UPSC Prelims News 14 October 2022

UPSC Prelims News of 14 October 2022

PowerEX-2022

Context: Cyber Security Exercise “PowerEX” was successfully designed & conducted by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) in collaboration with Power-CSIRTs (Computer Security Incident Response Teams in Power sector).

About the Exercise

Objective: The main objective of the exercise was to recognize, analyse & respond to Cyber Incident in IT & OT Systems.
Theme: The theme of the exercise was “Defending Cyber induced disruption in IT & OT infrastructure”.
Participation: Exercise was hosted by CERT-In on its exercise simulation platform. It saw participation of around 350+ officials from various Power Sector Utilities.

CERT-In:

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) was set up in 2004 under Section 70B of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
It functions under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Functions:
- It is the nodal agency dealing with cybersecurity-related threats such as hacking and phishing.
- It is responsible for providing security to Indian Internet domain.
- CERT-In collects, analyses and disseminates information related to cyber incidents.
- It forecasts and warns against cyber threats and suggests emergency measures to handle cyber security-related incidents.

UPSC Prelims News of 13 October 2022

Exercise Prasthan

Context: The offshore security exercise, ‘Prasthan’ was conducted in the Krishna Godavari Basin Offshore Development Area (ODA).

About the Exercise

The two-day exercise was conducted under the aegis of Eastern Naval Command. It is conducted every six months.
Objective: The objective of the exercise was to ensure offshore security and integrate the efforts of all maritime stakeholders involved in offshore defence.
Participation: Along with Indian Navy, it saw participation of oil operators, like ONGC, RIL, Vedanta, and other maritime security stakeholders such as AP Marine Police, AP fisheries department and the Coast Guard.
Location: The exercise was conducted onboard Drill rigs Platinum Explorer and DDKG- of ONGC and RIL located about 40 nm south of Kakinada.
Activities: Terrorist intrusion, bomb explosion, casualty evacuation, search and rescue, man overboard, major fire, oil spill and mass evacuationwere the scenarios that were simulated.
Significance: The exercise provided a realistic opportunity to all stakeholders to assess their readiness to respond and combat challenges in the region, as also to operate together in a coordinated and synergised manner.

Snow Leopard Survey

Context: Arunachal Pradesh would conduct survey to ascertain the presence of snow leopard in Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve.

Snow Leopard:

Snow leopard is also known as the mountain ghost because of its coat that helps it blend in a snowy-rocky environment.
Government of India has identified the snow leopard as a flagship species for the high-altitude Himalayas and initiated the Project Snow Leopard to conserve the species and habitats.
Habitat: Snow leopards are found across northern and central Asia’s high mountains, including the Himalayan
- Their habitat in India includes Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
Protection status:
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Vulnerable
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
- CITES: Appendix I

Namdapha National Park

The national park is located in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, near the border with Myanmar.
The park is located between the Dapha bum range of the Mishmi Hillsand the Patkai range. The Noa Dihing River that originates at the Chaukan Pass passes through the National Park.
Namdapha is known as the home of three large cats — tiger, leopard and clouded leopard. The critically endangered Namdapha flying squirrel is endemic to the park.
The park also has large number of the Hoolock Gibbons, India’s only “ape” species.
The Lisu tribal people can be found living within the boundaries of the National Park.

Purple Revolution

Context: As per the government of India, the ‘Purple Revolution’ from Jammu and Kashmir offers attractive start-up avenues.

What is ‘Purple Revolution’?

About: The Purple or Lavender Revolution was launched by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology through the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) Aroma Mission.
Aim: It aimed at increasing lavender cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Focus: The mission’s focus was to take advantage of the geographical conditions and increase the homegrown market along with farmers’ income.
Provisions: Under the mission, first-time farmers were given free lavender saplings, while those who had cultivated lavender before were charged Rs. 5-6 per sapling.
Significance: It will help in providing means of livelihood to budding farmers and agri-entrepreneurs and give a boost to Start-Up India campaign and promote a spirit of entrepreneurship in the region.

UPSC Prelims News of 15 October 2022