 Good evening aspirants. Welcome to daily news analysis by Shankar A.S academy. Today's date is 16th September 2023. Displayed here are the list of topics we are going to see today. Now let us get into the discussion. Look at this news article. The news is that IIT Madras will collaborate with Tamil Nadu state government on a green hydrogen initiative. See the TN government is implementing a scheme called Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster in Tamil Nadu. This initiative will promote research and development on green hydrogen. Apart from this, the initiative will enable faster adoption of green hydrogen in the state. See the IIT Madras will collaborate with the TN government to work on this particular initiative. So this is all about the news. In this discussion, let us understand about green hydrogen in detail. Before we get into the discussion, let us see some basics about hydrogen and its types. See hydrogen is a colorless and orderless gas. The hydrogen gas is also flammable which means it can be easily ignited. Note that hydrogen is a clean fuel. This means when hydrogen is combusted, it produces only water and does not release any harmful emissions. Also note that hydrogen rarely exists in free state. This means mostly hydrogen does not occur alone. It generally exists with other elements like oxygen, sodium and so on. So if we need hydrogen, we have to produce it artificially. The hydrogen can be produced from a variety of resources such as natural gas, nuclear power, biogas and so on. It can be produced from renewable powers like solar and wind. Based on these production methods, hydrogen is further classified into many types. Gray hydrogen, blue hydrogen, green hydrogen, black hydrogen, brown hydrogen, red hydrogen and pink hydrogen. So these are some of the major types of hydrogen. Now we will understand the types one by one. First let us take grey hydrogen. Grey hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels such as natural gas or coal. Here the production process releases some greenhouse gases into atmosphere. So grey hydrogen is not considered as a clean fuel. Now coming to the blue hydrogen. Blue hydrogen is similar to grey hydrogen but here most of the carbon dioxide that are emitted during the production process will be captured. This means that carbon dioxide emitted during the production process will be stored in the ground using carbon capture and storage methods. Therefore blue hydrogen is considered as a clean fuel. Now coming to the green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is produced using electricity that is obtained from clean energy sources. Green hydrogen is the cleanest fuel and it is also considered as a low or zero emission hydrogen. This is because the protection process of green hydrogen involves the use of energy that is obtained from other renewable energies. So this process does not release any greenhouse gases while generating electricity. So the green hydrogen is the cleanest hydrogen we can make. If you see the other types of hydrogen let's take black hydrogen. It refers to hydrogen that is produced using black coal. Then brown hydrogen it means hydrogen produced using lignite that is brown coal. Then there is red hydrogen which means hydrogen is produced using biomass like leaves, wood, rice, straw and so on. And finally there is pink hydrogen. It refers to hydrogen generated through electrolysis powered by nuclear energy. Pink hydrogen is usually considered green because it does not release any carbon dioxide during its production. So this is all about the types of hydrogen. Now we will see the protection process of green hydrogen and then we will see the advantages and disadvantages associated with the green hydrogen. First let us see the protection process of green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is usually produced from water using electrolysis process. Electrolysis process involves use of electricity to split the compounds. With the help of this process the water is split into hydrogen and oxygen. So we will get hydrogen. This is how hydrogen is produced using electrolysis. When the electrolysis process uses the electricity obtained from renewable resources like wind or solar energy then the resultant hydrogen produced will be termed as green hydrogen. Now let us see the advantages of this green hydrogen. Firstly green hydrogen is 100% sustainable. This means the green hydrogen does not emit any greenhouse gases either during combustion or during the protection process. So the green hydrogen will provide energy security for a longer time without affecting the environment. Secondly the green hydrogen can be used in fuel in trains, ships and planes. This in turn eliminates the emission of greenhouse gas from the vehicles. Thirdly green hydrogen can be used as raw material for chemical, petrochemical, cement and steel industries. This replaces the use of fossil fuels which in turn reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Now coming to the disadvantages of green hydrogen. Firstly green hydrogen is more expensive to obtain. As we saw earlier the green hydrogen is generated using energy from renewable sources. See the generation of energy from renewable resources is more expensive when compared with fossil fuels. Apart from