crackIAS.com Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-12-20 ISRO’S ‘ANGRY BIRD’ TAKES TO THE SKIES Relevant for: Science & Technology | Topic: Space Technology & related matters

An anxious ISRO Chairman K. Sivan on Wednesday watched the flight path of the GSLV-F11 intently as it soared into the evening sky carrying communication satellite GSAT-7A, meant to enhance the communication infrastructure of the Indian Air Force.

Three key factors had weighed on the minds of the launch team at ISRO — the weight of the satellite, changes made to the cryogenic stage and the second stage of the vehicle to increase payload capacity, and the possibility of a cyclone looming on the coast that finally changed track gave anxious moments to the team.

Heaviest satellite

In its Mk-II version, the GSLV with the indigenous cryogenic stage carried on board its heaviest satellite that weighed 2,250 kg, from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, here at 4.10 p.m.

“[In] the vehicle, the second stage propellant loading has been increased from 37.5 tonnes to 40 tonnes, and cryogenic stage propellant loading has been increased from 12 tonnes to 15 tonnes along with enhanced thrust value for the cryogenic stage,” Mr. Sivan said after the satellite was placed in a ‘super synchronous transfer orbit’, a little over 19 minutes after launch to enhance its life, pegged at eight years.

Though the Mission Control team remained tight-lipped about the purported use of the satellite, sources in ISRO and the Indian Air Force said the satellite would enhance the communication capabilities of IAF. “This is primarily for the Indian Air Force’s communication purposes, such as ground to air communication,” one of the sources told The Hindu . The satellite, being dubbed as ‘angry bird’ by some, is likely to enhance the range of communication and also aid in aircraft to aircraft communication.

“There is always further improvements in GSLV… in the coming GSLV F10s and F12 missions we are going to make bigger payload compartment to accommodate still bigger spacecraft and that is another important challenge in front of us and we are getting ready with that change as well to make sure that GSLV continues to remain very successful and rugged vehicle like PSLV,” said S. Somanath, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

With ISRO ending the year on a high, having completed 17 missions, Mr. Sivan said he had a ‘great gift’ for his staff. “This year, we completed 17 missions. It is a very good number. The gift is... nextcrackIAS.com year, we are going to have around 32 missions.” Force multiplier

“It will be a major booster and force multiplier for the Indian Air Force. When we talk of a network-centric warfare, such type of systems will help achieve full network centricity. From that perspective, it’s a major value addition to the IAF,” said Ajay Lele, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)

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crackIAS.com Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-12-20 LS PASSES BILL BANNING COMMERCIAL SURROGACY Relevant for: Government Policies & Welfare Schemes | Topic: Rights & Welfare of Women – Schemes & their Performance, Mechanisms, Laws Institutions and Bodies

“The hon. Supreme Court, Madam, has recently decriminalised Section 377 and the LGBT community has been accepted to be a part of the mainstream. So, we have same sex couples now. But, in this Bill, there is no mention of them,” she said. The Trinamool MP also called for stopping “fashion surrogacy”, alleging that some celebrities were opting for it as they did not want their figures destroyed. Supriya Sule of the NCP urged the the government to expand its scope as “the Bill is a good Bill but not modern enough.” BJD’s Bhartruhari Mahtab pointed out that it does not define who is a close relative and asked why the government had not accepted all recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee that had gone into aspects of the Bill.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-12-20 SENATE PASSES CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM BILL Relevant for: Indian Polity & Constitution | Topic: Judiciary in India: its Structure, Organisation & Functioning, Judges of SC & High Courts, Judgements and related Issues

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform Bill, that would roll back what are seen as excessively punitive criminal justice policies that have been in place since the crackdown on crime in the 1980s.

The Bill, which had wide bipartisan support (only 12 Republicans voted against it), makes it easier for federal offenders to earn early release from prison, lowering mandatory federal sentences, expanding job training and other interventions to reduce recidivism.

The Bill benefits federally convicted individuals, mostly serving drug offences. Major reforms include reducing the disparity in how crack cocaine and powder cocaine offences are treated by federal law — the differential treatment of the types of cocaine offences tends to be harsher on African-American users. Some 2,000 federal offenders are likely to be impacted by this.

Second, the ‘three strikes’ rule, which mandated a life sentence for three drug felonies, will carry a reduced 25-year sentence. Judges will also get more room to circumvent mandatory minimum sentences and places restrictions on the practice of ‘stacking’ — where an offender could get decades extra in jail for committing an offence while also carrying a firearm.

Earned time

The Bill also retroactively decreases jail time for good behaviour and gives inmates “earned time” opportunities to be released to a halfway house or to be confined at home if they participate in rehabilitation and vocational courses. Undocumented immigrants and some classes of offenders are not eligible for these credits.

Criminal justice reform had started during the Obama administration and gained bipartisan support with evangelical and libertarian conservatives supporting it. The cause brought together unlikely allies from conservative donors like the Koch Brothers to the American Civil Liberties Union. The President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, whose father had served a 14-month sentence for witness tampering, tax evasion and illegal campaign finance, and celebrity Kim Kardashian were among those who brought President Donald Trump on board with the legislation.

But not all Republicans supported the Bill. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who at 41 is one of the youngsters in the Senate, decided to vote against it despite the Senate accepting his amendments,crackIAS.com which included restrictions on who was eligible for earned time credits. “We ultimately need to make far greater reforms if we are to right the wrongs that exist in our criminal justice system,” said Kamala Harris, Democratic Representative from California.

Mr. Trump, whose company, charities and campaign, are being investigated, seized the bipartisan moment, which is seen as a win for him and the Republicans.

“America is the greatest Country in the world and my job is to fight for ALL citizens, even those who have made mistakes. Congratulations to the Senate on the bi-partisan passing of a historic Criminal Justice Reform Bill,” he said on Twitter. Leaders of the U.S. House said they expect the Bill to pass their chamber this week so President Trump can sign it into law.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-12-20 PACKAGING OF FOODGRAIN IN JUTE BAGS MADE MANDATORY Relevant for: World & Indian Geography | Topic: Factors responsible for Location & Distribution of Primary Industries in World

The Centre has mandated the packaging of 100% of foodgrain and 20% of sugar in jute bags for 2018-19 but has also left the window open for the dilution of the order. This includes a stipulation on placing 10% of the orders through reverse auction on the government e-marketplace.

The order follows the Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory Use in Packing Commodities) Act (JPM), which was enacted in 1987 to protect the jute sector from the plastic packaging segment.

While West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh are the two largest jute goods producers, Punjab is the largest procuring State . It plans to initiate the procurement on a trial basis for 10% of the indents.

Gunny bags now account for about 63% of raw jute consumption, according to official statistics. The sector employs about 3.7 lakh mill workers directly besides supporting several lakh farmer families. Since 1987, the JPM Act has been mandating compulsory use of sacks in certain areas to bring buoyancy to the raw jute market.

Seepage issue

While initially there was reservation for sugar, cement, fertiliser and foodgrain packaging over time, certain sectors have been taken out of the ambit for various reasons, including market demand for alternative packaging as there was seepage of materials through gunny sacks.

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© 2018 The Indian Express Ltd. All Rights Reserved

In December 2012, villagers of the Idu Mishmi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh spotted three tiger cubs in the Dibang Valley. They reported the sighting immediately to the forest department. A three-year-long study followed and, earlier this month, it revealed the presence of 11 tigers in the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary. Unfortunately for them as well as other flora and fauna in the region, “development” has come calling, meaning they might soon have no place to call home.

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has effectively paved the way for at least two mega hydel power projects in one of India’s richest biodiverse zones: The Etalin hydel project to be jointly developed by Jindal Power in Dibang Valley district and the Arunachal government and the Lower Demwe hydel project in Lohit district.

The Demwe project is dangerously close to the Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary and environmentalists have already voiced fears about the adverse impact the power plant will have on the flow of the Lohit river. It will also jeopardise the habitat of the Gangetic river dolphin. A 2014 study of the site by Asad Rahmani, director of Bombay Natural History Society, revealed that the project would also end up submerging parts of the Parshuram Kund Medicinal Plant Conservation Area, home to “globally significant medicinal plants”. The Etalin project paints an equally grim picture.

It entails large-scale forest diversion and the felling of approximately 2,80,000 trees, besides impacting 18 villages. Both are instances of what has become a predictable arc of environmental and ecological disruption. In November, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari flagged off several road development works in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra. The Tadoba tiger reserve is located close by and about 100 km of roads will cut through tiger corridors. In Karnataka, in July, the road ministry called for the state’s consent to lift the night- traffic restriction on NH 766 passing through the Bandipur National Park, furthering fears of more roadkills.

In this context, the role of WII assumes great significance. The country’s premier institute on wildlife and forestry, its recommendations often decide if the ministry will grant or deny project clearances. For the Dibang Valley project, the environment ministry modified a recommendation from its Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) to carry out an environment impact assessment.

Taking it further, the WII initiated a study to assess how the project’s wildlife impact can be minimised.crackIAS.com In the past, too, the WII has waded into controversy. At a time when, globally, environmental issues are increasingly driving policy, the WII must be more mindful of the responsibility it is vested with.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.livemint.com Date : 2018-12-20 OPINION Relevant for: Indian Polity & Constitution | Topic: Rights Issues - Human Rights and NHRC

It’s heads-up time again, beginning with the Top-10 issues for 2019 flagged by the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), a London-based advocacy group. While it is important for us in India to track global trends in this necessary arena, it’s also important to question some assertions, and traces of a white-man’s-burden approach to analysis.

Yes, Myanmar is a top-of-the-mind instance of appalling human rights violations, from genocide and displacement to “reduced freedom of expression”. But surely it doesn’t merit a solo display under one of the Top-10 issues titled “Embedding International Standards in New Democracies”.

Relatively new democracies in its South-East Asian neighbourhood continue to be flagrant violators of human rights in every aspect, including business. Relatively older South Asian democracies, too, including India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, besides “younger” Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan. Not a word. Nor a word on older European and American democracies complicit in violations through wars in the Middle East and businesses across the world. Not a word on Russia. It may pin down Myanmar, but it doesn’t absolve others.

The only matter that this country-specific cause célèbre offers as object lesson to others, as IHRB’s list points out, is the possibility of the European Commission suspending Myanmar’s tariff-free access on grounds of human rights violations. It’s tricky, though, as it could affect apparel workers in Myanmar, but “unfortunately have no impact on the wider problems in Rakhine (the Rohingya issue) and elsewhere”.

“Promoting Rights Through Sport” is authored by David Grevemberg (each Top-10 issue is elaborated by practitioners), who is the CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation. Grevemberg highlights empowering work his organization has undertaken. He also makes this confusing assertion: “The Commonwealth family was a bulwark in the fight against South African Apartheid in 1970s and 80s.”

“Commonwealth” has historically meant the wealth and resources of all of Britain’s colonies were common to Britain, which for long condoned Apartheid. Little “common” benefit exists today across its former colonies in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, beyond the abomination of the tag and deification of British monarchy at such games.

Other issues in the heads-up are suitably reactive and proactive. “Eliminating Gender Discrimination Within Workplaces and Across Wider Society” is worth every capitalization and necessary to repeat through the down cycles of #MeToo. “Defending Rights Holders Challenging Power” is crucial to ensure governments and business leaders don’t view the calling out ofcrackIAS.com “actions or inactions” of those implicated in human rights abuses “as enemies, but instead as vital and legitimate actors in our shared society”.

“Safeguarding Rights of Workers on the Move”—migrant workers—is literally the lifeblood of this most global of activities. Indeed, I would even suggest that, instead of focusing on often-flat please-all, glib listings, organizations like IHRB publish deep-dives through “Year of the …” reports to create enduring awareness and influence change.

“Measuring Performance to Move Shareholders” champions the necessity of businesses measuring up on a human rights index. Readers of this column would recall its tracking the progress of the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark. Even with implicit pitfalls like a “best in class” approach that can push a company to tart itself up though tick-marks and public relations, it’s pathbreaking. (I shall discuss the 2018 rankings in a subsequent column.)

“Forging Remedy in Post-Conflict Scenarios” is surely worth deep dives with Colombia and, closer home, in Nepal, and the Naga conflict in India—which this column investigates. “Harnessing Technology to Respect Rights Across Trade and Transport Chains” is a nascent field, equally practical and philosophical in its construct. And “Ensuring Dignity While Building Infrastructure” intersects with migrant labour and gender issues, and could do with clearer pitch and deeper dive.

But what does one do with “Upholding Rights in the Face of Massive Investments in Emerging Economies”, a China-is-Peril point that criticizes the adverse financial, environmental, political, geopolitical and human rights fallout of its Belt and Roads Initiative, among other things? China will tinker where it needs to, get away with it where it can—just like most businesses.

This column focuses on conflict situations and the convergence of businesses and human rights and runs on Thursdays.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-12-20 CHASING PEACE IN YEMEN Relevant for: International Relations | Topic: India - Middle East

The ceasefire between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in the port city of Hodeida came into existence on December 18. The agreement was reached in UN-mediated talks held in Stockholm earlier this month. At the time of the negotiations, the city was almost in the hands of the Saudi-led coalition. The coalition had blockaded the port, the main conduit for humanitarian aid to enter Yemen, for months, and the fighters, mostly UAE soldiers, were battling the rebels. But Saudi Arabia came under increased global pressure to stop fighting in Yemen after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside its consulate in Istanbul triggered a global outcry. The spotlight on Yemen and its deteriorating humanitarian situation has been so strong after the Khashoggi affair that even the U.S., which supports Riyadh in the war, cut down its involvement by ending refuelling of coalition aircraft. With the UN also pushing for talks, the Yemeni government backed by Saudi Arabia gave the green light for talks.

Since the Saudi intervention in 2015, at least 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen, according to the WHO. The widespread damage caused to infrastructure by the coalition airstrikes and lack of supplies of food and medicines due to the blockade have pushed Yemen into a humanitarian catastrophe. About 12 million people are at the risk of starvation if aid doesn’t reach them fast. The country has also seen a massive cholera outbreak. A child dies every 10 minutes in Yemen from preventable causes, says UNICEF.

Saudi Arabia interfered in Yemen after the Shia Houthi rebels captured Sana’a, the capital city, and the internationally recognised government of President Hadi moved to the country’s south. The Saudis accuse Iran of bankrolling the Houthis and “destabilising” the Arabian peninsula. The Saudi plan was to expel the Houthis from Sana’a and restore the authority of the government. But almost four years since they launched the attack, the Houthis still control Sana’a and much of the north of Yemen. They also fire short-range missiles across the border into Saudi Arabia, which has become a major security concern for Riyadh.

Barring some violations, the ceasefire held on the second day on Wednesday. Both sides are under pressure. The war reached a stalemate long ago. The Houthis have seen loss of territory in recent months, while the Saudi coalition is facing growing international pressure. According to the agreement, all combatants should withdraw from Hodeida in 21 days. UN observers will set up a monitoring team of government and rebel representatives to oversee the truce. But the Stockholm agreement is primarily focussed on Yemen’s humanitarian conditions. That is why the ceasefire was agreed only in Hodeida. The question is whether the warring parties can extend the truce to other areas of conflict. Both parties are well-entrenched in Yemen’s fractured political landscape. A solution to the conflict can be found only if the rebels and the government makecrackIAS.com some political concessions. The government’s maternity benefit programme must be implemented better and comply with the Food Security Act

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END Downloaded from crackIAS.com © Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-12-20 WHAT IS 'J-CURVE EFFECT' IN ECONOMICS? Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues relating to Growth & Development - Foreign capital, Foreign Trade & BoP

This refers to a phenomenon wherein the trade balance of a country worsens following the depreciation of its currency before it improves. Generally, any depreciation in the value of a currency is expected to improve the economy’s overall trade balance by encouraging exports and discouraging imports. However, this may not happen immediately due to some other frictions within the economy. Many importers and exporters in the country, for instance, may be locked into binding agreements that could force them to buy or sell a certain number of goods despite the unfavourable exchange rate of the currency.

The government’s maternity benefit programme must be implemented better and comply with the Food Security Act

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crackIAS.com Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-12-20 RIGHTS, REVISED: ON THE TRANSGENDER PERSONS BILL, 2018 Relevant for: Indian Polity & Constitution | Topic: Indian Constitution – Amendments, Schedules, and Important Articles

The passage of a Bill in the Lok Sabha to secure the rights of transgender persons is a progressive step towards extending constitutional protection to this highly marginalised community. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2018, as passed, is an improved version of the legislation introduced two years ago. The earlier draft was widely perceived as falling short of the expectations of stakeholders and not adequately rights-based, as envisaged by the Supreme Court in its landmark decision on transgender rights in 2014. Experts, as well as the Standing Committee of Parliament on Social Justice and Empowerment, had criticised the original definition of ‘transgender persons’ for violating the right to self- determined identity. The revised definition omits the reference to a ‘neither male nor female’ formulation, and covers any person whose gender does not match the gender assigned at birth, as well as transmen, transwomen, those with intersex variations, the gender-queer, and those who designate themselves based on socio-cultural identities such as hijra, aravani, kinner and jogta. The requirement that a district screening committee must recommend the issue of a certificate to each transgender may be necessary to prevent misuse, but such a process goes against the principle of self-identification, a key right the Supreme Court had protected. The government has omitted the need to go through the same screening committee to get a revised certificate after a transgender has sex reassignment surgery, but the medical certification requirement remains. Transgender persons may question the need for such external gate- keeping.

There are other legitimate concerns in the revised Bill, which will now go to the Rajya Sabha. One refers to the bar on forcible separation of transgender persons from their families, except through court orders. It has been revised to cover transgender children. Earlier it covered adults as well, but the committee had noted that it was within the family that many transgender persons faced harassment and abuse, and often felt driven to flee their homes. Another concern is that the Bill criminalises begging by making it an offence for someone to compel or entice a transgender person into seeking alms. When begging itself is no more seen as an offence, it may harm the community if such a means of livelihood – in the absence of employment – is criminalised. The Bill, unfortunately, does not give effect to the far-reaching directive of the Supreme Court to grant backward class reservation to the transgender community. Nor have the Standing Committee’s concerns about recognising civil rights in marriage, divorce and adoption among them been addressed. There is much good intention behind the welfare provisions, but social legislation is much more than high-minded clauses. It needs to be followed up with zealous implementation and framing of deadlines to achieve specific objectives.

crackIAS.com

Maharashtra’s proposal on reservation for Marathas is bound to invite judicial scrutiny

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The wars of the 21st century will be to capture, manipulate or destroy others’ data. Digital systems powering organizations and nations around the world have become prime targets for attack—from individual criminals, well-organized cybercrime gangs, and state-sponsored hackers.

As the internet becomes all pervasive and the world gets increasingly interconnected, cyberattacks are bound to create widespread impact. The WannaCry hacking attack in May 2017 that crippled computers across 150 countries is just an example of the pervasive nature of this problem. Billions of dollars are being wasted in the destruction, downtime and replacement costs arising as a result of cyber insecurity. Cyber security—the various technologies, processes and practices that protect networks, computers and digital data from attack—is a prime focus area for all types of organizations. It is dominated by those who believe that new and more complex technology will save us from all sorts of cyber attacks. Will this approach protect our cyber world?

While building these complex and expensive technological solutions, we often forget the human beings who are at the centre of the issue. Cybersecurity teams that are mostly led by technology experts tend to see the whole problem through their technological lens. They tend to believe that the hacker is looking for technological weaknesses in their software or technology network. They are always focused on trying to correct the technical bugs in their system. Various studies and analyses of cyber attacks across the world have shown that in more than 90% of the security breaches, the enabling factor has been the negligent behaviour of users. The spread of a malicious worm that attacked the US Central Command system started with the insertion of an infected USB drive by an individual in a US military laptop. It took the Pentagon more than 14 months to clean things up.

Many cybersecurity experts harbour a false belief that hackers only focus on technological vulnerabilities. However, the truth is that human behaviour is often the weakest link in the online security chain. A large number of cyberattacks begin with a phish—a fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information under the guise of a trustworthy entity. Humans have a bias that gives credence to authority. So, it will be difficult for a person to ignore a phishing mail, purportedly from an authority figure. Other biases used to gain access include our almost automatic responses to reciprocity and prior commitments. These techniques employed by cyberattackers bypass the best security walls a cybersecurity team can develop.

Cybersecurity experts understand the complexity involved in detecting the flaws in a security software, rectifying it and developing a secure technological barriers to prevent any attack. Even if we crackIAS.comunderstand how social hacks work, building defences is another matter altogether. Simple tasks, such as getting employees to use strong passwords, changing them frequently, or avoiding the use of unsecured public Wi-Fi, are not as easy as they appear to be. The complexity of the human brain creates several impediments in the initiation and maintenance of these tasks.

The human brain will always try to reduce the cognitive load involved in any decision. It is for no other reason that 123456 is the most common password. The human brain loves status quo. So, on being asked to change the password, the user will only want to make a minor change to the existing password. So if the old password is password1, the new password will most probably be password2. Humans have very poor ability to evaluate risk. Various researches have shown that humans evaluate the risk involved in a particular action not based on any elaborate calculation but how one feels about the action one is taking. If one feels positive about the outcome of that decision, they are likely to judge the risk of that action to be low. So for an employee watching a movie after working for long hours, the enjoyment the movie provides far outweighs the risk involved in using an insecure USB drive.

Given a choice between the enjoyment in the immediate moment and a potential risk in future, the human brain will always have a bias for the present. Combined with our brain’s tendency to discount the future, more so risks in future, most employees will have a tendency to underestimate the risk involved in their decisions.

Appropriate emotions about risks are generated when a well publicized news about a cyberattack is made available to everyone concerned. As long as the news of the event is available in one’s memory, everyone will get into a cautionary mode and will follow the required security measures. However, as the memories of those incidents recede, people get complacent. Very rarely do security experts realize that a complacent mental mode an employee gets into opens up far more opportunities for a cyberattack than even a significant flaw in the software of a security system.

So while billions of dollars are being spent to take care of the technical requirement of cybersecurity, there is comparatively little investment made to understand and influence the human behaviour around cybersecurity. The sooner we realize that the most powerful technological solutions are no match for a cyberattacker with an excellent understanding of the working of the human brain, the safer our cyber world will be.

Biju Dominic is the chief executive officer of Final Mile Consulting, a behaviour architecture firm.

Comments are welcome at [email protected]

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Two icons of American capitalism are in the news for all the wrong reasons. In a devastating exposé, The New York Times reported how consulting firm McKinsey and Co. has been working with oligarchs and dictators in countries with poor human rights records. Detailing its work in places such as China, Russia and Ukraine, the NYT story said that “McKinsey’s role has sometimes put it in the middle of deeply troubled deals”.

In Malaysia, the government has filed criminal charges against US multinational investment bank Goldman Sachs for misleading investors in the infamous 1MDB case. The government claims the bank knew that the proceeds of the $6.5 billion bond sales it had arranged for would be misappropriated, but did not disclose the same to investors. Goldman is already facing investigations by prosecutors and regulators in the US over the nefarious affair.

This isn’t the first time that the two companies, often touted as the best in the business, have come under a cloud. McKinsey’s involvement with Eskom, the state-owned power company in South Africa, is playing out in a messy investigation amid a change of regimes. Goldman, meanwhile, covered itself with unwanted glory during and after the financial crisis, ending up paying over $5 billion to settle a lawsuit related to its handling of mortgage-backed securities.

It is, of course, unfair to single these two firms out for their acts of misconduct. Companies across the world regularly engage in activities that are seriously flawed. Despite the controversy surrounding the “Davos in the Desert” event, following the host Saudi government’s complicity in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, several consulting firms continued their association with it.

In India, over the last one year, a veritable laundry list of companies—ICICI Bank, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS), Yes Bank and Fortis, among others—have been caught up in serious cases of misgovernance. And these may just be the tip of the iceberg.

India’s largest companies continue to be opaque and hide ugly warts that might be a whistle- blow away from being exposed. That India continues to be among the world’s most corrupt countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index is as much because of what its companies do as it is owing to how its people behave.

Even as governments across the world have sought deregulation as a panacea for their economic woes, the role of private corporations has increased and, in its wake, rent seeking and corruption have followed. With commercial considerations now the over-riding motive for large corporations, it is safe to say that the era of companies setting standards of good conduct is well and trulycrackIAS.com over. For one, global corporations exude enormous power that makes them impossible to control. With their batteries of lawyers and flacks, as well as analysts and raters who are equally complicit, they control access to information about their dealings. Corporate morality and ethics are now merely a question of exploiting loopholes in legal frameworks. Which is why even the best multinational corporations have different rules of behaviour for different countries.

