Details about the Bletchley Declaration, Atal Bhujal Yojana and Reference Fuel

 Bletchley Declaration:

Bletchley Park, the historic site known for its crucial role in World War II, is hosting the world’s first global summit on Artificial Intelligence (AI) safety in 2023.

• Britain, along with 28 other countries and the European Union, published the “Bletchley Declaration” at Bletchley Park, England.

The focus of the Bletchley Declaration:

This declaration aims to enhance global collaboration on artificial intelligence (AI) safety. It has a two-fold focus: identifying shared AI-related risks and enhancing scientific understanding of these risks, as well as creating cross-country policies to address them.

Significance

It was marked by an agreement which resolved to establish “a shared understanding of the opportunities and risks posed by frontier AI”. It includes:

1) Identifying misuse: Acknowledgment of the substantial risks from potential intentional misuse or unintended issues of control of frontier AI — especially cybersecurity, biotechnology, and disinformation risks.

2) Identifying risks: The declaration noted the potential for serious harm, deliberate or unintentional, stemming from the most significant capabilities of these AI models, as well as risks beyond frontier AI, including those of bias and privacy.

3) Focusing on international cooperation: These risks are “best addressed through international cooperation”. As part of the agreement on international collaboration on frontier AI safety, future summits will be held annually.

4) It highlights the importance of safeguarding human rights, transparency, explainability, fairness, accountability, regulation, safety, human oversight, ethics, bias mitigation, privacy, and data protection.

Historical Importance of Bletchley Park:

• During the war, Bletchley Park played a pivotal role in breaking the ‘unbreakable’ Enigma code, which was used by the Nazis.
• The site is also known for creating the Turing Bombe, a device that expedited code-breaking efforts.
• Bletchley Park contributed to the development of the Colossus, often considered the world’s first programmable electronic computer.

Atal Bhujal Yojana

• Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL) is being implemented as a Central Sector Scheme since April, 2020 in 8220 water stressed Gram Panchayats of 229 administrative blocks/Talukas in 80 districts of seven States Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• Implementation Period: for 5 years (2020-21 to 2024-25).
• Goal: To demonstrate community-led sustainable ground water management which can be taken to scale.
• Objective: The major objective of the Scheme is to improve the management of groundwater resources in select water stressed areas in identified states.
• Funding: Total outlay of INR 6000 crores. Out of this, INR 3,000 crores will be as loan from the World Bank and INR 3,000 crores as matching contribution from the Government of India.

• Program Components:
  • Institutional Strengthening & Capacity Building Component: This component is for strengthening institutional arrangements and capacities in the states.
  • Incentive Component: The incentive component is for incentivizing the States for convergence amongst various schemes of the Central and State Governments.

• Nodal agency: The Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Reference Fuel

Recently, the Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas launched the ‘Reference Gasoline and Diesel Fuels’ produced by Indian Oil for the first time in India.

Why India needs reference fuels?

• Reference fuels are required by automobile manufacturers for developing engines and assessing vehicles’ performance to ensure operability in all global climatic conditions.
• Currently, these reference fuels are being imported by India from select companies in Europe and the US

About Reference Fuels:

• Reference fuels (Gasoline and Diesel) are premium, high-value products used for calibration and testing of vehicles by auto OEMs and organisations involved in testing and certification in the automotive field.
• Indian Oil has successfully commenced the production of Reference Gasoline and Diesel Fuels for the first time in India.
• These fuels are used for calibration and testing of vehicles by automobile manufacturers and testing agencies like ICAT (International Centre for Automotive Technology) and ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India).
• These indigenously developed products will lead to import substitution at better price and a shorter lead time for the vehicle manufacturers.
• Reference Gasoline fuels will be available in E0, E5, E10, E20, E85, and E100 from Flagship Paradip Refinery.
• Reference diesel fuel shall be available in B7 grade from Panipat Refinery.
• The demand for Reference Fuels in India is currently met by imports from other countries.
• The indigenously developed product by Indian Oil meets Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) specifications, substitutes imports, and is available at better price with reduced lead time.
• Indian Oil Corporation Limited has established facilities for the production of Reference Gasoline Fuels (E-5, E-10 and E-20) at its Paradip Refinery and Reference Diesel Fuel (B-7) at its Panipat refinery