Digi Yatra

GOVERNANCE

Passengers using different airports have recently complained more than ever about the “coercive and deceptive” way that both private staff and CISF officers were enrolling them with Digi Yatra.

Context:

• It was discovered in December 2023, during the busiest time of year for air travel, that private employees and security guards were taking facial biometrics at airport entrances for the Digi Yatra app without the passengers’ knowledge or agreement.

About Digi Yatra:-

• Through the use of facial recognition technology, DigiYatra, an industry-led initiative, makes airport security clearance and terminal access a smooth, hassle-free, paperless process.
• Travelers can save their IDs and travel documents on DigiYatra, a decentralized mobile ID storage platform.
• presented by the DigiYatra Foundation and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA).
• This platform is the next development in the direction of a society empowered by technology.
• With the advantage of shorter wait times, DigiYatra makes it possible for flyers to be processed digitally automatically.
• It expedites and improves the efficiency of the boarding procedure.
• Four pillars support DigiYatra: linked systems, connected airports, connected travelers, and connected flying.
• It guarantees simple access at every checkpoint.
• At airports, facial recognition software is used to facilitate paperless entrance.
• As a result, operations are less expensive.

Importance:

• Airport traffic is lessened and flying is more convenient thanks to facial recognition technology.
• Raise security requirements and boost system efficiency.

Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)

POLITY

The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of the Center for Policy Research was recently revoked by the Home Ministry.

Context:

The Institute’s publication of papers on “current affairs programs,” which is against the Act, is one of the stated justifications.

About the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA):-

• In India, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is in charge of FCRA regulation.
• Fearing foreign meddling in India’s politics, the Emergency of 1976 led to the enactment of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
• In order to ensure that foreign donations to people and organizations operated “in a manner consistent with the values of a sovereign democratic republic,” the law attempted to control them.
• The government tightened oversight and control over NGOs’ receipt and use of foreign funding by amending the FCRA in 2010 and 2020.

Definition of foreign contribution:-

• The definition of “foreign contribution” includes money, securities obtained from overseas sources, and items other than presents intended for personal use.
• On the other hand, international hospitality is any offer made by a foreign entity to cover the cost of foreign travel, boarding, accommodation, transportation, or medical care.

FCRA Registration:-

• NGOs must apply online in a specified format and with the necessary paperwork if they wish to accept international funding.
• Individuals or organizations with specific cultural, economic, educational, religious, and social programs are eligible to apply for FCRA registrations.
• After receiving the NGO’s application, the MHA investigates the applicant’s background through the Intelligence Bureau and handles the application as necessary.

FCRA Prohibitions and Exceptions:

• Prohibited Categories: During elections, foreign donations are prohibited for candidates, journalists, media broadcasters, judges, government employees, legislators, members of political parties or their office-bearers, and political organizations.
• The following requirements must be met in order to be eligible: applicants must be false, cannot be charged with conversion crimes, cannot be active in inciting discord or friction within the community, and cannot spread sedition.

Significance:–

• In India, foreign donations are subject to regulations thanks in large part to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).
• It guarantees that foreign monies are used for legal reasons, that actions that are harmful to the interests of the country are stopped, and that accountability and transparency are upheld.

National Essential Diagnostics List

GOVERNANCE

For the first time, the ICMR has begun updating the National Essential Diagnostics List as of late.

Background:-

The list comprises the minimal diagnostic tests that healthcare institutions ought to have on hand; by the end of February, ICMR requested input from stakeholders regarding test additions and deletions.

About National Essential Diagnostics List:-

• This list would serve as a guide for the government in determining what kinds of diagnostic tests are necessary for various healthcare facilities located in remote and rural locations.
• The first edition of the Essential Diagnostics List (EDL) was published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in May 2018.
• The WHO’s EDL serves as a guide for the creation of national EDLs, however India’s diagnostics list has been tailored and created in accordance with the country’s healthcare priorities.
• The Medical Device Rules, 2017 contain the regulatory provisions governing diagnostics in India.
• The Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules of 1945 established the regulatory framework for drugs, including medical devices and in vitro diagnostics.
• In an effort to establish diagnostic accessibility as a fundamental element of the healthcare system, the Indian Council of Medical Research published the first National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) in 2019.
• Every stage of healthcare, including primary, secondary, and tertiary care, has a NEDL.
• For normal patient care and the diagnosis of both infectious and non-communicable disorders, it consists of a set of general laboratory tests.
• In accordance with the suggested list of diagnostics, it also suggests a list of human resources for various levels of healthcare, including ASHA employees, lab technicians, pathologists, and others.

Importance:

• The goal of this NEDL is to close the loophole in the current regulatory framework that excludes certain medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic devices (IVD).

Jagannath Temple

The public can visit the Jagannath Temple Heritage Corridor project in Puri, Odisha, starting on January 17, 2024.

Context:

The purpose of the Temple Heritage Corridor is to improve the pilgrims’ visual connection to the temple.

About Jagannath Temple:-

• The Eastern Ganga Dynasty’s Anatavarman Chodaganga constructed it in the twelfth century.
• Over the ages, it was reconstructed by Gajapatis and other later monarchs.
• It is thought to have been the location of a former temple connected to King Indrayumna.
• a significant Hindu holy place that is a component of Char Dham.
• It is devoted to Subhadra, Balabhadra, and Lord Jagannath.
• Lord Vishnu takes the form of Lord Jagannath.
• A stop on the Char Dham pilgrimage, this temple was dubbed the “White Pagoda” (Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri, Rameswaram).
• It is known as “Yamanika Tirtha” and is a component of the Char Dham circuit.
• Special wooden gods that change on a regular basis.
• The annual Rath Yatra celebration, which features a magnificent procession of the temple’s three principal deities—Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra—on a chariot, is the main draw of the temple.
• The temple is renowned for its unusual cuisine selection.

Architecture:-

• On an elevated platform, the temple is positioned in the middle of an inner courtyard.
• There are four parts to it: Vimana or Deula (Garbagriha)
• Natamandapa Jagamohana
• Bhogamandapa

African cheetah

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

Experts have recently petitioned the IUCN to change the status of cheetahs in the Horn of Africa to “endangered.”

Context:

Experts have petitioned the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to change the Northeast African Cheetah’s (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii) status from “vulnerable” to “endangered.” The cheetah is situated in the Horn of Africa.

About Africa cheetah:-

• Scientific Name: Jubatus jubatus Acinonyx
• Habitat: Savannahs in Africa.
• Their 1.2 m (4 foot) tall, slender body is balanced by a long (65–85 cm) tail that typically culminates in a white tuft.
• Between 34 and 54 kg (75 and 119 pounds), is their weight range, with males being slightly larger than females.
• When compared to the Asiatic Cheetah, they are larger in size.
• All over their bodies are small circular black spots, and there are black marks that extend from the corner of their lips to the inner of their eyes.
• The Sanskrit root of its name translates to “the spotted one.”
• They feed on birds, animals, and tiny antelopes.
• Out of all the land animals, they are the fastest.