That’s also where the batteries of lawyers and legal consultants which companies boast of come in useful. Indeed, twisting the law to suit their interests, while subverting the spirit of justice and free information, is now a key competence for many companies. And that’s where the weakness of the regulatory mechanisms put in place for necessary oversight shows up. In recent times, a handful of strong, independent prosecutors and judges in Brazil and South Africa have championed the case against corruption. Since companies operate in a clique with governments, often it has meant taking on those elected by the people as well. In both countries, powerful politicians have had to give up their positions following disclosures by the media and fair investigations by the regulators.

In India, the regulators for various sectors have been toothless if not downright partisan. In general they have either been too willing to please chosen industry players, or then simply to lie low and let things pan out.

In rare cases when controversies have erupted, their stance has been weak-kneed and, rarely if ever, consumer-friendly.

Look at how the private airlines have been taking passengers for a ride both in terms of pricing and service. The regulator’s response has been the occasional limited intervention before things go back to where they stood earlier. Pharma is another sector where the regulator has been virtually missing even as Indian and multinational companies have played havoc with people’s lives, as in the instance of the faulty implants case chronicled by this paper.

Perhaps the fault lies in the very configuration of the regulators and the fact that perforce they owe allegiance either to the government or to the industry. The answer may lie in increased independence and empowerment and, of course, a few good women.

Sundeep Khanna is an executive editor at Mint and oversees the newsroom’s corporate coverage.

Comments are welcome at [email protected]

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crackIAS.com Source : www.livemint.com Date : 2018-12-20 OPINION Relevant for: null | Topic: Corporate governance

Regulatory interventions have often been the antidote of choice after large scams. Yet both corporate governance scandals and regulatory interventions have been making headlines with alarming frequency. This begs the question: do we need something else to prevent this epidemic outbreak of corporate governance failures?

Regulation is the hardware to drive consistent corporate governance standards and, hence, an imperative. At the same time, excessive regulation can become a burden, disproportionately increasing the cost of compliance and changing the focus of a forward-looking, strategy-oriented board to a backward-looking, compliance-oriented board. Adequate regulation is the backbone without which corporate governance may flounder and, therefore, the recent spate of regulations has essentially plugged the basic gaps. But this remedy has largely lived its life and likely to provide marginal diminishing returns from now. If at all, the focus should be towards implementation “in spirit” and building a culture of compliance, enforcement and consequence management.

Beyond regulations, effective corporate governance needs a thorough ecosystem, with elements such as active institutional and private equity investors, proxy advisers, auditors and media. These external pressure elements are essential conscience-keepers in the corporate governance journey, and while India is seeing increasing relevance and activity from all of these lately, the focus needs to be more proactive, rather than reactive. Economies dominated by distributed corporate ownership provide a better natural habitat for this ecosystem to be effective and therefore the key challenge for India Inc will be to contextualise and empower each of these elements to gain more voice in boardroom decisions.

Ultimately, it is the board of directors that is charged with the primary responsibility for matters of governance and set the tone at the top for the organization. While both executive and independent directors share the blame for corporate governance failures, a lot of the flak for the recent debacles has been directed towards independent directors. Independent directors are expected to play a fiduciary role and protect the interests of all stakeholders; however, can this really happen when they are appointed by the very people they are expected to keep in check?

If one looks at this from an external stakeholder perspective, one would think independent directors are people with significant experience, with full access to the management and information, who add great value to the board and are expected to play the fiduciary role of ensuring corporate governance.

But looking at this from the perspective of independent directors themselves, it may seem that the responsibilitiescrackIAS.com and expectations are far in excess of what is practically possible, given the time available, access, completeness and timeliness of information. The question one hears a lot these days is whether the rewards are commensurate with the risks, especially in times where the risk of damage to reputation seems more worrying that the financial/legal risks. Numerous recent cases have seen years of professional reputation taking a beating in media on allegations of corporate governance failures. There are also cases where personal assets have been attached, meaning genuine financial loss and hardship. The silver lining here is that sometimes fear can be a big motivator and dread of all of the above happening can be an important consideration in pushing independent directors to take the path that may not necessarily agree with promoters, especially dominant ones. Regulations often serve as a useful tool for independent directors to nudge and push companies and their promoters towards better corporate governance.

Just like fear is a motivator, so is incentive for success, and while there are enough studies that show better governance resulting in improved valuation, this doesn’t necessarily have a correlated impact on independent director compensation. The corollary implication is that being on well-governed boards can eventually result in many such lucrative opportunities.

Many situations are not black or white, and sometimes fear is not a big enough factor and nor is success. Therefore, the only hope for upholding and preserving the spirit of corporate governance has to come from individuals who have a strong sense of purpose and are driven by a strong moral compass. A compass that points to the right direction, whether it means standing up to a dominant shareholder/star CEO, a risk of losing a prestigious directorship, social ostracism for making an unpopular choice, going against consensus or giving the real reason for a resignation rather than masking that in the garb of “personal reasons”.

While regulations, auditors, institutional/private equity investors, proxy advisers, media, etc., all have a role to play in strengthening the corporate governance ecosystem, the litmus test is what happens in the boardroom. Only individuals (executive/independent directors and key management) with a strong value system, a decisive moral compass and a strong “independence of mind and opinion” can help create an ethical boardroom culture, which will set the right tone at the top. Corporate governance can only be really effective when this invisible ingredient is the base of the recipe.

Pankaj Arora is partner—governance, risk & compliance practice, KPMG in India.

Comments are welcome at [email protected]

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 CARGO HANDLING CAPACITY OF MAJOR PORTS INCREASED BY OVER 650 MMT Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Infrastructure: Ports & Waterways

Ministry of Shipping Cargo Handling Capacity of Major Ports Increased by Over 650 MMT

Shri Mandaviya Praises Efforts under Sagarmala Programme

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 6:31PM by PIB Delhi

Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Chemical & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh L Mandaviya has praised the efforts under Sagarmala programme saying, the port-led development has resulted in all-round betterment on this sector. The Minister said in a statement today that the Cargo handling capacity of major ports has been enhanced by over 400 MTAs in the last four years.

Government’s flagship Programme Sagarmala to promoted Port-Led Development in the country has four major components: Port Modernization, Port Led Industrialization, Port Connectivity Enhancement, and Coastal Community Development. National Perspective Plan (NPP) 2015-2035 for Sagarmala was released in 2016. Under Port Modernisation component of Sagarmala Programme, major achievements in the port sector are as under:

● Addition in cargo handling capacity of Major Ports: 2013-14 - 800.52 MTPA crackIAS.com 2017-18 - 1451.19 MTPA Increase in capacity - 650.67 MMT

● Total traffic handled by Major Ports: 2013-14 - 555.49 MT

2017-18 - 679.47 MT

Increase in traffic - 123.98 MT ● Reduction in Average Turn Around Time (TAT): 2013-14 - 93.60 Hrs.

2017-18 - 65.00 Hrs.

Saving in time - 28.60 Hrs.

● Increase in Average Ship Berthday Output: 2013-14 - 12468 Tonnes.

2017-18 - 15451 Tonnes.

Increase in output - 2983 Tonnes.

● RFID based Gate-automation System implemented in all Major Ports. This has reduced congestion at port’s gate and enable faster evacuation of cargo thus reducing average turn- around time.

Click here for Minister’s vByte

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END Downloaded from crackIAS.com © Zuccess App by crackIAS.com crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 GSLV-F11 SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES GSAT-7A Relevant for: Science & Technology | Topic: Space Technology & related matters

Department of Space GSLV-F11 successfully launches GSAT-7A

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 6:24PM by PIB Delhi

Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F11) successfully launched the communication satellite GSAT-7A from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota today.

The GSLV-F11 lifted off from the Second Launch Pad at SDSC at 04:10 pm IST, carrying 2250 kg GSAT-7A and about 19 minutes later, injected GSAT-7A into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) of 170.8 km x 39127 km which is very close to the intended orbit.

An ISRO team lead by Chairman Dr K Sivan, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) S Somanath, U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) Director P Kunhikrishnan, Space Applications Centre (SAC) Director D K Das, SDSC Director S Pandian, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) Dr V Narayanan and ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) Director T Mookiah witnessed the launch.

Mission Director Mohan M and Satellite Director Killedar Pankaj Damodar oversaw the launch proceedings.

Soon after the separation of the satellite, ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took over the command and control of GSAT-7A.The satellite’s health parameters are normal.

In the next few days, scientists at MCF will perform various orbit-raising manoeuvres, using GSAT-7A’s onboard propulsion system, to place the satellite in its final geostationary orbit.

In his post-launch address, Dr Sivan said the team has achieved another spectacular milestone by launching GSAT-7A.

“In the last 35 days, ISRO has successfully launched three missions from SDSC starting with GSLV MkIII-D2 on November14, PSLV-C43 on November 29 and finally GSLV-F11 today. GSLV has successfully injected GSAT-7A into a super synchronous transfer orbit,” Dr Sivan said. crackIAS.com He said GSAT-7A is the heaviest satellite being launched by GSLV with an indigenously developed cryogenic stage.

“The cryogenic stage of this vehicle has been modified to increase the thrust rate. GSAT-7A is an advanced communication satellite with a Gregorian Antenna and many other new technologies. The testing and realisation of this satellite has been carried out meticulously by ISRO team. We have signed off year 2018 on a high and positive note,” Dr Sivan added.

GSLV is ISRO’s fourth generation launch vehicle with three stages. The four liquid strap-ons and a solid rocket motor at the core form the first stage. The second stage is equipped with a high thrust engine using liquid fuel. The cryogenic upper stage forms the third and final stage of the vehicle. GSLV-F11 was the seventh flight carrying indigenously developed cryogenic upper stage.

GSAT-7A is the 39th Indian communication satellite of ISRO to provide services to the users in Ku-band over the Indian region. Most of the functional requirements of the communication payloads and the other systems have been derived from ISRO’s earlier geostationary INSAT/GSAT satellites.

Today’s launch was the 7th mission of ISRO from SDSC in the year 2018. This was the 13th flight of GSLV-MkII.

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crackIAS.com END Downloaded from crackIAS.com © Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 EVERY BLOCK WITH MORE THAN 50% ST POPULATION AND AT LEAST 20,000 TRIBAL PERSONS WILL HAVE EKLAVYA MODEL RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL BY 2022 – SHRI JUAL ORAMA Relevant for: Government Policies & Welfare Schemes | Topic: Rights & Welfare of STs and SCs – Schemes & their Performance, Mechanisms, Laws Institutions and Bodies

Ministry of Tribal Affairs Every Block with More Than 50% St Population And At Least 20,000 Tribal Persons Will Have Eklavya Model Residential School By 2022 – Shri Jual Orama

An Autonomous Society to be set up Under Ministry of Tribal Affairs Similar to Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to Run EMRs

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 5:31PM by PIB Delhi

Every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) by the year 2022. Addressing media persons here today, the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram said that consequent upon Budget announcement for 2018-19, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, in its meeting held on 17th December, 2018, has decided that by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an Eklavya Model Residential School. Eklavya schools will be on par with Navodaya Vidyalayas and will have special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development. Across the country, as per census 2011 figures, there are 564 sub-districts i.e. blocks/taluka/tehsil having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons. Out of these sub-districts, at present 102 sub-districts have EMRSs.

He informed the media persons that it is proposed to establish new EMRSs in the remainingcrackIAS.com 462 sub-districts by the year 2022 as per the phasing plan as given below:

Year 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 Total No. of 50 100 150 162 462 EMRSs

The Minister said that the proposed scale up of the initiative through enhanced recurring and non-recurring cost is a path breaking initiative. This will immensely help in reducing gaps in literacy between ST population vis-à-vis overall population. The focus is on academic excellence through this upscaled initiative and will lead to holistic development of tribal children.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs (M/oTA) was set up in 1999, with the objective of providing more focused approach on the integrated socio-economic development of the Scheduled Tribes (STs), the most underprivileged of the Indian Society, in a coordinated and planned manner. M/oTA is the nodal Ministry for overall policy, planning and coordination of programmes for development of STs. One of the important educational intervention by Ministry of Tribal Affairs is establishing Eklavya Model Residential Schools with the objective of enhancing access to quality education and to maximize retention of ST students within various stages of school education and promoting higher learning among them. EMRS is an excellent approach for imparting quality education to ST children. Apart from school building including hostels and staff quarters, provision for a playground, students' computer lab, teacher resource room etc. are also included in the EMRSs. A total of 284 EMRSs have been sanctioned as on date, out of which 219 have been reported functional, with about 65,231 students enrolled therein. The existing non-recurring cost is Rs.12.00 Crores (16.00 Crores for North East, hilly, deserts and islands). The recurring cost is Rs.61500/- from 2018-19.

The important features of the decision are:-

1. Setting up of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) in 462 blocks having more than 50% ST population with minimum 20,000 ST population by the year 2022 including 12 Eklavya Model Day Boarding School (EMDBS). It may be also being mentioned that EMDBS will be established wherever density of ST population is higher in identified Sub-Districts/Blocks (90% or more). This will be a boost for providing additional scope for ST Students seeking to avail school education without residential facility.

2. Financial provisions for 145 EMRSs and 5 EMDBSs during 2018-19 and 2019- 20.

3. Setting up of an Autonomous Society under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs similar to Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to run the EMRSs. (The Society to function through an ExecutivecrackIAS.com Committee (EC) under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Tribal Affairs. The EC shall be responsible for the management of all affairs including allocation of funds for setting up and functioning of EMRSs. The composition of the Steering Committee will be decided with the approval of the Minister, Tribal Affairs.

4. Enhancing the construction cost of EMRS (with 480 students capacity) to Rs. 20.00 Crore.

5. Cost of construction of EMRSs for North East, hilly areas, difficult areas and areas affected by Left Wing Extremism at 20% more than the normal cost. 6. Enhancing the recurring cost from the existing Rs. 61,500/- to Rs. 1,09,000/- per student per year from 2019-20 and recurring cost for EMDBS to Rs. 85,000/- per student per year from 2019-20.

7. Upgradation of already sanctioned EMRSs on need basis with unit cost subject to a maximum of Rs. 5 crores per school.

8. Setting up Centre of Excellence for sports at select locations with all related infrastructure (buildings, equipment’s etc.). This Centre of Excellence will have specialized state-of-the-art facilities for two identified sports (including one group sport and one individual sport) which will be common for a State.

9. Enhancing the grants for maintenance, which are admissible every five years, from Rs 10 lakhs to Rs.20 Lakhs.

10. Utilization of up to 10% seats by non-ST students. Priority shall be given to children of EMRSs staff, children who have lost their parents to Left wing extremism and insurgencies, children of widows etc.

11. Reservation of 20% seats under sports quota for deserving ST students who have excelled in the field of sports.

12. Rolling out the proposed scheme with a financial cost of Rs. 2238.47 Crores during 2018-19 and 2019-20.

13. The proposed scale up of the initiative through enhanced recurring and non- recurring cost is a path breaking initiative. This will immensely help in reducing gaps in literacy between ST population vis-à-vis overall population. The focus is on academic excellence through this upscaled initiative and will lead to holistic development of tribal children.

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NB/SK/jk/Tribal Affairs/19.12.2018

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END Downloaded from crackIAS.com © Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 MORD SIGNS MOU WITH MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LTD FOR TRAINING RURAL YOUTH FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT UNDER DEENDAYAL UPADHYAYA GRAMEEN KAUSHALYA YOJANA (DDU-GKY) Relevant for: Health, Education & Human Resources | Topic: Human resources & Sports and related issues

Ministry of Rural Development Mord Signs MoU with Maruti Suzuki India Ltd for Training Rural Youth for Skill Development Under Deendayal upadhyaya grameen kaushalya yojana (Ddu-Gky)

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 5:26PM by PIB Delhi

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) is the flagship placement linked skill-training programme under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).

There are several challenges that are preventing India’s rural poor from competing such as the lack of formal education and employability skills. DDU-GKY bridges this gap by funding training projects with an emphasis on placement, retention, career progression and foreign placement.The mission of the flagship scheme of MoRD is to ensure rural poor youth are skilled in market relevant trades and job-relevant competencies.

One of the ways in which DDU-GKY aims to achieve this is through the“Champion Employers” policy.The Champion Employers are the industry leaders who have the potential to provide training and captive employment to the DDU-GKY candidates.The policy seeks a strategic alignment of objectives of DDU-GKY with the HR strategy of organizations, which have a large potential to absorb trained manpower.

Today, MoRD signed MOU with Maruti Suzuki India Ltd for training rural youth for skill development in presence of Hon’ble Minister Shri. Narendra Singh Tomar. This partnership between the government and the leading industry from the automotive sector will provide training to atleast 5000 candidates in two years with assured placement to the rural youth of our country.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 LIVE ELECTRONIC EXCHANGE OF DATA BETWEEN COURTS AND POLICE Relevant for: Indian Polity & Constitution | Topic: Judiciary in India: its Structure, Organisation & Functioning, Judges of SC & High Courts, Judgements and related Issues

Ministry Of Law & Justice Live Electronic Exchange of data between Courts and Police

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 4:42PM by PIB Delhi eCourts has now become interoperable with other pillars of the criminal justice delivery system. In a landmark achievement, a pilot was inaugurated on 15th December, 2018 by Hon'ble Mr. Justice Madan B. Lokur, Chairman of Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) and Judge- In-Charge eCommittee, Supreme Court of India through Video Conferencing, in the State of Telangana at Warangal through Live Electronic Exchange of data between Courts and Police.

Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) is an ambitious project aiming to integrate the Crime and Criminals Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project with the e-courts and e- prisons databases, as well as with other pillars of the criminal justice system such as Forensics, Prosecution, and Juvenile homes in a phased manner.

The eCourts project aiming at computerisation of district and subordinate courts across the country has reached the final stages of implementation, achieving all the objectives of the mission mode project. The eCourts has now ICT enabled 16,755 district and subordinate courts around the country. National Judicial Data Grid as an output of the project hosts a dynamic repository of over 10 crores cases and provides case information online to all stakeholders. Delivery of citizen centric court case information services is now a reality, through web, email, SMS, Mobile application, kiosks and Judicial Service Centres.

CCTNS, one of the pillars of the ICJS, makes police functioning citizen friendly and more transparent by automating the functioning of police stations. It provides the Investigating Officers with tools, technology, and information to facilitate investigation of crime and detection of criminals.

Dr. Alok Srivastava, Secretary (Justice) speaking during the event lauded the efforts of the eCommittee, National Informatics Centre and the Police Department of Telangana for integrating the two pillars. The integration between these two crucial pillars of the criminal justice delivery systemcrackIAS.com i.e., courts and police stations is central to the success of the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System. With the digital interoperability between courts and police achieved today In Warangal , the stage is now set for all other districts of Telangana as well as other states to utilise the available IT systems in judiciary as well as police, and integrate both the pillars. It is now crucial for all other pillars also, such as prisons, Forensics, Prosecution, and Juvenile homes to computerize and evolve IT systems and integrate with eCourts. The readiness of the eCourts system to integrate with other pillars was highlighted.

Now Courts can consume live data of FIR and Charge-Sheet from police. If FIR is ready in electronic form in system of police, ICJS interface will indicate to the Court that about readiness to FIR data to be consumed. On consumption Court will get details of FIR Number, names of the accused, details of the offence, Time, date, place of occurrence, details of arrest etc. Courts will be able to consume this live electronic data from police. In reciprocation, Courts will send all remand details, bail details, property release etc. to police. Police will be able to see the updates of each FIR and will also be able to see orders passed by the Court in remand, bail or release of property.

When Charge Sheet is ready in electronic form with Police, it will be notified through ICJS interface, and Courts will consume the charge sheet data. On such consumption Courts will get details about names of the accused and their details, names of victim and their details, names of witnesses and their details, and name of the Investigating officer etc. Apart from these details, Acts, sections, date of arrest, on bail or in jail, other details of offence, charge sheet number, FIR Number will be sent to Court. Court can consume this data and accept the same in Case Information System. In reciprocation, Court will send CNR Number link to Police, the link of CNR number will give all the details of case, parties, advocates, date of registration, first hearing and next hearing date and entire history of the case and business recorded.

Police will continue to get updates along with all the details of the case from day to day with the help of CNR Number link until final termination of case. Police will get orders and Judgements passed by the Court from time to time including final order or judgment that may be passed in a given case. This exchange of electronic data between Courts and Police will have multiple advantages.

1. Both the system will be able to get real time updates, 2. Auto generation of processes and its electronic transmission will be done in second phase. 3. System can easily monitor under trial prisoner with correct and updated information 4. Both the system can get alerts about the period of detention undergone by the under trial prisoner. 5. Absconding accused and accused on proclamation and non bailable warrants can now be brought to justice more effectively and quickly.

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END crackIAS.comDownloaded from crackIAS.com © Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 PER CAPITA NET STATE DOMESTIC PRODUCT (NSDP) IN DIFFERENT STATES Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues relating to Planning

Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation Per Capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) in different States

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 4:33PM by PIB Delhi

As per the information received from State Governments, the details of Per Capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) in different States alongwith average Per Capita Net National Income for the last three years, calculated at current and constant prices with base year 2011-12, is as under:

Click here for NSDP in different States

The Per Capita Net Value Added (NVA) for rural and urban areas is calculated only for the Base-Year.The data of Per Capita Net Value Added (NVA) for the year 2011-12 and Per Capita NDP (at factor cost)as measured in earlier Base-Year for the years 1999-2000 and 2004-05, for rural and urban areas,for the last 3 base revisions are as below:

Per Capita (in Rs.) Base Year Entity Rural Urban 1999-2000 NDP 10,683 30,183 2004-05 NDP 16,327 44,223 2011-12 NVA 40,925 98,435

The Government has taken various steps to boost the economy for both rural and urban areas. These, inter-alia, include schemes for the rural areas likeDeenDayalUpadhyaya Gram JyotiYojana to improve electrification, Digital India to empower farmers giving them knowledge about various government schemes, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into their accounts and Skill India which provides vocational education. The Union Cabinet approved a significant increase in the MinimumcrackIAS.com Support Prices (MSPs) for all Kharif and Rabi crops for 2018-19 season, so as to provide major boost to farmer’s income. Besides this,the Government has launchedseveralprogrammeslikePradhanMantriFasalBimaYojana, which provides insurance on crops the farmer grows, Soil Health Card scheme, which enables farmers to get their soil checked and usesthe fertilizers according to need and thus reduce input cost thereby increase their profitability/income, RashtriyaKrishiVikasYojana, Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme, Subsidies for Agriculture, Free/low cost electricity and Special weather/agriculture bulletins for better reach of easy credit and updated information to farmers have been introduced on radio and television, etc. The government has also launched some programmes for farmers to sell their crops at best price like National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2017 and Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing(ISAM) (effective since 01.04.2014).

This information was given by the Union Minister of State for Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Shri VijayGoel in Lok Sabha, today.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 REDRESASAL OF PUBLIC GRIEVANCES Relevant for: Governance in India | Topic: Important Aspects of Governance, Transparency & Accountability including Right to Information and Citizen Charter

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Redresasal of Public Grievances

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 3:47PM by PIB Delhi

As per the data available on the online Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), the year-wise number of grievances received and disposed off during the period from 1.1.2014 to 13.12.2018 in respect of Ministries/Departments of Government of India is as under:

Year Received Disposed 2014 270413 263562 2015 879230 769633 2016 1194931 1187111 2017 1417891 1493567 2018 (Till 13.12.2018) 1065727 1074784

There has been about fivefold increase in the number of grievances received in CPGRAMS from 2014 to 2017. The rate of disposal has also kept pace with the number of grievances received during the period. High rate of disposal has been achieved since the Government has taken every possible step to put in place a strong Grievance Redress Mechanism.

Government has taken several steps to make the Grievance Redressal Mechanism effective for quick disposal of public grievances which are as under:

(i) Review of Grievances of identified Ministry/Department is undertaken every month during meetings conducted on PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely crackIAS.comImplementation) platform. (ii) For effective monitoring of grievances at Secretary level, an electronic Dashboard has been created showing the consolidated status of grievances disposed and pending, on CPGRAMS. Weekly reminders through SMS are also being sent for pending grievances.

(iii) A Grievance Analysis Study in respect of top 20 grievance receiving Ministries/ Departments/ Organizations listed on CPGRAMS for identifying grievance prone areas, their root cause analysis and suggested systemic reforms for reducing such grievances, has been carried out by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. Several suggested systemic reforms have been implemented by the concerned Ministries/Departments. Some of these reforms are: automatic refunds on cancellation of Railway Tickets, Single Window Pension through disbursing Banks, intensive mechanized cleaning of coaches, e-verification of Income Tax Returns, expeditious Income Tax Returns upto Rs.50,000/-, etc.

