Current Affairs 26 April 2021 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 26 April 2021  focuses on Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

1. 551 PSA Oxygen Generation Plants
2. No volunteer list under cyber scheme

551 PSA Oxygen Generation Plants

Why in News ?

PM CARES Fund has given in-principle approval for allocation of funds for installation of 551 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Medical Oxygen Generation Plants inside public health facilities in the country.

Key Facts

• These plants should be made functional as soon as possible and these plants will serve as a major boost to oxygen availability at the district level.
• Dedicated plants will be established in identified Government hospitals in district headquarters in various States/UTs.
• The procurement will be done through Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• PM CARES Fund had earlier this year allocated Rs.201.58 crores for installation of additional 162 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Medical Oxygen Generation Plants.
• Need for Oxygen Generation Plants
  • Aims to further strengthen the public health system and ensure that each of these hospitals has a captive oxygen generation facility.
  • This will address the day to day medical oxygen needs of these hospitals and the district.

Reason behind Oxygen Crisis in India

India has a daily production capacity of at least 7,100 tonnes of oxygen this including for industrial use and enough to meet current demand oxygen demand in the country. India’s total medical oxygen demand was just 3,842 tonnes as of 2021 April 12.

• Medical oxygen supply is not reaching hospital beds in time.
• Major reason for the crisis is due to
  • Production units are located far away
  • Stretched distribution network
  • Bad planning or bad assessment of requirement.
• Because of the hazardous nature of the substance it must be transported in a specialised tankers requiring advance planning to ensure deliveries are made on time.
• Local officials in some regions stopped the movement of tankers to keep supplies for themselves.
• Many of the states dragged to ensure the upcoming demand of oxygen.

Government Effort to ensure Oxygen Supply

• Government allocated 6,822 tonnes of liquid oxygen per day to 20 worst-affected states.
• Activated the Indian railways to move multiple tankers from refilling plants to where it is most needed.
• The government is also using the Air Force’s cargo planes to fly empty tankers to production hubs.
• Armed forces are importing 23 mobile oxygen generation plants from Germany.
• The government has issued orders to convert argon and nitrogen tankers into oxygen ones.
• Major Ports waive-off all charges for ships carrying oxygen and oxygen related equipment cargo.

How oxygen generated Industrially

• These plants use air as a feedstock and separate it from other components of air using pressure swing adsorption or membrane separation techniques.
• Most common method is a cryogenic distillation process or a vacuum swing adsorption process.

Source : PIB

GS II : Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources

No volunteer list under cyber scheme

Why in News ?

Union Home Ministry has said it does not maintain a centralised list of volunteers enrolled under the cybercrime
volunteer programme since the police is a State subject under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.

Key Facts

• Police and public order  were State subjects in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution
  • States were  primarily responsible for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crimes through their law enforcement agencies.
• The volunteers are registered, and their services utilised, by the respective State/UT LEAs as per their requirement.
  • The information related to this can be collected from respective state/UT’S.
• Concerns of infringement of privacy due to surreptitious and intrusion into an individual’s online activities are addressed in this programme.

Cyber Crime Volunteers

• Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has envisaged the Cyber Crime Volunteers Program to bring together citizens with passion to serve the nation on a single platform and contribute in the fight against cybercrime in the country.
• Volunteers will be registered and their services utilized by the respective State/UT Police Agencies, as per their requirements.
• Cyber Volunteers will be registered, following the due process and they will be required to furnish ID proof, address proof, photograph etc.
• They will assist State/UT (Law Enforcement Agencies) LEAs for cyber hygiene promotion, as technical experts, and for reporting of content which is unlawful as per provisions of law.
• The content reported shall be verified and validated by the State/UT LEAs for taking appropriate action as per the existing provisions of law.
• There is no discretion in the hands of cyber volunteer.

Source : The Hindu

GS III : Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security

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