What is the News ?

The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) concluded with member states instructing the INC secretariat to create an initial draft aimed at putting an end to plastic pollution, including in marine ecosystems.

Facts About:

• This is a globally binding agreement designed to put an end to plastic pollution, especially in marine ecosystems.
• The zero draft consists of ten sections covering topics such as the preamble, definitions, principles, scope, institutional arrangements, and final provisions.
• During INC-2, member states like Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, and India emphasized the significance of clearly defining the scope of this legally binding instrument.

What is the News ?

The Competition Commission of India has recently unveiled preliminary rules for overseeing mergers and acquisitions involving significant India-based operations, particularly those in the technology sector, thereby extending the authority of the antitrust regulator.

Facts About:

• CCI is a government-established statutory body founded in March 2009 under the Competition Act, 2002.
• The primary objective of CCI is to foster fair competition in the economy, ensuring a level playing field for producers and promoting market dynamics that benefit consumers.
• The Commission's key focus areas include eradicating practices detrimental to competition, fostering and maintaining competitive environments, safeguarding consumer interests, and upholding the freedom of trade in India's markets.

Mandate: CCI enforces the provisions of The Competition Act, 2002, which:

• Prohibits anti-competitive agreements and the abuse of dominant positions by enterprises.
• Regulates mergers and acquisitions (M&A) that could potentially harm competition within India. Hence, deals exceeding certain thresholds require clearance from CCI.
• Monitors the activities of large enterprises to ensure they do not misuse their 'dominant position' by controlling supply, setting high purchase prices, or engaging in unethical practices that may harm emerging businesses.

Composition: CCI functions as a quasi-judicial body, consisting of one chairperson and six additional members, all appointed by the Central Government.

Headquarters: The Commission is headquartered in New Delhi.

What is the News ?

In September, China plans to launch the Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST).

Facts About:

This telescope is the largest time-domain survey facility in the Northern Hemisphere.

Its main goals are as follows:

• To explore and continuously monitor dynamic astronomical events and conduct research in the field of time-domain astronomy.
• To detect faint and distant celestial signals, including those from galaxies beyond our Milky Way and galaxy clusters.
• To search for planets or their moons in the Kuiper Belt and beyond.
• To track and study a comprehensive list of one million solar system objects, providing a detailed view of the solar system's history and evolution.

The WFST is positioned at the Lenghu astronomical observation base in Qinghai Province, northwest China.

• This location, with an average altitude of approximately 4,000 meters, offers ideal conditions for observing the night sky, thanks to its clear skies, stable atmosphere, dry climate, and minimal artificial light pollution.
• It's widely recognized as one of the finest observatory sites across the Eurasian continent.

The WFST project commenced in July 2019, a result of collaboration between the University of Science and Technology of China and the Purple Mountain Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

What is the News ?

Researchers recently spotted a rare sambar deer with leucism (partial white coloring) in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary.

Facts About:

• Sambar deer, scientifically known as Rusa unicolor, are large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
• They prefer to stay hidden and are most active during the evening and night.
• These deer can be found in a wide range of forest environments, including dry deciduous forests, rainforests, and mixed forests.
• One of their crucial roles in the ecosystem is seed dispersal within their natural habitats.

Distribution:

• They inhabit areas stretching from the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains across southern Asia, extending to the islands of Taiwan, Sumatra, and Borneo.

Threats they face:

• The main threats to Sambar deer are hunting and the encroachment of their natural habitat.
• In response to human hunting, they have adapted by becoming more active at night to avoid being hunted for trade and food.

Conservation status:

• According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), they are classified as 'Vulnerable.'

Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, they are listed in Schedule-III for protection.

What is the News ?

The State Bank of India has introduced the 'Nation First Transit Card.' It's a prepaid RuPay card that falls under the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) program, allowing you to use it anywhere in the country.

Facts About:

• This card is designed to make your commuting experience smooth and convenient.
  • You can use it to pay for tickets on metros, buses, water ferries, and even parking with just one card.
  • Plus, it's not just for transportation; you can also use it for shopping online and in stores.
• What makes it work is the technology behind it. It's powered by RuPay and National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) tech.                                      

Important Facts About National Common Mobility Card (NCMC):

• With NCMC, you can use your Bank's Debit Cards as travel cards for Metro Rail and Buses in places where it's available.
• The idea for NCMC came from a committee led by Nandan Nilekani, set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• NCMC is an initiative by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in India. Its goal is to promote cashless transactions and provide a single payment platform for commuters. It was launched on March 4, 2019.
• It offers a unified contactless transport solution through the RuPay platform, which is developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
• NCMC is like a magic card that can turn your smartphone into a transport card. You can use it to pay for Metro, bus, and suburban railway services.