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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.

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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

Current Affairs 14th March 2024 for UPSC Prelims Exam_4.1

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.

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