this the electrolyzers used in the protection of green hydrogen are also expensive. These factors make green hydrogen more expensive. The second disadvantage is regarding safety issues. See the hydrogen in general is highly volatile and a flammable element. If there arises any problem the consequences will be huge. So extensive safety measures are required to prevent leakage and explosions of green hydrogen. Now finally let us see the steps taken by government to promote green hydrogen. See currently the central government is implementing the national green hydrogen mission. It will be implemented from 2023 to 2030. The main objective of this mission is to make India a global hub for protection, usage and export of green hydrogen. Under the mission the central government is striving to achieve two things by 2030. Firstly the government aims to achieve the green hydrogen protection of about 5 million metric tons per annum by 2030. So this will reduce the fossil fuel imports by 1 lakh crore in 2030. Secondly the government aims to face out nearly 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year by 2030 through the protection and use of green hydrogen. So this is one of the landmark steps taken by Indian government to promote green hydrogen. So this is all about this discussion. Now let us move to the next article discussion. Look at this news article. Wildlife Trust of India released a report called Right of Passage. This report is about elephant corridors in India. In this report WTA says there were 19 elephant corridors in Tamil Nadu. But recently a study conducted by Elephant Corridor Identification Committee tells us there were 36 elephant corridors in Tamil Nadu. So there is a contradiction in number of elephant corridors in the state. This is the crux of the news article given here. In this discussion let us see some basic information about wildlife trust of India. See the wildlife trust of India was founded in 1998. It was registered as Charity under Income Tax Act of 1961. Its headquarters is located in Noida. See it is basically a non-governmental organization working for wildlife conservation. It closely works with Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and also with Tribal Ministry. Now we shall see some important functions of WTA. It organizes natural heritage campaign to improve public awareness on conservation of nature. The main focus of WTA is a recovery of threatened species in IUCN red list. It works in conservation of animals which face extinction and help them to move up in IUCN list. WTA also works in conservation of protected areas. For example WTA carried out Greater Manas Conservation Project and this project has restored the Manas National Park to its former glory. WTA also created a Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation. This is located in Kasi Ranga National Park in Assam. This is India's only facility where often or injured wild animals are treated and released back into the wild. Lastly WTA works for safe passage of animals through animal corridors. Thereby it ensures the right of passage of animals. So these are the important functions of wildlife trust of India. Now let us see some significant contributions of WTA. As we all know the Cheetahs were recently introduced in Kunopalpur National Park in Mathya Pradesh. But the discussions to bring them back to India were initiated by WTA and it also played an important role in the reintroduction of Cheetahs in India. Recently a Species Survival Center is created in Nagpur by IUCN and WTA. This was the first ever Species Survival Center in South Asia. Wildlife Trust of India is also working to prevent the elephant deaths due to train accidents. It is also helping to restore mangrove forest in Kerala coastal region. It has also helped on relocating distressed hulu gibbons in Arunachal Pradesh. So this is all about WTA. Now let us move to the next article discussion. Now look at this article. Recently an FIR was filed against editor's guild of India. The FIR was filed because EGA published a report highlighting partisan media coverage of Manipur violence. The matter is now in Supreme Court. While hearing the case the CGA mentioned that EGA was just using their rights and their freedom of expression. So this is all about the news article. In this context let us understand the freedom of press in India and challenges to freedom of press. Firstly what is freedom of press? It is a right that allows journalist media organizations and individuals to engage in collection, dissemination and publication of news and information without government censorship or interference. So the freedom of press plays an important role in ensuring transparency, accountability and free flow of information within the society. It is one of the important components of modern democracy. In article 19 of Indian constitution the freedom of speech and expression was given. So the freedom of press in India is derived from this fundamental right. This freedom is not absolute. It faces certain restrictions under article 19. In addition to this constitutional provision, Supreme Court of India through various judgments uphold the freedom of press. For example in Ramesh Thapar versus state of Madras case in 1950, Supreme Court held that freedom of speech and expression