National Affairs/Governance
Lokpal Website inaugurated by Chairperson Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose
Relevance IN - Prelims ( aboutlokpal and lokayuktas) + Mains ( GS II structure organisation and functioning of executive and juduiciary)

What's the NEWS

• Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, the Chairperson of the Lokpal, inaugurated the website of Lokpal. The Website can be accessed at http://lokpal.gov.in.
• The Website has been developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC). It provides the basic information with respect to the working and functioning of the Lokpal.

Know! all about Lokpal

• Established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, Lokpal is the first of its kind institution in India. It is a multimember body with a Chairperson and Members.
• The post of Chairperson can be filled-in by a person who is or has been a Chief Justice or Judge of the Supreme Court. The Members can be individuals who are or have been Judges or Chief Justices of High Courts.
• The Lokpal basically inquires and investigates into the corruption cases against the public servants who fall within the scope of the Lokpal Act, including the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers.
• India got its first Lokpal on March 19, 2019 with the appointment of Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose as the Chairperson of Lokpal, six years after the passage of Act
• Ghose is currently also serving as a Member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Ghose retired from the Supreme Court in May 2017.
• The Lokpal has four Judicial and four non-Judicial Members.

Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013

• The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 calls for setting up Lokpal at the centre and Lokayuktas at the State level.
• The Lokpal is appointed by a high-level selection committee headed by Prime Minister. The Committee also consists of Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of Opposition Party (LoP), Chief Justice of India and an eminent jurist.

International Affairs
China blocks all editions of Wikipedia
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the steps taken by china and about Great firewall)

What's the NEWS

• China blocked all the language editions of online encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
• Previously, China had enforced ban on viewing the Chinese version of the Wikipedia along with some sensitive pages such as Dalai Lama and the Tiananmen massacre.
• Though China blocked most of the editions of Wikipedia along with the Chinese language version in 2015, some of them were still accessible.

Know! more about this blocking done by China

• The block comes at a time when Chinese authorities under the Chinese President Xi Jinping are placing controls on internet usage and are trying hard to clean out ‘Great Firewall' proxy tools such as Virtual Private Network (VPN) software.
• This ban is one among the various other bans that have been made under the Chinese 'Great Firewall', online censorship device of China
• The device blocks a large number of sites in the country including search engine Google, social media giant Facebook, LinkedIn and the news website The New York Times.

Environment Conservation
Poly diketoenamine, or PDK plastic
New plastic created that could be fully recycled
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the new PDK plastic)

What's the NEWS

• Researchers from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) have created 100% recyclable plastic in at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
• Researchers have developed this plastic that looks like a Lego Playset, it can be disassemble into various parts even at molecular level.
• Scientists named it poly diketoenamine, or PDK plastic.

Know! more about PDK plastic

• Researchers are calling it next generation plastic due to its quality of separation at smallest level.
• This plastic can be recycled into any colour, form or shape without losing its original quality. Researchers discovered new way to assemble plastics that takes recycling at molecular level.
• Unlike conventional plastics, the monomers of PDK plastic could be recovered and freed from any compounded additives simply by dunking the material in a highly acidic solution.
• The researchers demonstrated that not only does acid break down PDK polymers into monomers, but the process also allows the monomers to be separated from entwined additives.

Know! about the Plastic Recycling Problem

• Most of the plastic products are made of large molecules called polymers for example water bottles, automobile parts, mobile accessories etc. It is composed of various units of small carbon compounds named monomers.
• Manufacturers generally add chemicals to make plastic more useful. For example, fillers make a plastic tough, or plasticisers make a plastic flexible, are tightly bound to the monomers and stay in the plastic even after it is been processed at a recycling plant.
• When these plastics, with different chemical composition, go to processing unit are mixed and ground together into smaller pieces.
• After that plastic goes to the melting unit to make a new material, it becomes difficult to identify true properties.
• In latest research, monomers of PDK plastic could be recovered and freed from any compounded additives simply by dunking the material in a highly acidic solution.
• The acid helps to break the bonds between the monomers and separate them from the chemical additives that give plastic its look and feel.

Geological Survey of India Report
Arunachal has India's 35% graphite depositsRe
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the GSI report on graphite deposits)

What's the NEWS

• A recent report published by Geological Survey of India (GSI) reveals 35% of country's graphite deposits are found in Arunachal Pradesh. It is largest amount of graphite found in India at one place.

Know! more about the findings of the report

• Since 35% of India's Graphite deposits found in Arunachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh could now be developed as leading producer of graphite in country thus helping in meeting its future needs.
• Report reveals that China is undertaking huge graphite mining activities across the border in Tibet Autonomous Region.
• Indian road and infrastructure development towards Indo-China border should act as a advantage for exploration and extraction of mineral at the same time meeting India needs and reducing imports.
• India shares total 3,488 km border with China while Arunachal Pradesh shares 1,126 kilometers of border.
• GSI report suggested that the survey and drilling activities of GSI should be moved towards India-China international Border.

Know! about Geological Survey of India (GSI)

• GSI organisation was formed in 1851 with the sole aim to locate coal for the railways.
• The main functions of GSI relate to creation and updation of national geoscientific information and mineral resource assessment.
• GSI, headquartered at Kolkata, has six Regional offices located at Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Shillong and Kolkata and State Unit offices in almost all States of the country. Presently, Geological Survey of India is an attached office to the Ministry of Mines.

Know! about Graphite

• Graphite is a naturally-occurring form of crystalline carbon. It is a native element mineral found in metamorphic and igneous rocks.
• Graphite is a mineral of extremes. It is extremely soft, cleaves with very light pressure, and has a very low specific gravity. It is the only non-metal element which is a good conductor of electricity.

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