• Against the backdrop of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, International Energy Agency (IEA), in collaboration with NITI Aayog, presented a ‘Special Report on Sustainable Recovery’ recently.  
• The report, part of IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook series, was prepared in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• The report details energy-focused policies and investments that could help boost economic growth, create jobs and put emissions into structural decline while making energy systems lower-cost, secure and resilient.
• The report mentions key sectors for creating jobs: electricity, transportation, buildings, industry and sustainable biofuels and innovations.
• A combination of policy actions and targeted investments will offer huge benefits to the economy and generate jobs.
• However, the measures highlighted in the report remains the sovereign choice of the country.

• The Ministry of Science & Technology has formulated following schemes to provide attractive avenues and opportunities to Indian researchers who are residing in foreign countries to work in Indian Institutes and Universities.

 Visiting Advanced Joint Research (VAJRA) Faculty Scheme

• This Scheme is to bring overseas scientists and academicians including Non-resident Indians (NRI) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to India to work in public funded Institutions and Universities for a specific period of time.
• The scheme offers adjunct / visiting faculty assignments to overseas scientists including Indian researchers to undertake high quality collaborative research in cutting edge areas of science and technology with one or more Indian collaborators.

Ramanujan Fellowship

• This Fellowship provides attractive avenues and opportunities to Indian researchers of high calibre, who are residing abroad, to work in Indian Institutes/Universities in all areas of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
• It is directed to scientists and engineers below the age of 40 years, who want to return to India from abroad.

Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship

• The programme is to encourage scientists (Indian Nationals) working outside the country, who would like to return to the home country to pursue their research interests in Life Sciences, Modern Biology, Biotechnology, and other related areas.

Biomedical Research Career Programme (BRCP)

• This program provides opportunity to early, intermediate and senior level researchers to establish their research & academic career in Basic biomedical or Clinical & Public Health in India.
• These fellowships are open to all eligible researchers who wish to relocate or continue to work in India.

Scientists/ Technologists of Indian Origin (STIO) in Indian research Laboratory

• There is a provision to appoint Scientists/ Technologists of Indian Origin (STIO) on a contractual basis at Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratories to nurture a research field in their area of expertise.

Senior Research Associateship (SRA) (Scientist's Pool Scheme)

• This scheme is primarily meant to provide temporary placement to highly qualified Indian scientists, engineers, technologists, and medical personnel returning from abroad, who are not holding any employment in India.
• The Senior Research Associateship is not a regular appointment, but is a temporary facility to enable the Associate to do research/teaching in India while looking for a regular position.

 Schemes under Ministry of Education

1. Samagra Shiksha
2. Operation Digital Board

• YUVIKA Programme comes under the ambit of ISRO.

• The institution of Lokpal has been functioning since the appointment of its Chairperson and eight Members in March, 2019.

Lokpal

• It is an independent statutory body established under section 3 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.
• The Lokpal to consist of a Chairperson with a maximum of 8 members of which 50% shall be judicial members.
• The Chairperson and the Members are appointed by the President of India by warrant under his hand and seal.
• They hold office for a term of five years from the date on which they enter upon the office or until they attain the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier.
• The salary, allowances and other conditions of services of the Chairperson are the same as that of Chief Justice of India.
• The salary, allowances and other conditions of services of the Members are the same as that of a Judge of the Supreme Court.
• The Lokpal has jurisdiction to inquire into allegations of corruption against anyone who is or has been Prime Minister, or a Minister in the Union government, or a Member of Parliament, as well as officials of the Union Government under Groups A, B, C and D.
• The Lokpal is required to present annually to the President a report on the work done by it, which is caused to be laid in both the Houses of the Parliament.

