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9th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis | Prelims & Mains 2020

What is TRP ?
HEADLINES:
What is TRP, why was it manipulated?
WHY IN NEWS:
This is most debated question on TV channels . Click here to see the Top channels and the live TRP – CLICK HERE
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Information and Technology
ISSUE:
TARGET RATING POINT
WHY IS TRP IMPORTANT?
- A viewer can be as young as a two-year-old.
- The TRP, or Target Rating Point, is the metric used by the marketing and advertising agencies to evaluate this viewership.
HOW TRP IS RECORDED?
- In India, the TRP is recorded by the Broadcast Audience Research Council using Bar-O-Meters that are installed on televisions in selected households.
- As on date, the BARC has installed these meters in 44,000 households across the country.
- These watermarks are not audible to the human ear, but can easily be detected and decoded using dedicated hardware and software.
- As viewing details are recorded by the Bar-O-Meters, so are the watermarks.
HOW ARE THE HOUSEHOLDS SELECTED?
- The first step is the establishment survey, a large-scale face-to-face survey of a sample of approximately 3 lakh households from the target population.
- This is done annually.
- Out of these, the households which will have Bar-O-Meters or what the BARC calls the recruitment sample are randomly selected.
- The fieldwork to recruit households is not done directly by the BARC.
CHECKS AND BALANCES
- Coincidental checks either physically or telephonically are done regularly.
- Certain suspicious outliers are also checked directly.
- And as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, these households rotate every year.
- The rotation is conducted in a staggered manner every month.
WHAT ARE THE LOOPHOLES IN THE PROCESS?
- The Mumbai police alleged that households were being paid to manipulate the TRP.
- Several doubts have been raised on many previous occasions about the working of the TRP.
BROADCAST AUDIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL
- Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India is a Joint Industry Company .
- It is founded by stakeholder bodies that represent Broadcasters, Advertisers, and Advertising and Media Agencies.
- It is built upon a robust and future-ready technology backbone.
- Apart from the currency products to the TV industry, BARC India also provides a suite of Insight products designed for Broadcasters, Advertisers and Agencies.
- The Big Data and Insights generated by BARC India powers efficient media spends and content decisions in a highly dynamic and growing television sector.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- The TRP process needs a rethink and attacked what he called “TRP journalism”.
- Public broadcaster Doordarshan has time and again said that TRP did not reflect the actual viewership.
SOURCES:THE HINDU & PIB | 9th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
“Unite to Fight Corona”
HEADLINES:
“Unite to Fight Corona”: Prime Minister launches public movement against COVID-19
WHY IN NEWS:
Various public sector enterprises such as BPCL, ONGC and HPCL too have joined the campaign.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Health
ISSUE:
LAUNCH OF PUBLIC MOVEMENT
- Prime Minister has reminded the nation to follow the COVID-19 appropriate behaviours, as he launched a public movement to unite in the fight against the pandemic.
- The campaign has been launched with the aim to encourage people’s participation and together win the fight against COVID-19.
- To reach the message far and wide, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has come up with a podcast titled Jan Jan Ki Batein.
IASbhai WINDUP:
PLEDGE–
- It is hoped that the campaign will contribute to safer and more responsible public behavior at the levels of individual, family and community.
SOURCES:THE HINDU & PIB | 9th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
Clean Tech Demo Park
HEADLINES:
Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurates the “DBT-BIRAC Clean Tech Demo Park” at Barapullah drain site
WHY IN NEWS:
Hot from PIB !
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Waste Water treatment : Sewage treatment
ISSUE:
CLEAN TECH DEMO PARK
- Clean Tech Demo Park would be a good attraction not only for Innovators/ Investors but also for students.
- It is a common public for awareness and popularization of clean technological solution for waste management.
AIM
- This Clean Technology Waste to Value demonstration Park is an important initiative of the Department of Biotechnology.
- It demonstrates the feasibility of these technologies for scale up.
- Thus it will encourage partnership with local bodies and other Stakeholders for large scale technology deployment.
CO-ORDINATION
- Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India
- Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a DBT PSU
- The DBT-BIRAC Clean Tech Demo Park will be used to demonstrate innovative Waste-to-Value technologies.
ONGOING PROJECTS
- DBT has undertaken several initiatives under Swachh Bharat Mission for the development, demonstration and promotion of innovative clean waste-to-value technologies.
- This includes biomethanation, constructed wetlands, algal treatment and water membrane filtration.
- The LOTUS-HR project in collaboration with Netherlands are already successfully demonstrated at the Barapullah site.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- Few other waste treatment technologies with support from DBT & BIRAC that aim to contribute to the vision of Swachha Bharat were demonstrated.
- Technologies developed by Startups at different locations in the Country will be demonstrated on this site.
SOURCES: PIB | 9th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
Mental Health: Looking Beyond COVID 19
HEADLINES:
Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot Virtually Inaugurates International Conference on “Mental Health: Looking Beyond COVID 19”
WHY IN NEWS:
Hot from PIB !
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Health
ISSUE:
MENTAL HEALTH: LOOKING BEYOND COVID 19
ORGANIZERS
- Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), M/o Social Justice & Empowerment
- University of Melbourne, Australia .
KEY POINTS
The conference had five technical sessions wherein experts from India and Australia touched upon issues such as:
- Stress management for frontline non-health workers
- Multicultural mental health
- Maintaining mental health
- Working from home
- Suicide and associated media reporting in India
IASbhai WINDUP:
KIRAN mental health rehabilitation helpline has been doing commendable work for addressing mental health issues.
SOURCES: PIB | 9th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
Assam jails cannot be detention centres
HEADLINES:
Assam jails cannot be detention centres : HC
WHY IN NEWS:
State government told to list steps taken to house declared foreigners outside jail
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2 : Governance : Judiciary : Prison Reforms
ISSUE:
VERDICT
- The court has also issued a notice to the Assam government to submit a report on the steps taken to set up detention centres outside jail premises .
- The Court asked the State government to “hire any private premises” if “suitable government accommodations are not available for the purpose”.
LODGED IN SIX JAILS
- People declared foreigners or “illegal migrants” in Assam are kept across detention centres within six jails where they share space with others serving time for various crimes.
- A designated detention centre to house 3,000 people is being built in Goalpara district.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- The requirement is that such detention centres/ holding centres/ camps should be set up outside the jail premises.
- The State government is also to ensure appropriate security at these places.
SOURCES:THE HINDU | 9th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
She Codes
HEADLINES:
Girls display coding skills, Sisodia announces plan to expand programme to several Delhi govt schools
WHY IN NEWS:
The six girls were among 1,000 who had been enrolled into a coding programme for girl students, ‘She Codes’, initiated by the Delhi government in January.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Education : Skill development
ISSUE:
SHE CODES
- It was founded by Ruth Polachek in 2013 and now has over 50,000 members.
- Members include women who want to develop new programming skills and meet fellow programmers.
- Members also are high school students who are interested in programming.
IASbhai WINDUP:
INITIATIVE
- At she codes;, members are encouraged to further develop their professional and personal skills as a volunteer.
- The volunteers not only manage the branches, they also plan study courses, organize events, and more.
SOURCES:THE HINDU | 9th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
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