Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE
Topics Covered
- Driverless Train
- Inflation targeting
- Digital Ocean
- Dedicated Freight Corridor
- Facts for Prelims
1 . Driverless Trains
Context : Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated country’s first ‘driverless’ metro in Delhi.
About the News
- The first ‘driverless’ train rolled out on the 38-km Line 8 or Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro
- Delhi Metro, now the country’s largest urban mass rapid transit system, had commenced operations on December 24, 2002 on a 8.4-km stretch between Shahdara and Tis Hazari stations.
- The Centre has also notified changes in the Metro Railways General Rules, 2020 as the previous norms did not allow driverless services.
About driverless train operation (DTO)
- Driverless train operation (DTO) or unattended train operation (UTO) modes can be implemented only on Line 7 and Line 8 of the DMRC network which came up under the Phase III expansion.
- These corridors are equipped with an advanced signalling technology which makes the transition possible. For now, DMRC is rolling out the UTO mode on Line 8 only.
How much control do drivers have over train operations now?
- Even now, trains are mostly remotely controlled from the command rooms of the DMRC known as Operations Control Centre (OCC), from where teams of engineers track and monitor in real time train movement across the DMRC network.
- The OCCs are akin to air traffic control towers equipped with large display walls and communication technology.
- DMRC has three OCCs, including two inside the metro headquarters and one at Shastri Park. But the level of control that the drivers or train operators have over trains vary from line to line.
About Automatic Train Operation (ATO) & Automatic Train Protection (ATP) mode
- Line 1 or the Red Line and Line 3/4 or the Blue Line drivers are in complete control of trains, starting from speed, opening and closing of doors. The target speed is, however, decided by the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, which means drivers cannot run trains above a certain limit.
- The remaining corridors, including Line 8 for now, are covered by the Automatic Train Operation (ATO) mode. Under this mode, drivers only press the departure command after closing doors at every platform. But the ATO mode is occasionally switched off even on these lines and drivers are made to run trains manually so that they remain prepared to intervene in case of emergencies.
About Driverless Train Operation (DTO) mode
- From ATP and ATO, metro will switch to Driverless Train Operation (DTO) mode. In this mode, trains can be controlled entirely from the three command centres of the DMRC, without any human intervention.
- The Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling technology also makes it possible to monitor and troubleshoot every aspect of train operations remotely.
- Manual intervention is required only in cases of hardware replacement. At the command centres, posts of information controllers have been created to handle the passenger information system, crowd monitoring.
- Rolling stock controllers will monitor train equipment in real-time, download faults and other events captured by CCTVs and assist traffic controllers in executing commands remotely. All station controllers will also have access to on board CCTV feed.
- But the system will still be one step away from the Unattended Train Operation (UTO) mode, the final stage of driverless services.
Does that mean technically metro will continue to have drivers on board?
- Yes, for now. Until DMRC switches to the UTO mode, it will have roving attendants, who will be trained metro operators, on board to intervene in case of emergencies or other types of failures.
- That will change once metro finishes equipping all the trains with high-resolution cameras to detect rail defects. After that, metro will also gradually remove the cabins meant for drivers and cover all the control panels.
- Currently, drivers operate out of cabins, located at the front and back of every train, which block out the view of the tracks from the front and end coaches. Defects on tracks cannot be captured with the placement and resolution of the cameras currently installed.
- The bandwidth capacity to relay footage in real time to the command centres will also have to be augmented.
But how safe will be trains running on UTO mode?
- DMRC points out its train operations already involve a considerable degree of automation. And the high-resolution cameras, once installed, will obviate the need for manual monitoring of tracks from the drivers’ cabins.
- Under the plan, images of tracks and overhead wires, from which trains draw power, transmitted to the OCCs shall be continuously analysed and corrective action taken immediately in the event of any abnormality.
- The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CMRS), which gave its nod to DMRC for DTO/UTO operations on December 18, has also directed the metro to ensure that the on-board cameras are kept free of moisture to ensure clear visibility at the command centre.
- DMRC has also engaged a consultant (consortium of Systra MVA and Systra France) for inspection and review of systems for implementation of UTO operation. The report shall be submitted to the CMRS by the DMRC at the time of implementation of UTO mode
2 . Inflation-targeting framework
Context : Maintaining the inflation target at 4% is appropriate for India, according to a working paper titled “Measuring Trend Inflation in India”.
Details of the working Paper
- The paper finds a steady decline in trend inflation to 4.1- 4.3% since 2014.
- A target set too [significantly] below the trend imparts a deflationary bias to monetary policy because it will go into overkill relative to what the economy can intrinsically bear in order to achieve the target,”
- Analogously, a target that is fixed above the trend renders monetary policy too expansionary and prone to inflationary shocks and unanchored expectations.
- Hence, maintaining the inflation target at 4% is appropriate for India
- Central to the design and conduct of monetary policy is the concept of trend inflation, the level to which actual inflation outcomes are expected to converge after short-run fluctuations die out, the authors said.
What is the RBI’s role in tackling inflation?
- In 2016, the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, was amended to provide a statutory basis for the implementation of a flexible inflation-targeting framework, where the Centre and the RBI would review and agree upon a specific inflation target every five years.
- Under this, 4% was set as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation target for the period from August 5, 2016, to March 31, 2021, with the upper tolerance limit of 6% and the lower tolerance limit of 2%.
- To the extent that ensuring price stability is its primary goal, the RBI through its MPC must constantly assess not just current levels of inflation and prices of various goods and services in the economy, but also take into consideration inflation expectations both of consumers and financial markets so as to use an array of monetary tools, including interest rates, to contain inflation within its target range.
