National
Indian Coast Guard laid the keel for two Coast Guard Pollution Control Vessels
⇒ In line with the country’s Make in India commitment for sourcing equipments and systems from indigenous firms including MSMEs, Indian Coast Guard laid the keel for two Coast Guard Pollution Control Vessels, GSL Yard 1267 & 1268, on 21st November 2022 at the Goa Shipyard. The two Pollution Control Vessels will be delivered by February 2025 and August 2025 respectively.
Designed and developed by:
The two Pollution Control Vessels are indigenously designed and developed by the Goa Shipyard.
» Keel Laying is a major milestone activity in the construction of ships, symbolising formal commencement of the erection process of ships on the building berth.
Features:
- The PCVs will be equipped with state-of-art technology, advanced & highly sensitive pollution control equipment, navigation and communication equipment, sensor and machinery.
- Ships will be capable of carrying out dedicated oil spill response operations for containment, recovery, separation and dispersal of pollutants.
- The vessel will be fitted with latest pollution control equipment including two flush type side sweeping arms enabling it to contain oil spill whilst in motion.
- An advanced software would assist in predicting the spread of the complex oil spill pattern and Dynamic Positioning System will enable the vessel to be maneuvered in restricted areas with precision.
- The vessel is being designed to recover the lightest to the most viscous oil at the rate of 300 tons per hour.
- The vessels are also equipped with fire-fighting and salvage systems.
Centre launches framework for safeguarding and protecting consumer interest from fake and deceptive reviews in e-commerce
⇒ The Department of Consumer Affairs launched the framework for safeguarding and protecting consumer interest from fake and deceptive reviews in e-commerce on 21 November 2022.
Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, along with senior officers and Bureau of Indian Standards launched the framework titled Indian Standard (IS) 19000:2022 ‘Online Consumer Reviews — Principles and Requirements for their Collection, Moderation and Publication.
Key Points:
- The standards will be applicable to every online platform which publishes consumer reviews.
- The standard will initially be voluntary for compliance by all e-commerce platform. BIS will also develop a Conformity Assessment Scheme for the standard to assess compliance.
- The guiding principles of the standard are integrity, accuracy, privacy, security, transparency, accessibility and responsiveness. The standard prescribes specific responsibilities for the review author and the review administrator.
- For review author, these include confirming acceptance of terms and conditions, providing contact information and for review administrator, these include safeguarding personal information and training of staff.
- Once made mandatory, if required, the violation of the standards by any entity may be considered as an unfair trade practice or violation of consumer rights and a consumer may submit such grievances to the National Consumer Helpline, Consumer Commissions or the CCPA.
- The standard provides for responsibilities of organization including developing a code of practice, and necessary stipulations for terms and conditions like accessibility, criteria, and ensuring content does not contain financial information etc.
- The standard also provides for methods for verification of review author through email address, identification by telephone call or SMS, confirming registration by clicking on a link, using captcha system etc. to check traceability and genuineness of the review author.
- With respect to moderation, the standard provides for both automated and manual moderation and provides checks for analyzing the review content.
- As regards to publication, the standard includes considerations for the review administrator at the time of publication process and after the publication process. The accuracy of the review, default display and weightage of ratings are defined in the publication process.
- The standard is expected to benefit all stakeholders in the e-commerce ecosystem i.e., consumers, e-commerce platforms, sellers etc.
- It will help usher in confidence among consumers to purchase goods online and help them take better purchase decisions.
International
Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta has been elected as a member of CIPM
⇒ Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta, Director, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi, has been elected as a member of the prestigious International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM).
- Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta is among 18 members worldwide from different countries.
- He is the 7th Indian to be in the prestigious international committee after a few decades.
Prof. Gopal was declared an elected Member of CIPM at the 27th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) meeting held during November 15-18, 2022 at Paris, France.
About CIPM:
- The CIPM is a supreme international committee, which is responsible for Development and Implementation of Weight and Measures globally.
- The CIPM functions under the authority of General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), a highest intergovernmental international organisation created as diplomatic treaty called Meter Convention signed on 20th May 1875 in Paris.
- It is responsible for development and implementation of International Systems of Unites, universally abbreviated as SI, its wide dissemination; make necessary modifications time to time for the advancement of science and technology.
- At present, CGPM is represented by 64 member countries and meets every 4th year at International Bureau of Weight and Measure (BIPM), France.
- The CIPM advises and recommends the amendments, changes, alterations to the SI to the CGPM for formal adoption. It can also pass resolutions and recommendations about the basic units of measurements, if needed, at its own authority.
- The primary objective of the CIPM, comprised of 18 members from 18 member states (nations), is to promote international harmonization of SI, meets annually, deliberate reports sent by its 18 Consultative Committees, among other matters brought to its notice as per mandate.
- Each member of the CIPM takes the responsibility of Chairmanship of one CC.
About CSIR-NPL:
- The CSIR-NPL, the National Metrology Institute (NMI) of India was established by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi on January 4, 1947.
- The Government of India enacted the “Standards of Weights and Measures Act” for the first time in 1956 to ensure that every citizen has access to uniform standards of weights and measures those are traceable to the SI units.
- During the year 1957, India became member of the CGPM.
- Dr. K.S. Krishnan, the founder Director of CSIR-NPL was the first member elected to CIPM.
- The last elected CIPM member of India was Prof. E. S. R. Gopal, the then Director, CSIR-NPL (1991-1997), decades ago.
Other Important Information:
- This year CGPM has adopted 7 important resolutions including new SI prefixes ronna (10²⁷), quetta (10³⁰), ronto (10-²⁷) and quecto (10-³⁰).
- With this nomenclature, mass of the electron (1 quectogram) and weight of earth (1 ronnagram) can be expressed easily in SI units.
- The CGPM also plans to resolve the issue of leap second.