Current Affairs 14th March 2024 for UPSC Prelims Exam

Appointment of ECs

Context: The Supreme Court agreed to urgently hear a plea by the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms regarding the Centre’s potential “unfair advantage” in filling two vacancies of Election Commissioners.

More in News

• The plea sought a direction to stay the implementation of Section 7 of the Chief Election Commission and other Election Commissions (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which replaced the CJI by a Union Minister in the panel.
  • Section 7: Appointment to the posts of Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners shall be done by the President of India on the basis of the advice tendered by a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister of India, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet Minister.
• Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India (2 March, 2023): A Constitution Bench had previously ruled that the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners should be appointed by the President, based on the advice of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (or the leader of the largest opposition party), and the CJI.

We’re now on WhatsApp. Click to Join

Trust Vote

Context: The newly formed government of Haryana won the motion of confidence by voice votes in the assembly.

About Trust Vote

• What is it?
  • A vote in a legislative body to see if the government still has majority support. Also called a “floor test”.
• Who calls for it?
  • Speaker of the Assembly when it’s in session.
  • Governor when the Assembly is not in session.
• When is it held?
  • When there’s doubt if the government has the majority.
  • When there are differences within a coalition government.
• How does it work?
  • Leader claiming the majority moves a vote of confidence.
  • Members vote yes or no.
  • Majority wins: government survives.
• Voting methods:
  • Voice vote (oral response).
  • Electronic voting (button press).
  • Physical division (ballot box).
• Types of floor test:
  • Simple: Single party proves majority.
  • Composite: Multiple parties compete, most votes win.
• Voting System: Majority based on those present and voting.
• Tiebreaker: Speaker’s vote in case of tie.

Related Information:

• Legislators may be absent or choose not to vote.
• Duration varies depending on the situation.

REITs and InvITS

Context: Madhabi Puri Buch (Chairperson of SEBI), urged to adopt a positive perspective towards assets like REITs (real estate investment trusts), InvITs (infrastructure investment trusts), and municipal bonds, highlighting their significance for the country’s development.

REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts)

• REITs are companies that own, operate, or finance properties that generate income.
• They are often publicly traded, akin to stocks, enhancing their liquidity compared to direct real estate investments.
• Modelled on mutual funds, REITs aggregate capital from numerous investors.
• Enable individual investors to receive dividends from real estate ventures without the need for personal involvement in property purchase, management, or financing.

InvITs (Infrastructure Investment Trusts)

• InvITs facilitate investment in the infrastructure sector by aggregating small amounts of capital from a wide base of individual investors for direct investment in infrastructure projects.
• These entities are established as trusts and are registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
• An InvIT comprises four key roles: Trustee, Sponsor(s), Investment Manager, and Project Manager.

Shockley – Queisser limit

Context: Scientists are actively exploring ways to surpass the Shockley-Queisser limit and improve solar cell efficiency through techniques like carrier multiplication and hot carrier extraction.

About Shockley- Queisser Limit

What is it?

• A theoretical limit for the maximum efficiency a solar cell can achieve in converting sunlight into electricity.
• Named after William Shockley and Hans-Joachim Queisser who proposed the concept.

Why it exists:

• Solar cells have inherent limitations in capturing and utilising all the energy from sunlight:
  • Transparency loss: Some photons pass through the material without interaction (around 25% loss).
  • Thermalization: Some photon energy heats the material instead of exciting electrons (around 30% loss).

Efficiency constraint:

• Due to these limitations, conventional solar cells can only convert about one-third of the captured solar energy into electricity.
• This limit on efficiency is known as the Shockley-Queisser limit.

Challenges in overcoming the limit:

• Photons with less energy than the band gap cannot excite electrons, limiting their use.
• Photons with much higher energy than the band gap simply add heat to the device.

Potential solutions:

• Carrier multiplication: Creating multiple electron-hole pairs from a single photon.
• Hot carrier extraction: Quickly capturing high-energy photons before they turn into heat.

Note: The limit applies to single-junction solar cells. Multi-junction cells can achieve slightly higher efficiencies.

EUs AI Law

Context: European Union lawmakers gave final approval to the 27-nation bloc’s artificial intelligence law.

Key Aspects of the AI Act

Risk-Based Approach

• AI applications are assessed based on their risk levels, with most systems expected to be low-risk (e.g., content recommendation systems, spam filters).
• High-risk AI uses, such as those in medical devices or critical infrastructure, face stringent requirements for data quality and transparency.
• Certain AI applications are outright banned due to their potential for unacceptable risks, including social scoring systems, specific predictive policing methods, and emotion recognition in schools and workplaces.
• The use of AI for real-time biometric identification by police in public spaces is prohibited, except under circumstances involving serious crimes.

Adaptation to Generative AI

• The rise of general-purpose AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT has led to the inclusion of provisions for generative AI, which can produce unique, lifelike outputs.
• Developers of these models must provide detailed summaries of the data used for training and comply with EU copyright law.
• AI-generated deepfake content must be clearly labelled as artificially manipulated.

Systemic Risk and Compliance

• The most powerful AI models, including OpenAI’s GPT4 and Google’s Gemini, are subject to extra scrutiny due to their potential for systemic risks.
• Providers must assess and mitigate risks, report serious incidents, implement cybersecurity measures, and disclose energy usage.
• Violations of the AI Act can result in fines up to 35 million euros or 7% of a company’s global revenue.

Global Context and Enforcement

• The EU has taken a lead in AI regulation, influencing other regions and global standards.
• The U.S., China, and other nations are developing their AI governance frameworks, reflecting a growing international focus on AI safety and fairness.
• Each EU country will establish an AI watchdog for enforcement, with an AI Office at the Brussels level for general purpose AI systems.

Future Directions

• The AI Act is expected to become law by mid-2023, with provisions being phased in through mid-2026.
• This legislation may not be the EU’s final stance on AI, with further AI-related laws anticipated post-summer elections, potentially covering areas like AI in the workplace.

Sharing is caring!