(iv) In continuation of the Grievance Analysis Study in respect of top 20 Ministries/ Departments receiving maximum grievances on CPGRAMS, another Grievance Analysis Study for next 20 Ministries/ Departments receiving bulk of the grievances has also been carried out by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances.

(v) A Public Grievances Call Centre has been set up for reminding the concerned officials of top 40 Ministries/Departments/Organizations for expeditious disposal of grievances pending for more than 2 months.

(vi) An Award Scheme has been launched for recognising outstanding performance with respect to disposal of grievances on CPGRAMS on a quarterly basis through issue of Certificate of Appreciation.

(vii) Review meetings are being taken on regular basis with the representatives of Central Ministries/ Departments for monitoring pendency of public grievances.

(viii) Training on CPGRAMS is conducted on regular basis.

(ix) A new Mobile App which is more user-friendly for lodging of public grievances has been developed. The Grievance Action Status can also be viewed on the mobile itself. This has been integrated with Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG). This initiative also facilitates lodging of grievance anywhere anytime.

This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

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END Downloaded from crackIAS.com © Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 SENIOR CITIZEN ENTITLEMENT OF EMPLOYEES Relevant for: Government Policies & Welfare Schemes | Topic: Rights & Welfare of Old-Age People – Schemes & their Performance, Mechanisms, Laws Institutions and Bodies

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Senior Citizen Entitlement of Employees

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 3:46PM by PIB Delhi

Department of Social Justice & Empowerment has informed that there is at present no proposal in that Department for lowering the age of senior citizen. Government employees become entitle to pension on retirement. There is also no proposal to increase or decrease the age of retirement of Central Government Employees.

The salient features of the pension entitlements of employees retiring from the Central Government are as under:

i. A Government servant retiring in accordance with the rules, after completing a qualifying service of not less than 10 years, is entitled to a pension @ 50% of his last pay or 50% of average emoluments for the last 10 months, whichever is more beneficial to him/her. ii. After completion of 80 years of age or above, additional pension @ 20% to 100% is payable to the retired Government servant. iii. A retired/retiring Government servant is entitled to, at his/her option, a lump sum payment, by commutation of a maximum of 40% of his/her pension. iv. On retirement, a Government employee is entitled to a retirement gratuity based on his/her emoluments and length of qualifying service. v. On death of a Central Government pensioner, the family is entitled to a family pension the amount of which is 50% of the last pay for a period of seven years, or for a period up to the date on which the retired deceased Government servant would have attained the age of 67 years had he/she survived, whichever is earlier. Thereafter, the amount of family pension is 30% of his last pay. The amount of family pension is also increased by 20% to 100% after the family pensioner attains the age of 80 years and above. Vi. The family of a Government servant, who dies while in service after having rendered not less than seven years’ continuous service, is entitled to a family pension 50% of the last pay for a period of ten years. Thereafter, the amount of family pension is 30% of his/her last pay. crackIAS.com This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 YEAR END REVIEW-2018: MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION Relevant for: World & Indian Geography | Topic: Distribution of key natural resources - Water Resources incl. Rivers & related issues in world & India

Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Year end Review-2018: Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 3:27PM by PIB Delhi 1. National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG):

1. Ganga Rejuvenation:-

● Under Namami Gange programme, a total of 254 projects worth Rs.24,672 crore have been sanctioned for various activities such as sewage infrastructure, ghats & crematoria development, river front development, river surface cleaning, institutional development, biodiversity conservation, afforestation, rural sanitation, and public participation.

● 131 projects out of 254 were sanctioned for creation of 3076 MLD new sewage treatment plants (STPs), rehabilitation of 887 MLD of existing STPs and laying/ rehabilitation of 4942 km sewer network for abatement of pollution in river Ganga and Yamuna.

● In a paradigm shift in sewage sector in the past one year, works on six STP projects (50 MLD in Varanasi, 82 MLD in Haridwar, 30 MLD at Mathura, 50 MLD at Kanpur, Unnao & Shuklaganj, 35 MLD at Farrukhabad and 72 MLD at Allahabad-Jhushi, Naini & Phaphamau) have been started under Hybrid Annuity PPP mode (HAM). Other projects sanctioned under HAM are Mirzapur Gazipur and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh; Digha, Kankarbagh and Bhagalpur in Bihar; Kolkata, Howrah, Bally, Kamarhati and Baranagar in West Bengal. crackIAS.com ● For River Front Development, works at 145 ghats and 53 crematoria are in progress and expected to be completed by March 2019.

● For river surface cleaning, 11 trash skimmers have been deployed at Haridwar, Garh Mukhteshwar, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna, Sahibganj, Nabadwip, Howrah Delhi and Mathura-Vrindavan.

● On rural sanitation front, all 4465 villages on the bank of river Ganga have been made Open Defecation Free (ODF) and 10,83,688 Individual Household Toilets have been constructed by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS). NMCG has released Rs. 829.0 crore to MoDWS for this.

● Total 6 no. of projects on biodiversity conservation and restoration of aquatic biodiversity of river Ganga including Dolphin, Ghariyal, Otter, water birds and fish & fisheries have been taken up, out of which 2 projects have been completed.

Rs. 190.3 crores has been sanctioned to the State Forest Departments of Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West-Bengal for the year 2018-19, as a part of the afforestation program in the Ganga basin.

● Five State Ganga Committees and 48 District Ganga Committees constituted for effective monitoring of projects and activities in the five Ganga states.

● Participation of corporates in Namami Gange grew stronger after successful completion of two road shows in London and Mumbai. Corporates have shown their interest and commitment towards cleaning of Ganga. Countries like Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Israel have shown keen interest in collaborating with the Indian government for river Ganga cleaning. ● During the financial year 2018-19 (till 30.11.2018), National Mission for Clean Ganga has released Rs.1532.59 crore to the states, Central Public Sector Undertakings for the implementation of the programme, including expenditure incurred for establishment.

1.2 E-flow notification

th ● The Central Government on October 10 2018 notified the minimum environmental flows for River Ganga that has to be maintained at various locations on the river. Environmental flows are the acceptable flow regimes that are required to maintain a river in the desired environmental state or predetermined state. The notification issued by the Government will ensurecrackIAS.com that the river has at least the minimum required environmental flow of water even after the river flow gets diverted by projects and structures for purposes like irrigation, hydropower, domestic and industrial use etc. This was an important step taken towards maintaining the uninterrupted or Aviral flow of the river.

1.3 Sisamau drain interception

● One of the major achievements in the state has been the recent interception and diversion of Sisamau Nala in Kanpur, the worst pollutant for river Ganga that emptied waste water from the tanneries into the river. 140 MLD water from this drain has been intercepted and is being diverted to an STP for treatment. 1.4 Industrial Pollution Management

● 961 Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) have been identified on main stem of river Ganga after reinventorisation exercise carried out by CPCB (2017-18).

● As on November, 2018, out of 961 GPIs, 795 units have connected to Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring System (OCEMS) to CPCB server.

● Out of 961 GPIs inspected, 474 are found complying, 209 are found non-complying, 256 are found temporarily closed and 22 are found permanently closed.

● Action has been taken against 209 Non-Complying units wherein 199 units have been issued Show Cause Notice and 10 units have been issued closure directions.

● Zero Liquid Discharge achieved in 32 molasses based Distilleries. Due to adoption of advanced process technology, Spent wash generation in Distilleries reduced from 12-15 KL/KL to 8 KL/KL of alcohol production.

● For Sugar industry, Charter prepared and issued for the up gradation of the manufacturing process technology, ETP system and best practises and waste minimization practises.

● In Pulp & Paper, disposal of black liquor from agro-based industries has been prohibited and are permitted to operate with Chemical Recovery Plants (CRPs) to achieve zero black liquor discharge.

● Estimated reduction in fresh water consumption and effluent generation are about 45%-50% as compared to the pollution level estimated in 2012, in spite of expansion in production capacitycrackIAS.com and number of units in Pulp & Paper Sector.

● Proposal for construction of 20 MLD CETP, Collection and Conveyance system, Pilot-scale 200 KLD ZLD plant and 900 KLD Common Chrome Recovery unit at Jajmau tannery Cluster, Kanpur has been sanctioned amounting Rs.554 crores with certain financial conditions. ● Proposal for up-gradation of existing CETP at Mathura Textile cluster has been sanctioned amounting Rs.13.87 crores with a condition that industry has to contribute 25% of project cost and 100 % O&M. 1.5 Water Quality Monitoring

● 36 Real Time Water Quality Monitoring Station (RTWQMS) are operational under Namami Gange programme.

● Water quality monitoring is carried out 130 locations. Dissolved Oxygen levels improved at 39 locations, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) decreased at 42 locations and coliform bacteria count decreased at 47 locations (2017 vs 2018 data).

● Bio-monitoring of river Ganga at various locations (Haridwar to Diamond Harbour in West Bengal) has been carried out to study the Benthic Macro Invertebrates, which reflects the biological health of river. It has been observed that water quality of Ganga supports diversified community structure and the river stretches shows slight to moderate level of pollution with respect to Biological Water Quality Criteria (BWQC) which is a suggestive criteria considered by CPCB. There has been improving trend in the biological water quality at some of the locations.

2. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY):

PMKSY has been formulated amalgamating ongoing schemes viz. Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development& Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD&GR), Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) of Department of Land Resources (DoLR) and the On Farm Water Management (OFWM) of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC). Under PMKSY, Ninety Nine (99) ongoing Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) Major/Medium projects along with their Command Area Development & Water Management (CADWM) work shaving potential of 76.03 lakh ha. and estimated cost of Rs. 77595 cr. have been identified in consultation with States, for completion in phases up to December, 2019. Funding mechanism through NABARD has been made by the Government for both central and state share for timely completion of 99 prioritized projects.

Status of Fund released during 2017-18 & 2018-19 (up to 10.12.2018): crackIAS.com Sl. Funds Released (Rs. In cr.) No. Item 2017-18 2018-19 CA for 99 priority Project 3593.6 1. 1390.26 ( AIBP ) 2. Polavaram Project 2000 1400 3 State Share from LTIF 4717.3 4213.53

Out of 99 Prioritized AIBP Projects which were identified for completion in mission mode by December, 2019, State Governments have informed that CADWM works are either not required or deemed completed in respect of 9 such projects. Out of the remaining 90 projects, 86 projects have been included under the CADWM programme of PMKSY. The balance CCA in respect of these 86 included projects is about 42 lakh ha and the target CA is Rs.8176 crore while the total cost of these 86 projects is estimated as Rs.17,800 crore.

Fund Released for CADWM component during 2016-17 & 2017-18 (up to 31.3.2018):

Fund released (Rs.in crore) Item 2016-17 2017-18 CADWM 854 933

Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) and Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies scheme:

Total Central Assistance (CA) released to State Government under Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) scheme was Rs. 665.35 crores during FY 2017-18 and Rs. 527.90 crores during FY 2018- 19 (till 30.11.2018).

Total Central Assistance (CA) released to State Government under Repair, Renovation and RestorationcrackIAS.com (RRR) of Water Bodies scheme was Rs 79.65 crores during FY 2017-18 and Rs. 22.10 crores during FY 2018-19 (till 30.11.2018).

3. Shahpur Kandi Dam Project: An agreement was reached between Punjab and J&K states under the aegis of MoWR, RD&GR at New Delhi on 8th September, 2018 to resume works of Shahpur Kandi Dam project in Punjab on river Ravi. The work on the project has been suspended since 30.08.2014 following a dispute between the state of J&K and Punjab. Work has been resumed w.e.f. 1st November, 2018. This project had been declared as a National Project. The Union Cabinet on 6th December, 2018 has approved the proposal of this Ministry for extending a Central Assistance of Rs. 485.38 crore (for irrigation component) for implementation of this project. The project would be completed by June 2022.

This project will help in creation of additional Irrigation Potential of 5000 ha in Punjab State and 32173 ha in J&K State and also efficient management of 1.18 Lac ha area under UBDC system in Punjab. Consequently, this project would help minimising some of the water of the River Ravi which at present is going waste through the Madhopur Headworks downstream to Pakistan.

4. Flood Management Programme (FMP):- The subject of Flood Management including erosion control falls within the purview of the States. The flood management & anti- erosion schemes are planned, investigated and implemented by the State Governments with own resources as per priority within the State. The Union Government supplements the efforts of the States by way of technical guidance and promotional financial assistance in critical areas. Government of India launched a Flood Management Programme (FMP) during XI Plan for providing central assistance to the State Governments for taking up works related to river management, flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, flood proofing works, restoration of damaged flood management works and anti-sea erosion works. Under this Programme, a central assistance of Rs.5435.74 crore has been provided up to 31.03.2018 to the various States/UTs.

“Flood Management Programme (FMP)” and “River Management Activities & Works related to Border Areas (RMBA)” schemes have now been merged into single scheme “Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)” for three year period from 2017-18 to 2019-20. Till November, 2018 an amount of Rs. 367.94 crore has been released to States as grant-in-aid under FMBAP.

5. Farakka Barrage Project: The Farakka Barrage Project (FBP) was commissioned in 1975 for preservation & maintenance of the Kolkata Port and for increasing the navigational depth of the Bhagirathi – Hooghly waterway. Since the Gates of FBP have outlived their economic life and serviceability, phase wise replacement of all the gates of main barrage and Head Regulator, remote control system, etc. have been under taken by FBP. So far 42 gates of the Farakka Barrage have been replaced with new gates and the work of replacement of remaining gates has been taken up by FBP in phased manner. The work for Special Repair and maintenance of crackIAS.comPSC Road Bridge over Farakka Barage has been awarded by FBP and work is underway. 6. Lakhwar project: A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 28th August 2018 between Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shipping and Road Transport & Highways and Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh for the construction of Rs. 3966.51 crore Lakhwar Multi-Purpose project in the Upper Yamuna Basin. The Lakhwar project was initially approved in 1976 but work on the project was suspended in 1992. The Lakhwar project envisages construction of a 204 m high concrete dam across river Yamuna near Lohari village in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand with a live storage capacity of 330.66 MCM. This storage will provide irrigation for 33,780 hectares land and availability of 78.83 MCM water for domestic, drinking and industrial use in the six basin states. The project will also generate 300 MW of power. The project is to be executed by M/s Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVL). 7. Interlinking of Rivers (ILRs):

i. National Perspective Plan (NPP) proposals:

Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of three priority links have been completed viz. Ken-Betwa link project (Phase-I&II), Damanganga-Pinjal link project and Par-Tapi-Narmada link project. Various Statutory/other Clearances viz., Environmental clearance, Stage-I forest land diversion clearance, Wildlife, MoTA, techno-economic and investment clearances have been accorded/obtained by/from concerned Ministries/Departments for KBLP Phase-I and the project report is ready for implementation. Environmental clearance, Forest Land Diversion clearance for Lower Orr dam has been recommended by EAC and FAC of MoEF&CC. MoTA has accorded clearance for R&R plan of PAFs of Lower Orr dam subject to certain conditions. Environmental clearance and Forest clearance for Bina complex projects were accorded by MoEF&CC. Hon’ble Minister (WR, RD & GR) has discussed KBLP with Chief Ministers of UP and MP and MoU for water sharing and implementation is expected to be signed shortly. Further, Hon’ble Minister (WR, RD & GR) has discussed Damanganga-Pinjal link and Par-Tapi- Narmada link projects with Chief Ministers of Gujarat and Maharashtra and shortly the MoU for water sharing is expected to be signed in this regard. Hon’ble Minister(WR,RD&GR) held discussions with Hon’ble Minister for Water Resources of Chhattisgarh about the alternate study of diversion of unutilized flood flows of Chhattisgarh in Indravati sub-basin of Godavari basin(as per GWDT Award) through Godavari-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link project. The DPR of this alternate study is under progress.

ii. Intra-State link proposals: DPRs of four intra-state link projects viz., Burhi Gandak-Noon-Baya-Ganga link and Kosi-Mechi link of Bihar State, Ponnaiyar-Palar link of Tamil Nadu and Wainganga (Gosikhurd)- Nalganga(Purna/Tapi) link project of Maharashtra have been completed and sent to respective States. Preparation of DPRs of Damanganga (Ekdare)-Godavari and Damanganga(Vagh/Val)- Vaitarna-Godavari (Kadva Dev) link projects of Maharashtra are under progress. crackIAS.com 8. Completion of balance works of North Koel Reservoir Project, Bihar and Jharkhand:

The Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR has taken up the work on completion of balance works of North Koel Reservoir Project, Bihar and Jharkhand which was halted in 1993. The Union Cabinet in August 2017 has approved the proposal at an estimated cost of Rs 1622.27 crore during three financial years from the start of the project. The cabinet also approved execution of balance works of the project on turnkey basis by M/s WAPCOS Ltd., as Project Management Consultant (PMC).The Government of India will provide assistance as central share of Rs. 1378.61 crore and State Government of Bihar and Jharkhand will arrange Rs.212.43 crores and Rs.31.23 crore respectively.

The project aims to provide additional irrigation to 39,801 hectares of land annually in the drought prone areas of Aurangabad & Gaya districts of Bihar, Palamu & Garhwa districts of Jharkhand.

The works on the Mohammadganj barrage and Left Main Canal of the project are underway. Stage-II forest clearance has been accorded by MoEF&CC, Govt. of India.

Central assistance of Rs. 582.70 crore has been released for the implementation of the project during the year 2018-19.

9. Minor Irrigation Census :

Ministry conducts Minor Irrigation (MI) Census in order to create a sound and reliable database on ground water and surface water Minor Irrigation Schemes in the country. Ministry provides 100% financial assistance and technical guidance to States/UTs for conduct of the Census.

6th Minor Irrigation Census& Census of Water Bodies

i. Ministry initiated the process of conduct of Census of Water Bodies for the first time in convergence with 6th MI Census in order to build up a database on Water Bodies.

ii. Preparatory work like drafting of schedules, instruction manual, operational guidelines etc. has been completed duly approved by the Steering Committee in January, 2018.

iii. All India Training workshops for 6th MI Census & Census of Water Bodies was organized on 16th March, 2018. Representatives from most of the States/UTs attended the training workshop.

iv. Census material for the 6th MI Census and Census of Water Bodies, viz. final Schedules,crackIAS.com instructions and table scrutiny points etc. was sent to States/UTs for taking further action.

v. Six two days Regional Training workshops for 6th Minor Irrigation and census of water bodies during the month of June, 2018 to August, 2018were completed. Continuous monitoring is being done for completion of various pre-field work activities viz. training by States, printing of schedules, purchase of mobile device etc.

vi. Process of development of software for data entry portal with built in monitoring mechanism and mobile app for geo tagging for water bodies is near completion.

10. National Aquifer Management (NAQUIM):

The NAQUIM programme for mapping of water bearing aquifers has been planned with an aim to enhance the capacity of states in Ground Water Management and Development. Total targeted area for National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme is 12.91 lakh Sq. Km upto March, 2020 against ~24 Lakh Sq.Km area identified for mapping in the country. By the end of October 2018, aquifer maps and management plans have been developed for an area of 8.91 lakh Sq. Km, which is shared/would be shared with the respective State Governments agencies.

11. Development of Water Resources Information System (DWRIS) :

DWRIS Scheme is a continuing scheme of XII five year plan which is under implementation for creation of reliable and sound database for planning and policy formulation for Water Resources Projects, timely dissemination of flood forecast, etc.

Achievements under DWRIS during 2018:

i. 319 new Hydrological Observation sites fully operationalized

ii. 23 new flood forecasting stations opened

iii. Telemetry installed on 87 sites for automatic data acquisition and satellite based data transmission system

iv. Telemetry systems upgraded on 85 sites

v. Inflow models for Ranjitsagar Dam have been developed and models for 271 previously developed improved during data collected in monsoon season.

vi. Inundation models for Brahmaputra River have been developed.

vii. 6791crackIAS.com flood forecasts bulletins issued during 2018-19 monsoon season.

Hydro-Meteorological Data Dissemination Policy, 2018

Hydro-Meteorological Data Dissemination Policy, 2018 has been formulated by this Ministry which deals with the issue of dissemination of hydro-meteorological data collected by CWC and CGWB, classification of hydro-meteorological data, Data User Categories, custodian of hydro- meteorological data and procedure for release of classified & unclassified hydro-meteorological data.

A copy of Hydro-Meteorological Data Dissemination Policy, 2018 is available on Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation website at http://mowr.gov.in/hydro-meteorological-data-dissemination-policy-2018.

12. Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme (DRIP): Targets & Progress:

i. In the year 2018-19 Dam Break Analysis were conducted on 38 Dams for preparation of Inundation maps. The 57 draft Emergency Action Plan (EAPs) prepared by State Implementing Agencies(IAs) have been reviewed and commented upon by the Central Project Monitoring Unit(CPMU) out of 64 submitted. ii. Total of 81 Notice Inviting Tenders (NITs) worth Rs. 126 Cr. were issued in the year 2018- 19 and works of 76 packages worth Rs. 744 Cr. were awarded till date. During this period, an expenditure of Rs. 1050.7 Cr. was incurred. iii. DHARMA, a web based dam inventory management software has been completed. Preparation of Guidelines & Manual:

i. 2 Guidelines on various aspects of dam safety have been prepared under the project and released during the conference. ii. 2 model Operation and Maintenance Manual for Almatti Dam, Karnataka WRD and Maithon dam, DVC have been prepared as a reference document for guiding DRIP Implementing Agencies for preparing O & M Manual for other DRIP dams. iii. Model EAP of Hirakud Dam has been prepared and shared with all IAs for replicating these protocols for other DRIP dams. DRIP-II:

In order to cover more States of India under the umbrella of DRIP, CWC has submitted a proposal for new DRIP (i.e. DRIP-II), which is under consideration of the Ministry. So far 18 States and 2 Central Agencies viz. CWC and BBMP have submitted the proposal. The overall cost of DRIP-II as received from all States / Central Agencies is Rs.11487 Cr. with 733 dams. The DRIP-II is proposed to be a Scheme of 10 years, to be implementing on two phases i.e. Phase-II and Phase-III, each of six years duration.

13. Polavaram Project Authority (PPA):

crackIAS.com The Project is in advance stage of progress. The Status of Physical progress of Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP) as submitted by Water Resources Department, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) is as follows:

Sr.No % of progress Decription . (up to Nov.,2018) 1. Head works 50.54 2. Right main canal 90.00 3. Left main canal 66.02 Overall Project 61.81

The amount of 2398.20 Cr. is released to GoAP for execution of PIP during the year 2018.

14. Brahmputra Board:

i. The following anti-erosion and flood protection schemes were completed during the year:

● Phase-II and III works of the scheme “Protection of Majuli Island” in Assam ● Protection of Masalabari International Border area in the district of Dhubri, Assam ● Jengrai drainage development scheme ● Jakaichuk drainage development scheme

ii. 3 Sub-basin Master Plans viz. Jaldhaka, Simsang and Torsa were approved by Government of India (GoI). iii. A Seminar inaugurated by Secretary, MoWR, RD & GR on “Synergy among organizations working in Water Resources Sector in North Eastern Region” was held on 27.09.2018 wherein 79 delegates of 37 Central as well as State Government Departments/ Organizations/ Academic Institutes participated. On agreement of participants, Brahmputra Board is taking up to create a Data Sharing Centre where data can be shared safely by the organizations. iv. During the year 2018 under Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (SBA), Brahmputra Board organized the following programmes-

● Art and Essay writing Competitions amongst school students. ● Cleanliness drive through ‘Shramdaan ’at public places, schools and offices.

v. Brahmputra Board has taken up two Ghats for development in Majuli Island viz., Kamalabari and Aphalamukh and to provide necessary sanitation facilities and other safe access facilities to Commuters to Majuli Island from Neamatighat under SBA.

15. National Projects Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC): NPCCcrackIAS.com was established on 9th January 1957 as a premier construction company to create necessary infrastructure for economic development of the country.

Mini Ratna Status:

"Miniratna - Category -I" status awarded to NPCC Limited by Ministry of Water Resources RD & GR on 05-11-2018.

NPCC is an ISO 9001-2015 Organization with Pan India presence.