Ocean Services, Modelling, Applications, Resources and Technology (O-SMART) scheme

• It is an umbrella scheme of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

Objectives of the scheme

1. To generate and regularly update information on Marine Living Resources and their relationship with the physical environment in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
2. To periodically monitor levels of sea water pollutants for health assessment of coastal waters of India, to develop shoreline change maps for assessment of coastal erosion due to natural and anthropogenic activities.
3. To develop a wide range of state-of-the art ocean observation systems for acquisition of real-time data from the seas around India.
4. To generate and disseminate a suite of user-oriented ocean information, advisories, warnings, data and data products for the benefit of society.
5. To develop high resolution models for ocean forecast and reanalysis system.
6. To develop algorithms for validation of satellite data for coastal research and to monitor changes in the coastal research.
7. Acquisition of 2 Coastal Research Vessels (CRVs) as replacement of 2 old CRVs for coastal pollution monitoring, testing of various underwater components and technology demonstration.
8. To develop technologies to tap the marine bio resources.
9. To develop technologies generating freshwater and energy from ocean,
10. To develop underwater vehicles and technologies.
11. Establishment of Ballast water treatment facility.
12. To support operation and maintenance of 5 Research vessels for ocean survey/monitoring/technology demonstration programmes.
13. Establishment of state of the art sea front facility to cater to the testing and sea trial activities of ocean technology.
14. To carryout exploration of Polymetallic Nodules (MPN) from water depth of 5500 m in site of 75000 sq.km allotted to India by United Nations in Central Indian Ocean Basin, to carryout investigations of gas hydrates.
15. Exploration of polymetallic sulphides near Rodrigues Triple junction in 10000 sq. km of area allotted to India in International waters by International Seabed Authority/UN.
16. Submission of India's claim over continental shelf extending beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone supported by scientific data, and Topographic survey of EEZ of India.

• Indian Parliament has recently passed the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020

• The bill amends the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to include protections for health care service personnel combating epidemic diseases.
• The legislation makes harm, injury, hurt or danger to the life of health care service personnel as a cognizable and non-bailable offence.
• It has provisions of imprisonment from three months to five years and a fine between 50 thousand rupees to two lakh rupees.
• Persons convicted of offences under the bill will also be liable to pay compensation to the health care service personnel whom they have hurt.
• The bill also expands the powers of the Central Government to prevent the spread of such diseases.
• The earlier Act specifies that the central government may regulate:

1. The inspection of any ship or vessel leaving or arriving at any port.
2. The detention of any person intending to travel from the port, during an outbreak.

• The Bill expands the powers of the central government to regulate the inspection of any bus, train, goods vehicle, ship, vessel, or aircraft leaving or arriving at any land port, port, or aerodrome.
• Further, the government may regulate the detention of any person intending to travel by these means.

• Recently, International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) Committee submits interim report on development of global retail business.
• It is to suggest ways for the development of international retail business in International Financial Services Centres (IFSC).
• This report focuses mainly on the banking vertical, suggests that the GIFT IFSC can aim at becoming a gateway to India growth story for international investors and business.
• IFSCA is a statutory unified regulatory body under the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
• It is empowered to exercise the powers of RBI, SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA in respect of financial services, financial products and financial institutions performed/located in the international financial services centres in the country.

•  The Ministry of Corporate Affairs had removed the names of more than 3.82 lakh companies, for failing to submit their annual returns for two years or more.
• A Shell Company usually refers to companies without active business operation or significant assets.
• These types of corporations are not all necessarily illegal, but they are sometimes used illegitimately, such as to disguise business ownership from law enforcement or the public.
• The Companies Act, 2013 does not define the term Shell Company.

• Nearly 45% of the funds allocated to the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme in FY 2019-20 had not been utilised.
• BBBP aims to prevent gender biased sex selective elimination, to ensure survival and protection of the girl child, to ensure education and participation of the girl child.
• It promote a protective environment for girl children through implementation of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012.
• It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.

• Recently, the Drugs Controller General of India approved the Feluda, first CRISPR COVID-19 test.
• Feluda test uses indigenously developed CRISPR gene-editing technology to identify and target the genetic material of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
• It is an accurate and low-cost paper-based test strip to detect Covid-19 in less than 30 minutes.
• It was developed by a research team of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Tata Group.
• According to CSIR, the test matches accuracy levels of RT-PCR tests, considered the gold standard in the diagnosis of Covid-19.   

• Recently, Brucellosis outbreak was reported in China.
• Brucellosis has infected over 3000 people in north-east China which can leave men infertile.
• It is an infectious disease caused by bacteria from the livestock which can also infect humans.   
• The most common way to be infected is by eating or drinking unpasteurized/raw dairy products.
• When sheep, goats, cows, or camels are infected, their milk becomes contaminated with the bacteria.
• Person-to-Person transmission is rare.
• It is found globally and is a reportable disease in most countries.