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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) IN JUDICIAL PROCESSES During the 2022 Budget session of Parliament, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that while implementing Phase 2 of the eCourts projects, under operation since 2015, a need was felt to adopt new, cutting-edge technologies of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to increase the efficiency of the justice delivery system. About: To explore the use of AI in judicial domain, the Supreme Court of India has constituted the Artificial Intelligence Committee which has mainly identified application of AI technology in translation of judicial documents, legal research assistance and process automation. Several law firms are now keen on trying out new technologies for a quick reference on judicial precedents and pronouncements on cases with similar legal issues at stake. The Mumbai-based Riverus, a “legal tech” firm, has developed ML applications that peruse troves of cases, “understand” them, and parse cases that are similar in content — very much like a human expert would do — in a fraction of the time. Present status in India Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of technology for e-filing, and virtual hearings has seen a dramatic rise. From the beginning of the lockdown in 2020 until January 8 this year, the Supreme Court of India emerged as a global leader by conducting 1,81,909 virtual hearings. But the use of ML in India’s legal sphere has so far been restricted to automating back-end work, and is still a very long way from being used as a decision-making tool for the judiciary. SUVAS is a language-learning application being used to translate judgments, and SUPACE, which can draft a legal brief, comprise the initiatives being undertaken in the Indian judiciary as a part of incorporating ML-based applications.  #Judiciary #Polity #PSIR Join: @OPSC_OPTIONAL

Due to La Nina, impact of heat waves will be less in ’22: IMD Background Because this is a La Nina year, the impact of the heat waves in 'higher than usual temperature' zones such as northwest and central India -Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, would be lower in March. However, the Met Department predicts that the daytime temperatures will be higher than usual. In this context, we will learn about the phenomenon of La Nina and how it affects India in particular. What’s in today’s article: Background (Normal climatic conditions, El Nino) La Nina (About, impact) Background: Normal climatic conditions vs deviation: Weather depends a lot on ocean temperatures and where the ocean is warm, more clouds form and more rainfall in that part of the world. In the Pacific Ocean, near the equator, the Sun makes the water especially warm on the surface. Normally, a surface low pressure system forms in northern Australia and Indonesia and a high-pressure system develops off the coast of Peru. As a result, the trade winds blow strongly from east to west over the Pacific Ocean, transporting warm surface waters westward (off the coast of Peru bottom cold nutrient rich water wells up to the surface, replacing warm water dragged west). This leads to convective storms (thunderstorms) to Indonesia and coastal Australia. El Nino and La Nina are two opposing climate trends that deviate from the normal conditions and normally run nine to twelve months, but can often extend. These events occur every two to seven years on average (El Nino is more frequent than La Nina.), but not on a regular basis and are referred to as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle by scientists. El Nino is typically known as the warm phase and La Nina is identified as the cold phase of ENSO. Both El Nino and La Nina can have global effects on weather, wildfires, ecosystems and economics. El Nino (means Little Boy in Japanese or Christ Child in Spanish): During El Nino, trade winds weaken and warm water is pushed back east, toward the west coast of the Americas. El Niño can affect the weather significantly. El Nino causes drought in the western Pacific (Southeast Asia and India), rains on South America's equatorial coast and convective storms in the central Pacific. About: La Nina (means Little Girl in Spanish) About: La Nina has the opposite effect of El Nino. During La Nina events, trade winds are even stronger than usual, pushing more warm water toward Asia. Off the west coast of the Americas, upwelling increases, bringing cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface. Impact: This tends to lead to drought in the easter Pacific and heavy rains and flooding in the western Pacific (Southeast Asia and India). During a La Nina year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the western Pacific (Southeast Asia and India) and cooler than normal in the eastern Pacific. #Geography #CA Join: @OPSC_OPTIONAL

