Top News Highlights- 30 October 2024

India’s Hunt for Critical Minerals

• The critical minerals India needs, including cobalt, copper, graphite, lithium, and nickel, are covered in this IEEFA report.
• India is entirely dependent on imports of lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
• The demand for critical minerals can be doubled by 2030, which will add strategic vulnerability.
• Reportedly, India should look to a partnership with resource-rich nations like Australia, Chile, and Ghana to ensure that the supply chain is sound.

Advancements in Space Biotechnology

• ISRO and DBT collaborated on the development of space biotechnology that helped in solving some of the problems like the supply of nutrients, waste, and microgravity that existed in space.
• Applications included the successful growth of protein crystals and better research work on the radiation and life support systems of a regenerative type.
• Some more focused missions include NASA BioSentinel and ESA Biolab. The missions also included some focused modeling work on diseases and the environmental study of space. India continued its role with Axiom-4 and Gaganyaan, one of the couples of soon-to-be undertaken missions in outer space.

Pradhan Mantri Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (PMVKY) Completes 10 Years

• Launched in 2014, PMVKY is a whole growth of tribal areas which is to be achieved with the help of schemes and missions like Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana and PVTGs Development Mission.
• Education and health; road connectivity and development; and conservation, and promotion of culture shall find focused areas
• Scheduled tribe comprises around 8.6 % of the Indian population whereas more than 730 such tribes exist that have been specified under Article 342 of the Indian constitution

WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin (GGB)

• CO2; methane, as well as nitrous oxides increasing levels through which carbon footprints are rising up on account of climate change:.
• Radiative forcing by long-lived greenhouse gases increased by 51.5% since 1990, the highest contributor of which was CO2.
• Methane emissions due to natural wetlands may speed up global warming.

Cybercrime and Digital Fraud Prevention

• I4C and CERT-In are trying to combat cases of rising cybercrime which includes “digital arrests”.
• Digital arrest is a case in which fraudsters adopt the garb of law enforcement agencies, and so far it has resulted in a loss of ₹120 crore early this year 2024.
• Reporting and further assistance for cybercrime victims is the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and helpline 1930.

India-Spain Bilateral Relations

• Bilateral agreements lately are in defense manufacturing, cultural exchange, and new consulate of Spain in Bengaluru.
• India-Spain economic relations have also surged, with bilateral trade valued at $9.9 billion in 2023.
• Economic growth will be accelerated further with the help of this partnership over C295 aircraft production and mutual investment facilitation.

Mission Amrit Sarovar Progress

• Launched in 2022 to save water resources and involve people in water management.
• The focus will be on developing or restoring 75 Amrit Sarovars in every district.
• The mission has constructed more than 60,000 Amrit Sarovars across the country so far.

Keywords and Concepts

• Critical Minerals: The minerals that are needed for the technology and renewable energy sectors with high import dependency.
• Space Biotechnology: It is a field focused on biological research in space to solve long-term human spaceflight challenges.
• Pradhan Mantri Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (PMVKY): Government scheme for tribal welfare focusing on socio-economic development
• Radiative Forcing: A measure of how greenhouse gases affect Earth’s climate by trapping heat.
• Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C): An MHA initiative to prevent and address cybercrime across India.
• Mission Amrit Sarovar: A water conservation mission that aims at building sustainable water sources and maintaining it.