Major Works Secured during 2018-19

● Construction of Kendriya Vidyalaya at Various locations across Country. ● Construction for Up gradation of ITI at Jabalpur, Rew Sagar & Shadol for MP Housing Board. ● Bone & Joint Hospital Srinagar. ● Establishment of Industrial Biotech Parks(ITBP) at 02 locations in J&K Region for CSIR. ● Building Works in CGWB (MOWR, RD & GR) Ahmadabad, Ambala and Jammu. ● Indoor Sports Complex and Food Court of IIT Kharagpur in West Bengal. ● Construction of LS, US Quarter & Site Development of Police Line Campus at Pakur, Jharkhand. ● Development of Mandiri Nala under Patna Smart City Mission at Patna.

Major Works Completed during 2018-19

● PMGSY Road Works in Paschim Medinipur. ● PMGSY Roads at different locations in Jharkhand. ● Construction of Toilets at schools in different dist. Of Odisha (SVA) MCL. ● Construction of various buildings for Assam Riffles. ● Construction of BOP, Roads & Fencing Works for MHA. ● Construction of flood lighting works for MHA. ● Dolaithabi Barrage, Manipur. ● PMGSY Roads (640 in No.) in 6 districts of Bihar i.e Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Patna, Nalanda. ● Development and Construction of various buildings for Indira Gandhi National Tribal University Campus at Amarkanthak (M.P).

Proposed Schemes which are under consideration in the Ministry: crackIAS.com 1. Incentivisation Scheme for Bridging Irrigation Gap (ISBIG) :- The Expenditure Finance Committee has approved the EFC memo of ISBIG Scheme for a restricted CCA of 50 lakh ha at an estimated cost of Rs.30,485 crore. CCEA note has been submitted and the Scheme is under consideration of the Government. After obtaining approval of the Cabinet, the Scheme shall become operational.

2. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)- Har Khet ko Pani (HKKP) –Ground Water

● The scheme of PMKSY approved in 2015 envisaged ground water development through tube well/ dug well etc. to cover 2.5 lakh hectare during 2015-16 to 2019-20. ● The guidelines of the scheme has been revised for already approved scheme for 2015-20 and circulated to all the States and UTs for submitting proposals/ DPRs in accordance with the revised operating guidelines. ● Under the scheme irrigation facilities will be created through tube wells, dug wells, bore wells and Dug cum Bore wells etc in SAFE assessment units characterised by Less than 60 per cent of Stage of Ground Water Development and there is scope for further groundwater development without endangering groundwater sustainability.Average annual rainfall of more than 750 mm andGroundwater levels are less than 15 m bgl. ● Possibilities of convergence with PMKSY-Watershed Component, MGNREGA or any other similar scheme of Central/ State for supporting water harvesting and groundwater recharge interventions for sustaining long term groundwater development to be undertaken . ● Under the scheme following components are proposed to be funded: Construction cost of well with materialCost of Pump (Electric and Solar) Cost of 200 m canvas pipe for water distributionCost of investigation for site selection. ● Provision of 75% Electric ad 25% solar pumps have been kept in a cluster/proposal. ● A provision of Rs 200 crore has been kept towards the Central Assistance for the FY 2019- 20 for Ground water irrigation under PMKSY-HKKP.

3. Proposal of Maharashtra for special package to drought prone districts:

Cabinet has approved the inclusion of 83 Surface Minor Irrigation and 8 Major / Medium Irrigation projects in the Special Package for Maharashtra during the meeting of the CCEA held on 18.07.2018.Under the Special Package, the Central Government will provide Central Assistance (CA) @ 25% of the balance cost of these 91 projects as on 1.4.18 as well as 25% reimbursement for the expenditure incurred during 2017-18 keeping in view that funding of these projects is under consideration since 2017-18.The overall balance cost of the said projects as on 1.4.2018 is estimated to be Rs.13651.61 crore.

4. Relining of Sirhind Feeder (SF) from RD 119700 to 447927 and Rajasthan Feeder (RF) from RD 179000 to 496000 of Punjab : CabinetcrackIAS.com has approved the funding of Relining of Sirhind Feeder and relining of Rajasthan Feeder of Punjab etc vide its meeting dated 26.09.2018. The approved cost of relining of Sirhind Feeder Canal is Rs. 671.478 Cr and that of relining of Rajasthan Feeder Canal is Rs. 1305.267 Cr, of the total estimated cost, Rs. 826.168 Cr would be provided as Central Assistance (Rs. 205.758 Cr for Sirhind Feeder and Rs. 620.41 Cr for Rajasthan Feeder) in addition to Rs 156 crore of central assistance earlier released for these projects.

The project would be completed in 3 working seasons (March to June) of 70 days each starting from March-June, 2019 and ending March-June, 2021.

5. Proposal for Diversion of Godavari waters upto Cauvery basin: ● As per the Planning of the Peninsular Component of the National Perspective Plan (NPP) about 20,796 MCM of water from Mahanadi and Godavari rivers is to be transferred through the nine link system namely (i) Mahanadi – Godavari link (ii) Inchampalli – Nagarjunasagar link (iii) Inchampalli – Pulichintala link (iv) Polavaram – Vijayawada link (implemented by Government of Andhra Pradesh) (v) Almatti – Pennar link (vi) Srisailam – Pennar Link (vii) Nagarjunasagar – Somasila link (viii) Somasila – Grand Anicut link and (ix) Cauvery – Vaigai – Gundar link to Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery, Vaigai and Gundar basins. ● Pending consensus on Manibhadra dam across Mahanadi and Inchampalli dam across Godavari due to large submergence involved and quantity of water diversion from these basins, alternative studies to divert unutilized water share of Chhattisgarh State in Indravati sub-basin of Godavari basin (as per GWDT Award) to Cauvery river through Godavari- Cauvery link project have been carried out. The Technical Feasibility Note of the Godavari (Akinepalli)-Cauvery(Grand Anicut) link project has been submitted to party States during December 2017. Draft MoA for preparation of DPR has also been sent to party States during February 2018. The proposal was discussed in the Regional Conferences on Water Resources held at Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. ● Hon’ble Minister (WR, RD&GR) held discussions with Hon’ble Minister for Water Resources of Chhattisgarh about this alternate study of Godavari-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link project. The DPR of this alternate study is under progress. ● Once the Mahanadi-Godavari link materialises, the remaining links of the nine link system will be taken up.

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END Downloaded from crackIAS.com crackIAS.com© Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 2018 YEAR END REVIEW: MINISTRY OF I&B Relevant for: Government Policies & Welfare Schemes | Topic: Government policies & interventions for development in various Sectors and issues arising out of their design & implementation incl. Housing

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting 2018 Year End Review: Ministry of I&B

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 3:16PM by PIB Delhi

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is one of the vital Ministries that represent the face of the government in reaching out to the masses. The Ministry is entrusted with the task of disseminating information about government policies, schemes and programmes through the different mediums of communication.

The Ministry took several key initiatives in the year 2018 to meet these objectives, a snapshot of which is presented below.

Information Sector

● Bureau of Outreach and Communication formed through integration of Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity (DAVP), Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP) and Song & Drama Division (S&DD) for ensuring synergy between the media units which were otherwise working in silos. ● Reference Annual India 2018 and 2018released - the flagship publications brought out by Publications Division. The two Reference Annuals were also made available as e-book in the most commonly used e-PUB format so that they could be easily accessed on a variety of devices such as tablets, computers, e-readers and smartphones. ● Reconstitution of Committee on Journalist Welfare Scheme - for the first time, journalists were also made members of the Committee. It was also made leaner with only Secretary (I&B), Joint Secretary (P&A), Principal Director General, PIB as official members. ● DeenDayalUpadhyay Scholarship announced for people of Indian Origin who have done exemplary work in the field of development journalism. ● Special Yojana issue on ‘employment and self-employment’ released - covered wide ranging issues including those related to livelihood opportunities, entrepreneurship, employment data; also featured success stories of programmes like MUDRA Yojana ● MultimediacrackIAS.com Exhibition on 150 years of Celebrating Mahatma Gandhi’s Birth Anniversary organized by Bureau of Outreach and Communication. The Exhibition had many engaging features like Quiz on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, interactive timeline depicting life of Mahatma Gandhi, Photo Booth with various backgrounds to choose from, 3D Video Wall, etc. It also showcased several books on the Life of Mahatma Gandhi. ● “The Republican Ethic” and “LoktantraKeSwar” book released - selected speeches of President Shri Ram NathKovind, brought out by Directorate of Publications Division. Broadcast Sector ● 15th Asia Media Summit organized in Delhi with the theme, ‘Telling Our Stories – Asia and More’; it encouraged dialogue and cooperation in Media Sector in the Region ● All India Radio streaming services launched on Amazon Alexa Smart Speakers - a synergy of the old and modern forms of communication. The initiative will also benefit Indian diaspora since now anyone from any part of the world can listen to the programmes in All India Radio through Alexa. ● 9 DSNG vans of Doordarshan flagged off - with 4 of these 9 DSNGs meant for Gangtok, Kohima, Imphal and Agartala, the development stories of the people of North-East will further reach out to people. Films Sector

● Agreement on Film Co-production between India and Israel signed - to facilitate mutual exchange of art and culture, create goodwill and better understanding among the people of both the countries as well as various aspects of film making. The Agreement will also help in generation of employment among artistic, technical as well as non-technical personnel. ● 65th National Film Awardsorganized - Late veteran Actor Shri Vinod Khanna awarded DadasahebPhalke Award; Late eminent Actress, Sridevi awarded Best Actress for the Hindi movie Mom; Riddhi Sen given Best Actor award for Nagarkirtan; Assamese movie Village Rockstars awarded Best Feature Film and Baahubali - The Conclusion awarded as Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment; Jayaraj given Best Direction Award for Malayalam movie Bhayanakam. ● ASEAN India Film Festival organized in Delhi - the festival acts as a vehicle of cultural exchange and facilitates people to people contact in member countries, especially amongst youth. ● Dedicated web portallaunched by Film Facilitation Office to disseminate information on filming locations and the facilities available in India for film production/post production and to allow foreign film makers to make online application for permission of shooting of feature films, reality TV shows and commercial TV series in India. ● India Pavilion was organized at Cannes Film Festival 2018, along with exploration of co-production opportunities between India and France in May 2018. India Pavilion was also set up in Berlin Film Festival (Feb 2018) and Toronto International Film Festival (Sep 2018). ● India hosts European Union Film Festival - 24 latest European films from 23 EU Member States screened. The festival traversed through 11 cities in India including New Delhi, Chennai, Port Blair, Pune, Puducherry, Kolkata, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Thrissur, Hyderabad and Goa from 18th June till 31st August 2018. ● IndiacrackIAS.com Pavilion organized at Videocittà 2018 in Rome Film Festival. India was the partner country at Videocittà 2018, an event focussing on Virtual Reality, Video gaming, Animation, Film Making, etc. India Pavilion atVideocittà 2018 showcased Indian films’ heritage, ease of film shooting in India, promoted film shooting locations in India, International Film Festival of India, Indian Cinema from different regions and Audio Visual Co Production between India and Italy. ● 49th International Film Festival of India organized in Goa. Israel was the country in focus and Jharkhand was the state in focus during the Festival. The Festival opened with the world premiere of ‘The AspernPapers’. ‘Donbass’ directed by Sergei Loznitsa has won the coveted Golden Peacock; Lijo Jose Pellissery was conferred Best Director Award for ‘Ee.Ma.Yau’; Chemban Vinod was declared the Best Actor (Male) and AnastasiiaPustovit got Best Actor (Female) Award. Dan Wolman was given the Lifetime Achievement Award. Master Scriptwriter Salim Khan was presented with IFFI Special Award at IFFI 2018 Closing Ceremony, for his Lifetime Contribution to Cinema. ***

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 YEAR END REVIEW-2018: MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION SWACHH BHARAT MISSION Relevant for: Health, Education & Human Resources | Topic: Health & Sanitation and related issues

Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation Year End Review-2018: Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Swachh Bharat Mission

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 3:13PM by PIB Delhi

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) on 2nd October, 2014 to accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage in India and promote access to safe sanitation in India. The SBM aims at achieving an Open Defecation Free (ODF) nation by 2nd October, 2019,a befitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary.The SBM identifies behaviour change as the primary and fundamental tool for the achievement of ODF outcomes.

As a result, rural sanitation coverage has increased significantly from 38.7%at the launch of SBM(G) in 2014 to 96.88%, as on 5thDecember 2018.

SBM (G) at a glance 8.95 58.18 IHHLs built (in crores) % increase insanitation coverage since since 2ndOct 2014 2ndOct 2014 534 4470 No. of ODF Districts ODF villages inNamamiGange 25 5,33,911 ODF States/UTs No. of ODF Villages

Making Swachhata Everyone’s Business

The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation,besides its allocated charge of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen), convenes and coordinates all activities and initiatives towards the achievement of a Swachh Bharat across sectors. To this end, the Ministry constantly works with all other Union Ministries, the State governments, local institutions, NGOs, faith organizations, media and the other stakeholders. This approach is based on the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s clarion call to make Swachhata everyone’s business, and not only that of sanitation departments.crackIAS.com A host of special initiatives and projects have been undertaken by various Ministries and are coordinated by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in this regard:

Swachhata Pakhwada

Launched in April 2016, Swachhata Pakhwada is inspired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision to engage all Union Ministries and Departments in Swachhata-related activities. The respective fortnightsplace intense focus on the issues and practices of Swachhata. An annual calendar is pre-circulated among the Ministries to help them plan for the Pakhwada activities. Swachhata Pakhwadayearbooks for the years 2016 and 2017 have been released by MDWS in 2018. NamamiGange

The NamamiGangeProgramme is an initiative of Ministry of Water Resources (MOWR). As an inter-ministerial initiative, making villages on the bank of river Ganga ODF and interventions dealing with solid and liquid waste management (SLWM) are being implemented by MDWS.

All 4470 villages located across 52 districts of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal have been declared ODF with active help of state governments. Now the Ministry has taken up 25 villages on the bank of River Ganga to transform them as Ganga Grams in coordination with NMCG. MDWS has sanctioned Rs. 67 Crore to five Ganga States to take up tree plantation and related preparatory activities on the revenue land in Ganga Bank villages. In 2018, 5 Ganga Gram Swachhata Sammelanswere organized by MDWS in four Ganga States to generate awareness about the Ganga Gram Swachhata concept.

Swachhata Action Plan (SAP)

A first of its kind, inter-ministerial programme for Swachhata, Swachhata Action Plan is led by all Union Ministries in order to ensure annual planning and implementation of sanitation related activities. All Union Ministries/Departments have begun work for its realization in a significant manner with appropriate budget provisions. A separate budget head 96 has been created for this by the Ministry of Finance. During the financial year 2017-18, 74 Ministries/Departments committed funds worth Rs. 18154.82 Cr. for their SAPs. For the year 2018-19, 72 Ministries/Departments have committed Rs. 17077.81 Cr.

Swachh Iconic Places (SIP)

Under the inspiration of Hon’ble Prime Minister, MDWS has undertaken a multi-stakeholder initiative focusing on cleanliness in 100 locations across the country, which are “iconic” due to their heritage, religious and/or cultural significance.

The goal of the initiative is to improve the cleanliness conditions at these locationsto a distinctly higher level. This initiative is in partnership with Ministries of Housing and Urban Affairs, Tourism and Culture with MDWS as the nodal ministry. So far, in the first three phases, 30 iconic places have been identified. Mostof these SIPs have also received financial and technical support from PSUs and corporates.

Satyagraha Se Swachhagraha campaign(3rd to 10th April, 2018)

The Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, in coordination with the Government of Bihar, organized a week long campaign“Satyagraha Se Swachhagraha” from 3rd to 10th April, 2018, in Bihar, culminating in East Champaran on 10th April, 2018, where over 20,000 Swachhagrahis came together and to “trigger” Bihar. The culminating event was addressed by the Hon’ble PrimecrackIAS.com Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, Hon’ble Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation,Sushri Uma Bharti, and otherUnion and State Ministers, MPs and MLAs attended the event. The Prime Minister have also felicitated the 10 best performingSwachhagrahis in an award giving ceremony.

GOBARdhan scheme

MDWS launched the Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resource dhan or “GOBARdhan” scheme on 30th April 2018, at Karnal, Haryana. The scheme is aimed at keeping villages clean while increasing the income of farmers and cattle owners by promoting local entrepreneurs to convert cattle dung, and other organic resources, to biogas and organic manure. Swachh Bharat Summer Internship 2018

MDWS, in association with the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, launched the ‘Swachh Bharat Summer Internship (SBSI) 2018’ aimed at engaging college students and NYKS youth with Swachhata work in villages during the summer vacation.

The SBSI engaged lakhs of educated youth across the country, helped develop their skills and orientation for the sanitation sector and amplified the mass awareness aspect of Swachh Bharat Mission. As part of the internship, candidates were required to undertake 100 hours of sanitation related activities including shramdaan, creation of sanitation infrastructure, system building, behaviour change campaigns and other IEC initiatives in and around nearby villages.Over 3.8 lakh students registered for SBSI 2018.

Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS), (15th September 2018 to 2nd October 2018)

The Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the second edition of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign on 15th September 2018 through a video conference interaction with 17 locations, in order to re- intensify the people’s movement in the run up to 2nd October 2018. Post the launch, shramdaan activities were undertaken by dignitaries like Shri Amitabh Bachchan, Shri Ratan Tata, Sadguru, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Mata Amritanandmayi, and others. The campaign mobilised people between 15th September and 2nd October 2018 reigniting the “jan-andolan” for sanitation. Union Ministers, MLAs, MPs, iconic celebrities of India, sports stars, inter-faith leaders, corporates, etc., participated and appealed to others to join in this campaign towards swachhata.

Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention (MGISC) (29th September to 2nd October 2018)

The Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention (MGISC) brought together Ministers of sanitation and sector specialists from around the world. Approximately 200 delegates from 67 countries attended the Convention, which was inaugurated by Hon’ble President of India on 29th September 2018 at PravasiBhartiya Kendra, New Delhi. The participating countries shared sanitation success stories and best practices, along with learning from the experience of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The 4-day Convention included a field visit, Plenary sessions, Parallel Technical sessions and Ministerial Dialogues. A parallel exhibition of sanitation innovations was also organized. The MGISC culminated on October 2nd, 2018, with the launch of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth year celebrations, as SBM entered its fifth and final year of implementation. The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India addressed the nation on 2nd October 2018 from the platform of the convention.

Swajal MinistrycrackIAS.com of Drinking Water and Sanitation launched Swajal, a community demand driven, decentralized, single village, preferably solar powered, mini PWS programme for the 117 aspirational districts identified by NITI Aayog. Gram Panchayats in partnership with rural communities and State sectoral agencies would be involved in the execution of the scheme and also operate and maintain the scheme. The programme would also sustain ODF status.

In order build the capacity of district level officials who are at the cutting edge level of implementation, Training of Trainers (ToTs) programmes were organized by MDWS. During the period of three months from September to November, ToTprogrammes were completed at five locations in Bhopal, Pune, Ranchi, Raipur and Guwahati, respectively. An exclusive ToTs module covering major aspects of Swajal was launched in a National Workshop held at Nainital, Uttarakhand, on 30th November 2018, along with a separate Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) to monitor the programme.

The Hon’ble Vice President laid the foundation for the scheme at Jharkhand on 27.9.2018 and the first scheme was inaugurated at Hazaribagh, Jharkhand on World Toilet Day, 19th November, 2018.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-12-20 EVIDENCE OF WATER DISCOVERED IN 17 ASTEROIDS Relevant for: Science & Technology | Topic: Space Technology & related matters

Image for representational purposes only | Photo Credit: AP

Japanese scientists have detected evidence of water in 17 asteroids for the first time using data from the infrared satellite AKARI.

This discovery will contribute to our understanding of the distribution of water in our solar system, the evolution of asteroids, and the origin of water on Earth, researchers said.

Our Earth is the only planet in our solar system where the presence of water on the planet surface has been confirmed. However, scientists are not yet sure how our Earth acquired its water. Recent studies have shown that other celestial bodies in our solar system have, or used to have, water in some form. Asteroids are considered to be one of the candidates that brought water to Earth.

Researchers from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and University of Tokyo found that water is retained in asteroids as hydrated minerals, which were produced by chemical reactions of water and anhydrous rocks that occurred inside the asteroids

Hydrated minerals are stable even above the sublimation temperature of water ice, according to the study which appears in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. By looking for hydrated minerals, scientists can investigate whether asteroids have water.

Infrared wavelengths contain characteristic spectral features of various substances, such as molecules, ice, and minerals, which cannot be observed at visible wavelengths. Therefore, it is indispensable to observe at infrared wavelengths for the study of solar system objects.

Hydrated minerals exhibit diagnostic absorption features at around 2.7 micrometres.

The Japanese infrared satellite AKARI, which was launched in February 2006 and ended operations in 2011, was equipped with the Infrared Camera (IRC) that allowed the researchers to obtain spectra at near-infrared wavelengths from two to five micrometres.

Using this unique function, spectroscopic observations of 66 asteroids were carried out and their near-infrared spectra were obtained. This provided the first opportunity to study the features of hydrated minerals in asteroids at around the wavelength of 2.7 micrometres.

The observations detected absorption, which were attributed to hydrated minerals for 17 C-type asteroids.crackIAS.com C-type asteroids, which appear dark at visible wavelengths, were believed to be rich in water and organic material, but the present observations with AKARI are the first to directly confirm the presence of hydrated minerals in these asteroids.

The heating energy could be supplied by the solar wind plasma, micrometeorite impacts, or the decay heat from radioactive isotopes in the rocks. This trend had been predicted by meteorite measurements, but this is the first time that it has been confirmed in asteroids.

Many C-type asteroids display this trend, suggesting that C-type asteroids were formed by the agglomeration of rocks and water ice, then aqueous alteration occurred in the interior of asteroids to form hydrated minerals, and finally C-type asteroids were heated and dehydrated.

Fun facts or complex puzzles, science contains mysteries ranging from the minute to the magnificent. Taste science! Take this quiz!

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 NITI AAYOG RELEASES STRATEGY FOR NEW INDIA @ 75 Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues relating to Planning

NITI Aayog NITI Aayog releases Strategy for New India @ 75

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 2:06PM by PIB Delhi

Seeking to make development a Jan Andolan, details key recommendations across growth drivers, infrastructure, inclusion and governance

The NITI Aayog today unveiled its comprehensive national Strategy for New India, which defines clear objectives for 2022-23. It is a detailed exposition acrossforty-one crucial areas, that recognizesthe progress already made, identifies binding constraints, and suggests the way forward for achieving the clearly stated objectives.

The ‘Strategy for New India @75’was released today at a press conference by the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley, in the presence of NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar, Members Dr Ramesh Chand andDr VK Saraswat and CEO Shri Amitabh Kant.

Drawing inspiration and direction from the Prime Minister’s clarion call for establishing a New India by 2022, NITI Aayog embarked on a journey of formulating theStrategy documentover the last year.

In his foreword the Prime Minister says,“The Strategy for New India @75 put together by NITI Aayog is an attempt to bring innovation, technology, enterprise and efficient management together, at the core of policy formulation and implementation. It will encourage discussion and debate, and invite feedback for further refining our policy approach.We believe that economic transformation cannot happen without public participation. Development must become a Jan Andolan.”

NITI Aayog followed an extremely participative approach in preparing the strategy. Each area vertical in NITI Aayog had in-depth consultations with all three groups of stakeholders, viz., business persons, academics including scientists, and government officials.

This was followed byconsultations at the level of the Vice Chairman with a diverse group of eminent persons from seven sets of stakeholders that included scientists and innovators, farmers, civil society organizations, think-tanks, labor representatives and trade unions, and industrycrackIAS.com representatives.

Central Ministries were brought on board for inputs, suggestions and comments, with each draft of individual chapters being circulated for consultations. The draft document was also circulated to all the States and Union Territories from whom valuable suggestions were received and incorporated.

Over 800 stakeholders from within the government – central, state and district levels – and about 550 external experts were consulted during the preparation of the document. The overarching focus of the Strategy document is to further improve the policy environment in which private investors and other stakeholders can contribute their fullest towards achieving the goals set out for New India 2022 and propel India towards a USD 5 trillion economy by 2030.

The forty-one chapters in the document have been disaggregated under four sections: Drivers, Infrastructure, Inclusion and Governance.

The first section on Drivers focuses on the engines of economic performance with chapters on growth and employment, doubling of farmers’ incomes; upgrading the science, technology and innovation eco-system; and promoting sunrise sectors like fintech and tourism.

