TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 9.7.2024

1. INDIA – SEMICONDUCTOR – (SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY)

• Incentive Programs: Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme
• Capital Subsidies for setting up semiconductor fabrication plants (fabs)
• Tax Incentives for investments
• India Semiconductor Mission: Allocate additional funds and grants
• Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) models to leverage private sector expertise and investment
• Infrastructure Development: Establish Special Economic Zones (SEZs)
• Set up Common Facility Centers for testing, packaging, and prototyping to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
• Research and Development (R&D): Provide grants and funding for R&D in semiconductor technology
• Collaboration with Academia to drive innovation and develop a skilled workforce
• International Collaboration: Enter into Technology Transfer Agreements with leading semiconductor manufacturing countries like Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.
• Form strategic Global partnerships to bring in advanced technologies and best practices.
• Supply Chain Development: Vendor Development Programs for robust supply chain by encouraging local vendors to supply equipment, chemicals, and other materials required for semiconductor manufacturing.
• Develop semiconductor manufacturing clusters to create a concentrated ecosystem of suppliers, manufacturers, and service providers.

2. NRC – MANIPUR (KULKI GROUP) – (NATIONAL)

• Conditional Support for NRC: The Kuki-Zo community, represented by KIM, has expressed conditional support for the NRC in Manipur, provided it is conducted under the strict supervision of the Supreme Court and in consultation with tribal organizations.
• This condition aims to ensure fairness and transparency in the identification of non-citizens.
• Demands for NRC: The demand for an NRC in Manipur has been primarily driven by Meitei and Naga organizations to check infiltration from Myanmar, which shares a border with Manipur.
• The NRC exercise in Assam, which aimed to update the 1951 register, left out 19.06 lakh of the 3.3 crore applicants, highlighting the complexities and controversies associated with such exercises.
• Constitutional Rules and Principles: KIM has emphasized that any genuine effort to identify non-citizens should adhere to constitutional rules and principles.
• They have also stated that any illegal immigrant, regardless of their ethnic background (Kuki, Naga, or Meitei), should be dealt with according to established laws.
• Call for End to Hostilities: KIM has called for an end to hostilities against the Kuki-Zo people by the Meiteis, citing significant violence and displacement.
• They have highlighted the loss of 186 lives, the destruction of over 7,000 houses, and the displacement of more than 41,000 Kuki-Zo people.
• Demand for Union Territory: KIM has stressed the need for constitutional protection of the Kuki- Zo people by creating a Union Territory for them.
• This demand is rooted in the desire for greater autonomy and protection from perceived oppression and persecution by the Meitei State leadership.

3. RAJASTHAN TRIBALS – SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION (ECONOMY)

• Sustainable Agriculture: Support for Sustainable Agriculture: The tribal communities have emphasized the need for budget allocations to support sustainable agricultural practices. This includes promoting traditional farming methods that are environmentally friendly and sustainable in the long term.
• Indigenous Seed Cultivation: There is a strong push for the cultivation and distribution of indigenous seeds, such as traditional maize and small millets (ragi, kodo, kutki, cheena, and kang). These seeds are better suited to local conditions and can help improve crop resilience and nutritional outcomes.
• Nutrition: Inclusion in Public Distribution System (PDS): The memorandum suggests that small millet seeds should be included in the PDS, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and midday meal schemes. This can help improve the nutritional intake of the tribal population, especially children.
• Health and Nutrition Programs: Distribution of small millet seeds through health and nutrition programs is recommended to enhance dietary diversity and nutritional security.
• Economic Growth and Livelihood Promotion: Livelihood Promotion Programs: Comprehensive programs focusing on livelihood promotion and the integration of traditional farm practices into skill development are seen as crucial for enhancing the rural economy.
• Maize Excellence Centre: Establishing a maize excellence centre in Banswara to promote traditional maize cultivation and distribute indigenous maize seeds through the Rajasthan State Seeds Corporation.
• Water, Forests, Soil, Livestock, and Seeds: Holistic Focus: The budgetary plans should address water management, forest conservation, soil health, livestock development, and seed distribution to ensure the economic growth of tribal-dominated areas.
• Community Seed Management: Community Seed Management Centres: Establishing seed management centres at the panchayat level to enhance the production of local variety seeds using traditional farming methods.
• Seed Exchange Programs and Storage Facilities: New budgetary provisions for seed exchange programs and the establishment of seed storage facilities to support local farmers.

4. DRDO – INDIGENOUS LIGHT TANK ZORAWAR – (DEFENCE)

• Engine and Power: Current Engine: The prototype is powered by a Cummins engine, which is being assembled in India.
• Future Development: The DRDO is working on developing a new domestic engine for the tank.
• Additionally, a 1,400-HP engine is under development for the Arjun Mk1A main battle tank, which may influence future iterations of the Zorawar.
• Design and Capabilities: Lightweight: The tank is designed to weigh less than 25 tonnes, making it suitable for rapid deployment and maneuverability.
• Extreme Environment Operation: It is capable of operating in extreme weather conditions and high-altitude areas, particularly along India’s northern borders.
• Minimal Logistic Support: The tank is designed to require minimal logistic support, which is crucial for operations in remote and challenging terrains.
• Strategic Importance: High-Altitude Warfare: The Zorawar light tank is particularly significant for high-altitude warfare, providing the Indian Army with enhanced capabilities in regions such as Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Indigenous Manufacturing: The development of the Zorawar tank aligns with India’s push for self-reliance in defense manufacturing under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

5. GRAPHENE – (SCIENCE)

• Graphene is an allotrope of carbon, along with diamond and graphite.
• When the same element is able to exist in different forms, the forms are called allotropes
• It consists of a single layer of carbon atoms that are linked to each other in a honeycomb pattern
• A “wonder material”: As a nanomaterial, it is stronger than diamond, more conductive than silver, more elastic than rubber, and lighter than aluminium.
• Made in laboratories — using chemical vapour deposition method
• Application: stronger car tires, chips to replace those made of silicon in smartphones, supercapacitor, sensors, Anti-Corrosion Coatings, cancer treatment, Qubits, giant magnetoresistance (GMR), etc..
• When graphene is mixed with concrete, the latter becomes 25% stronger and less carbon-intensive

ONE LINER

1. India hosted the 64^th International Sugar Organization (ISO) Council Meeting in New Delhi
2. Adoption of 147 new words in Senthamizh Etymology under Akaramudali Iyakka Koottam.