PIB Analysis Date : 1st and 2nd December

PIB ANALYSIS FOR UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAM 2019

TOPICS COVERED

1. Digital Sky Platform
2. COP -24
3. Hornbill Festival
4. NITI Forum for North East
5. 112 India Mobile App
6. Ex-COPE India 2018
7. Chief Election Commissioner

1 . Digital Sky Platform

What is Digital Sky Platform

• Digital sky is an online registration portal for drone flying operation
• Nano drones in India can start flying legally. For micro and above categories, operators and pilots are required to register on the Digital Sky Portal
• Drones are also called as Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS)
• To get permissions to fly, RPAS operators or remote pilots will have to file a flight plan.
• Flying in the ‘green zones’ will require only intimation of the time and location of the flights via the portal or the app.
• Permissions will be required for flying in ‘yellow zones’ and flights will not be allowed in the ‘red zones’. 

2 . COP 24

About UNFCCC

• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle climate change. It was created at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known at the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.
• The Convention sets an overall framework for efforts by governments to tackle the challenges posed by climate change. It entered into force on 21st March 1994.
• Countries that have ratified the treaty are referred to as “Parties to the Convention”. There is almost near universal membership with 195 Parties to the Convention (194 individual states, including individual members of the European Union – the European Union is also a separate Party). The Holy See holds observer status. Since the UNFCCC came into force, the Parties have been meeting annually in Conferences of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with climate change and to agree action that should be taken.
• The UNFCCC is also the name of the United Nations Secretariat which is charged with supporting the operation of the Convention. The secretariat is based in Bonn, Germany, 
• The ultimate objective of the Convention is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations “at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human induced) interference with the climate system”. 
• The Convention requires industrialised countries to give precise and regularly updated inventories of their greenhouse gas emissions. Developing countries are also encouraged to carry out inventories. The Convention itself is considered legally non-binding as it does not set mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and does not include enforcement mechanisms. As the UNFCCC had non-binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and no enforcement mechanism, various “extensions” to this treaty were negotiated during these COPs, including: the famous Kyoto Protocol in 1997, which defined emission limits for developed nations to be achieved by 2012; 
• The Convention places the heaviest burden in terms of fighting climate change on industrialised nations under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”. This is because developed industrialised nations are the source of most current greenhouse gas emissions and have also historical responsibility in terms of past emissions. These countries are asked to do the most to cut emissions and to provide most of the funding for efforts elsewhere.
  

What is COP?

• The Conference of Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention.
• All States that are Parties to the Convention are represented at the COP, at which they review the implementation of the Convention and any other legal instruments that the COP adopts and take decisions necessary to promote the effective implementation of the Convention, including institutional and administrative arrangements.
• A key task for the COP is to review the national communications and emission inventories submitted by Parties. Based on this information, the COP assesses the effects of the measures taken by Parties and the progress made in achieving the ultimate objective of the Convention.
• The COP meets every year, unless the Parties decide otherwise.
• The first COP meeting was held in Berlin, Germany in March, 1995. The COP meets in Bonn, the seat of the secretariat, unless a Party offers to host the session.
• Just as the COP Presidency rotates among the five recognized UN regions – that is, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe and Others – there is a tendency for the venue of the COP to also shift among these groups.

Paris Agreement

• Under the agreement, all countries have committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit the global average rise in temperature to well below 2°C, and as close as possible to 1.5°C.
• Ramp up financing for climate action, including the annual $100 billion goal from donor nations for lower-income countries.
• Develop national climate plans by 2020, including their self-determined goals and targets.
• Protect beneficial ecosystems that absorb greenhouse gases, including forests.
• Strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change.
• Finalize a work programme to implement the agreement in 2018.

COP 24

• This year’s COP will be held in Katowice, Poland,
• It is crucial because 2018 is the deadline that the signatories of the Paris Agreement agreed upon in order to adopt a work programme for the implementation of the Paris commitments.

Indian Participation in COP 24

• On the sidelines of COP-24, India will be setting up a Pavilion to create awareness about India’s positive climate actions in various sectors of the economy.
• The theme of this year’s India Pavilion is ‘One World One Sun One Grid’ as highlighted by our Hon’ble Prime Minister during the first assembly of the International Solar Alliance on 2nd October 2018.
• India Pavilion will strive to become an ideal platform for the exchange of innovative ideas for the world to come together and take action.
• Union Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan will inaugurate the Pavilion on December 3^rd 2018 and will address and will also release India’s second Biennial Update Report.
• India would like to demonstrate the same spirit of commitment and leadership shown in the past during the COP-24. India’s expectation from COP-24 is that the decisions should be in consonance with the principles of UNFCCC, its Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement including equity, CBDR-RC, and climate justice

3 . Hornbill Festival

Union Home Minister inaugurates Hornbill Festival in Kohima

“North-East pivot of Government’s ‘Act East’ policy,” says Shri Rajnath Singh

About Hornbill Festival

• It was in the year 2000, that the State Government desirous of promoting tourism embarked upon an ambitious project to exploit the cultural assets of Nagaland, through a weeklong long festival to coincide with the celebration of Nagaland Statehood Day on 1st December.
• Thus, the inception of the Nagaland Hornbill Festival so named in collective reverence to the bird enshrined in the cultural ethos of the Nagas to espouse the spirit of unity in diversity.
• To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland organizes the Hornbill Festival every year in the first week of December for 10 days.
• It draws all the tribes and sub-tribes of Nagaland to the foothills below the lofty spurs of towering Mount Japfü wherin lies Naga Heritage Village, Kisama – the venue of the Festival.
• It plays host to a weeklong medly of cultural performances, indigenous games, craft bazaar, music events, fashion, cycling, motor sporting, events, a kids carnival, floral galleria, food courts, film festival and a series of competitions in various activities.

4 . NITI Forum for North East

Second meeting of NITI Forum for North East on Dec 4 in Guwahati

About NITI Forum for North East

• In February 2018, the ‘NITI Forum for North East’ was constituted to periodically review the development status in North Eastern Region. 
• The NITI Forum for Northeast is tasked to identify various constraints on the way of accelerated, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the North East Region of the country and to recommend suitable interventions for addressing identified constraints.
• Members of the Forum include Secretaries of various Ministries of the Government of India, Chief Secretaries of all the eight North-eastern states and also senior government officials and experts from various fields.
• The Secretary, North East Council (NEC) is the Member Secretary of the Forum.

5 . 112 India Mobile App

Union Home Minister launches Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) for Nagaland

• The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launched Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) for the State of Nagaland at Kohima
• Residents in Nagaland can dial 112 or use Panic Button on their phones or 112 India mobile App to connect to a single number based 112 emergency services which will connect to Police, Fire, Health and other helplines through an Emergency Response Centre in the State
• As a special feature, to ensure safety of women, a unique ‘SHOUT’ feature has been introduced in 112 India mobile App. This allows victims to seek immediate assistance from registered volunteers in the vicinity apart from contacting Emergency Response Centre. The SHOUT feature is exclusively available to women.
• The ‘112 India’ mobile app will be subsequently rolled out in all States & Union Territories to help people across the country access the unified emergency services.

6 . Ex Cope India 2018

Ex Cope India 2018 to Commence on 03 Dec 2018

• Ex Cope India-18 is the fourth edition in the series of Bilateral Joint exercise held between Indian Air Force and US Air Force, which is conducted in India.
• The aim of exercise is to provide operational exposure and undertake mutual exchange of best practices towards enhancing operational capability.

7 . Facts for Prelims

• Shri Sunil Arora takes over as new Chief Election Commissioner of India