Some of the key recommendations in the section on drivers include:

● Steadily accelerate the economy to achieve a GDP growth rate of about 8% on average during 2018-23. This will raisethe economy’s size in real terms from USD 2.7trillion in 2017- 18 to nearly USD 4 trillion by2022-23. Increase the investment rate as measured by gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) from the present 29% to 36% of GDP by 2022. ● In agriculture, shift the emphasis to converting farmers to ‘agripreneurs’ by further expandinge-National Agriculture Markets and replacing the Agricultural Produce Marketing CommitteeAct with the Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Act. ● Give a strong push to ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming’ techniques that reduce costs,improve land quality and increase farmers’ incomes. This has emerged as a tested method for putting environmentcarbon back into the land. ● To ensure maximum employment creation, complete codification of labor laws and a massiveeffort must be made to upscale and expand apprenticeships. ● Launch a mission “Explore in India” by revamping minerals exploration and licensing policy. The second section on Infrastructure deals with the physical foundations of growth which are crucial to enhancing the competitiveness of Indian business as also ensuring the citizens’ ease of living.

Some of the key recommendations in the section on infrastructure include:

● Expedite the establishment of the Rail Development Authority (RDA), which is already approved. RDAwill advise or make informed decisions on an integrated, transparent and dynamic pricing mechanismfor the railways. ● Double the share of freight transported by coastal shipping and inland waterways. Initially,viability gap funding will be provided until the infrastructure is fully developed. Develop an IT-enabled platformfor integrating different modes of transport and promoting multi-modal anddigitized mobility. ● With the completion of the Bharat Net programme in 2019, all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats will becrackIAS.com digitallyconnected. Aim to deliver all government services at the state, district, and gram panchayat level digitally by2022-23. The section on Inclusion deals with the urgent task of investing in the capabilities of all of India’s citizens. The three themes in this section revolve around the dimensions of health, education and mainstreaming of traditionally marginalized sections of the population.

Some of the key recommendations in the section on inclusion include:

● Successfully implementing the Ayushman Bharat programme including the establishment of 150,000 health and wellness centres across the country, and rolling out the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan (PM-JAY). ● Create a focal point for public health at the central level with state counterparts. Promote integrative medicine curriculum. ● Upgrade the quality of the school education system and skills, including the creation of a new innovation ecosystem at the ground level by establishing at least 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs by 2020. ● Conceptualize an electronic national educational registry for tracking each child’s learning outcomes. ● As already done in rural areas, give a huge push to affordable housing in urban areas to improve workers’ living conditions and ensure equity while providing a strong impetus to economic growth. The final section on Governance delves deep into how the governance structures can be streamlined and processes optimized to achieve better developmental outcomes.

Some of the key recommendations in the section on governance include:

● Implement the recommendations of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission as a preludeto appointing a successor for designing reforms in the changing context of emerging technologies andgrowing complexity of the economy. ● Set up a new autonomous body, viz., the Arbitration Council of India to grade arbitralinstitutions and accredit arbitrators to make the arbitration process cost effective and speedy, and to preemptthe need for court intervention. ● Address the backlog of pending cases - shift part of workload out of regular court system. ● Expand the scope of Swachh Bharat Mission to cover initiatives for landfills, plastic waste andmunicipal waste and generating wealth from waste. The full document can be accessed here: http://niti.gov.in/the-strategy-for-new-india

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END crackIAS.comDownloaded from crackIAS.com © Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 YEAR END REVIEW 2018- MINISTRY OF AYUSH Relevant for: Health, Education & Human Resources | Topic: Health & Sanitation and related issues

AYUSH Year End Review 2018- Ministry of AYUSH

All India Institute of Ayurveda, (AIIA) Phase-Ii Started--- National Institute of Homoeopathy Being Set Up

Main Event of International Day of Yoga Celebrated in Dehradun--50,000 People Performed Yoga Along with the PM

Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Act, 2018 Comes in to Effect

IT Education Launched for Ayush Professionals in Collaboration with C-DAC

Posted On: 19 DEC 2018 11:58AM by PIB Delhi

The Ministry of AYUSH through its multi pronged strategy in year 2018 has been able to bring alternative system of medicine particularly Ayurveda and Homeopathy in to mainstream of the public health system in India. During the year, usage of Information Technology in AYUSH system was given prominence, new Hospital and Research Centers opened and MoUs signed with several stakeholders including several Ministries and Countries for disseminating benefits of traditional systems all over the country and abroad.

The Ministry continued to propagate, publicise and popularise the alternate system of medicine with an aim of minimising the gap between demand and supply of medical facilities in the country. Following are the significant achievements and details of the important activities of Ministry of AYUSH during the year.

ReformcrackIAS.com Measures

The Central Government promulgated the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, (No.4 of 2018) dated 18th May, 2018. Through the Ordinance, the Central Council of Homoeopathy(CCH), the statutory regulatory body for Homoeopathy system of medicine has been superseded by Board of Governors with a view to bring necessary regulatory reforms in the field of Homoeopathy education and ensuring transparency and accountability for improving standards in Homoeopathy medical education.

In order to ensure transparency, improve the quality and functioning of AYUSH colleges, the President had promulgated the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 on 18th May, 2018 with the following objectives:-

(a) To constitute a Board of Governors by superseding the Central Council of Homoeopathy till a new Central Council was duly reconstituted within a period of one year from the date of supersession of the Central Council;

(b) To make provision for obtaining prior permission of the Central Government by all Homoeopathy Medical Colleges for admission.

In order to replace the ordinance with an Act, the Ministry introduced the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2018 during the Monsoon session of the Parliament. This has been approved by the President on 13th August, 2018 and the corresponding Act, namely, Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Act, 2018 published in the Gazette of India as Act No. 23 of 2018.

Establishment of Central Institutes

The foundation stone of National Institute of Homoeopathy at Narela, Delhi has been laid by MoS for AYUSH Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, on 16th October, 2018. Total project Cost is Rs. 259.12 crore. An All India Institute of Ayurveda, (AIIA) Phase-II SaritaVihar has also been started this year. The total Project Cost is Rs. 209.33 Crore.

Use of Information Technology in AYUSH Sector

1. A new course on IT education was launched for AYUSH professionals in collaboration with C-DAC. 2. Ministry of AYUSH has registered a remarkable presence on social media. AYUSH systems have been promoted on Ministry’s various Social Media Platforms i.e. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Blog and Twitter and also at MyGov Platform to benefit the various strata of population about the AYUSH systems. 3. Ministry is also developing a cloud based AYUSH GRID under the digital India mission. All the AYUSH Teaching Institutes, Hospitals and industry will be linked to AYUSH Grid. 4. The Ministry of AYUSH was on the top spot of Broadcast Audience Research Council’s (BARC) top 10 brands during the week 25 (June 16-22, 2018) with 14,731 insertions. MoUs at National and International level

● An MoU between University of Mauritius and Central Council for Research in Ayurveda Sciences (CCRAS) autonomous organization under Ministry of AYUSH was signed on 14th March, 2018 for establishing AYUSH Academics Chair in Ayurveda.

● AncrackIAS.com MoU between Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of the Government of Equatorial Guinea on cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine was signed on the 8th April, 2018.

● A Country to Country MoU between Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Public Health of the Republic of Cuba on cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy was signed on the 22nd June, 2018. ● A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Ministry of AYUSH and The Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria on 26.09.2018 at Austria to cooperation and collaboration in the field of Ayurveda. ● MoU between Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India was signed for establishment of AYUSH wings at 05 Railway Hospitals. It will open the doors of job opportunity to AYUSH graduates in Ministry of Railways. The Ministry of AYUSH also entered into an MoU with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston, USA and Harvard Medical School, USA. Yoga a Mass Movement

● Ministry of AYUSH, the nodal Ministry for celebration of International Day of Yoga (IDY) across the country, successfully coordinated various IDY-2018 across the country. The National event was held at Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, wherein approximately 50,000 people participated in the Mass Yoga Demonstration, alongwith the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apart from common people, Central Armed Police Forces ( CAPF) personnel’s, National Cadet Corpse (NCC) cadets, students of various educational institutes, Nehru Yuvak Kendra( NYKs) National Service Scheme (NSS), and various Yoga institutes were participated in this mega event. ● A series of Yoga programmes were conducted in national capital (Delhi). The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had organised 04 and 03 events respectively. In addition to this, one more mega event was organized by Brahmakumaris at Red Fort, with nearly 30,000 participants wherein 2000 Woman Police Force also attended. Altogether, around 65,000 people participated in the Delhi. Prime Minister’s Yoga Awards

● One of the highlights of IDY observation is the announcement of the Prime Minister’s Yoga Awards. The awards are given away each year for exemplary contribution in the field of Yoga towards the development and promotion of Yoga. This year the Awards have been conferred on one individual and one institution, as follows:

(i) Sh. Vishwas Vasant Mandalik, Nasik (National – Individual category)

(ii) The Yoga Institute, Mumbai (National – Institution category)

● Yoga Ambassadors’ Tour: The Yoga Ambassadors’ Tour being organized in collaboration with Kerala Tourism on 14th June, 2018. 52 participants from 22 countries joined in the Yoga Tour. The tour was culminated on 21st June, 2018 with a grand celebration of International Day of Yoga. ● The Ministry of AYUSH, through Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN), had organized one-month free Yoga training programme in around 600 districts acrosscrackIAS.com the country through Govt. Organisations/ NGOs, ahead of IDY. It had also organized 11 one day workshop on Yoga for Women in the 40+ age group in association with Indian Menopause Society in different parts of the country. ● International Naturopathy Organisation (INO) had trained more than 51 lakh people in Yoga during the IDY-2018. Several State Governments like Punjab, Haryana, UP etc. have trained people on this occasion in large numbers. ● Two mobile technology based applications deployed by the Ministry, namely BHUVAN- YOGA (developed by ISRO) and Yoga Locator, contributed to the public mobilization for IDY-2018. The former helped to assess the magnitude of participation at different venues and the later helped the public to locate events near them. The data collected through these apps are being analysed and collated statistically to gather a better picture of the extent of participation in IDY-2018. National level Events

The Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) an autonomous organization under Ministry of AYUSH organized an International Yoga Fest (IYF), a Curtain Raiser for International Day of Yoga-2018, from 21-23rd March, 2018 and Pre-Fest Yoga Workshops by Eminent Yoga Masters from 19-20th March 2018, at MDNIY & Yoga Centres at SAI Stadia. The main objective of IYF was to sensitize the masses regarding celebration of International Day of Yoga on June 21. A total of 120 workshops were conducted from 19-20th March, 2018 where 5000 Sadhaks got the benefit. International delegates of more than 16 countries across the Globe participated IYF-2018

The Ministry of AYUSH conducted a Conference of Heads of AYUSH National Institutes on 17 & 18 July 2018 with the objectives to upgrade the Standard of Education, Research & Health Care; harmonise & rationalize the infrastructure and activities of the National Institutes; fund and Resource generation for sustainable development; and networking and collaboration among the National Institutes. In addition to discussion on various issues, an MOU was signed between All India Institute of Ayurveda, SaritaVihar and Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi on Co-operation and Collaboration in the field of Research and Development in Ayurveda. Protocols on Development of Standard Operating procedures on Pre-conceptional and Pre-natal care through Ayurveda and Standard Operating procedures of Uttaravasti have been released during the session.

An “International Conference on Yoga for Public Health” was organised by Ministry of AYUSH at Panaji, Goa. The Conference was attended by 600 Indian and foreign delegates including 20 Yoga experts from 11 countries. The event provided the foreign participants an opportunity to capture and understand various dimensions of Yoga and to help them further propagate the same in their respective countries.

National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB) :

To ensure availability and regular supply of raw material of medicinal plants for AYUSH drugs, the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) under its “Central Sector Scheme on Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants” is augmenting the medicinal plants resources in the wild and also promoting their large scale cultivation in farmers’ field under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM). The major achievements of NMPB are as under:

● NMPB in collaboration with National Remote Sensing Centre, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) developed e-Bhuvan herbs mobile app. for geo-tagging and monitoring ofcrackIAS.com the organizations funded by NMPB for carrying out various activities related to medicinal plants. ● NMPB has collaborated with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to implement space based tools in monitoring & strategic decision making in the field of medicinal Plants. Other Achievements

● Yoga protocols for separate groups, viz. pregnant ladies, lactating mothers, adolescent girls and (children in the age group of 3-6 years), were developed in consultation with Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY). This protocol was forwarded to Ministry of Women & Child Development for using the same in connection with PoshanAbhiyaan.

● Pursuant to the initiative taken by Ministry of AYUSH to open AYUSH Hospitals by public sector companies, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has agreed to establish five AYUSH centres at Kayamkulum, Koldam, Tapovan, Vindhyachal and Farakka.

● M/o Power agreed to establish 05 AYUSH Centres/Hospitals through NTPC at different locations in the country viz. Kayamkulum, Koldam, Tapovan, Vindhyachal and Farakka.

● Pharmacovigilance of ASU&H drugs: A Central Sector Scheme of ‘Pharmacovigilance Initiative for ASU&H Drugs’ has been implemented by the Ministry of AYUSH from the financial year 2017-18. The scheme has established a National Pharmacovigilance Coordination centre for collecting reports on quality aspects from 05 intermediary and 43 peripheral centres with a financial allocation to the tune of Rs 1.66 crore approved for implementation of the initiative in 2018-19. ● NABH Accreditation: For the first time, the Ministry of AYUSH through its continuous efforts has got the hospitals viz., National Institute of Naturopathy, Pune, Maharashtra, National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore, Karnataka, National Institute of Yoga, Delhi and National Institute of Siddha, Chennai, NABH accredited. Ministry of AYUSH has made it obligatory for AYUSH hospitals for their accreditation to NABH standards with a view to enhancing the quality and safety aspects. Till date a total of 62 AYUSH hospitals have got the NABH accreditation. “Ayush” Finds a Place in English Language

In pursuance of the proposal of the Ministry of AYUSH the Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology has decided to adopt the word “AYUSH” in Hindi and English languages for scientific and technical purposes. As approved by the Commission, the word “AYUSH” will have the meaning “Traditional and Non-Conventional Systems of Health Care and Healing which include Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, Homoeopathy etc.” Major Activities of Research Councils:

Development of new drugs and commercialisation:

CCRAS has developed new drugs for different disease conditions. These are AYUSH Manas for Mental retardation/cognitive deficit, AYUSH QOL for improving quality of life of Cancer patients, AYUSH Rasayan A & B in geriatric health, AYUSH M-3 for Migraine, AYUSH SL for Filariasis, AYUSH A for Bronchial Asthma, AYUSH D for Type II Diabetes Miletus, Carctol S for Cancer, AYUSH K1 for chronic Kidney Diseases, Ayurveda drug for Non-Alcoholic fatty liver disease and Ayurveda drug as adjuvant to ATT for hepatoprotection. ThesecrackIAS.com formulations are at different phases of drug development. Commercialisation of drugs:

● Further CCRAS has commercialized already developed products namely Ayush-82 for Type –II Diabetes and Ayush SG for Rheumatoid arthritis NRDC in last two years and now these formulations are already available in the market for general public which are cost effective and the people are using these formulations for diabetes and Rheumatoid arthritis. The Council has also commercialised AYUSH 64. ● In Central Council of Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) one project each in Collaboration Clinical Research, Medicinal plant Research Drug standardization, Literary Research have been completed. Total 4 projects have been completed during October, 2018. ● Central Council of Research in Ayurveda (CCRAS) has completed Clinical Research in 1 IMR project. 1 IMR project of Drug Standardization Programme and 1 IMR project of Clinical Research, has been initiated.

● Officials from Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) attended and presented the Research work of the IMR project entitled “Geo-chemical characterization of Muppu” in the 1st National Bio-Medical Research competition on the occasion of 87th anniversary of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam organized by AIIMS, Rishikesh held on 15th October, 2018 and won the Yong Researcher award. ● Swasthya Rakshan Programme has been executed through 7 CCRS Institutes/Units in 3 states 2 union territories. 12 locations were covered and medical care and awareness about hygiene and health was also provided to the people. ● Central Council for Research in Siddha with the support of Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India organised a National Conference on “Global Acceptance for Siddha System of Medicine: Scope and Challenges” which was held on 28th & 29th September, 2018 at AmmaArangam, Community Hall, Shenoy Nagar, Chennai. Important Days Celebrated

● Ministry of AYUSH organized the First Siddha Day 2018 at Dr. MGR Medical University, Chennai on 4th January, 2018 through Central Council of Siddha (CCRS), Chennai to generate awareness among the people about the Siddha system of Medicine. ● The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine organized an International Conference on Unani Medicine on the occasion of Unani Day during 10th and 11th February 2018 in New Delhi. The subject of the conference was ‘Integration of Unani System of Medicine in Mainstream Healthcare’. Around 440 professionals participated in the Conference. International delegates from 12 countries attended the conference. A total of 10 AYUSH Awards were distributed in different categories of Unani Medicine. ● As integral part of Celebration of 3rd Ayurveda Day, 2018, the Council has setup Ayurveda countdown corners from 16.09.2018 (50 days to go) at CCRAS Hqrs. and all 30 Research Institutes and Centres functioning under it across the country. The core activities comprise public lecture on Ayurveda & its importance, Medicinal plant exhibition, half day marathon and free distribution of sapling of medicinal plants etc. On this occasion, “The Social Media Secretariat” was formally inaugurated. The month of September was celebrated as “PoshanMaah” in all the AYUSH hospitals/ dispensaries, teaching institutes, research councils and their peripheral units under the M/o AYUSHcrackIAS.com in accordance with the guidelines of M/o AYUSH, M/o Women and Child Development, M/o H&FW and Department of School Education and Literacy. Various state AYUSH hospitals/ dispensaries, AYUSH National institutes/ teaching institutes and five research councils and their field units organized various nutritional and health camps for adolescent girls, pregnant ladies, lactating women and children. The success of camps was also marked by a team of UNICEF who covered the activities among their video production team at Central Ayurveda Research Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases (CARICD) on 15.09.2018. RJ/SK

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 CAPITAL INFUSION OF PSBSBY GOVERNMENT Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues relating to Growth & Development - Banking, NPAs and RBI

Ministry of Finance Capital Infusion of PSBsby Government

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 7:22PM by PIB Delhi

Government of India (GoI) announced recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) to the tune of Rs. 2.11 lakh crore in October 2017, through infusion of capital by the Government and raising of capital by banks from the markets. Rs. 88,139 crore was infused by the Government in PSBs during financial year (FY) 2017-18 after the recapitalisation announcement and provision of Rs. 65,000 crore has been made in the budget for the current financial year for infusion. Since the recapitalisation announcement till November 2018, PSBs have been recapitalised to the tune of Rs. 1,28,861crore through infusion and mobilisation of capital from the market. Bank- wise details of capital infusion by the Government in FY 2017-18 and current FY 2018-19, up to 30.11.2018), are in the Annexure.

The benefits that have accrued to customers, include, inter alia, the following:-

i. increasing access to banking services from home and mobile through digital banking and enhanced customer ease,

● (ii) unprecedented financial inclusion, Jan Dhan programme by the Government has enabled opening of bank accounts for millions of previously unbanked customers (about 33.46 crore such accounts have been set up as of 5.12.2018, with balance of about Rs. 84,800 crore) and allowing users to receive government subsidies (as DBT) and to access remittances, credit, insurance, and essentially being included financially,

iii. increased availability of loans upto Rs. 10 lakh to the non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises under Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY), wherein a borrower can approach any of the lending institutions or can apply online through portal. (during FY 2017-18, 4.81 crore loans were sanctioned and in the current financial year, as on 7.12.2018, 2.81 crore loans MUDRA loans have been sanctioned, iv.crackIAS.comincreasing lending to MSMEs through time-bound automated processing and transparent status-tracking, with financially and technologically strengthened banks leveraging digitalised bank statements and income-tax and GST returns and according in-principle loan sanction within 59 minutes, and

● (v) meet the production credit requirements of the farmers in a timely and hassle-free manner by introducing RupayKisan Credit Card.

India’s global-rank for “getting creit” as per World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index, has improved from 44 in 2016 to 22 in 2018.

Annexure

Capital Infusion by Government

Amounts in crore Rupee

2018-19 S. No Bank 2017-18 (up to 30.11.2018) 1 Allahabad Bank 1,500 4,844 2 Andhra Bank 1,890 2,019 3 Bank of Baroda 5,375 - 4 Bank of India 9,232 - 5 Bank of Maharashtra 3,173 - 6 Canara Bank 4,865 - 7 Central Bank of India 5,158 2,354 8 Corporation Bank 2,187 2,555 9 Dena Bank 3,045 - 10 IDBI Bank Limited 12,471 - 11 Indian Bank - - 12 Indian Overseas Bank 4,694 2,157 Oriental Bank of 13 3,571 - Commerce 14 Punjab National Bank 5,473 8,247 15 Punjab and Sind Bank 785 - 16 Syndicate Bank 2,839 728 17 UCO Bank 6,507 - 18 Union Bank of India 4,524 - 19 United Bank of India 2,634 - 20 Vijaya Bank 1,277 - 21 State Bank of India 8,800 -

Source: PSBs

This was stated by Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister of State for Finance in a Written Reply to a Question in RajyaSabha today. crackIAS.com ****

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 FORMULATION OF REFORM AGENDA FOR BANKS Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues relating to Growth & Development - Banking, NPAs and RBI

Ministry of Finance Formulation of Reform Agenda for Banks

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 7:22PM by PIB Delhi

A Reforms Agenda of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) aimed at Enhanced Access & Service Excellence (EASE) and encapsulating a synergistic approach to ensuring prudential and clean lending, better customer service, enhanced credit availability, focus on Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and better governance has been adopted. Reforms in the agenda include, inter alia, making it easier for MSMEs and retail customers to transact, significantly increasing access to banking services, near-home banking services, time-bound refund on unauthorised electronic transactions, and mobile ATMs in underserved districts.

Steps taken by Government to reform Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) include, inter alia, the following:-

i. Enactment of Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Act 2015 to strengthen the capital base and improve their overall capabilities and making provision for RRBs to raise capital from source other than Central Government or State Government or Sponsor Bank, subject to the shareholding of Central Government and Sponsor Bank shall not be less than fifty-one per cent, (ii) Revision of guidelines to make the system of appointment of auditors for RRBs more objective and transparent to improve quality of audit, and

iii. Improvement in the recruitment process. This was stated by Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister of State for Finance in a Written Reply to a Question in RajyaSabha today.

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Ministry of Finance India Becoming World's Fastest Growing Economy

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 7:21PM by PIB Delhi

The share of Indian economy inworld(measured as a ratio of India’s GDP to world’s GDP at current US$) increased from 2.6 percent in 2014 to 3.2 percent in 2017 (as per World Development Indicators database). The average share of Indian economy in world during 1960 to 2013 was 1.8 percent. The average growth of the Indian economyduring 2014-15 to 2017-18 was 7.3 per cent, fastest among the major economies in the world.

Indian economy is projected to be the fastest growing major economy in 2018-19 and 2019-20 (International Monetary Fund October 2018 database). This is borne by GDP growth of 7.6 per cent inthe first half of 2018-19.

As perthe estimates available from Central Statistics Office(CSO), the per capita income (measured asper capita net national income (at current prices))of the country increased from Rs. 86,647/- in 2014-15 to Rs 112,835/- in 2017-18, recording a30.2 percent growth from 2014-15 to 2017-18.

This was stated by Shri Pon. Radhakrishnan, Minister of State for Finance in a Written Reply to a Question in Rajya Sabha today.

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crackIAS.com END Downloaded from crackIAS.com © Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 RBI GUIDELINES FOR AGENCIES TO DEPOSIT MONEY IN ATMS Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues relating to Growth & Development - Banking, NPAs and RBI

Ministry of Finance RBI guidelines for agencies to deposit money in ATMs

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 7:20PM by PIB Delhi

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) vide its guidelines issued on 6.4.2018 on ‘Cash Management activities of the banks - Standards for engaging the Service Provider and its sub-contractor’, advised banks to put in place certain minimum standards in their arrangements with the service providers for cash management related activities. The guidelines, inter alia, include the following criteria for the service provider:

● Minimum net worth requirement of Rs. 1 billion. ● Minimum fleet size of 300 specifically fabricated cash vans (owned / leased). ● Cash to be transported only in the owned / leased GPS-enabled security cash vans of the Service Provider or its first level sub-contractors. ● The passenger compartment is to accommodate two custodians and two armed security guards (gunmen) besides the driver. ● ATM operations are to be carried out only by certified and trained personnel. ● Character and antecedent verification of all crew members associated with cash van movement, should be done meticulously. ● Safe and secure premises of adequate size for cash processing / handling and vaulting with fire safety gadgets.

