7 December 2023

• AI: Google unveiled Gemini, its new multimodal AI model, in Nano and Pro versions for deployment in Bard and Pixel 8 Pro. The Ultra version was announced for early 2024.
• Crime data: NCRB released its Crime in India 2022 report. Over 58 lakh cognizable crimes were registered; cybercrime rose 24 per cent to 65,893 cases.
• Fusion energy: Japan's JT-60SA nuclear fusion reactor, the world's largest tokamak, became operational.
• BRI: Italy formally notified China of its withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative, becoming the first and only G7 country to exit.

GS area: Science and Technology, Economy

Google unveiled Gemini, its flagship large language model, in three versions:

• Nano: Designed for on-device use in Pixel 8 Pro smartphones. Does not require cloud connectivity for basic tasks.
• Pro: Integrated into Google Bard (the conversational AI service). Offered to developers via Google Cloud.
• Ultra: The most powerful version, announced for release in early 2024 after further safety testing.

Key facts for prelims:

• Multimodal: Gemini can process text, images, audio, and video in a unified architecture. Earlier models were predominantly text-only.
• India's AI position: India's AI penetration factor is 3.09 among G20 nations, the highest. India has the third-largest pool of AI researchers globally.
• MeitY role: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is India's nodal ministry for AI regulation and the digital economy.
• IndiaAI mission: Launched in 2023, the IndiaAI platform aims to democratise AI access and promote indigenous AI research.

Static linkage: Science and technology, digital economy, AI governance.

GS area: International Relations

Italy formally notified China before the 31 December deadline that it was withdrawing from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Italy had joined in 2019 as the first and only G7 country to sign the Memorandum of Understanding:

• Why Italy joined in 2019: The centre-left government at the time sought new trade and investment partnerships. BRI offered infrastructure investment and market access to China.
• Why Italy left: Trade deficit with China widened rather than narrowed after joining. Italy's strategic alignment shifted toward NATO partners and EU positions under the Meloni government.
• BRI scope: China's Belt and Road Initiative was announced in 2013. It covers overland routes (the "Belt") and maritime routes (the "Road") connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa. More than 140 countries have signed MoUs with China under the initiative.
• India's position: India has not joined BRI. The flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which India considers its own territory.

Static linkage: International Relations, China's foreign policy, India's stance on BRI.

GS area: Polity

Following the Lok Sabha passage of two J&K Bills in the previous session, the context for the bills:

• Kashmiri Pandit migrants: Will have assembly seats reserved. They were displaced from the Kashmir Valley during the militancy that began in 1989-90.
• PoK-displaced persons: Those forced out of what India considers its territory occupied by Pakistan will be eligible for nomination.
• ST status: The amendment replaces "weak classes" with "Other Backward Classes" in the J&K reservation framework.
• J&K as Union Territory: Since the Reorganisation Act of 2019, J&K is a Union Territory with a legislature. Ladakh is a Union Territory without a legislature.

Static linkage: Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir, reservation in legislatures.

GS area: Society, Governance

The NCRB 2022 Crime in India report continued to receive analysis:

• Crimes against women: 4,45,000 cases registered, a 4 per cent increase over 2021. Uttar Pradesh accounted for the largest share.
• Crimes against children: Increased 8.7 per cent. POCSO Act cases formed a significant component.
• Crimes against SCs and STs: A rising trend was observed in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
• UAPA cases: Grew by about 25 per cent. Of UAPA arrests between 2015 and 2020, less than 3 per cent resulted in conviction, a data point that surfaces in rule-of-law debates.
• Kolkata safest city: The ranking is based on crime rate per lakh population within the city's jurisdiction, not absolute number of crimes.

Static linkage: Society, criminal law, atrocities against SC and ST.

GS area: Environment

63 countries including the United States, Canada, and Kenya signed the Global Cooling Pledge at COP28:

• Target: A 68 per cent reduction in cooling-related emissions by 2050.
• Current share: Cooling accounts for about 7 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs): Used as refrigerants. HFC-134a has a warming potential 3,400 times that of carbon dioxide. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol mandates HFC phase-down.
• Passive cooling: Low-cost strategies including reflective roofs, cross-ventilation, and urban tree cover that reduce cooling demand without electricity.

Static linkage: Climate change, Montreal Protocol, energy efficiency.

GS area: Economy, Governance

The India Infrastructure Report 2023 was released, a joint effort of the IDFC Foundation, iDeCK, and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA):

• Focus areas: Urban planning, governance, smart cities, PPPs and financing, housing, migration, and public service delivery.
• Key finding: Urban infrastructure investment needs to triple to meet the demands of India's rapidly urbanising population.
• PPP model: The report examined Public Private Partnership structures in urban infrastructure and the regulatory gaps that constrain private investment.

Static linkage: Urban development, infrastructure finance, smart cities.

• Santiago Network: Formally adopted at COP28 to provide technical assistance, knowledge transfer, and resources to developing nations addressing climate loss and damage, separate from the Loss and Damage Fund.
• Early Warnings for All: A UN initiative led by the WMO and UNDRR to ensure every person on Earth has early warning coverage by 2027. Investment need: $3 billion over five years. Current coverage: only 50 per cent globally.