14 February Current Affairs | Today Hindu Newspaper | Daily Current Affairs | 14 February 2025

February 14, 2025 - Current Affairs Summary

President's Rule in Manipur

• President's Rule has been imposed in Manipur.
• Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla sent a report to the President.
• President was convinced that the state cannot be run as per constitutional provisions, leading to President's Rule.
• This is not the first instance of President's Rule in Manipur.
• Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned and tweeted about the situation.
• N. Biren Singh highlighted issues in Manipur including illegal immigration from Myanmar.
• Free Movement Regime is contributing to illegal immigration and changing demographics of Manipur.
• Situation has worsened in the last one and a half years as per N. Biren Singh.

India-USA Relations - Oil and Gas Purchase

• Discussions held between Prime Minister Modi and President Donald Trump.
• Donald Trump stated that India has agreed to increase oil and gas purchases from the United States.
• Tariffs and oil & gas issues were discussed extensively during the meeting.

Nari Adalat Program

• Nari Adalat Program is under Mission Shakti, specifically Sambal sub-scheme.
• Mission Shakti aims for women's empowerment with two sub-components: Sambal and Samarthya.
• Sambal focuses on women's safety and security and includes initiatives like One Stop Centers, Women Helpline, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and Nari Adalat.
• Samarthya focuses on women's empowerment and includes schemes like Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Palna, Shakti Sadan, Sakhi Niwas, and Hub for Empowerment of Women.
• Nari Adalat is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism at the Gram Panchayat level.
• It is designed for resolving minor domestic issues and disputes informally at the গ্রাম পঞ্চায়েত level.
• Nari Adalat is not a formal court and does not have legal status.
• It aims to resolve minor disputes in an informal manner, unlike formal court procedures.
• Nari Adalat typically has 7 to 9 members, sometimes 7 to 11, known as Nyay Sakhis (Legal Friends).
• Half of Nyay Sakhis are elected from the Gram Panchayat.
• Remaining members are women with good social standing, such as teachers, doctors, or social workers.
• The head of Nyay Sakhis is called Mukhya Nyay Sakhi (Chief Legal Friend), with a tenure of approximately 6 months.
• Launched in 2023 as a pilot project in 50 Gram Panchayats in Assam and Jammu & Kashmir.
• Efforts are ongoing to expand it nationwide.
• Implemented through collaboration of Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Rural Development, and Common Service Centers (CSC) under MeitY.
• Nari Adalat falls under the Sambal initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Elephant Trumpeting

• Asian Elephants are a keystone species.
• IUCN Status: Endangered.
• Listed under Appendix I of CITES and Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act.
• Elephants have the largest brain size among terrestrial animals.
• Female elephants lead groups.
• Gestation period is around 22 months.
• Play an important role as grazers.
• Help shape vegetation and forest ecosystems by clearing forests, allowing sunlight for seedlings and forest regeneration.
• Provide water access to other animals by digging holes, especially in water-scarce areas.
• Elephants produce four types of sounds: Trumpet, Roar, Rumble, and Chuff, sometimes in combinations.
• Previously, trumpeting was mainly attributed to responses to human disturbance.
• A recent study in Bandipur and Mudumalai National Parks, published in Melin Biology, suggests trumpeting is also for social interaction, playing, and conflict.
• Younger elephants use higher-pitched calls to attract herds.
• Older elephants use lower-pitched calls.
• Elephants produce trumpeting sounds by forcing air through their trunks, without using vocal cords, enabling high-frequency sounds audible to humans.

Sant Ravidas

• Sant Ravidas Jayanti was on February 12th.
• President Draupadi Murmu extended greetings on Ravidas Jayanti.
• Sant Ravidas's teachings emerged in the 15th and 16th centuries.
• He was a prominent saint of the Bhakti Movement.
• He promoted ideas of unity, devotion, and selfless service to humanity.
• Disciple of Jagatguru Ramanand.
• Founder of Ravidasiya religion.
• Focused on Nirgun Bhakti (devotion to formless God).
• Contemporary of Sant Kabir, who also propagated Nirgun Bhakti.
• Considered to be the guru of Meera Bai.
• A 'Chhatri' (pavilion) with Sant Ravidas's footprints is located near Meera Bai's temple in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, indicating a spiritual connection.
• Sant Ravidas's teachings are included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
• His teachings are also part of Panchvani, a key text of the Dadu Panthi sect, founded by Dadu Dayal.
• Sant Ravidas opposed caste discrimination and untouchability.
• Advocated for a society based on equality.
• Spoke for women's rights and against social status determined by birth.