In order to mitigate risks involved in open cash replenishment/ top-up, RBI vide it’s circular dated 12.4.2018 advised banks to consider using lockable cassettes in their ATMs which should be swapped at the time of cash replenishment. This is to be implemented in a phased manner covering at least one third ATMs operated by the banks every year, such that all ATMs achieve cassette swap by 31.3.2021. crackIAS.com This was stated by Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister of State for Finance in a Written Reply to a Question in RajyaSabha today.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 LAW TO CHECK SCAMS IN BANKS Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues relating to Growth & Development - Banking, NPAs and RBI

Ministry of Finance Law to check scams in Banks

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 7:19PM by PIB Delhi

The Government has initiated formulation of laws to secure prudential banking and help effect a culture of credit discipline, including, inter alia, in terms of the following:-

i. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) has been enacted to create a unified framework for resolving insolvency and bankruptcy matters. IBC, by adopting a creditor-in-saddle approach, with the interim resolution professional taking over management of affairs of corporate debtor at the outset, coupled with debarment of wilful defaulters and persons associated with NPA accounts from the resolution process, has effected a fundamental change in the creditor-debtor relationship. ii. The Banking Regulation Act, 1949 has been amended to provide for authorisation to Reserve Bank of India to issue directions to banks to initiate the insolvency resolution process under IBC. iii. The Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 has been enacted to deter economic offenders from evading the process of Indian law by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts, provides for attachment of property of a fugitive economic offender, confiscation of such offender’s property and disentitlement of the offender from defending any civil claim. iv. To make other recovery mechanisms as well more effective, the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI Act) has been amended to provide for three months’ imprisonment in case borrower does not provide asset details, and for lender getting possession of mortgaged property within 30 days. Six new Debts Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) have been established and the minimum pecuniary limit for filing of cases in DRTs has been revised in 2018 from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh to enable focus on higher value cases in these fast-track tribunals.

RBI has furnished inputs with respect to its instructions to the banks to bring changes as per its new guidelines to strengthen their monitoring mechanism, which include, inter-alia, the following:-crackIAS.com

i. a Circular of confidential nature was issued by RBI to all the banks in February 2018 to implement security and operational controls such as Straight-Through Process (STP) between CBS/accounting system and SWIFT messaging system, enable time-based restrictions in SWIFT, review logs at regular intervals, undertake reconciliation, etc in a time bound manner, and the banks were also advised that in case of non-compliance RBI may take enforcement action against them, ii. banks should closely monitor the end-use of funds and obtain certificates from borrowers certifying that the funds are utilised for the purpose for which they were obtained. In case of wrong certification by the borrowers, banks may consider appropriate legal proceedings, including criminal action wherever necessary, against the borrowers, iii. to direct the focus of banks, on early detection of loan frauds, prompt reporting to the RBI and the investigative agencies and timely initiation of staff accountability proceedings, RBI had issued a framework, with stipulated timelines with actions incumbent on banks, for dealing with loan frauds of Rs.50 crore and above, wherein banks were advised to classify potential fraud accounts as Red Flagged Accounts based on observation/evaluation of Early Warning Signals noticed. The red flagging is done on an IT platform where all banks report large exposure to entities/individuals so that other banks can be forewarned about fraud risk, and iv. RBI reviews the cyber security developments and threats on an ongoing basis and necessary measures are taken to strengthen the cyber resilience of banks. Compliance of the guidelines of the RBI lies under the purview of RBI. Further, as per RBI’s inputs, banks were advised that in case of non-compliance RBI will take enforcement action against them.

This was stated by Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister of State for Finance in Written Reply to a Question in RajyaSabha today.

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END Downloaded from crackIAS.com crackIAS.com© Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.prsindia.org Date : 2018-12-20 PRS Relevant for: Government Policies & Welfare Schemes | Topic: Rights & Welfare of Women – Schemes & their Performance, Mechanisms, Laws Institutions and Bodies

Introduced Lok Sabha Nov 21, 2016 Gray Referred Standing Committee Jan 12, 2017 Gray Report Standing Committee Aug 10, 2017 Gray Passed Lok Sabha Dec 19, 2018 Gray

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crackIAS.com Source : www.prsindia.org Date : 2018-12-20 PRS Relevant for: Health, Education & Human Resources | Topic: Health & Sanitation and related issues

Introduced Lok Sabha Dec 29, 2017 Referred Standing Committee Jan 04, 2018 Gray Report Standing Committee Mar 20, 2018 Gray

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crackIAS.com Source : www.prsindia.org Date : 2018-12-20 PRS Relevant for: Indian Polity & Constitution | Topic: Rights Issues - Human Rights and NHRC

Introduced Lok Sabha Jul 18, 2018 Gray Passed Lok Sabha Jul 26, 2018 Gray

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crackIAS.com Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-12-20 BOLSTERING PARIS: ON THE KATOWICE CONSENSUS Relevant for: Environment & Disaster Management | Topic: Environmental Conservation, Sustainable Development & EIA

The UN Climate Conference held in Katowice, Poland, has moved ahead with the implementation of the Paris Agreement through a rule book, reflecting strong support among citizens of all countries for urgent action to avert dangerous climate change. Public pressure has prevailed over scepticism, although the outcome does not adequately reflect the short window available to make deep greenhouse gas emissions cuts. Yet, the Paris Agreement, endorsed by 195 countries under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has a long road ahead before carbon emissions can be pegged at levels flagged by scientists. Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in a special report, issued a stark warning on man-made emissions. It said that to cap the rise in global average temperature over pre-industrial levels at 1.5°C, a 45% reduction in emissions over 2010 levels must be made by 2030. This is a challenge for all big economies, including India, which is among the top five emitters of carbon dioxide. In the Indian context, it highlights the need for action on several fronts: scaling up solar and wind power in line with the goal of reaching 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, steadily reducing reliance on coal, shifting substantially to electric mobility and adopting green industrial processes. Taxing luxury emissions and using the dividend to give the poor energy access has to be the policy target, building on international green climate funding linkages.

At Katowice, Indian negotiators put forth legitimate concerns on the likely social impact of the new rules that will operationalise the Paris Agreement in 2020. After all, at an estimated 1.2 tonnes of CO2 per capita, India emits far below the global average of 4.2 tonnes. Yet, cumulative emissions determine the impact on climate, and India’s emissions grew at an estimated 6.3% in 2018. The prospect of increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and sea level rise in a warming world affecting small island states allows little room for complacency. The task now is to achieve a paradigm shift that will slow down the addition of new sources of carbon emissions. As a party to the global climate compact, India has to systematically assess its emissions and measure mitigation actions for reporting to the UNFCCC at stock-taking meetings. This is an opportunity to bring major sectors such as energy production, building, agriculture and transport on board, and make changes to regulations that favour environment-friendly alternatives. China has taken the lead in advancing electric mobility, while individual States and cities are ahead of national governments, as in the U.S., in reducing their carbon footprint. A clean-up in India will help meet emissions commitments and remove the blanket of air pollution that is suffocating entire cities.

Maharashtra’scrackIAS.com proposal on reservation for Marathas is bound to invite judicial scrutiny Our existing notification subscribers need to choose this option to keep getting the alerts.

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The Paris Rulebook adopted at the climate negotiations (COP24) in Katowice on Sunday is an opportunity for India to set its house in order. The Rulebook states that under Article 7 of the Paris Agreement, all signatories have to submit and update an adaptation communication periodically to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Adaptation essentially means anticipating the impact of climate change and making cities and villages resilient in the face of a 1.5 degree rise in global warming over pre-industrial levels by the early 2030s. The warming can be as high as 2 degrees for many parts of Asia, including India. India must use this opportunity to climate-proof its rural and urban infrastructure by adopting strategies that reduce the impact of droughts through forestry; use crop diversification with a focus on resilient varieties; promote and deliver agriculture and climate insurance: and adopt flood- and heat stress control in cities. India has already proposed using the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to conduct drought-proofing and afforestation activities and the move has been applauded by climate scientists as it is expected to reach the most vulnerable populations across the country.

The Rulebook has also established a system to ensure developed nations deliver climate finance to developing countries. At COP24, parties agreed that new finance targets will be established from 2025, over the current target of mobilising $100 billion per year by 2020 to support developing countries. Developed countries have the choice to include all kinds of financial instruments— loans, grants, aids from public and private sources — to ensure the flow of funds, which has so far been slow and unpredictable. According to a report of the UNFCCC standing committee on finance, the total climate specific finance flows from developed countries in 2016 was $38 billion — less than 40% of the target. Money apart, countries such as India need to draft a strategy to use funds effectively to minimise the impact of climate change; In India, the Kerala floods of 2018, and the 2013 flash floods in Uttarakhand were both extreme weather events caused by climate change .

The India Meteorological Department recently acknowledged that the country is facing climate change-led aberrations in long-term meteorological trends, with a sharp rise in ‘extremely heavy rainfall’ events and the number of ‘dry days’ in the past few decades. Instead of wearing blinkers like the oil-rich nations that include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia and the US did at COP24, India must take action to reduce its vulnerability to weather extremes using latest climate science and modelling simulations. First Published:crackIAS.com Dec 19, 2018 07:19 IST

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“Until you start focussing on what needs to be done, rather than what is politically possible, there is no hope,” said Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old activist from Sweden who shook the United Nations gathering at Katowice, Poland, with her plain speaking. But what she said should not happen is exactly what happened at the recently concluded 24th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. While there was some progress on the process by which the Paris Agreement of 2015 would be implemented, key issues of concern for the poorest and developing nations were diluted or postponed.

The 1.5 Degree Report, which was produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in October 2018, showed that the earth is close to a climate catastrophe. This report was not suitably acknowledged as an evidence-based cause for alarm by the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Russia, however. These countries wanted the report “noted” but not “welcomed”. Arguments on word choices stalled the meeting at various stages, especially with the U.S. present with its large team of lawyers. While the U.S. is getting out of the Paris Agreement, formally by late 2020, it still took part in deciding (or rewriting) the rules for many agreed items of the Paris Agreement.

The summit aimed to establish guidelines for implementing and reporting on the Paris Agreement. Countries were looking to establish an enhanced transparency framework to monitor, verify and report actions taken in a systematic, standardised manner. As reported in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), all countries would carry out mitigation. But adaptation is a significant portion of many developing countries’ plans. Transparency — what would be done to reduce emissions, how countries would measure and report progress, and how much support industrialised countries would provide — was an important aspect of the discussions. This will inform stocktaking of progress on the Paris Agreement and how much more is needed to cut emissions and raise ambition.

Funds were also required from rich countries for the losses and damages borne by poor nations. While this meeting was not about loss and damage per se, this item will take greater precedence as warming effects intensify. Technology transfer and capacity building support are also issues of importance to vulnerable countries and poor, developing countries that need help to transition from high to low carbon economies.

There is little to no finance available for poor and developing nations. The details on funding and building capacity have been postponed. References to “equity” in the draft rule book were erasedcrackIAS.com by the U.S. delegation, leaving one Indian negotiator to remark that they would have to go back to the original language of the Convention if differentiation between the developed and industrialised countries is purged from the text. Article 9 (the provision of financial support to developing countries from industrialised nations) was ignored; instead, there was an emphasis on carbon markets and insurance mechanisms. Finance was not even considered until the Africa Group of Nations forced open the issue by boycotting the discussions. Still, with name- calling from Switzerland and backtracking from the U.S., there was a lot of tension at the negotiations.

In spite of these problems, a single rulebook for all countries has been produced and will serve as a foundation for more detailed rules and structures. Many international civil society groups expressed utter dismay over the disregard of equity. Poor and developing countries whose greenhouse gas emissions have been low or negligible will bear the brunt of warming effects. Whether or not funds will be replenished even for the implementation of the current NDCs is unclear. Funds for finance, better terms for new technologies to be transferred to developing and vulnerable countries, and economic and non-economic support for loss and damage and their equitable moorings in the text have been eliminated, minimised or footnoted. Yet, the need for ‘ambition’ was loudly proclaimed by many actors. How can there be ambition without support?

One should remember that the European Union, Australia, Switzerland and Japan did not disagree with the U.S. when “equity” was wiped from the text; in fact, they consented. So, simply pointing to the U.S. as the ogre would be incorrect. And corporations have had a significant role to play in the drafting of the text in climate agreements. A Shell Corporation executive boasted recently about the role that the company had played in writing parts of the text of the Paris Agreement, especially Article 6, which is about market mechanisms and carbon credit. Text from the company’s straw proposal is part of the Agreement, according to The Intercept. American historian of science Naomi Oreskes and others have shown the methods by which those with vested interests have funded scientists and politicians to challenge climate change, thereby sowing confusion.

Local and state-level action that keeps climate change at the centre and fully incorporated into “good development” is the most critical policy perspective nations can adopt. As long as people and governments treat climate and environment as marginal to development, and well-being as marginal to GDP growth, climate change impacts will strain and tear every weak stitch of the world’s economic and development fabric.

There is hope in youth action in various parts of the globe, from Europe to Australia to the U.S. The farmers’ protests in India are but a symptom of a development-as-usual crucible gone wrong. Ms. Thunberg is not alone, and perhaps our strongest prospect is to get behind this future generation. As she said: “If solutions within the system are so impossible to find, maybe we should change the system itself.”

Sujatha Byravan is a scientist who studies science, technology and development policy

The government’s maternity benefit programme must be implemented better and comply with the Food Security Act

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END Downloaded from crackIAS.com crackIAS.com© Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-12-20 NOTA: NOT A DECISIVE FACTOR Relevant for: Indian Polity & Constitution | Topic: Elections, Election Commission and the Electoral Reforms in India

Ever since voters have been provided the ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) option if they do not want to vote for any of the candidates in the fray, political parties now cite many voters having chosen NOTA as a reason for losing an election. This may be true in very close contest, when voters are in small numbers and the margin of victory and defeat is rather small. But overall, there has hardly been any election in India where NOTA has been instrumental in altering an electoral verdict.

In the recent round of elections to five State Assemblies (Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh), where the margin of votes between the main contenders, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was narrow —for example only 0.1% in Madhya Pradesh and about 0.5% in Rajasthan — the BJP cited NOTA voting as among the main reason for its defeat. However, had the Congress been in the BJP’s position, it too would have blamed NOTA. Thus NOTA is a convenient political scapegoat. Even voters have started to believe that NOTA has become a very important factor in Indian elections.

In the recent State Assembly elections, the results indicate a decline in NOTA votes in four States, Telangana being the only exception. The decline was from 1.9% to 1.4% in Madhya Pradesh; 1.9% to 1.3% in Rajasthan; 3.0% to 1.9% in Chhattisgarh; and 0.6% to 0.4% in Mizoram. In Telangana, there was a marginal increase from 0.7% to 1.0%. The data show no bigger attraction for NOTA in these five States in the last five years. It is the same in States other than these five which have gone to the polls in recent years.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, only 1.08% voters opted for NOTA nationally. There was hardly any significant NOTA vote except in Puducherry where 3% voters opted for it and 2.8% in Meghalaya. In a number of States, the NOTA votes were in the range of 1-1.5% of the total votes polled. When the average size of a Lok Sabha constituency is about 27 lakh voters, it is difficult to imagine that a small percentage of votes could alter electoral outcomes in a large number of constituencies.

It is widely believed, and true to some extent, that NOTA could be a useful tool (such as in a local body election) if constituencies are smaller in size, with fewer voters. But this is still not seen as a viable option among voters even in a State Assembly election. The preference for NOTA in Assembly constituencies reflects the trend of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. An average Assembly constituency in a State in the Hindi heartland has about 4-5 lakh voters; a small number of voters opting for NOTA will hardly affect the overall electoral outcome. There may be instances of a significant number of constituencies where NOTA votes may be higher than thecrackIAS.com margin of victory, but, normally, such seats are also divided between various political parties in proportion to their share of victories.

There was such a situation in these Assembly elections. In Madhya Pradesh, there were at least 23 Assembly constituencies where NOTA votes were more than the margin of victory. Of these, 10 were won by the BJP while 12 went to the Congress. The Burhanpur Assembly seat was won by an independent. In Rajasthan, in the close contest between the Congress and the BJP in 16 Assembly seats, NOTA votes were higher than the victory margin, but these seats were evenly distributed between both parties. Of these 16 Assembly seats, eight went to the BJP and seven to the Congress. An independent candidate won the Marwar Junction seat by 251 votes. In Chhattisgarh, there were eight such Assembly seats, with three going to the BJP, two to the Congress and three to the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh.

In the 2013 Assembly elections in Rajasthan, even when the BJP led the Congress by 12% votes there were 11 Assembly seats where NOTA votes were more than the victory margin (six went to the BJP, three to the Congress and two by National People’s Party). It was not different in Madhya Pradesh in the same year when the BJP led the Congress by 8% votes . Of the 26 Assembly seats where NOTA votes were higher than the victory margin, 14 went to the BJP, 10 to the Congress, one to the Bahujan Samaj Party while the Sehore seat was won by an independent. Even in Chhattisgarh, that year, of the 15 Assembly seats where NOTA votes were more than the victory margin, eight went to the BJP and seven to the Congress. So can we say that NOTA is more important in these elections compared to the past?

Sanjay Kumar, a Professor, is the Director of Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). The views expressed are personal

The government’s maternity benefit programme must be implemented better and comply with the Food Security Act

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crackIAS.com Source : www.thehindu.com Date : 2018-12-20 U.S. MILITARY TO HAVE A ‘SPACE COMMAND’ Relevant for: International Relations | Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed countries on India's interests

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered the creation of “Space Command”, a new organisational structure within the Pentagon that will have overall control of military space operations.

The command will be separate from Mr. Trump’s goal to build an entirely new branch of the military called “Space Force,” which has not received approval from Congress.

“I direct the establishment, consistent with United States law, of United States Space Command as a functional Unified Combatant Command,” Mr. Trump said in a memo to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.

Speaking at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida’s Cape Canaveral, Vice-President Mike Pence said Space Command would integrate space capabilities across all branches of the military.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 VENTURE CAPITAL FUND FOR SCHEDULED CASTES Relevant for: Government Policies & Welfare Schemes | Topic: Rights & Welfare of STs and SCs – Schemes & their Performance, Mechanisms, Laws Institutions and Bodies

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 6:15PM by PIB Delhi

During the period of 2015-18, 84 companies owned by Scheduled Castes Entrepreneurs has been assisted under Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes. SC entrepreneurs are scattered mostly in un-organized sectors. Since, this is a new scheme launched in 2014; the SC Entrepreneurs have less awareness about this scheme. Requisite approvals / permission/ clearances for project implementation takes time. To overcome all these challenges various SC Entrepreneurs workshops/ meets/ Conferences across the country have been organized by IFCI. Advertisements in various languages across the country have been published. Beside SC entrepreneurs are being provided with guidance proactively with handholding support.

State wise list of women entrepreneurs benefited under the Scheme of Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes (SCs) during the period 2015-18

No. of SC STATES womenType of Projects Supported (Sectors / Industry) Shareholders Industrial Products, Health Care, Power Plant, Andhra Pradesh 6 Services Bihar 1 Furniture and Services Delhi NCR 1 Industrial Products, FMCG Gujarat 4 Industrial Products, Allied Agricultural Activity Haryana 1 FMCG, Services Karnataka 4 Industrial Products, Health Care, Services Industrial Products, Health Care, Services, Textile, Maharashtra 14 crackIAS.comIT/ITES, FMCG, Allied Agricultural Activity Pondicherry 1 Industrial Products, Allied Agricultural Activity Punjab 1 Industrial Products, Services, Textile Tamil Nadu 4 Industrial Products, Health Care, Services, FMCG Industrial Products, Health Care, Services, Textile, Telangana 12 IT/ITES, FMCG, Pharmaceuticals, Power Plant Industrial Products, Services, IT/ITES, FMCG, Uttar Pradesh 4 Entertainment West Bengal 1 FMCG, Textile Total 54

This information was given by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Vijay Sampla in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION OF SCS Relevant for: Government Policies & Welfare Schemes | Topic: Rights & Welfare of STs and SCs – Schemes & their Performance, Mechanisms, Laws Institutions and Bodies

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment Expenditure on Education of SCs

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 6:15PM by PIB Delhi

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing following Centrally Sponsored and Central Sector Schemes for the educational upliftment of the Scheduled Castes Students :

1. Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Castes Students; 2. Pre-Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Castes Students; 3. National Overseas Scholarship for Scheduled Castes Students etc.; 4. National Fellowship for Scheduled Castes Students; 5. Central Sector Scholarship Scheme of Top Class Education for SC Students; and 6. Free Coaching Scheme for SC and OBC Students. The budgetary allocation under the aforesaid schemes during the last five year is given below.

Of the schemes mentioned in response to (a) above, Central Assistance is released to the States/UTs under the Schemes of Post Matric Scholarship for SC students and Pre Matric Scholarship for SC students. The due Central Assistance is the requirement that is over and above the Committed Liability of the States/UTs under the scheme. The due central assistance is released to the States/UTs depending upon submission of complete proposals which inter-alia includes Audit Statement of the expenditure incurred, Utilization Certificates, details of beneficiaries/demand etc. The details of the Central Assistance released during the last five years under both the Schemes are enclosed at Annexure 2. Under the Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Caste Students, arrears have accumulated over the 12th Plan period due to higher than anticipated demand from States/UTs.

National Fellowship Post Matric Pre-Matric forNational Top Class Fee Coaching Years Scholarship Scholarship providing Overseas Education for of SC and OBC crackIAS.comfor SC for SC fellowship Scholarship SC students. students for SC students 2013-14 1500.00 900.00 100.00 6.00 21.00 12.00 2014-15 1500.00 834.00 200.00 6.00 21.00 9.00 2015-16 1599.00 842.55 209.55 6.12 31.42 12.24 2016-17 2791.00 550.00 200.00 15.00 31.00 1.50 2017-18 3347.99 50.00 230.00 15.00 35.00 25.00

Scheme-Wise and Year-Wise Budgetary Allocation on Education Schemes of SCs (Rs in Crore).

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This information was given by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Vijay Sampla in a written reply in lok sabha today.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 EMPOWERMENT OF ECONOMICALLY BACKWARD CLASSES Relevant for: Government Policies & Welfare Schemes | Topic: Rights & Welfare of STs and SCs – Schemes & their Performance, Mechanisms, Laws Institutions and Bodies

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment Empowerment of Economically Backward Classes

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 6:14PM by PIB Delhi

A Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely Dr. Ambedkar Post-Matric Scholarship for Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) students is being implemented in entire country including Delhi with the objective to provide financial assistance to the students of Economically Backward Class studying at post-matriculation or post-secondary stage to enable them to complete their education. The scholarships will be open to Indian nationals belonging to General Category (Other than Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribe and Other Backward Classes) and the total income from all sources of the employed candidate or his/her parents/guardians in case of unemployed candidate shall not exceed Rs.1.00 lakh per annum.

Another Scheme namely Dr. Ambedkar Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Educational Loan for Overseas Studies for OBCs/EBCs” is being implemented with the objective to award interest subsidy to meritorious EBC students so as to provide them better opportunities for higher education in abroad and enhance their employability. The total income from all sources of the employed candidate or his/her parents/guardians in case of unemployed candidate shall not exceed Rs.2.50 lakh per annum

From Financial Year 2018-19,National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) has included Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) defined as persons with annual family income less than Rs. 1.00 lakh in its target group to provide them benefit of concessional loan and training for skill development for upgradation of their technical and entrepreneurial skills.

Government of NCT of Delhi has not sent the proposal for release of funds under Centrally Sponsored Scheme named Dr. Ambedkar Post-Matric Scholarship for Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) students so far.

This information was given by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 FOODGRAIN STORAGE CAPACITY Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues of Buffer stocks and Food Security

Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Foodgrain Storage Capacity

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 5:37PM by PIB Delhi

Depending on requirement in specific areas and for modernization of storage facilities, Government has been implementing following schemes for construction of godowns and silos in the country:

i. Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG) Scheme: Under this Scheme, which was formulated in 2008, storage capacity is created by private parties, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Government Agencies for guaranteed hiring by FCI. A capacity of 141.82 LMT has been created as on 31.10.2018. Under this scheme, no funds are allocated by Government for construction of godowns and full investment is done by the private parties/CWC/State Agencies by arranging their own funds and land. After a godown is constructed and taken over by Food Corporation of India (FCI), storage charges are paid to the investor for a guaranteed period of 9/10 years irrespective of the quantum of foodgrains stored.

ii. Central Sector Scheme: This scheme is implemented in the North Eastern States along with Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Kerala. Funds are released by Government to FCI and also directly to State Governments for construction of godowns. A total capacity of 1,91,180 MT has been completed by FCI and State Governments during last 5 years from 01.04.2013 up to 31.10.2018.

iii. Construction of Steel Silos: In addition to conventional godowns, construction of steel silos has been undertaken in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode for modernizing storage infrastructure and improving shelf life of stored foodgrains. As on 31.10.2018, a capacity of 11.75 LMT silos has been created. Sufficient storage facilities are available for storage of central pool foodgrains stock in Andhra Pradesh.crackIAS.com As on 31.10.2018, Storage capacity available with FCI for central pool stock is 12.32 Lakh MT [Covered – 10.72 LMT and Covered Area Plinth (CAP) – 1.60 LMT] against available foodgrain stock of 6.41 Lakh MT.