What is SWIFT, what exclusion of Russia means? In Focus: SWIFT - The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication About SWIFT: It provides a trusted messaging platform (founded in 1973) that enables banks to send their counterparts instructions very fast on fund transfers. SWIFT connects nearly 11,000 banking and securities organisations in over 200 countries and the majority of global trade takes place with financial messaging passing through SWIFT. Its working: Each participant on the platform is assigned a unique eight-digit SWIFT code or a bank identification code (BIC). If a person in New York with a Citibank account wants to send money to someone in London with an HSBC account, the payee must provide his bank with the London-based beneficiary's account number as well as the eight-digit SWIFT code of the latter's bank. After then, Citi would send a SWIFT communication to HSBC and once received and approved, the funds will be credited to the appropriate account. This means, SWIFT is only a messaging platform, facilitating the transaction by providing standardized and reliable communication and does not hold any securities or money. Why is SWIFT required to follow the EC's decision? SWIFT is a cooperative that is owned by banks headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. It is supervised by the G10 group of countries (Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the UK, the US, Germany and Sweden) and their central banks. The Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England indirectly oversee SWIFT. Global alternatives to SWIFT: There are financial technology companies like Ripple, which has been offering its platform based on the same technology behind cryptocurrencies as an alternative. However, given that global powers are behind the sanction, banks may engage in self-restriction even if a platform was available. Cryptocurrencies are another avenue for cross-border remittances. Russia has also been working on a 'digital' rouble, which is still not launched. Impact of excluding Russian banks from SWIFT: Sending and receiving money will be difficult, making exports and imports For instance, the earlier SWIFT sanctions on Iran resulted in a collapse of the country's oil exports as potential buyers were also not able to pay. However, because energy exports (Medicines as well) to Europe are expected to be exempt, the impact will be less severe than in the case of Iran. Alternatives for Russia: Since 2014 (facing sanctions at the time for annexing Crimea), Russia has been preparing for future sanctions in the form of SWIFT exclusion. It has established a messaging system SPFS - a system for transfer of financial messages, that operates within the country. It is intended to be integrated with China's Cross-Border Inter-Bank Payments System (CIPS), which will facilitate trade between Russia and China. In 2014 (as a result of sanctions), Visa and Mastercard stopped processing payments at several Russian banks and Russia had developed its own payment system - Mir, to counter this. The impact of Russian sanctions on India: Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, India engaged into a rupee-rouble trade agreement with Russia to assure the continuation of defence and other imports. In 2018, a pilot scheme was carried out in which Indian importers paid for diamond imports in roubles. The Commercial Indo Bank - a joint venture between SBI and Canara Bank, operating in Russia, may be able to help further. Prior to the pandemic, India, Russia and China were planning to launch an alternative to SWIFT utilising the BRICS platform. Such efforts have the potential to gain traction. #IR #CA Join: @OPSC_OPTIONAL

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Economic Impact of Russia – Ukraine War on India: Energy Impact: Crude oil prices are now at around 7-year high, with Brent oil prices surging over USD 100 per barrel for the first time since 2014. Russia is a key supplier of energy globally. Europe relies on Russia for about a quarter of its oil supplies and a third of its gas. Meanwhile, India accounts for a negligible (less than 1%) share of Russia’s crude oil exports, which is partly because most Indian refineries cannot process the heavy crudes that Russia exports and the transportation costs from Russia to India. Consequently, while the direct India-Russia energy trade disruption impact to the Indian economy will be minimal (apart from the higher oil-import bill), the impact will be felt through the global oil price rise. A continuous surge in international crude oil prices would pose risk to the financial stability of India. Impact on Wheat Prices: Russia is the world's top wheat exporter while Ukraine is the fourth largest exporter of wheat. The two nations account for nearly a quarter of total global exports of wheat. The crisis in Russia – Ukraine region may create an opportunity for Indian wheat exporters to tap the global markets at a time when prices are elevated. Impact on IndianRupee& Markets: Investor sentiment has been drastically affected over the last few days in line with the rising crude prices. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have turned net sellers and have pulled out a net of Rs 51,703 crore from Indian equities between January 2022 and February 2022, leading to decline and volatility in equity markets. The Indian Rupee has fallen over 1.7% against the USD, from USD 73.8 on January 12, 2022 to hit USD 75.09 on February 23, 2022. Impact on India’s Foreign Reserves: The high level of foreign exchange reserves built up by the Reserve Bank of India over the past few years will give India a greater economic freedom amid the rising geopolitical tensions. At the beginning of February 2022, India’s forex stood at USD 629.8 billion. It will mean that India is far better positioned than it was during previous oil prices shocks. Trade Impact: Supply disruptions to the European Union (EU) are likely to generate greater demand for steel, engineering goods, etc., of which India is an alternate supplier. This demand offers a potentially positive opportunity for India as an alternative supplier of manufactured exports. Although, the primary initial benefits would flow to ASEAN, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. #CA #IR #Economy Join: @OPSC_OPTIONAL

