Bihar Affairs
Air quality in Patna improves to ‘moderate’ from ‘poor’ category
The city experienced less pollution ahead of winter this year compared to the previous year when there was less traffic on road due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The air quality index (AQI) of Patna has drastically improved by 79 notches – from ‘poor’ zone at 205 to ‘moderate’ zone at 129 – in the last 24 hours, as per the bulletin of theCentral Pollution Control Board(CPCB). When compared to other major cities in Indo-Gangetic plains, Patna was at the third position in improved air quality after Kolkata (115) and Dehradun (76). The other major cities like Delhi recordedAQIof 424, Kota 260, Lucknow 197 and Chandigarh 185.
The improved Environment was largely due to favourable weather conditions, rise in temperature, less traffic movement owing to Chhath festival and various measures taken under the Clean Air Action Plan.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’. A ‘moderate’ AQI essentially means breathing discomfort will be experienced by the people having lung, asthma and heart diseases.
National and International Affairs
Critical Information Infrastructure
The Union Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has declared IT Resources of HDFC bank, ICICI Bank, and NPCI as critical information (CII).
According to Information Technology Act of 2000, Critical Information Infrastructure is a computer resource. Incapacitation or destruction of such resource have debilitating impact on national security, public Health, economy, or public safety.
Under the IT Act 2000, the Union Government has the power to declare any data, IT Network, Database, or communications infrastructure as Critical Information Infrastructure, in order to protect that digital asset. In case, any person who secures access or tries to secure access to protected system, can be put behind the bars for up to 10 years.
Centre approves Maharashtras first Electronics Manufacturing Cluster at Ranjangaon, Pune
As part of its objective to strengthen the electronics manufacturing ecosystem in India, theMinistry of Electronics and IThas approved the greenfieldElectronics Manufacturing Cluster(EMC) with the project cost of Rs 492.85 crores to be set up in RanjangaonPhase III,nearPune in Maharashtra.
The Minister also announced that the Ministry of Electronics and IT plans to give a boost to the 1000 Crore Semicon India Future Design programme to support Semiconductor Design Startups in the state and shall soon visit Maharashtra for a roadshow. He informed that C-DAC, Pune shall be the nodal office for this purpose.
CRPF gets its first women Inspector Generals
Two lady officers who were part of the first batch of Women officers inducted into the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 1987, have been promoted to the rank of Inspector General (IG), a first for the countrys largest central para-military force.
Annie Abraham was appointed as IG in charge of Rapid Action Force (RAF), the anti-riots component of CRPF, on October 31. Seema Dhundia was handed charge as IG of Bihar sector on October 1.
viral spillover risks
A new research article titled Viral spillover risk increases with <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change in High Arctic lake sediments was released recently.
Viral spillover occurs when viruses overcome several barriers to infect new host from reservoir host (in which it usually resides).
The researchers from the University of Ottawa sought to study the possibility of a viral spillover by collecting sediments and Soil samples from Lake Hazen in Canada the worlds largest High Arctic lake by volume.
After six years, U.N. climate summit returns to Africa
TheU.N. Climate summitis back in Africa after six years and four consecutive Europe-based conferences.
The 27th annual Conference of the Parties of the U.N. Framework Convention on better known as COP27 will be held in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.
Its been branded as the African COP, with officials and activists hoping the conferences location will mean the continents interests are better represented in climate negotiations.