includes freedom of press. Then in the Indian Express newspapers versus Union of India case in 1985, Supreme Court ruled that pre-censorship of news content violates the freedom of press and was unconstitutional. And very recently Vinod Dua versus Union of India and others case in 2021, Supreme Court held that criticism of government and its policies is not seditious. And the right to freedom of speech and expression extends to press also. So these are the important Supreme Court judgments regarding freedom of press. See in the press freedom index of 2022, India ranked at 150th position. This press freedom index was released by reporters without borders. This poor performance of India is due to various challenges faced by freedom of press in India. Now let us see what are the threats to freedom of press in India. First issue is silencing of journalists who oppose the present day government. For example as mentioned in the news article, an FIR was filed against president and some journalist of editors guild of India. This is done under section 153A of IPC. This section deals with promoting enmity between different groups. Like this, journalists who question the government are intimidated by various cases. The second issue is regarding government control over advertising revenue. See the Indian government posts lot of advertisements in newspapers. And ads are important source of revenue for newspapers. In 2022, government withheld advertisements from certain media organizations which are critical of its policies. Like these tactics are used by government to bring the independent media houses under its control indirectly. Then there is an issue of online harassment, particularly against women journalists. When journalists express their opinion in social media, they are harassed by members of IT cells and trolls. Then there is an issue of ownership concentration. For example, recently Adani group took over NDTV. After the change of ownership, the NDTV might not publish news critical of Adani group. The last issue is politically affiliated news channels. For example, in TN, all major political parties have their own TV channels. All these news channels provide biased news. So these are some of the challenges to press freedom in India. Finally, before concluding, let us see some points about press council of India, editors guild of India and reporters without borders. See the press council of India is a statutory and a quasi judicial body established under press council act 1978. It serves as a regulatory authority for print media in India. The main aim of press council is to protect freedom of press in India. It also aims to ensure professional standards to be maintained by newspapers and news agencies. Now moving on to the editors guild of India. It was founded in 1978 and it is a non-profit organization of journalists, particularly the editors based in India. The two main objectives of EGI is protecting press freedom and raising the standards of newspapers and magazines. Now coming to the reporters without borders. It is an international non-governmental organization and it has an aim to defend press freedom all over the world. It also tries to ensure the safety of journalists worldwide. So this is all about this topic. Now let us move to the next part of our discussion. Look at this news article. Recently there was a concern that almost 70% of medical colleges do not pay stipend to MBBS intents or they pay an amount less than the prescribed amount. So the Supreme Court of India has asked the National Medical Commission to inquire about this issue. So this is all about the news. In this context let us revise about National Medical Commission from Pralim's perspective. See the National Medical Commission has been constituted by National Medical Commission Act of 2019. It is headquartered in New Delhi. It has replaced the pre-existing body called Medical Council of India. The main aim of creating National Medical Commission is to eliminate the corruption which was an issue with Medical Council of India. Now let us see the composition of National Medical Commission. It is a 33-member body appointed by Central Government. NMC is headed by a CHAP person who has outstanding ability in medical field. It has 10 ex-officio members from various medical-related fields. It also has 22 part-time members nominated by state governments and medical councils as well as union territories. So this is all about the composition of NMC. Here the central government has created a body called Medical Advisory Council. This is created under National Medical Commission. The important function of this Medical Advisory Council is to advise the NMC on medical education standards. It also serves as a platform by which state can give their opinions to NMC. So this is about the basics of National Medical Commission. Now let us see the functions of NMC. Firstly it frames the policies for maintaining high quality and high standards in medical education and practice. Secondly NMC assess the requirements of healthcare sector and helps to make it ready for future healthcare challenges. Thirdly NMC frames guidelines and policies for proper functioning of autonomous boats and state medical councils. It also ensures coordination among them for efficient working. Fourthly it serves as appellate