20 January Daily Current Affairs Updates

Pay Commission; GS-2 (Polity) ▪️Why in the News: The Union Cabinet has approved the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission to revise salaries of nearly 50 lakh central government employees.

> Pay Commission: A Pay Commission is tasked with determining the salary structure and compensation for Central government employees and pensioners.

> Purpose:

• Establishes the salary and allowances framework for Central government employees.

• Determines allowances and benefits for pensioners.

> Authority: Constituted by the Department of Expenditureunder the Union Ministry of Finance.

> Key Features:

• Frequency: Typically established every 10 years by the Central government.

• Recommendations: Provides suggestions for salary structures and methods for revising Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR). Aims to address the impact of inflation on employees and pensioners.

• Consultative Process: Engages with Central and State governments and other stakeholders before proposing salary structures and benefits.

• Non-Binding Nature: Recommendations are advisory and not mandatory for the government to implement.

• Historical Context:

• Seven Pay Commissions have been established since 1947:

• The Seventh Pay Commission was constituted in 2014and its recommendations were implemented in 2016.

Internship and Capacity Building Scheme; GS-2 (Governance) ▪️Why in the news: The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) announced the launch of its Internet Governance Internship and Capacity Building Scheme.

> Definition: This initiative is designed to foster awareness and develop expertise in Internet Governance (IG) among Indian citizens.

> Objectives:

o. Skill Development: Provides participants with comprehensive knowledge to actively participate in global internet governance forums.

o. Engagement with I-Star Organizations: Facilitates collaboration with entities such as:

- Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

- Internet Society (ISOC)

- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

- Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

• Domestic Expertise: Cultivates a pool of skilled professionals capable of addressing emerging challenges in internet governance.

Internship Program Offerings:

• Program Structure: Comprises two parallel tracks: r Six-month program

Three-month program.

• Mentorship: Each intern will receive guidance from a mentor pool that includes:

• Experts from international organizations like ICANN, APNIC, or APTLD.

Members of Special Interest Groups (SIGs).

Senior retired government officials.

• Faculty advisors from accredited institutions or universities.

• Financial Support:

• Interns will receive a fixed stipend of Rs. 20,000/- per month.

• Additional support will be provided for conducting mandatory outreach programs.

Dark Oxygen; GS-3 (Science and Technology) ▪️Why in the news: A startling discovery has been made public that metallic rocks were apparently producing oxygen on the Pacific Ocean's seabed, where no light can penetrate, was a scientific bombshell.

> Dark Oxygen: Dark oxygen refers to oxygen generated thousands of feet beneath the ocean's surface, independent of sunlight or photosynthesis.

Significance of the Discovery:

This phenomenon challenges the long-held belief that oxygen production occurs solely through photosynthesis, a process dependent on sunlight.

• Traditionally, oceanic plankton, algae, and some bacteria were thought to be the primary contributors to oxygen production in the ocean, as all these organisms rely on photosynthesis.

• Oxygen production at such depths was previously considered impossible due to the absence of sufficient sunlight required for photosynthesis.

> Source of Dark Oxygen:

• Unlike conventional oxygen production by plants, dark oxygen originates from polymetallic nodules found on the ocean floor.

These nodules, which resemble lumps of coal, consist of metals such as manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and lithium.

Through electrochemical activity, these nodules can split water (H2O) molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, generating oxygen even in light-deprived environments.

La Perouse Naval Exercise; GS-3 (Defence) ▪️Why in the news: The 2025 edition of the La Perouse exercise is being headed by France with 8 other countries - India, the US, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, the UK and Singapore.

> Exercise LA PEROUSE: The fourth edition of Exercise LA PEROUSE brings together multiple maritime partners to strengthen collaboration and interoperability in maritime operations.

> Participating Organizations: The exercise involves personnel, surface, and sub-surface assets from the following navies:

- Royal Australian Navy

- French Navy

- Royal Navy

• United States Navy

• Indonesian Navy

• Royal Malaysian Navy - Republic of Singapore Navy

• Royal Canadian Navy