Srijan Regh - Biological Waste Treatment

• Incineration is a waste treatment method that burns waste to reduce volume and is known as thermal treatment.
• Biological waste, also known as medical or pathological waste, includes human and animal tissues, blood, urine, and body fluids.
• Incineration of biological waste can be costly and energy-intensive.
• Srijan Regh is a non-incineration technology for treating biomedical waste using antimicrobials.
• It is a non-incineration technology that uses antimicrobials to disinfect pathological waste.
• Srijan Regh disinfects biomedical waste and manages toxic waste.
• It eliminates foul odors and replaces them with fragrance.
• Daily capacity of 400 kg.
• Developed by CSIR-NEIST (National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology), Sेंद्र, under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
• Implemented by AIIMS in collaboration with CSIR.

Tobin Tax

• Tobin Tax is under consideration by Donald Trump.
• Hot money refers to capital that moves very rapidly in and out of markets, often due to currency speculation.
• Currency trading for speculation can destabilize markets and increase volatility.
• Tobin Tax is a small tax on currency exchange transactions, e.g., 0.005%.
• It aims to discourage very short-term currency trading by making it more expensive due to the tax.
• Intended to stabilize markets and reduce volatility caused by excessive cross-border financial flows.
• Proposed by James Tobin to enhance stability in international currency exchange.
• Also referred to as Financial Transaction Tax or Robin Hood Tax because of its redistributive potential (taxing financial transactions to fund public/welfare initiatives).
• Analogy of "throwing sand in the wheels" - slowing down excessive speculation in currency markets to maintain stability.
• India does not directly impose a Tobin Tax on currency transactions.
• However, India has a similar tax called Securities Transaction Tax (STT), which is a small tax on stock market transactions.
• STT is an indirect form of Tobin Tax applied to stock market dealings in India.

Gross Domestic Knowledge Product (GDKP)

• Gross Domestic Knowledge Product (GDKP) is a concept being explored to measure knowledge-based progress alongside GDP.
• GDP calculation (C+I+G+NX) primarily focuses on goods and services.
• GDP may not fully capture the value of intellectual capital and intangible assets in the modern economy.
• There is a growing need to incorporate aspects like research, patents, software development, Artificial Intelligence, digital services and intellectual property into economic indicators.
• A session was chaired by the Principal Scientific Advisor to develop a framework for GDKP.
• MoSPI (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation) is considering how to integrate GDKP into GDP calculations.
• GDKP is envisioned as a dedicated metric to measure innovation, intellectual assets, and intangible assets.
• NITI Aayog mentioned GDKP in 2021, but without a detailed methodology.
• A technical committee will be established to develop a methodology for calculating GDKP.
• Currently, expenditures on Intellectual Property Products are included under Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), which is part of the 'I' (Investment) component of GDP.
• The initiative represents a shift from purely economic indicators to a more knowledge-centric approach in assessing progress.
• The proposed framework for GDKP is based on four pillars of knowledge: Knowledge Item, Knowledge Producer, Knowledge Distributor, and Knowledge User.
• A proper Gross Domestic Knowledge Product metric could help the government in policymaking related to education, research and technology, investments in R&D, and skill development.
• It is expected to have an overall positive impact across various sectors.

True & False Statements (Homework from Previous Day)

• Lymphatic Filariasis is caused by parasitic nematodes of the family Filariidae. - True
• Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jati Abhyudaya Yojana is a Central Sector Scheme. - False (It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme)
• Corruption Perception Index is released by World Economic Forum. - False (Released by Transparency International)

Source: PW Only IAS YouTube Channel