Early hiccups for countries 'digital currencies' About: Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) CBDC is a legal tender issued by a Central bank in digital form. It is similar to a fiat currency issued in paper and is interchangeable with any other fiat currency. The goal of CBDCs is to provide users with convenience and security of digital as well as the regulated reserve-backed circulation of the traditional banking system. Launching of CBDCs in different countries Nine countries or currency unions have launched their digital currencies, while 15 are in the pilot phase. These 9 countries are –the Bahamas, the seven Caribbean nations, and Nigeria. Bahamas launched the world’s first CBDC in October 2020 called the Sand Dollar. In addition, 16, including India, are in the development phase, and 40 are in the research phase. China introduced the e-CNY, the digital form of Chinese Yuan, at the Winter Olympics. It is in pilot phase. India’s CBDC: During the Budget speech 2022-23, Finance Minister announced that RBI would launch the CBDC is the upcoming fiscal. While the RBI is still working on the finalities, it is understood that the CBDC will be based on Blockchain technology. As per the government, with the launch of the revamped digital version of the Indian rupee, people could convert physical currency to digital currency and vice-versa with ease. This will strengthen India’s digital economy and ecosystem. Digital payments and online transfer of funds will be more secure with the launch of CBDC. This will also streamline the global digital payment system. News Summary Several of the first digital currency trials are getting bogged down around the globe. Recently, a digital currency being used by seven Caribbean nations experienced glitches that have kept it offline for more than a month. The digital version of the East Carribean dollar “DCash” has been offline for over a month and could take several more days to be restored. Such glitches have led these experts to call for central banks to make necessary preparations to allow enough leeway to banks and other stakeholders. India's, which plans to launch digital currency by next fiscal year, has important lessons to learn from them to avoid similar issues after the launch. #Economy #CA Join: @OPSC_OPTIONAL

India-France Roadmap on the Blue Economy and Ocean Governance Background: India and France are maritime nations with dynamic maritime economy sectors like marine technology and scientific research, fisheries, port and shipping, to name a few. Blue Economy and coastal resilience are a common priority for India and France. Both countries wish to contribute to UN SDG #14, which aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. India and France are also committed to promoting cooperation between the European Union and India on the blue economy and ocean governance. This is evident from the framework of the common roadmap: EU-India Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025 and the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Hence, to enhance their bilateral exchanges on the blue economy and ocean governance, both sides have adopted this roadmap. Key Highlights of the roadmap: Setting up an India-France partnership on the blue economy and ocean governance Both sides plan to set up an India-France partnership on the blue economy and ocean governance whose scope will encompass maritime trade, marine trade in services, ports, the naval industry, fisheries,marine technology and scientific research etc. Pillars of this partnership There will be four pillars of the partnership: (i.) institutional, (ii.) economic, (iii) infrastructures, (iv.) scientific and academic. Institutional pillar: forging a common vision of ocean governance based on the rule of law The NITI Aayog in India, and the Ambassador for Poles and Maritime Affairs in France will be nodal points for ensuring activities mentioned under this roadmap. Both sides will work under the frameworks set by the international laws and convention and they will consult each other in multilateral forums. Economic pillar: making the blue economy a source of sustainable growth The "Campus mondial de la mer” in France has proposed to make India the Guest of Honour of the Sea Tech Week in Brest from 26 to 30 September 2022. This will be an opportunity to boost industrial partnerships and blue economy innovations. Both countries will also work together to develop suitable projects to promote marine SMEs and naval construction and the reduction of marine emissions, as well as alternative and cleaner, low and zero carbon marine fuels. Both sides will establish a programme to support the sustainable fisheries sector in India. Further discussions with the Indian Port Association will be held on topics related to green ports in order to promote a more sustainable connectivity in the Indo-Pacific region. Infrastructure pillar: cooperating on sustainable and resilient coastal and waterways infrastructure India is looking to develop its ports, with a focus on sustainable infrastructure, including eco- fishing ports. In this regard, both sides will encourage sharing of knowledge and methodologies. Special focus will be given on developing ‘green and smart ports’ equipped with sustainable dredging and ship recycling. This is one of France's priority areas and involves a zero waste and circular economy approach. In addition, they will cooperate on developing domestic waterways, which is one of India’s priorities in the field of infrastructure development. Scientific and academic pillar: better knowledge of the ocean to innovate and protect Collaboration between operational ocean forecasting centres in India (eg. INCOIS) and France (e.g IFREMER) is envisaged. This collaboration is for ocean observations, ocean modelling and forecasting and related capacity building. Both sides will remain fully committed to the Knowledge Summit, organised periodically by France and India to foster bilateral scientific cooperation. In order to encourage scientific partnerships in marine sciences,from 2022 onwards, France will grant five student mobility scholarships in this field. #CA #Economy #PSIR Join: @OPSC_OPTIONAL

