Daily Current Affairs 11 October 2023 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 11 October 2023 focuses on the Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)

Source for Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence: The Hindu
GS II: International Relation; GS III: Science and Technology

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)
3. What is the Hiroshima AI process?

Why in the News?

India is to host the first-ever global summit on Artificial Intelligence (AI) this October.

News in Brief

• As the Chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), India will also be hosting the GPAI global summit in December.
• These events suggest the strategic importance of AI, as it is projected to add $500 billion to India’s economy by 2025.
  • This will account for 10% of the country’s target GDP.
  • This will boost the entire Digital Technologies sector.
• Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently called for a global framework for the ethical expansion of AI.
• Given the sheer volume of data that India can generate, it has an opportunity to set a policy example for the Global South.
• Observers and practitioners will track India’s approach to regulation and how it balances AI’s developmental potential against its accompanying risks.

Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)

• What is the purpose of GPAI?
  • The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) is an international and multistakeholder initiative.
  • It aims to guide the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) consistent with human rights, fundamental freedoms, and shared democratic values.
  • It was launched in June 2020
  • GPAI brings together leading experts from science, industry, civil society, international organizations, and government that share values to bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI.
  • It supports cutting-edge research and applied activities on AI-related priorities.
  • The GPAI aims to promote international dialogue and cooperation on AI policies and practices.
  • Develop and promote best practices for AI governance that are grounded in human rights, transparency, accountability, inclusivity, diversity, innovation, and economic growth.
  • Also aims to foster collaboration between stakeholders from different sectors and regions to address common challenges related to AI
• Is India a member of GPAI?
  • India is a member of GPAI.
  • How many countries are in GPAI?
    • The GPAI is a collaboration between the governments of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
    • The European Union is also a member of the GPAI.
• The organization is supported by four working groups
  • Responsible AI
  • Data Governance
  • Future of Work
  • Innovation & Commercialization
• Who founded GPAI?
  • The founding members are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Slovenia, the UK, the US, and the EU.

About Artificial Intelligence?

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think, reason, learn, and problem-solve like a human.
• In other words, AI enables computers and machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence.
• This field of computer science is dedicated to creating systems and software capable of performing tasks that, when done by humans, would ordinarily require intelligence.

Key components and concepts of AI include:

• Machine Learning: AI systems often incorporate machine learning, which allows them to improve their performance on a task through data analysis, pattern recognition, and continuous learning.
• Deep Learning: A subfield of machine learning, deep learning involves artificial neural networks, which are modeled after the human brain’s structure. These networks can analyze vast amounts of data to make decisions or recognize patterns.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP): AI systems can understand, interpret, and generate human language. This underpins applications like chatbots, language translation, and sentiment analysis.
• Computer Vision: AI can interpret and analyze visual information from the world, enabling tasks such as image recognition and object detection.
• Expert Systems: These are AI systems that mimic the decision-making abilities of a human expert in a particular domain. They use knowledge bases and inference engines to solve specific problems.
• Robotics: AI is essential in creating robots that can perform tasks in various environments. These robots often use sensors and AI algorithms to navigate and interact with their surroundings.

Digital Technologies: India and France MoU

Source: PIB
GS II: International Relatio; GS III: Science and Technology

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. About MoU
3. What is digital Technologies?

Why in the News?

Union Cabinet has approved the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of the French Republic on cooperation in the field of Digital Technologies.

News in Brief

• The MoU intends to promote closer cooperation and exchange of information pertaining to digital technologies.
• Both will mutually support each Participant’s goal to promote access to digital Technology in their country in accordance with the MoU.
• India and France are long-standing strategic partners in the Indo-European region.
• India and France are committed to nurturing a thriving digital ecosystem and building collaboration that empowers their citizens and ensures their full participation in the digital century.
• Based on the Indo-French Road map on Cyber Security and Digital Technology announced in 2019, India and France are pursuing ambitious bilateral cooperation on advanced digital technologies.
  • Particularly in the fields of supercomputing, cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence and quantum technologies, including in the framework of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI).

How does the MoU Impact?

• Both G2G and B2B bilateral Cooperation in the field of Digital technologies will be enhanced.
• MoU envisages improved collaboration leading to employment opportunities in the field of IT.
• Implementation strategy and targets:
  • The cooperation under this MoU will start on the date of its signature by both Participants and will last five (5) years.

What is digital Technologies?

• Digital technologies refer to the use of advanced computing and communication technologies to process, transmit, store, and display data in a digital format.
• These technologies are characterized by their reliance on binary code (combinations of 0s and 1s) to represent and manipulate information.
• Digital technologies have revolutionized various aspects of our lives and industries.
• The latest digital technologies are AI and Machine Learning, Robotic Process Automation, or RPA.

What are the examples of digital technology systems?

