GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

During his interaction with Gates, PM Modi covered a spectrum of critical topics ranging from AI to India's impressive advancements in digital technology. Pointing to technology's role in sectors like agriculture, education, and healthcare, Modi ruled out a digital divide in India.

1: Dimension-Trends of Digital Divide

• Gap: There exists a grave digital divide in India wherein gaps exist in the usage of the internet and access to digital infrastructure based on gender, area of residence whether rural-urban, caste, or age.
• Gender inequality: Men have greater access to the internet and greater ownership of mobile phones. However, it is important to note that there have been some improvements in women’s access to cell phones between 2015–16 and 2019–21 which demonstrates that the efforts to reduce the digital divide are steadily coming into fruition.
• Rural-Urban divide: While there might be small variances, urban men are much better off than others both in terms of access to the internet and ownership of phones when compared to urban women, rural men, and rural women.

2: Dimension-Implications of digital divide

• Further increasing inequality: The inability to access technology has the potential to increase existing social exclusions and deprive individuals of essential resources.
• Impact on employment:Digital literacy is no longer a luxury but a prerequisite for active participation in today's job market.
• Impact on every aspect of life:With the increasing dependence on digital technologies and the internet, the digital divide has ramifications on education, health, mobility, safety, financial inclusion, and every other imaginable aspect of life.

Way forward

Whilst several government initiatives like the National Digital Literacy Mission and the Pradhan MantriGramin Digital SakshartaAbhiyan have been introduced to increase digital literacy, there is a need to ramp up such efforts.

It is also important to improve the existing digital infrastructure to ensure physical access to ICT to different sections of society. At the same time, underprivileged groups need to be motivated to incorporate technology into their daily lives and digital skills need to be imparted to allow such a change.

The Government e Marketplace (GeM) plans to seek the Centre’s approval to enable work contracts for construction and building projects to also be bid out through the platform with a transparent monitoring mechanism to assess the progress in such contracts.

1: Dimension-Role of GeMin public procurement in India

• Transparent process:GeM endeavours to make public procurement process transparent, efficient and inclusive.
• Inclusiveness: It drives inclusiveness and ease of doing business (EoDB) with the government.
• Standardization: It provides for standardization of processes backed by the regulatory framework
• Automated system: It is a fully automated system enabled through advances technologies.
• Efficiency:As an end-to-end online and integrated portal, GeM increases efficiency in public procurement by eliminating manual interventions at various stages of the procurement process.
• Minimum Government, Maximum Governance: The platform has been effectively contributing to the government’s commitment of “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance”.

2: Dimension-Need of GeM in public procurement

• The public procurement process involves several steps, starting with the government publishing a tender. Interested sellers participate, and once the participation deadline passes, the government (buyer) evaluates the bids to determine eligibility. The contract is then awarded to the bidder offering the lowest rate.
• However, this process wasn't always as straightforward and transparent as it needed to be, which led to the introduction of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).

Cyber slavery is emerging as a form of organized crime of unprecedented severity and scale. Over 5,000 Indian nationals are reported to be held captive in Cambodia, coerced into committing cyber frauds targeting individuals in India.

1: Dimension-Factors responsible for growth of cybercrime

• Internet:The internet allows criminals to operate seamlessly across borders, accessing a marketplace of victims anywhere, anytime and at scale. The internet also helps criminals to conceal their own identity, location and size.
• Cybercrime-as-a-service:Criminals have their own ‘cybercrime-as-a-service’where experienced cybercriminals sell accessible tools and knowledge to help others carry out cybercrimes.
• Difficult to catch:The difficulty in countering cybercrime is also a major factor.
• Battlefield advantage:Cross-border attacks make cybercrime difficult for law enforcement to deal with, constrained as they are by national boundaries. 

2: Dimension-A global challenge

• The operation’s international dimension was underscored by the diversity of its workforce.
• Operatives from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, India, and Cambodia were drawn into the scheme, often under the guise of legitimate employment opportunities.
• Once in Cambodia, these individuals found themselves stripped of their passports and coerced into participating in the scam. Reports of physical assault, electric shock, and solitary confinement emerged for those who resisted, highlighting the dark underbelly of cyber slavery.
• As the scamming activities operate virtually, those running the rackets can easily shift their operations from one country to another. This makes it extremely hard to combat the crime by physically arresting the criminals.
• This challenge needs a systemic and coordinated approach from governments and NGOs.

The cVIGIL app of Election Commission of India has become an effective tool in the hands of people to flag election code violations. Since the announcement of General Elections 2024, over 79,000 complaints have been received.

About cVigil

• cVigil is user-friendly and easy to operate application, which connects vigilant citizens with the District Control Room, Returning Officer and Flying Squads Teams.
• By using this app, the citizens can immediately report on incidents of political misconduct within minutes and without having to rush to the office of the returning officer.
• As soon as the complaint is sent on the cVigil app, the complainant will receive a unique ID through which the person will be able to track the complaint on their mobile.

The gross non-performing assets (GNPA) of banks are set to improve further upto 2.1 per cent by the end of the Financial Year 2025, as per a report.

What is a Non-Performing Asset?

• They are loans or advances that are in default or in arrears.
• In other words, these are those kinds of loans wherein principal or interest amounts are late or have not been paid.
• Classification: Non-Performing Assets are basically Non-Performing Loans. In India, the timeline given for classifying the asset as NPA is 180 days. As against 45 to 90 days of international norms.

Types of NPA:

• Standard Assets: It is a kind of performing asset which creates continuous income and repayments as and when they become due. These assets carry a normal risk and are not NPA in the real sense of the word. Hence, no special provisions are required for standard assets.
• Sub-Standard Assets: Loans and advances which are non-performing assets for a period of 12 months fall under the category of Sub-Standard Assets.
• Doubtful Assets: The Assets considered as non-performing for a period of more than 12 months are known as Doubtful Assets.
• Loss Assets: All those assets which cannot be recovered by the lending institutions are known as Loss Assets.

Satellite analysis shows Gaza’s farms devastated and nearly half of the territory’s trees razed. The war has made the area unlivable.

What is Ecocide?

• Ecocide is the destruction of the environment by humans.
• Ecocide is broadly understood to mean mass damage and destruction of ecosystems – severe harm to nature which is widespread or long-term.
• Impact on Gaza:Before the war, farms and orchards covered about 170 sq km (65 sq miles), or 47% of Gaza’s total land area. By the end of February, more than 65 sq km, or 38% of that land has been destroyed.

Caracal is suffering are on the path to extinction.

About Caracal

• The caracal, a medium size wild cat with long black tufted ears, which is found in some parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• The caracal is an elusive, primarily noctural animal, and sightings are not common.
• The wildcat has long legs, a short face, long canine teeth, and distinctive ears — long and pointy, with tufts of black hair at their tips.
• The iconic ears are what give the animal its name — caracal comes from the Turkish karakulak, meaning ‘black ears’.
• In India, it is called siya gosh, a Persian name that translates as ‘black Ear’.
• Habitat

• • Besides India, the caracal is found in several dozen countries across Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia.
  • While it flourishes in parts of Africa, its numbers in Asia are declining.