3 . Digital Ocean
Context : Union Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan launched the ‘Digital Ocean’ platform of Indian National Centre for Oceanic Information Services (INCOIS)
About Digital Ocean
- Digital Ocean is a one stop-solution for all data related needs of a wide range of users, including research institutions, operational agencies, strategic users, academic community, maritime industry, and the public.
- This first of its kind platform for ocean data management has a set of applications that present heterogeneous oceanographic data with geospatial technology.
- It will facilitate an online interactive web-based environment for data integration, 3D and 4D data visualization, data analysis to assess the evolution of oceanographic features obtained from multiple sources like on site monitoring devices, remote sensing and model data
Importance
- Digital Ocean is expected to bring a sea-change in how the oceanographic data is served for a better understanding of oceans surrounding us.
- It will play a central role in sustainable management of our oceans and expanding our ‘Blue Economy’ initiatives,
About INCOIS
- INCOIS provides ocean information and advisory services to various stakeholders in the country, including Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories, Ocean State Forecast (OSF), high wave alerts, tsunami early warnings, storm surge and oil-spill advisories, among others, using state-of-the-art technologies and tools to get real time information on oceanographic and marine meteorological data.
- The institute has been serving as the National Argo Data Centre and Regional Argo Data Centre of the International Argo Programme, he added, in a press release.
4 . Dedicated Freight Corridor
Context : Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 351-km section between Khurja and Bhaupur in Uttar Pradesh for commercial operations of the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC)
What is the DFC?
- The DFC consists of two arms.
- The section launched is part of the 1,839-km Eastern DFC that starts at Sohnewal (Ludhiana) in Punjab and ends at Dankuni in West Bengal.
- The other arm is the around 1,500-km Western DFC from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to JNPT in Mumbai, touching all major ports along the way.
- The 351-km section stretches between Khurja, the 12th stop after Sohnewal in the North, to New Bhaupur, near Kanpur. Other stretches are Sohnewal to Khurja (365 km), Bhaupur to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay (Mughalsarai) (400 km), then to Sonnagar in West Bengal (137 km), then to Dankuni via Gomoh in Jharkhand (538 km).
- There is also a section under construction between Dadri and Khurja to connect the Eastern and Western arms.
The section opened by PM Modi
- The total 2,843-km project — billed as the largest rail infrastructure being built in independent India — has been in the making since 2006 with little movement on the ground. It is finally ready to take off, albeit in phases.
The section opened by PM ModiWhy is it important?
- Around 70% of the freight trains currently running on the Indian Railway network are slated to shift to the freight corridors, leaving the paths open for more passenger trains.
- Built at a cost of Rs 5,750 crore through a loan from World Bank (which is funding a majority of the EDFC; the WDFC is being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency)
- It is like building an entire railway network from scratch, independent of Indian Railways. All the installations are new. Including the stations, and that’s why the names of a majority of its stations are prefixed with ‘New’, such as New Bhaupur, New Khurja etc.
- Tracks on DFC are designed to carry heavier loads than most of Indian Railways. DFC will get track access charge from the parent Indian Railways, and also generate its own freight business.
What trains will use the new section?
- Freight trains plying on this section from now on will help decongest the existing Kanpur-Delhi main line of Indian Railways, which currently handles trains at 150% of its line capacity.
- The new section means on the Indian Railway main line, more passenger trains can be pumped in and those trains can, in turn, achieve better punctuality.
- Foodgrain and fertilisers from the northern region are transported to the eastern and Northeast regions. From East and Northeast, coal, iron ore, jute and petroleum products are transported North and West.
What else will change?
- There are certain firsts for this section. For instance, 68 existing level crossings have been eliminated to augment speed, the only major section on Indian Railways that is free from any permanent or temporary speed restrictions. This in a way sets the bar for rest of the DFC to also make stretches free from speed restrictions, or “cautions” as they are termed in Railways.
- Freight trains usually suffer from unpredictable running times and low speeds of around 25 km per hour. But on this new section they can run at 50-60 kph.
- This section will also catch the freight traffic originating from key centres such as Kanpur Dehat, Aurayia, Etawah, Firozabad, Hathras, Aligarh and Bulandshahr. The existing industrial areas of Aligarh, Khuja, Firozabad, Agra and Bhaupur will become major growth centres of the area, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation projects in its business development plan.
- These areas are agriculture hubs producing potato, paddy and maize. The agricultural produce will get a pan-India market because of cheaper and faster DFC connectivity,”
- New Makhanpur (Firozabad) and New Daudkhan (Aligarh) will be opened as common user terminals aimed at local farmers in sending their produce to the larger markets.
What about the rest of the DFC?
- More sections will keep getting commissioned in the coming months.
- There is 61% progress in the Bhaupur to Deen Dayal Upadhyay section, and 180 km of the 402 km will be complete by December 21, year while 22 km will be done by June 2022. Thereafter the stretch to Sonnagar will see 100 km completed by March next year.
- The 401-km Khurja to Sanhewal section has had only 39% progress. It will be done by June 2022.
- A 46-km link between Khurja (Eastern) and Dadri (Western) will be ready by March 2021. By December 2021, Kanpur-Khurja area will get connected to the western ports of Kandla, Mundra, and Pipava, via the 127-km Dadri-Rewari section in the Western arm, its target advanced by several months.
- In the Western DFC, the section between Rewari (Haryana) and Madar (Rajasthan) has been completed. The subsequent sections are up to Palanpur in Gujarat (to be done in the next three months), then to Makarpura (by March 2022) and finally to JNPT (June 2022).
5 . Facts for Prelims
Museum in a box
- Museum in a Box’ is part of the multi-year initiative, ‘Water Matters’, that focusses on public exhibitions on science and sustainable water management innovation, installations, information kiosks, and interactive educational experiments, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), Care Earth Trust, and Science Gallery Bengaluru.
Water harvesting Techniques