The below are some system that comes under digital technologies

• Computers: Personal computers, laptops, and servers are fundamental digital devices used for data processing and storage.
• Smartphones and Tablets: Mobile devices that incorporate digital technology for communication, data processing, and mobile applications.
• Digital Cameras: Capture and store photographs and videos in digital format, allowing for easy editing and sharing.
• Digital Televisions: Use digital signals to deliver high-definition television content and interactive features.
• E-books and E-readers: Digital books and devices like the Amazon Kindle enable the reading and storage of digital books.
• Digital Audio Players: Devices like MP3 players and streaming platforms store and play digital audio files.
• Digital Imaging and Graphics Software: Tools like Adobe Photoshop for image editing and graphic design.
• Digital Marketing: Utilizes digital channels, such as social media and search engines, for advertising and promotion.
• Blockchain: A digital ledger technology used for secure and transparent record-keeping.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI): Employs digital algorithms and machine learning to perform tasks like image recognition and natural language processing.
• Internet of Things (IoT): Connects physical objects to digital networks, enabling data exchange and automation.
• Cloud Computing: Provides digital services and storage over the internet, enhancing scalability and accessibility.

What is the role of digital technology?

• Our everyday lives are now completely reliant on digital technology, which affects practically every aspect of them.
• It has completely changed the way we interact, collaborate, learn, and pass the time.
• The advancement of several industries, including healthcare, education, banking, commerce, governance, agriculture, and more, has been greatly aided by digital technology.
• The UN acknowledges that digital technology has the potential to improve justice, peace, and fairness in the globe.
• All 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals—from eradicating extreme poverty to lowering maternal and infant mortality, encouraging sustainable farming and decent jobs, and attaining universal literacy—can be supported and expedited by technological advancements.
• Digital technologies have transformed the professional development landscape by altering the career context and options for career assistance.
• Information, automated interactions, and communication can all be facilitated by them.
• The way that digital technologies are seen to interact with society will determine how important they are to professional growth.
• They can be viewed as social practices, social shapers, or instruments.

What is the future of digital technology?

The future of digital technology is an exciting and rapidly evolving field.

According to a report by McKinsey & Company, in World Economic Forum  the following are some of the top tech trends that will shape the coming decade:

• Digital connectivity
  • As 5G networks and other digital infrastructure proliferate, faster and more dependable connectivity will be possible.
  • This will spur innovation in fields like remote work, smart cities, and driverless cars.
• Distributed infrastructure
  • More effective and adaptable data processing, storing, and analysis will be possible with the usage of cloud and edge computing.
• Next-generation computing
  • New applications in fields including drug development, materials research, and cryptography will be made possible by developments in quantum computing, neuromorphic computing, and other cutting-edge technology.
• Artificial intelligence
  • By allowing more individualized and effective services, AI will continue to revolutionize sectors including healthcare, banking, and retail.
• Cybersecurity
  • As digital technology spreads, the scope and complexity of cybersecurity threats will also increase.
  • To counter these attacks, cybersecurity strategies will need to be updated.
• Sustainability
  • By allowing more effective resource usage and waste reduction, digital technology may play a significant part in solving global concerns like climate change.
• Digital identification
  • As more and more of our lives are spent online, it will be more and more necessary to have safe and dependable digital identity solutions.
• Human-machine interaction
  • More smooth communication between humans and machines will be made possible by developments in computer vision, natural language processing, and other fields.
• Data privacy
  • To guarantee that personal data is secured while yet fostering innovation, new methods to data governance will be required as worries about data privacy continue to mount.
• Digital health
  • By enabling more individualized and effective treatment delivery, digital technology has the potential to completely change the healthcare industry.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Mandate

Source Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Mandate: The Hindu
GS II: Governance

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. About Enforcement Directorate (ED)
3. Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)
4. Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA)

Why in the News?

1. ED takes possession of Raja’s properties
2. ED searches AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan’s house in Delhi
3. ED arrests four persons in PMLA case against Vivo

Today’s newspaper has the above headlines. 

About Enforcement Directorate (ED)

• The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is a multi-disciplinary organization that investigates offences of money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws in India.
• It operates under the Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance.
• The ED was established in 1956 as an ‘Enforcement Unit’.
• Created to handle violations of exchange control laws under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA), 1947.
• It was later renamed as ‘Enforcement Directorate’ in 1957 and entrusted with the enforcement of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) w.e.f. 1st July 2005.
• The ED is headquartered in New Delhi
• It has five regional offices in Mumbai, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, and Delhi headed by Special Directors of Enforcement.

The mandate of the ED is to enforce two key laws:

1. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) which provides for the prevention, detection, and prosecution of money laundering activities 1.
2. The Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) which regulates foreign exchange transactions in India.

How does ED investigate cases of money laundering?

• The ED has been given the responsibility to enforce the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) by conducting investigations into suspected money laundering activities.
• Whenever any offence is registered by a local police station, which has generated proceeds of crime over and above ₹1 crore, the ED steps in.
• The ED can also carry out search (property) and seizure (money/documents) if it suspects money has been laundered.
• The ED has wide-ranging powers to investigate offences of money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws in India.
• However, it has been criticized for its lack of accountability and misuse of its powers to harass individuals and businesses.