Current Storage capacity in the country is 877.37 Lakh MT (Covered – 749.90 LMT and CAP – 127.47 LMT) with FCI and State agencies as on 31.10.2018. The State-wise details are enclosed at Annexure-I.

The details of procurement of Rice, Wheat and pulses by FCI and State Government agencies for current marketing season are at Annexure-II.

The storage cost incurred by FCI for storing different grains in godowns is as given below:-

(Amount Rs. Lakh) Storage Year Cost 2015-16 2,12,757.03 2016-17 2,37,593.51 2017-18 2,71,339.91

This information was given by the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Shri C.R. Chaudhary in Lok Sabha today.

Click here to see Annexures

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END Downloaded from crackIAS.com crackIAS.com© Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 ANTYODAYA ANNA YOJANA Relevant for: Government Policies & Welfare Schemes | Topic: Government policies & interventions for development in various Sectors and issues arising out of their design & implementation incl. Housing

Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Antyodaya Anna Yojana

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 5:34PM by PIB Delhi As per the guidelines issued by the Government, the AAY families are to be identified by States/Union Territories (UTs) as per the following criteria:

(i) Landless agriculture labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans /craftsmen, such as potters, tanners, weavers, blacksmiths, carpenters, slum dwellers and persons earning their livelihood on daily basis in the informal sector like porters, coolies, rickshaw pullers, hand cart pullers, fruit and flower sellers, snake charmers, rag pickers, cobblers, destitute and other similar categories in both rural and urban areas;

(ii) Households headed by widows or terminally ill persons/disabled persons/ persons aged 60 years or more with no assured means of subsistence or societal support;

(iii) Widows or terminally ill persons or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years or more or single women or single men with no family or societal support or assured means of subsistence;

(iv) All primitive tribal households;

(v) All eligible Below Poverty Line (BPL) families of HIV positive persons.

FoodgrainscrackIAS.com under Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) are given family wise, hence, a statement giving States/UTs wise number of families covered under AAY are at Annexure-I.

Requests have been received from few State Governments to increase the number of families covered under AAY, but it could not be acceded to as the number is fixed for every State/UT. However, States/UTs are advised from time-to- time to review the existing list of AAY families and remove the ineligible households so as to include only the most eligible.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri C.R. Chaudhary in Lok Sabha today.

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ANNEXURE

S.No. State Coverage under AAY AAY families identified 1 Andhra Pd 9.586 9.09 2 Arunachal Pd 0.380 0.37 3 Assam 7.040 7.03 4 Bihar 25.010 25.01 5 Chattisgarh 7.189 7.19 6 Delhi 1.568 0.76 7 Goa 0.184 0.13 8 Gujarat 8.128 8.12 9 Haryana 3.025 2.68 10 Himachal Pd 1.971 1.82

11 J & K 2.822 2.36 12 Jharkhand 9.179 9.17 13 Karnataka 11.997 10.97 14 Kerala 5.958 5.96 15 Madhya Pd 15.816 13.98 16 crackIAS.comMaharashtra 25.053 25.05 17 Manipur 0.636 0.64 18 Meghalaya 0.702 0.15 19 Mizoram 0.261 0.26 20 Nagaland 0.475 0.48 21 Odisha 12.645 12.40 22 Punjab 1.794 1.79 23 Rajasthan 9.321 9.32 24 Sikkim 0.165 0.17 25 Tamil Nadu 18.646 17.17 26 Telangana 5.992 5.67 27 Tripura 1.131 1.10 28 Uttar Pd 40.945 40.95 29 Uttarakhand 1.909 1.84 30 West Bengal 19.857 15.86 31 A & N 0.107 0.04 32 Daman & Diu 0.015 0.01 33 D&N Haveli 0.069 0.00 34 Lakshdweep 0.012 0.01 35 Chandigarh 0.088 0.00 36 Puducherry 0.322 0.26 Total 249.998 237.76

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 NATIONAL E-VIDHAN APPLICATION (NEVA) PROJECT Relevant for: World & Indian Geography | Topic: Distribution of key natural resources - Water Resources incl. Rivers & related issues in world & India

Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) Project

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 5:22PM by PIB Delhi

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, while giving a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today, gave details on the status of implementation of National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) Project. Paperless Assembly or e-Assembly is a concept involving of electronic means to facilitate the work of Assembly. It enables automation of entire law making process, tracking of decisions and documents, sharing of information. NeVA aims to bring all the legislatures of the country together, in one platform thereby creating a massive data depository without having the complexity of multiple applications, the Minister said.

Shri Meghwal stated that NeVA is a device neutral and member centric application created to equip them to handle diverse House Business smartly by putting entire information regarding member contact details, rules of procedure, list of business, notices, bulletins, bills, starred/unstarred questions and answers, papers laid, committee reports etc. in their hand held devices/ tablets and equip all Legislatures/ Departments to handle it efficiently. Citizens would also gain access to this information at their fingertips.

NeVA will completely eliminate the process of sending out a notice/request for collection of data. Through the cloud technology (Meghraj), data deployed can be accessed anywhere at any time. Further, live webcasting of Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TVs is also available on this application. Doordarshan has already been enabled with provision to incorporate similar facility in respect of State Legislatures.

Shri Meghwal said that e-Vidhan is a Mission Mode Project (MMP) included in Digital India Programme and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) is the ‘Nodal Ministry’ for its implementation in all the 31 States/ UTs with Legislatures. The total project cost of the project is over 738 crores and funding of NeVA is on the pattern of Central Sponsored Scheme i.e. 60:40; and 90:10 for North East & hilly States and 100% for UTs. The funding for e-Vidhan is provided by the MoPA and technical support by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). In order to promote the rolling out NeVA, the MoPA has consulted all State Governments.crackIAS.com The Minister said that the success of the implementation of NeVA lies with the States/UTs, the key stakeholders of the project. MoPA organized a two-day workshop on 24th and 25th September, 2018 at New Delhi, to familiarize officers from State Legislatures/Councils with the features and functionalities of NeVA. MoPA is providing regular training through Video Conferencing to all Legislatures. So far, such successful trainings have taken place at 10 such States viz. Punjab, Telangana, Karnataka, Sikkim, Bihar, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Kolkata. In order to provide assistance to the Members, a NeVA Kendra (e- Facilitation Center) will be setup at each location under a Nodal Officer. Himachal Pradesh is already the first Digital Legislature of the country. Other states like Punjab, Madhya Pradesh & Sikkim are also in various stages of transformation and their initiatives are highly commendable. For implementation of e-Vidhan MMP for achieving paperless state legislature and electronic information services delivery to legislators and other stakeholders, tripartite memorandum of understanding will be signed among MoPA, Government of India, Government of State and State Legislatures, the Minister said.

Shri Meghwal stated that the Central Project Monitoring Unit (CPMU) under MoPA will be responsible for reviewing the financial and technical progress of the project. The State will prepare detailed project report (DPR) and gap analysis report. State level project monitoring committee will carry out the technical scrutiny and financial scrutiny of the DPR and after final approval of the same will be send to the MoPA for approval. After the technical and financial scrutiny, funds will be released for project implementation.

The State Government will appoint a Secretary level officer to be designated as the nodal officer/representative for e-Vidhan implementation in the State Legislature(s). State Government will bear the funds required for running of e-Vidhan MMP after 3 years. The State Government will ensure capacity building for the effective implementation of e-Vidhan MMP module. State Government/Legislature will undertake maintenance and replacement of ICT equipment after 3 years. Release of next instalment would not be made in case the utilization certificate and confirmation of release of funds by the state government of their share is not received by the CPMU.

Further details are available on NeVA website. http://neva.gov.in/

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END Downloaded from crackIAS.com © Zuccess App by crackIAS.com crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 YEAR END REVIEW: COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH (MINISTRY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY). Relevant for: Science & Technology | Topic: Achievements of Indians in science & technology

Ministry of Science & Technology Year End Review: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (Ministry of Science & Technology).

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 5:02PM by PIB Delhi

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) today is one of the largest public funded R&D organisations in the world, covering a wide spectrum of science and technology areas. It has a dynamic network of 38 national laboratories, 39 outreach centers and five units. CSIR’s R&D expertise and experience is embodied in about 4000 active scientists who are ably supported by about 7000 scientific and technical personnel. CSIR has the Prime Minister of India as the Council’s head.

The year 2018 has been of great significance for CSIR. Some of the major achievements during the year are as follows:

CSIR Incubation Centres

CSIR is creating entrepreneurship through world class translational research and is setting up “Incubation Centres” which would work in identified domains. The CSIR Incubation Centres are a multipurpose facility.

● CSIR-CFTRI,crackIAS.com a mentor for the food & food processing industries, has established a Technology incubator, “Nutra-Phyto Incubation Centre”, in collaboration with the Government of Karnataka for working with/incubating industries in the domain and take them forward towards successful commercial ventures.

● CSIR’s constituent laboratory, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, has opened an Atal Incubation Centre wherein it is offering its scientific expertise, infrastructure and business management to the start-ups. At present 15 companies are being incubated.

India’s first biofuel-powered flight: CSIR Technology for Aviation Grade Biofuel

A historic flight powered by indigenously produced aviation biofuel based on patented technology of CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun completed journey from Dehradun to Delhi on August 27, 2018. With this maiden flight India joined the exclusive club of nations using biofuel in aviation. The use of bio jet fuel, apart from reducing greenhouse gas emissions by about 15 percent and Sulfur Oxides (SOx) emissions by over 99 percent, is expected to provide indigenous jet fuel supply security, possible cost savings as feedstock availability at farm level scales up, superior engine performance and reduced maintenance cost for the airline operators.

Successful Inaugural Flight of SARAS PT1N

SARAS PT1N (14 seater) designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), a front line aerospace research laboratory of the CSIR was flown successfully on 21.02.2018. The primary objective of PT1N is to evaluate system performance in about 20 flights and the data collected from this shall be used to freeze the design of 19 seater production version aircraft - SARAS MkII.

CSIR-NAL gets Rs. 100 crore plus order from HAL for manufacture of composite components for LCA-Tejas:

Composite technology is one of the critical technologies that make the LCA a 4th generation fighter aircraft. CSIR-NAL’s collaboration with LCA program started from technology demonstrator (2 aircrafts) to prototype development (5 aircrafts) to limited series production (8 aircrafts) and IOC standard production aircrafts (SP1 to SP20). The initial IOC order of 20 sets is nearing completion. This homegrown technology developed by CSIR-NAL was used in realizing primary air-frame components of LCA like Fin, Rudder, Wing Spars and Fairings, Centre Fuselage and Main Landing Gear components.

CSIR-NAL and BEL ink Technical Collaboration Agreement for Electronic Target System (ETS), a modern training aid meant for enhancing marksmanship of Defence and Paramilitary forces during live firing exercises on the field.

DrishticrackIAS.com Transmissometer: Deployment across Indian Airports

Drishti is an Indigenous - Innovative –Cost effective visibility measuring system –- First of its type and CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL) is the only organization to have developed this technology in the country. It is useful for airport operations and gives information to pilots on the visibility at the runway. Drishti Transmissometers have been installed at a number of airports across the country.

CSIR Mission on Sickle Cell Anaemia

CSIR is implementing a Mission on Sickle Cell Anaemia. The project envisages managing genetic burden of Sickle Cell Anaemia and understanding genetic basis of differential response to Hydroxyurea Therapy, Drug discovery and development for management of SCA, Genome editing and stem cell research approach for the treatment of SCA and development and on- ground implementation of an affordable, accurate and accelerated diagnostic kit.

CSIR’s new patented Clot buster, PEGylated Streptokinase set to revolutionize the treatment of Strokes

Ischemic stroke is a condition caused by a dysfunction in the supply of blood to the brain due to emboli, thrombus or atherosclerosis occurring in cerebral arteries. Surprisingly, the prevalence of stroke is much higher in India than the West and about 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes. CSIR-IMTECH and Epygen have entered into an agreement for the latter to develop PEGylated Streptokinase for treatment of Ischemic Stroke.

CSIR-IGIB and Dr Lal Path Labs enter into partnership to enable Diagnosis of Prevalent Genetic Diseases

Genetic diseases, though are individually rare, cumulatively affect a large number of individuals, estimated to affect over 70 million Indians. CSIR-IGIB has entered into an agreement with Dr Lal PathLabs, for licensing of 27 genetic tests developed by it for commercial application. These tests are expected to be launched over the year.

Non-vascular self-expandable stents crackIAS.com Stents are used in the treatment of numerous biliary tract diseases, ranging from benign biliary diseases to malignant strictures. Two types of biliary stents find extensive use: plastic stents and self-expanding metallic stents. Amongst these while the self-expandable metal stents offer longer patency their prohibitive cost makes them unaffordable.CSIR-NCL in collaboration with a start-up has developed a new class of self-expandable stents based on a novel scroll design. These stents have been made with simple polymer-metal composites unlike the shape memory alloy based stents. These stents could be made a much lower costs than the currently available ones. Process for transferring the technology to two companies is on.

CSIR’s Divya Nayan for Visually Impound CSIR-Central Scientific and Industrial Organization has developed a Personal Reading Machine named- Divya Nayan, for Visually Impaired which can read any printed and digital books available in Hindi and English. Divya Nayan has been tested with a number of visually impaired people with different age groups and has gained wide popularity.

Smart India Hackathon 2018: A non-stop 36-hour digital product development competition among Engineering/Technology Students

CSIR actively participated in Smart India Hackathon-2018-Software Edition and successfully organised 36-hour Grand Finale at CSIR-NCL, Pune. CSIR was a ‘Premier Partner’ in this initiative. After multiple rounds ,finally, 318 students and 75 mentors from various engineering collegesacross the country gathered to showcase their talent, while working on the problem statements. After rigorous interactions with all the shortlisted teams, finally three teams received awards i.e. of Rs. 1,00,000/- (Winner), Rs. 75,000/-(1stRunner up) and Rs. 50,000/-(2ndRunner up). Additionally, three more teams were selected for the “Persistent Inspiration Award”, “KPIT Award” and “Deloitte Innovation Award”.

CSIR teams up with NVIDIA to set up AI innovation centre in Delhi

The CSIR-CEERI - Nvidia Centre of Excellence (CNCoE) will be powered by a five-petaflop AI supercomputer, India's first industrial AI supercomputer, at CSIR-CEERI's New Delhi campus. This CNCoE is significant because it brings together Nvidia's cutting-edge AI platform with vast industrial scientific research expertise and capability from CSIR-CEERI. This combination will enable researchers and industry across the country to advance their AI systems development. This CNCoE has the potential to usher in a culture of AI based innovations in a variety of application domains.

AI based Movement Detection System to Boost Border Security

CSIR-CSIO, Chandigarh has developed a technology which can differentiate human movement from that of vehicles and cattle to check terrorism, drug influx and ensure full-proof border security. The system is based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) –driven warning system. It generates an alarm and sends sky information via email and text message to the registered users. DevelopmentcrackIAS.com and licensing of affordable Water Disinfection System OneerTM CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR), Lucknow has developed technology for “Drinking Water Disinfection System” with Trade name “OneerTM”. It is useful for continuous treatment of water. The technology of “Drinking Water Disinfection System” was transferred to M/s Bluebird Water Purifiers, New Delhi. Oneer developed by CSIR-IITR will provide safe and clean drinking water at a cost of just 2 Paise / Ltr. The Community level model is of 450 LPH capacity. It can be scaled up to 5000 to 1 lakh L/day;

CSIR and DoT partnership for establishing a nationwide Time Stamping & Time Synchronization network and traceability of Time Signal.The primary purpose of synchronizing the telecom network with IST time stamp is to enable the security agencies to overcome the difficulty in analyzing and correlating the cyber events in this era of greatly increasing network speed with advancement of telecom technology (2G to 3G to 4G to 5G etc.).The project will be implemented in two phases.

Technologies for Milk testing licensed to REIL, Jaipur - An effort towards Make in India Mission. The detection of adulterants in the milk has been the need of Dairy industry, which could be addressed through the technological intervention. These technologies have been approved by FSSAI for use and will help in checking adulteration in milk and will ensure purity of milk and milk products for consumption by all.

CSIR-CIMAP designated as Coordinating Center on Medicinal Plants by Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) .The IORA is an association of 21 countries and 7 dialogue partners which have identified 6 areas of cooperation including medicinal plants.

CSIR Aroma Mission

The CSIR Aroma Mission is envisaged to bring transformative change in the aroma sector through desired interventions. It is aimed at development of superior aroma crop varieties and their agro-technologies and assessment of their suitability for the large scale cultivation in specific agro-climatic regions;

In 15 months since the project was launched, an area of about 2119 hectare has been brought under cultivation of aromatic plants across the country under the project.

CSIR Phytopharmaceuticals Mission

The CSIR Phytopharmaceutical Mission is envisaged to bring transformative change in the medicinal plants sector through captive cultivation of selected medicinal plants, including rare, engendered and threatened species, production of quality planting material and development of region specific agro technologies; technology packages for production of GMP grade medicinal plant extracts; and phytopharmaceutical development from important medicinal plants.

In the first year of project implementation, mass multiplication of quality planting material and captive cultivation of target plant species up to an area of 120 hectare in different states/districts has been achieved. Further, plants of 25 Rare, Engendered and Threatened (RET) species have crackIAS.combeen collected for genebank.

Catalysis for Sustainable Development (CSD) Mission

The Indian Chemical Industry is the 3rd largest contributor to the overall chemical industry in Asia and the 8th largest chemicals producer worldwide with estimated size of about US$ 100 billion contributing about 6.7% of the Indian GDP. Chemical industry worldwide relies mostly on fossil feedstock. Due to geopolitical reasons, limited availability and fluctuations in price of these feedstock, it might be precarious to depend on them for our future needs. Thus, it is imperative to focus on alternative and renewable feedstock for chemicals synthesis. This mission mode program addresses this vital issue and intends to develop chemical products and processes utilizing renewable raw materials (in-edible biomass, carbon dioxide (CO2), water and shale (natural) gas) instead of the conventional fossil fuels.CSIR Mission Mode project entitled “Catalysis for Sustainable Development (CSD)” has been launched for duration of 3 years.

Innovative Processes and Technologies for Indian Pharmaceuticals and Agrochemical Industries (IMPROTICS)

CSIR has launched a Mission Mode Project on "Innovative Processes and Technologies for Indian Pharmaceuticals and Agrochemical Sector Industries (INPROTICS-Pharma and Agro)". The project aims to develop cost effective, profitable processes for key drugs and agrochemicals. In case of pharmaceuticals, new or non-infringing processes that are free to operate shall be developed. Thus this proposal wishes to serve the country with its contributions to ‘Make in India’ program and also toward better health and food security for all Indians.

CSIR Mission on ‘Safety and Security of Vital Installations’

CSIR has recently launched a mission on ‘Safety and Security of Vital Installations’ which envisages to address following issues: Earthquake Hazard quantification studies in Uttarakhand; Design and development of efficient slope stabilization measures of mitigate landslide hazards for the safety of vital installations in hilly religions of NW Himalayan Belt; Safety of Hospitals particularly in seismic prone zones; To evolve blast and impact resistant design of Hardened Aircraft Shelter with layered configuration for a specified threat; Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) through innovative solutions consisting of smart video camera system, smart video surveillance system, Real-time system for identification of outsiders; Border security management system based on intelligent multi-sensor approach; and Active Fire Protection System for the design and development of customized fire safety and security solutions for Hospitals.

CSIR has already prepared Earthquake Risk Index Map of the City of Dehradun which can be usedcrackIAS.com to prepare for facing the expected Earthquake event in its aftermath.

CSIR Mission on Development of Fast, Durable and Energy Efficient Mass Housing Scheme

The mission is aimed at developing and deploying at a scale in partnership of stakeholders the prefab technologies for construction of fast, durable, energy efficient and affordable interventions for mass housing. Efficient design of precast structural panels using various materials will be developed to achieve desired performance such as light weight (50% reduction), improved fire rating (minimum 2hrs), durability (70-80years), cost effective (25% lesser compared to lowest available) with reduced cycle time of 5-7 days compared to existing 16-19 days. The mass housing schemes are planned to be developed suiting to socio-cultural requirements in different geo-climatic regions across the country. The developed technology(ies)/ know-how(s) will be demonstrated by 3D virtual displays and by prototype demo units for the purpose of end to end training and needful deployment.

CSIR Mission on Technologies for Robust Structural Health Monitoring of Critical Infrastructure and Conservation & Restoration of Heritage Structures

The mission comprises of two verticals namely Robust Structural Health Monitoring Technologies for Critical Infrastructure Management (Vertical 1) & Conservation and Restoration of Heritage Structures (Vertical 2). Mission Vertical 1 is aimed at developing technologies for structural health monitoring of critical Infrastructure using advanced signal processing, machine learning techniques combining with IOT and cloud-enabled technologies for early detection of damage in civil infrastructure. Vertical 2 of the mission is aimed at developing state-of-the-art technologies for conservation and restoration of heritage structures.Guidelines for conservation and restoration of heritage structures in India will also be prepared.

Waterless Chrome Tanning Technology- a Game Changing Technology

Chromium is the most sought after tanning agent with about 2.0 billion sq. ft. of leather being made in India. About 20 thousand tons of chrome tanning agent is discharged in the wastewater. In order to overcome the problem, CSIR-CLRI has developed waterless chrome tanning technology. The waterlesscrackIAS.com tanning technology has now found PAN INDIA acceptance, with tanners in all clusters enrolling for its adoption. The technology has been put to use in about 50 tanneries in the country. This is truly a game changing technology that has emerged from the CSIR through CLRI.

Zero liquid discharge leather technology

A zero wastewater discharge process technology based on Electro-oxidation (EO) has been developed for the first part of the leather manufacturing process, the pre-tanning processes. The potential environmental benefits and potential social impacts for India includes: No discharge of wastewater from tanneries; The possible reduction of cost will be about Rs. 96 million per annum from reduction in the cost of wastewater treatment; This system does not result in generation of sludge (about 160 tons’ sludge per annum) and less average annual fatalities due to release of H2S. The technology has been transferred to M/s Leayan Global Pvt ltd, Kanpur; M/s Royal Tanners, Kanpur; and AN Leathers Pvt Ltd, Agra.

High Grade Gelatin from and Protein Hydrolysate from Raw Hide and Skin Trimming Wastes

Gelatin is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry to make capsules for drugs as well as in the food industry to make jelly candies, ice cream, and as thickening agent in cakes and soups.Leather processing generates huge amount of raw trimming wastes. CSIR-CLRI has developed technology for making high grade gelatin from waste material-trimmings of raw hide. The technology developed by CSIR-CLRI is towards complete utilization of proteinous constituents present in the trimmings. This technology is exclusively licensed at a cost of Rs. One Crore to M/s Anipro Manufacturing Company for making gelatin and protein hydrolysate within India.

Coal dust collecting and briquetting system

It is pertinent to collect the dust from mine roads and put it to alternative use not only for reducing air pollution but also for improving the health of local populace. Road dust collecting system has been developed. CSIR-CIMFR has transferred the patented technology to M/s Tata Motors Limited, Mumbai.

Smart Electricity Meter

CSIR-CSIO,crackIAS.com Chandigarh has developed Smart Electricity Meter which is first of its kind, indigenous and self-monitoring. The new meter costs five times less than the existing meter and is best suitable for Indian climate. This meter gives a real-time hourly reading as well.The technology has been transferred to M/s Atsuya Technologies, Mumbai.