body for various medical autonomous boats throughout the India. Then it frames policies and codes for practicing professional ethics in medical profession. Lastly NMC frames guidelines for determination of fees for nearly half of the medical seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities. Thus it ensures the equity in society and helping poor. So this is all about the functions of NMC. Before concluding let us know that NMC Act of 2019 provides a uniform national eligibility come entrance test the need exam for admission to medical education. It also provides for a common final year undergraduate medical examination called National Exit Test. This is for granting license to practice medicine as medical practitioners. So this is all about NMC. Now let us move to the next article discussion. Look at this news article. Sankeet Natak Academy announced special one-time awards to celebrate 75 years of India's independence. It is given to 84 artists who are above age of 75 and have not received any national honor in their career. So in this context let us revise about Sankeet Natak Academy and Lalit Kala Academy from Prilim's perspective. First let us see about Sankeet Natak Academy. It is an apex body for performing arts such as music drama etc. It was established in the year 1952. This functions under Ministry of Culture. The chairman of this academy is appointed by president of India for a term of five years. This Sankeet Natak Academy has created national school of drama in 1959 and later this national school of drama became a separate agency. There were five important centers of Sankeet Natak Academy. Let us see them one by one. First is Kutiyatam Kendra which is located in Tirunandaburam. This center is created to promote Sanskrit theater of Kutiyatam. The second is Satriya Kendra in Gauhati. This is to promote the Satriya traditions of Assam. The next one is Northeast center. It is also situated in Gauhati. It is to preserve the art traditions of Northeast India. The fourth one is Northeast documentation center which is situated in Agartala in Tiripura. This is for documenting the festivals of northeast. Then the fifth center is Chau Kendra in Jharkhand. This is to promote the Chau Dancers of Eastern India. Now let us see about Lalitkala Academy. This Lalitkala academy is also called National Academy of Art. It was established in 1954 and it was inaugurated by Maulana Abdul Kalam Asad. The headquarters of Lalitkala academy is in Delhi and it has regional centers in Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Shimla, Shillang and Bhoneshwar. This academy is an autonomous organization and a ministry of culture. It was the first organization in India to focus on visual arts. Now what is the difference between Lalitkala academy and Sangit Natak academy? The Sangit Natak academy focuses on all types of performing arts while Lalitkala academy only focuses on the visual arts. Here the example of performing arts are dance, theater art, music etc. The example for visual arts are painting, photography, filmmaking and architecture. Now let us see the various awards and honors given by Sangit Natak academy. So every year Sangit Natak academy gives the Sangit Natak academy awards. This award is the highest national recognition given to performing arts. This academy also gives Sangit Natak academy fellowship. It is the most prestigious and rare honor given only to 40 members at a time and the Lalitkala academy organizes national exhibition of art. It is the most prestigious annual event which exhibits the work of artists. So this is all about the Sangit Natak academy and Lalitkala academy. Now let us move to the next part of our discussion. Look at this editorial article. It is about GM technology. The article highlights the need for GM technology and it also talks about the importance of GM mustard in specific. In our discussion today we will cover all the important points mentioned in the editorial in detail. Before that I have highlighted the syllabus here for your reference. First let us cover the basics. What is GM technology? Genetically modified technology is a process of altering an organism's genetic material. But a mutation process also involves the same alteration of genetic material right? So how is the mutation different from GM technology? See the mutation is a random and unpredictable change in organism's genetic material. It occurs naturally. But a GM technology is a controlled and specific alteration of organism's genetic material by human interference. One of the most common examples of application of GM technology is BT cotton. BT cotton contains a gene from bacteria called basillus thuringiensis. This gene produces a protein that is toxic to insects and pests. So the GM cotton is resistant to insect damage. This modification is precise and targeted with a specific goal of pest resistant. So I hope now you have basic understanding about GM technology. Now let us see about GM mustard. The GM mustard called as DMH11 that is Dara mustard hybrid lovin. It is a hybrid variant of mustard. It was developed by Center for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants in Delhi. DMH11 is a result of cross between two varieties. One is Varuna and the other one is Early Hera 2. The natural cross between these two