Criticism 

• The ED has been criticized for its wide-ranging powers and lack of accountability.
• It has been accused of misusing its powers to harass individuals and businesses.
• However, it remains an important institution in India’s fight against economic crimes.

SHRESHTA Scheme

Source: PIB
GS II: Schemes

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. About SHRESTHA Scheme

Why in the News?

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment recently launched the Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas (SHRESHTA).

About SHRESTHA Scheme

• The objective of SHRESHTA is to enhance the reach of development Intervention of the Government and to fill the gap in service deficient SCs dominant areas, in the sector of education through the efforts of grant-in-aid institutions (run by NGOs) and residential high schools offering high quality education and to provide environment for socio economic upliftment and overall development of the Scheduled Castes (SCs).
• The Scheme is further modified to provide easier access to the meritorious SC students in the best schools in the Country for their Educational and Holistic Development, thereby securing their future opportunities.
• The scheme is being implemented in two Modes
  1. SHRESHTA schools, (Best CBSE/State Board affiliated Private Residential Schools)
     • Under this, each year a specified number of meritorious SC students in States/UTs will be selected through the National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA (NETS)
     • It is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
     • Selected students admitted in the best private residential schools affiliated by CBSE/State Board in classes 9th and 11th for completion of education till 12th standard.
     • Selection of schools: Best performing CBSE based private residential schools, having more than 75% pass percentage for class 10 and 12 for last three years are selected by a Committee for admission of selected students.
     • Selection of students: Approx 3000 (1500 for 9th class and 1500 for class 11th tentative) SC students, whose parents annual income is upto 2.5 lakh, are selected every year
     • Total fee for the student covering the school fee (including tuition fees) and hostel fee (including mess charges) would be borne by the Department.
  2. NGO/VO operated Schools/Hostels (EXISTING COMPONENT), (Guidelines hereinafter applicable only for Mode 2 of the Scheme), Schools/Hostels run by VOs/NGOs and other organizations having higher classes (up to class 12) and who have been receiving Grant-in-aid will be continued, subject to satisfactory performance.

Operation Ajay

Source: Indain Express
GS II: International Relation

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. Operation Ajay
3. Role of Hamas in the conflict

Why in the News?

Amid intense fighting between Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas, India is set to get its citizens out of the conflict zone with the Union Ministry of External Affairs launching ‘Operation Ajay’ to facilitate the return of Indian citizens from Israel.

News in Brief

• India on Wednesday launched Operation Ajay to repatriate its citizens from Israel.
• The nation came under unprecedented attack by the Hamas militant group that rules the Gaza Strip.
• External Affairs Minister stated the government was fully committed to the safety and well-being of our nationals abroad
• Special charter flights and other arrangements were being put in place.

Operation Ajay

• India’s Embassy in Israel have emailed the first lot of registered Indian citizens for the special flight tomorrow.
• Messages to other registered people will follow for subsequent flights.
• More than 20,000 Indians live in the country which is currently at war with Palestinian group Hamas.
• Stranded Indians had gone to Israel for further studies, business or as tourists.

Role of Hamas in the conflict

• Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist political organization and militant group that has been involved in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
• Hamas was founded in 1987.
• The aim of establishing an Islamic state in Palestine and has been designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States, Canada, and the European Union.
• Hamas has been responsible for numerous attacks against Israeli civilians and military targets, including suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and kidnappings.
• The group has also been involved in governance in the Gaza Strip since 2007.
• Hamas’s role in the conflict has been a major obstacle to peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
• Hamas justifies its actions against Israel by claiming that it is fighting for the liberation of Palestine from Israeli occupation.
• The group also cites Israeli policies such as settlement expansion, the blockade of Gaza, and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners as reasons for its actions.

Prelims

Bharat Ratna Nanaji Deshmukh

• Nanaji Deshmukh was a social reformer and politician from India.
• He was born on October 11, 1916, in Kadoli, Bombay Presidency, British India (now in Maharashtra, India).
• He worked in the fields of education, health, and rural self-reliance.
• He was a leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and also a member of the Rajya Sabha.
• He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award in 2019 by the Government of India for his services to the nation 134.

Bharat Ratna

• It is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India.
• It was instituted on January 2, 1954, by the then-President of India, Rajendra Prasad.
• The award is conferred in recognition of “exceptional service/performance of the highest order”, without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex.
• The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science, and public services, but the government expanded the criteria to include “any field of human endeavour” in December 2011.
• The recommendations for the Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President, with a maximum of three nominees being awarded per year.
• The recipients receive a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a peepal leaf-shaped medallion.
• There is no monetary grant associated with the award. Bharat Ratna recipients rank seventh in the Indian order of precedence.
• The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were: C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and C. V. Raman; who were honoured in 1954.
• Since then, the award has been bestowed upon 48 individuals, including 14 who were awarded posthumously.
• The original statutes did not provide for posthumous awards but were amended in January 1955 to permit them.
• Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri became the first individual to be honoured posthumously.
• Other notable recipients include Mother Teresa (1980), Nelson Mandela (1990), and Sachin Tendulkar (2014).

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