and FCEV technology.
• It is an important initiative which will promote clean energy and environmental protection by reducing dependence on fossil fuels and thereby make India 'Energy Self-reliant' by 2047,

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)

• Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV), powered by Hydrogen is one of the best Zero Emission solutions. It is completely environment friendly with no tailpipe emissions other than water.
• Green Hydrogen can be generated from renewable energy and abundantly available biomass.
• Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are powered by hydrogen.
• They are more efficient than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles and produce no tailpipe emissions-they only emit water vapor and warm air.
• FCEVs and the hydrogen infrastructure to fuel them are in the early stages of implementation.
• FCEVs use a propulsion system similar to that of electric vehicles, where energy stored as hydrogen is converted to electricity by the fuel cell.
• FCEVs are fueled with pure hydrogen gas stored in a tank on the vehicle.

How Fuel Cells Work

• The most common type of fuel cell for vehicle applications is the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell.
• In a PEM fuel cell, an electrolyte membrane is sandwiched between a positive electrode (cathode) and a negative electrode (anode).
• Hydrogen is introduced to the anode, and oxygen (from air) is introduced to the cathode.
• The hydrogen molecules break apart into protons and electrons due to an electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell catalyst.
• Protons then travel through the membrane to the cathode.
• The electrons are forced to travel through an external circuit to perform work (providing power to the electric car) then recombine with the protons on the cathode side where the protons, electrons, and oxygen molecules combine to form water.

Prelims Factoids
International Day To Combat Islamophobia

What's the NEWS

• The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to proclaim March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia
• India expressed concern over "phobia against one religion being elevated to the level of an international day" to the exclusion of all others, saying there are growing contemporary forms of religiophobia, especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh sentiments.
• The 193-member UN General Assembly adopted a resolution, introduced by Pakistan's ambassador Munir Akram under agenda item Culture of peace, to proclaim March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
• The resolution, introduced by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), was co-sponsored by Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

India's stand

• India hopes the resolution adopted "does not set a precedent which will lead to multiple resolutions on phobias based on selective religions and divide the United Nations into religious camps".
• Hinduism has more than 1.2 billion followers, Buddhism more than 535 million and Sikhism more than 30 million spread out around the world.
• It is time that we acknowledged the prevalence of religiophobia, rather than single out just one
• It is important that the United Nations remains above such religious matters which may seek to divide us rather than bring us together on one platform of peace and harmony and treat the World as One Family

Environment/GSIII
Rejuvenation Of 13 Major Rivers Through Forestry
What's the NEWS

• The Centre envisages a ₹19,000-crore project to rejuvenate 13 major rivers by planting trees, officials in the Environment and the Jal Shakti Ministries

Know! about the forestry intervention

• These ‘forestry' interventions are expected to increase the cumulative forest cover by 7,417.36 sq. km. in the vicinity of these 13 rivers and would prevent 50.21 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 10-year-old plantations and 74.76 million tonnes CO2-equivalent in 20-year-old plantations.
• They would help recharge groundwater, reduce sedimentation, generate ₹449.01 crore from non-timber and other forest produce as well as provide employment of 344 million man-days.
• The rivers are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Luni, Narmada, Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and Cauvery funded by the National Afforestation & Eco-development Board, (MoEF&CC)
  The two Ministries made public multiple voluminous Detailed Project Reports, for each of these rivers, prepared by the Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education, Dehradun, (ICFRE).

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