#Zoology #Agriculture #Environment

Behind FTA policy calibration: More imports, lack of competitive edge About: Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) FTAs are arrangements between two or more countries or trading blocs thatprimarily agree to reduce or eliminate customs tariff and non-tariff barriers onsubstantial trade between them. FTAs, normally cover trade in goods (such as agricultural or industrial products) or trade in services (such as banking, construction,trading etc.). FTAs can also cover other areas such as intellectual property rights(IPRs), investment, government procurement and competition policy, etc. Major FTAs of India: India – ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and India. South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA): India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives Indo Sri Lanka FTA Indo Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) India Singapore CECA India Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) India Korea CEPA How is CECA/CEPA Different from FTA: A CECA/CEPA is different from FTA on two counts: Firstly, CECA/CEPA are more comprehensive and ambitious that an FTA in terms of coverage of areas and the type of commitments. While a traditional FTA focuses mainly on goods; a CECA/CEPA is more ambitious in terms of a holistic coverage of many areas like services, investment, competition, government procurement, disputes etc. Secondly, CECA/CEPA looks deeper at the regulatory aspects of trade than an FTA. It is on account of this that it encompasses mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) that covers the regulatory regimes of the partners. An MRA recognises different regulatory regimes of partners on the presumption that they achieve the same end objectives. Why are almost all the Countries signing FTAs: Reduction or elimination of tariffs on qualified products and services. For example, a country that normally charges a tariff of 12% of the value of the incoming product will eliminate that tariff for products that originate (as defined in the FTA) in a FTA partner country. Intellectual Property Protection - protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the FTA partner country. Product Standards - the ability for exporters to participate in the development of product standards in the FTA partner country. Selling to the Government - the ability for companies in a country to bid on certain government procurements in the FTA partner country. Fair treatment for investors at par with FTA partner country’s investors Failure of multilateral arrangements: Some experts are of the view that slow progress in multilateral negotiations due to complexities arising from large number of countries to reach a consensus on polarising issues, may have provided the impetus for FTAs. Recent devlopment:- India’s existing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), most of which were inked in the mid-2000s, have seen imports grow much faster than exports over the last decade. Between FY11 and FY21, exports to nine countries and two trading blocs, with which India already has trade agreements, grew 36 per cent to top USD 62 billion while imports from these countries grew 44 per cent to nearly USD 75 billion, doubling the trade deficit to USD 11.8 billion in FY21 from USD 5.8 billion in FY11. Between FY11 and FY19, India’s exports to these countries grew by 57 per cent to USD 72.4 billion while imports grew 80 per cent to USD 93.2 billion. India has not proportionately benefitted from those FTAs and many of the active FTAs are under an official review process. India is keeping the lessons in mind while signing the new FTAs. India concluded an FTA with the UAE last week and is currently in the process of negotiating deals with Australia, the UK, Canada, Israel and the EU. #CA #Economy Join: @OPSC_OPTIONAL  

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https://t.co/BpiSd2eSYB #PSIR

#IR

https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/26905/emotional-functioning-and-its-role-in-mental-and-physical-health-across-development-covering-the-kno#:~:text=Emotional%20functioning%20can%20thus%20be,as%20depression%20and%20anxiety%20symptoms. Just read the abstract that is enough #PsychologyCurrent

#gender #patriarchy #Sociology https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-nullifies-gender-cap-on-performers-in-orchestra-bars-in-maharashtra/article65065786.ece/amp/

Worth sharing Good Night🌛