varieties is difficult and both these varieties of mustard are self-pollinating. So the cross was done after introducing genes from soil bacterium called basillus amyloliquifacients. The two genes introduced into this mustard were called as barnace and bastard. They were chosen from soil bacterium and inserted into the DNA of mustard plant. The barnace genes selectively destroy the cell layer that surround the pollen sack. The barnace genes prevent the pollen formation and thereby leads to male sterility in mustard plant. On other hand the bastard genes suppress the activity of barnace in next generation and restores the fertility. So by using barnace and bastard the Varuna and Hera varieties are successfully crossed and fertility is restored. The cross between the two resulted in development of DMH11. The number 11 refers to number of generations after which desirable trides are achieved. The desirable tride here is herbicide resistant. DMH11 can withstand the application of specific herbicides. So this is about the development of GM mustard. In India Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee gave approval for environmental release of DMH11 in October last year. In response to this move a petition was filed in Supreme Court against the release of GM mustard. So the petition seeks to ban the GM mustard in India. So the Supreme Court in November ordered the union government to hold the release of GM mustard. So this is the status of GM mustard in India. Moving forward let us see the need for GM mustard. Firstly GM mustard will help India become self-sufficient in mustard protection. See India currently meets 60 percentage of its edible oil needs through imports. Mustard oil is one of the widely consumed edible oils in India. Although mustard is widely grown in India per hectare yield of mustard is very low when compared to global average. So in order to increase the productivity of mustard GM mustard introduction is very much necessary. The increased productivity can help India address the growing demand for edible oil. It will also bring down the edible oil imports thereby arresting the outflow of forex reserves. The second important benefit is higher yield can potentially lead to increased income for farmers. So the GM mustard will help doubling the farmer's income and improving their livelihood. The third important benefit is regarding environment. Experts claim that GM mustard's herbicide tolerant trait can lead to reduced herbicide usage. So when the herbicides are used very less it will help to conserve the soil moisture and soil nutrients. Finally it will help produce a high quality mustard variety. The mustard variety which is used in India till now has narrow genetic base. The barnace and buster based hybrid production can be used to produce mustard varieties with improved yield, disease tolerance and higher oil quantity. So these are some of the advantages of GM mustard. Now let us see what are the issues with this GM mustard. As we saw the GM mustard is a herbicide tolerant variety. So the people might indiscriminately use herbicide in the fields. This might create herbicide resistance in the weeds. The second issue is regarding human health. In India till now the only GM crop that is allowed for commercial cultivation is BT cotton. The BT cotton is used to make cotton fiber and it is not consumed by humans. But GM mustard is for human consumption so there were many concerns raised around it. Then there is also a fear that GM mustard crop will have a negative impact on native mustard varieties. The last issue is hurried approval by genetic engineering appraisal committee. The critics were worried that long term effect of DMH11 is not properly studied by the government. So these are some issues regarding DMH11. So this is all regarding this topic. Now let us move to the next part of our discussion. Now we have come to the prelims practice question discussion. Look at the first question. It is about press council of India. Look at the first statement. It is a quasi judicial autonomous authority. Look at the second statement. It is established under press council at 1978. Now look at the third statement. The chairman of the council is nominated by a committee consisting of chairman of Rajasabha, speaker of Lok Sabha and a person elected among the 28 members of the council. So all these three statements given here are correct. So the answer is option C. All three. Now moving on to the second question. It is about National Medical Commission Act 2019. It replaced the medical council of India. Yes, the statement is correct. Neat examination was introduced by National Medical Commission Act 2019. This statement is incorrect because neat examination is being conducted since 2013. Now look at the third statement. NMC fixes the fees of almost three fourth of private medical college seats. This statement is incorrect because NMC fixes the fees for only half of the seats in medical college. So the correct answer is option A. Only one. So these are the main questions for you today. Interested aspirants can write the answer and post it in the comment section. With this we have come to the end of the discussion. If you like the video, please share it with your friends and don't forget to subscribe to Shankara IS YouTube channel. Thank you.