Daily Current Capsules - 10^th JULY 2019

Security Challenges
BSF launches operation ‘Sudarshan' to fortify Pakistan border in Punjab and Jammu

Relevance IN - Prelims (about the exercise Sudarshan) + Mains (GS III security challenges and their management in border areas)
What's the NEWS

• The Border Security Force (BSF) has launched a massive exercise, code named ‘Sudarshan', to fortify the ‘anti-infiltration grid' along the Pakistan border in Punjab and Jammu.

Know! all about the exercise

• The exercise will see the entire BSF's senior field brass, thousands of troops and machinery being deployed in these forward areas.
• The operation was launched on July 1 and will cover the entire over the 1,000-km length of the India-Pakistan International Border.
• While Jammu shares about 485-km of the border with Pakistan, about 553-km of the front is in Punjab. It further runs down towards Rajasthan and Gujarat on India's western flank.
• The BSF is the primary force guarding this frontier as the ‘first line of defence'.
• A mega exercise to fortify the ‘anti-infiltration grid' along the Pakistan border in Punjab and Jammu has been launched by the BSF.
• The mega exercise has been named ‘Sudarshan' drawing from the mythological cutting wheel or the ‘sudarshan chakra' of Lord Krishna.
• A huge assortment of heavy machinery, communication interceptors and mobile bulletproof bunkers have been mobilized to the borders.
• Thousands of BSF personnel will be part of the exercise. Multiple patrols are being undertaken to boost defence positions.
• Frontier and battalion commanders of about 40 battalions of the BSF are camping in the forward areas of the two states to finish the operation within a fortnight and be at their bases by July 15. The operation will end by the time monsoon unleashes heavy rains and cuts easy access to forward locations,

Know! about BSF

• It was formed on 1 December 1965 in the wake of India-Pakistan 1965 War, for ensuring security of India's borders and for matters connected there with.
• It is the country's primary border defence organisation. It is responsible for guarding India's land border during peacetime as well as preventing transnational crime.
• It is a Government Agency under administrative control of Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• It is one of the 7 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India and currently stands as world's largest border guarding force.

Culture and Heritage
Vivekadeepini

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Vivekadeepini and about Adi Shankaracharya) + Mains ( GS I Indian heritage and culture)
What's the NEWS

• Vivekadeepini, a concise book of aphorisms that contains glimpses of India's wisdom in English and nine Indian languages
• The pieces of wisdom initially written by Adi Shankaracharya in Prashnottara Ratnamalika have universal relevance irrespective of religion or community and they represent the ethical and moral perspectives underpinning the Indian world view.
• The book has been translated into ten languages- English, Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi Gujarati and Odia.

Know! more about Vivekadeepini

• This short book is a summary of Prashnottara Ratnamalika written by Adi Shankaracharya.
• It is a compilation of select 36 verses drawn from 67 verses of Prashnottara Ratnamalika which are written in Question-Answer format.
• The verses in this book contain universal truths and are the starting points for reflection. It contains glimpses of India's wisdom in most lucid language.

Know! about Adi Shankaracharya

• He is 8th century Indian philosopher and theologian. He consolidated the doctrine (or Philosophy) of Advaita Vedanta (Monism).
• Monism states that Brahman is only reality and world is illusory (Maya), thus ignorance of reality is what causes suffering, and liberation can be obtained only by true knowledge of Brahman.
• He is founder of Dashanami Sampradaya, Hindu monastic tradition of single-sta renunciation. He is also credited with unifying and establishing main currents of thought in Hinduism.

Environment Conservation/Infrastructure Development
National Electric Mobility Mission Plan

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about FAME and NEMMP) + Mains ( GS III infrastructure development - energy + environment conservation)
Know! all about NEMMP

• The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 is a National Mission document providing the vision and the roadmap for the faster adoption of electric vehicles and their manufacturing in the country.
• This plan has been designed to enhance national fuel security, to provide affordable and environmentally friendly transportation and to enable the Indian automotive industry to achieve global manufacturing leadership.
• As part of the NEMMP 2020, Department of Heavy Industry formulated a Scheme viz. Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme in the year 2015 to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle technology and to ensure sustainable growth of the same.

Phase I of FAME

• The Phase-I of this Scheme was initially launched for a period of 2 years, commencing from 1st April 2015, which was subsequently extended from time to time and the last extension was allowed up to 31st March 2019.

The 1^st Phase of FAME India Scheme was implemented through four focus areas namely

1. Demand Creation
2. Technology Platform
3. Pilot Project and
4. Charging Infrastructure.
5. Market creation through demand incentives was aimed at incentivizing all vehicle segments i.e. 2-Wheelers, 3-Wheelers Auto, Passenger 4-Wheeler vehicles, Light Commercial Vehicles and Buses.

• The demand incentive was available to buyers of electric & hybrid vehicle (xEV) in the form of an upfront reduced purchase price to enable wider adoption.

Know! more about NEMMP 2020

• Under the NEMMP 2020, there is an ambitious target to achieve 6-7 million sales of hybrid and electric vehicles by the year 2020.
• Based on the experience gained in the Phase-I of FAME India Scheme, it has been observed that sufficient number of charging infrastructure is required to achieve expected outcome of the plan, which is being addressed presently in Phase-II of FAME Scheme.

Phase - II

• Department of Heavy Industry notified Phase-II of the Scheme, vide S.O. 1300(E) ,with the approval of Cabinet with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 Crore for a period of 3 years commencing from 1st April 2019.
• The main objective of the scheme is to encourage faster adoption of electric and hybrid vehicle by way of offering upfront incentive on purchase of electric vehicles and also by establishing the necessary charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Details of the scheme is available in Department's website (www.dhi.nic.in).

Various initiatives have been taken by the Government to promote electric mobility in the country.

• Under new GST regime, the rates of GST on Electric Vehicles has been kept in the lower bracket of 12% (with no Cess) as against the 28% GST rate with Cess up to 22% for conventional vehicles.
• Ministry of Power has allowed sale of electricity as ‘service' for charging of electric vehicles. This would provide a huge incentive to attract investments into charging infrastructure.
• Ministry of Road Transport Highways issued notification regarding exemption of permit in case of battery operated vehicles.
• Issue of Expression of Interest (EoI) for deployment of 5000 electric buses by State Transport Departments/Undertakings etc.

Prelims Factoids
The National Translation Mission (NTM)
Know! all about NTM

• The National Translation Mission (NTM) is a scheme launched in 2008 which is being implemented through the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore to establish translation as an industry in general and to facilitate higher education by making knowledge texts accessible to students and academics in Indian languages.
• Under the scheme, the books of knowledge texts mostly text books of various subjects prescribed in Universities and Colleges are being translated in all Languages of the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India.
• National Translation Mission has so far published 40 Knowledge Text translations in 16 languages (Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Hindi, Kannada, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu).
• The Mission has trained about 1400 budding translators through 3-week intensive courses (21 days) on ‘Introduction to translation' and 'Research Methodology in Translation'
  
  

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