Training Aid to Sharpen Shooting Skills of Defence Personnel

CSIR-NAL, Bengaluru has designed Electronic Target System (ETS), a technically superior and cost-effective solution for police, paramilitary and defence personnel looking at acquiring sharp shooting skills in small fire arms as well as honing efficiency in tactical field firing in association with BEL, Bengaluru

Phytopharmaceutical for Glucocorticoid-induced Osteoporosis

Globally glucocorticoid is the third biggest cause of osteoporosis. CSIR-CDRI has developed a standardized fraction of Cassia occidentalis Linn. for the treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and muscular atrophy. Technology licensed to M/s Pharmanza Herbals Pvt Ltd., Gujarat for further development and commerciazation as a Phytopharmaceutical drug. The product is under development in Phyto-pharmaceutical mode and would be available in Indian and the U.S. market after completing necessary studies as per the regulatory guidelines

Safe Disposal of Municipal Solid Waste utilising high temperature plasma

The technology has been developed for effective & eco-friendly disposal of municipal solid waste material generated on daily basis and generation of fuel gas containing predominantly CO o and H2 utilizating high temperature (>3000 C) Plasma arc.The technology has been licensed to M/s Positronics Innovation Pvt. Ltd, Kolkata, WB for commercialization on non-exclusive basis for a period of 5 years.

Development of Solar Tree/Artifacts for generation of power utilizing lesser ground area

Solar Power Tree is the perfect solution to the question of availability of the land in the future for generating solar power - It take up only a fraction of land consumed by conventional systems. To bringcrackIAS.com visibility to solar technology and to enhance the beautification of a site, CSIR-CMERI has developed solar artifacts.

Attapatram is of 1kWp capacity and can provide 0.5kW electricity for 3 hours. These can be installed in the beaches, river banks, parks and even in the lawn of a bungalow.

Solar Flora is of 3kWp capacity and can be installed in the road side, parks and other remote areas to provide electricity.

Surya Banaspati is of 5kWp capacity and can be installed in the road side, parks and other remote areas to provide electricity.

The technology has been transferred to 9 Industries for commercialization in non-exclusive basis for a period of 5 years.

Intelligent & powered wheel chair

CSIR-CMERI developed system has immense societal value for the physically challenged people, old age population for mobility and rehabilitation purpose. Intelligent & powered wheel chair design provides enhanced mobility and stability and capability to turn full 360 degrees in any narrow corridor. The Technology has been transferred to Indian Industry for commercialization for a period of 5 years.

Large Scale Production of Graphene Oxide

Graphene oxide is extensively used in energy storage devices, polymer composites, desalination of water, conducting ink, aqueous lubrication, nano-coolant, additive for phase change materials, etc. Graphene oxide is not toxic and hazardous for the environment. The cost of commercially available graphene oxide is very high and scaled-up production of graphene oxide at reasonable price without compromising the quality is a challenging task. The technology developed by CSIR demonstrates the production of graphene oxide starting from natural flake graphite.The Technology has been transferred to one Indian Industry for commercialization for a period of 5 years. crackIAS.com Salivary Fluoride Detection Kit

The indigenous salivary fluoride level detection kit and sensor station is unprecedented in its kind towards diagnosis of salivary fluoride level for the welfare and betterment of the society. It protects from Dental Caries; helps in remineralization; protects against tooth decay; and helps prevent premature tooth loss. The Technology has been transferred to two Indian Industries for commercialization for a period of 5 years.

Boring machine based on trenchless technology

Trenchless construction limits the amount of excavation and the surface repairs needed after digging. Available imported machines are of large capacities for big projects and very expensive. No such machine is being manufactured indigenously. To address this gap, boring machine based on trenchless technology has been designed and developed.

The developed machine can bore upto 14 m length and 160 mm dia. holes under the roads and buildings for laying sewer/ pipe lines and cables. The developed machine is affordable and can be used by small/middle class contractors. It is light in weight, portable and requires low maintenance and Suitable for both wet and dry boring. The technology has been transferred to M/s Techno Industrial Marketing, Uttarakhand

Glass Textile Reinforced Concrete Crash Barrier System

As of today, the most popularly used crash barrier is made up of reinforced concrete, which has high rigidity but poor energy absorption. When a vehicle collides with such crash barrier, the vehicle is seriously damaged and occupants may be fatally injured due to the impact of the collision. Keeping in mind the safety of road users, a ready to use pre-fabricated Glass Textile Reinforced Concrete Crash Barrier System has been designed and developed. The developed crash barriers are lighter in weight, flexible and elastic with ability to absorb the energy of vehicle impact. It would provide improved safety to the vehicle passengers and result in less damage to the impacting vehicles. Technology has been demonstrated and negotiation are underway for technology transfer.

Indigenous 4-axis controller for multi-process micro machine crackIAS.com CSIR has developed a low cost micro machine test bed which houses an indigenously developed controller, software and graphical user interface that can conduct four micromachining operations i.e. micro turning/ micro milling/ micro drilling/ micro patterning in a single desktop system (60 cm X 60 cm). The developed system can be used by small and medium scale micro-machining industries such as Surgical tool industries, Jewellery making industries etc. besides skill development in engineering colleges for imparting training on CNC machine operations. Technology has been transferred to two industries on non-exclusive basis

Graphene Based Aqueous Lubricant

Technology for production of graphene based aqueous lubricant has been developed to replace graphite-based imported lubricant extensively used in hot-forging industries.Graphene oxide has several applications in the areas of energy storage and conversion, automotive and aerospace composite materials, coatings and corrosion, biomedical and structural engineering, defense, sensors, electronics, etc. Developed Graphene production technology (200g/batch) has been transferred to a specialty chemical company, Auropol Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal.

Micro Fuel Cell

Micro fuel cell is a power source for electronic devices that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. The scaled down fuel cells can be used in electronic devices such as digital cameras, radios, toys and other low power applications. CSIR has developed cost effective, simple and easy to fabricate micro fuel cell for use in low power applications. Technology has been transferred to M/s Victor Industries Pvt. Ltd., Sangli, Maharashtra on non-exclusive basis.

MoU signed between CSIR-NPL and HPCL for indigenous development of petroleum certified reference materials (CRMs) to save big chunk of foreign exchange through import substitution for CRMs.

This will not only ensure maintaining highest standard quality ecosystem for petroleum products used by all stakeholders including common man but also will save vital foreign exchange through import substitution for Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) which play a pivotal role for the calibration of laboratory testing equipment for quality assurance.

Technology on Recycling of Waste Plastic into Useful Tiles developed by CSIR-NPL licensed to NRDC

India generates about 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day its safe disposal is a huge challenge and big menace to environment, this technology offers a cost-effective solutions in solving the societal problems and produces wealth from the waste. crackIAS.com CSIR-IMTECH forges Partnership with Merck to establish a High-End Skill Development Centre. This will be first of its kind, Academia-Industry-led, ‘High End Skill Development Centre’ in Chandigarh that has been established to augment Government of India’s initiative for skilling India in the area of Life Science.

CSIR’s Skill Development Initiatives

● CSIR has launched an Integrated Skill Development Initiative for gainful utilization of its state-of-the-art infrastructure and human resources through specific industry-oriented skilling programmes. Some major highlights of CSIR Integrated Skill Initiative during the year 2018 are as follows:

o Nearly 19,000candidates trained under CSIR Integrated Skill Initiative during the year 2018 at CSIR laboratories in various S&T domains;

❍ CSIR-CLRI has skilled nearly 3000 artisans in different leather trades pan India with financial support from institutions like National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC).

❍ CSIR-CSMCRI entered into a MoU with Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) to train 12500 fishermen of nine districts of Andhra Pradesh;

❍ CSIR-NEIST Integrated Skill Initiative Program have been selected under NABARD’s Joint Liability Group (JLG) Promotion scheme for bank loans;

❍ CSIR-CSIO’s Indo-Swiss Training Centre, won the first prize in Manufacturing & Engineering Sector in the State Level Competitions of India Skills Chandigarh 2018.

❍ CSIR and Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Caste Co-operative Finance Corporation Ltd. (APSCCFC) have signed an Agreement for Skill training and Entrepreneurship in Leather Sector. The initiative is set to benefit 10,000 Scheduled Caste Candidates from Andhra Pradesh, creating income generation assets to the households and thus enabling social and economic development. An investment of Rs. 30 Crore is being made by APSCCFC in next 2-3 years.

CSIRcrackIAS.com Scientists Connecting with School Students

CSIR has launched a program named JIGYASA in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The Programme envisaged to connect 1151 Kendriya Vidyalayas with 38 National Laboratories of CSIR.In the calendar year 2018 CSIR already implemented more than 200 programmes targeting nearly 27,000 students and 2,500 teachers from Kendriya Vidyalaya;

CSIR reaching North East Region

❍ CSIR-Industry Meet for North East Region: CSIR Technologies and Knowledgebase for Creating and Supporting MSMEs and Start-ups in North-Eastern Region at Guwahati. About 100 industries for NER and 50 Scientists from CSIR participated in the event. Around 8 handshakes happened between Industry and CSIR during the event for future collaboration.

❍ CSIR-NEIST has transferred the agro-practice on mushroom cultivation to 30,000 beneficiaries as well as the spawn production technology to 20 entrepreneurs/NGOs and generated employment to over 5000 people. The income to the beneficiary ranged from Rs. 10,000/month to Rs. 1,50,000/month from cultivation of mushroom from October to March, in a given year.

International Affairs

Bilateral Cooperation

CSIR’s International S&T linkages were further fostered and expanded through launch of new cooperation arrangements and implementation of existing programmes with leading academic and research institutions abroad. Several high level interactions between senior officials and scientists of CSIR and from partner countries including Republic of Korea, Germany, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia were held to identify cooperation priorities and pursue them further.crackIAS.com Capacity building programmes for training and advanced exposure were offered to researchers and officials from Bangladesh (Oceanography). A joint workshop with Germany on “Sustainable Water Supply and Wastewater Management (disposal & re-use) - Research for Sustainable, Affordable Solution” was held at Delhi In addition to many institute level cooperation arrangements, six (6) new cooperation programmes were launched by concluding cooperation MoUs.

CSIR Lab Level Partnership Initiatives

Twinning Project between CSIR and Metals Industry Development Institute (MIDI), Ethiopia kick started in March 2018 .Ethiopia to implement a Capacity Building programme to Transform MIDI that provides for capacity building of MIDI researchers in CSIR for a period three years at a cost of US$ 6,806,000. The principal objective of this transformation program is to enhance the competitiveness of the metal and engineering industry.

In addition to participating in the international cooperation programmes of CSIR and developing their own partnership programmes, CSIR institutes actively participated in the inter- governmental programmes, both bilateral and multilateral, that are administered by DST/ DBT/ ICMR. Thirty two (32) collaborative research projects were funded to CSIR institutes for implementation with partners from Germany (6), Russia (6), UK (5), France (4), Japan (4), Republic of Korea, Austria, Hungary, Vietnam, Switzerland, Norway and Malaysia.

● Capacity Building Programmes

❍ During the Executive Session of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held in London on 19-20 April 2018, Prime Minister of India announced “India will champion capacity building programs through the Commonwealth, to help Small Island Developing States (SIDS) acquire the capacities to use modern technologies like remote sensing or multi beam hydrography, to better manage their ocean based national wealth. For this CSIR-National Institute of Oceanology (CSIR-NIO) with funding from MEA (under ITEC) has launched four (4) training programs. ❍ Seven (7) young and bright CSIR scientists were awarded Raman Research Fellowships to pursue research in the Centres of Excellence abroad. ❍ Under CSIR – The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), CSIR offered Twelve (12) Doctoral Fellowships and seven (7) Post-Doctoral Fellowships to researchers from developing countries to pursue research at CSIR institutes.

CSIRcrackIAS.com has been conducting research in frontier areas of science such as Energy and Engineering, Mining and Minerals, Generic Drugs and Chemicals, Aerospace and other areas of strategic concern. CSIR contributions to drugs and pharma segment are outstanding - Eleven of the 14 new drugs developed in independent India are from CSIR.

Pioneer of India’s intellectual property movement, CSIR’s patent portfolio is focused at solving the problems faced by masses through desired S&T intervention and carving out global niches for the country in select technology domains on the other. In the year 2017-18, CSIR was granted 171 Indian and 376 Foreign patents.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 SHORTCOMING IN MSP Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues related to direct & indirect Farm Subsidies and MSP

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shortcoming in MSP

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 5:00PM by PIB Delhi

Government fixes Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) of 22 mandated crops and Fair & Remunerative Prices (FRP) for Sugarcane on the basis of recommendations of Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP), after considering the views of State Governments and Central Ministries/Departments concerned & other relevant factors.

The Union Budget for 2018-19 had announced the pre-determined principle to keep MSP at levels of one and half times the cost of production. Accordingly, Government has increased the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for all notified Kharif, Rabi and other commercial crops with a return of at least 50 percent of cost of production for the season 2018-19. This decision of the Government was also a historic one as it redeemed the promise of fixing the MSPs at least at a level of 50 per cent return over cost of production. Details of MSP, cost and percent return over cost for 2017-18 and 2018-19 is given at Annexure.

The Government is working on a new market architecture, so as to ensure that farmers get remunerative prices on their produce. These include setting up of Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs) so as to promote 22,000 number of retail markets in close proximity of farm gate; competitive and transparent wholesale trade at APMC through e-NAM; and a robust and pro-farmer export policy. The recently launched Umbrella Scheme “Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA)” provides for a holistic arrangement for assurance of a remunerative and stable price environment for growers /farmers to increase agriculture production and productivity. This Umbrella Scheme comprises Price Support Scheme (PSS) for pulses & oilseeds, Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) and Pilot of Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme (PPSS) for oilseeds to ensure MSP to the farmers.

crackIAS.comAnnexure

Cost*, Minimum Support Price (MSP) & percent return over cost

(Rs. per quintal)

Sl. Commodity 2017-18 2018-19 N % % Retur Return o. KHARIF CROPS Cost MSP Cost MSP n over over cost cost 1 PADDY(Common) 1117 1550 38.8 1166 1750 50.1 2 JOWAR (Hybrid) 1556 1700 9.3 1619 2430 50.1 3 BAJRA 949 1425 50.2 990 1950 97.0 4 MAIZE 1044 1425 36.5 1131 1700 50.3 5 RAGI 1861 1900 2.1 1931 2897 50.0 6 ARHAR(Tur) 3318 5450 64.3 3432 5675 65.4 7 MOONG 4286 5575 30.1 4650 6975 50.0 8 URAD 3265 5400 65.4 3438 5600 62.9 COTTON (Medium 9 3276 4020 22.7 3433 5150 50.0 Staple) GROUNDNUT IN 10 3159 4450 40.9 3260 4890 50.0 SHELL 11 SUNFLOWER SEED 3481 4100 17.8 3592 5388 50.0 12 SOYABEAN 2121 3050 43.8 2266 3399 50.0 13 SESAMUM 4067 5300 30.3 4166 6249 50.0 14 NIGERSEED 3912 4050 3.5 3918 5877 50.0 RABI CROPS 1 WHEAT 817 1735 112.4 866 1840 112.5 2 BARLEY 845 1410 66.9 860 1440 67.4 3 GRAM 2461 4400 78.8 2637 4620 75.2 4 MASUR (LENTIL) 2366 4250 79.6 2532 4475 76.7 RAPESEED/MUSTAR 5 2123 4000 88.4 2212 4200 89.9 D 6 SAFFLOWER 3125 4100 31.2 3294 4945 50.1 OTHER CROPS 1 COPRA (Milling) 4758 6500 36.6 5007 7511 50.0 2 JUTE 2160 3500 62.0 2267 3700 63.2 3 SUGARCANE # 152 255 67.8 155 275 77.4 * Includes all paid out costs such as those incurred on account of hired human labour, bullock labour/machine labour, rent paid for leased in land, expenses incurred on use of material inputs like seeds, fertilizers, manures, irrigation charges, depreciation on implements and farm buildings, interest on working capital, diesel/electricity for operation of pump sets etc, miscellaneous expensescrackIAS.com and imputed value of family labour. # Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP)

This information was given by Minister of State for Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Parshottam Rupala.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 CYBER SECURITY Relevant for: Security Related Issues | Topic: Basics of Cyber Security and related matters

Ministry of Home Affairs Cyber Security

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 4:59PM by PIB Delhi

Government has taken a number of legislative, technical and institutional measures for addressing issues related to cyber security. These include National Cyber Security policy (2013), enactment of Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 and setting up of Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). Some specific measures taken by the Government of India to strengthen cyber security system in the country are as under:

i. National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) under National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) coordinates with different agencies at the national level for cyber security matters. ii. Information Technology Act, 2000 was enacted to provide legal recognition for electronic communication, electronic commerce and cyber crimes etc. IT Act has deterrent provisions to deal with cyber threats and cyber attacks. iii. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issues alerts and advisories regarding latest cyber threats and countermeasures on regular basis. (iv) National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) has been established for protection of critical information infrastructure in the country.

v. Cyber security exercises are being conducted regularly to enable assessment of preparedness of organizations in Government and critical sectors. (vi) Guidelines have been issued for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) regarding their key roles and responsibilities for securing applications / crackIAS.cominfrastructure and compliance. vii. Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre) has been launched for detection of malicious programs and provide free tools to remove the same. viii. National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) has set up to generate necessary situational awareness of existing and potential cyber security threats and enable timely information sharing for proactive, preventive and protective actions by individual entities. ix. All the new government websites and applications are audited prior to their hosting and on regular basis after hosting. x. CERT-In conducts regular training programmes for network / system administrators and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) of Government and critical sector organisations regarding securing the IT infrastructure and mitigating cyber attacks. xi. Under Cyber Crime Prevention for Women and Children (CCPWC) Scheme, Government of India has released grants to States/UTs including Andhra Pradesh for setting up of a Cyber Forensic cum Training Laboratory and organizing capacity building programme on cyber awareness and cyber crime investigation. Rs. 4.42 Crore has been released to Andhra Pradesh for the purpose. xii. A Division has been established under the Ministry of Home Affairs to deal with Cyber and Information Security. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has entered into Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its overseas counterpart agencies/Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) for information exchange and collaboration for cyber security incident response.

This was stated by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri KirenRijiju in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

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END Downloaded from crackIAS.com crackIAS.com© Zuccess App by crackIAS.com Source : www.pib.nic.in Date : 2018-12-20 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT Relevant for: Environment & Disaster Management | Topic: Disaster and disaster management

Ministry of Home Affairs International Cooperation on Disaster Management

Posted On: 18 DEC 2018 4:57PM by PIB Delhi

India plays an active role in global initiatives on disaster management. India is a signatory to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and is committed to achieve the priorities and the objectives through systematic and institutional efforts. With multi-dimensional initiatives and expertise, India is taking a leading role in strengthening regional cooperation among South Asian countries for reducing disasters. India is one of the participating countries and works closely with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). India has been working closely with many countries for the exchange of ideas and expertise in disaster management.

India had signed bilateral/ multilateral agreements with the several countries for cooperation in the field of disaster management like:

i. Agreement between the Republic of India and the Swiss Confederation on Cooperation in the event of Disasters. ii. Agreement between India and Russia on cooperation in the field of Emergency Management.

iii. SAARC Agreement on Rapid Response to Natural Disasters. iv. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Indonesia on cooperation in the field of Disaster Management. v. Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) between India and Germany on cooperation in crackIAS.comthe field of Disaster Management. vi. Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan in the field of disaster risk reduction. vii. MoU between the Republic of India and the Govt. of Republic of Tajikistan on Cooperation in the field of Disasters Management. Government of India has partnership with various International Agencies in the field of Disaster Management such as United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), The World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR), Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR), Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC), International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and

Recovery (GFDRR), SAARC Disaster Management Centre - Interim Unit (SDMC-IU), Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) etc.

Various International Meetings/Exercises have been hosted by this Ministry for the purpose of Capacity Building in the field of Disaster Management like:

i. Government of India organized the South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise (SAADMex) from 23-26 November 2015, in New Delhi.

ii. The Meeting of BRICS Ministers for Disaster Management was held on 22 - 23 August, 2016 in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

iii. Government of India, in collaboration with the United Nation International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), hosted the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016 in New Delhi from 3-5 November 2016.

iv. The Government of Republic of India hosted the first Annual Disaster Management Exercise for ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC) countries (BIMSTEC DMEx-2017) on 10-13 October, 2017 in New Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

v. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), organized first of its kind International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (IWDRI) on 15-16 January, 2018 in New Delhi.

vi. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, organized the first India- Japan Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction on 19-20 March, 2018 at crackIAS.comVigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. vii. The Government of India will organize a Joint Urban Earthquake Search and Rescue exercise of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states to improve collective preparedness in March, 2019.

This was stated by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

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crackIAS.com Source : www.livemint.com Date : 2018-12-20 OPINION Relevant for: International Relations | Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developing countries on India's interests

It has been just five years since China initiated its major land reclamation in the South China Sea, and the country has already shifted the territorial status quo in its favour—without facing any international pushback. The anniversary of the start of its island building underscores the transformed geopolitics in a corridor central to the international maritime order.

In December 2013, the Chinese government pressed the massive Tianjing dredger into service at Johnson South Reef in the Spratly archipelago, far from the Chinese mainland. The Spratlys are to the south of the Paracel Islands, which China seized in 1974, capitalizing on American forces’ departure from South Vietnam. In 1988, the reef was the scene of a Chinese attack that killed 72 Vietnamese sailors and sank two of their ships.

The dredger’s job is to fragment sediment on the seabed and deposit it on a reef until a low-lying man made island emerges. The Tianjing —boasting its own propulsion system and a capacity to extract sediment at a rate of 4,530 cubic metres per hour—did its job very quickly, creating 11 hectares of new land, including a harbour, in less than four months. All the while, a Chinese warship stood guard.

Since then, China has built six more artificial islands in the South China Sea and steadily expanded its military assets in this highly strategic area, through which one-third of global maritime trade passes. It has constructed port facilities, military buildings, radar and sensor installations, hardened shelters for missiles, vast logistical warehouses for fuel, water and ammunition, and even airstrips and aircraft hangars on the man-made islands. Reinforcing its position further, China has strong-armed its neighbours into suspending the exploitation of natural resources within their own exclusive economic zones.

Consequently, China has turned its contrived historical claims to the South China Sea into reality and gained strategic depth, despite a 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal invalidating those claims. China’s leaders seem intent on proving the old adage that “possession is nine- tenths of the law”. And the world, it seems, is letting them get away with it.

The Chinese did not leave that outcome to chance. Before building their islands in the South China Sea, they spent several months testing possible US reactions through symbolic moves. First, in June 2012, China seized the disputed Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines, without eliciting a tangible international response.

Almost immediately, the China State Shipbuilding Industry Corporation published on its website draft blueprintscrackIAS.com for man-made islands atop reefs, including drawings of structures that have come to define China’s Spratly construction programme.

In September 2013, China launched its next test: it sent the Tianjing dredger to Cuarteron Reef, where it stayed for three weeks without initiating any land reclamation. Satellite images later showed the dredger at another reef, Fiery Cross, again doing little. Again, the US, under President Barack Obama, did not push back, emboldening China to start its first island-building project, at Johnson South Reef.

The final two years of the Obama presidency were marked by frenzied construction. All of this has taken a serious toll on the region’s marine life. The coral reefs China has destroyed to use as the foundation for its islands provided food and shelter for many marine species, as well as supplying larvae for Asia’s all-important fisheries. Add to that chemically laced runoff from the new artificial islands, and China’s activities are devastating the South China Sea ecosystems.

Obama’s last defence secretary, Ash Carter, has criticized his former boss’s soft approach toward China. In a recent essay, Carter wrote that Obama, “misled” by his own analysis, viewed as suspect “recommendations from me and others to more aggressively challenge China’s excessive maritime claims and other counterproductive behaviors”. For a while, Carter says, Obama even bought into China’s vision of a G2-style arrangement with the US.

Now, President Donald Trump’s administration is grappling with the consequences of Obama’s approach. Trump wants to implement a vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific”. The “free and open Indo-Pacific” strategy is the successor to Obama’s unhinged “pivot” to Asia.

But, from its newly built perches in the South China Sea, China is better positioned not only to sustain air and sea patrols in the region, but also to advance its strategy of projecting power across the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific. How can there be any hope of a free and open Indo-Pacific, when the critical corridor linking the Indian and Pacific oceans is increasingly dominated by the world’s largest autocracy?

China’s territorial grab, a triumph of brute power over rules, exposes the vulnerability of the current liberal world order. The geopolitical and environmental toll is likely to rise, imposing major costs on the region’s states and reshaping international maritime relations.©2018/project syndicate

Brahma Chellaney is professor of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research

Comments are welcome at [email protected]

END Downloaded from crackIAS.com © Zuccess App by crackIAS.com crackIAS.com Source : www.economictimes.indiatimes.com Date : 2018-12-20 TOTAL GOVERNMENT LIABILITIES RISE TO RS 82 LAKH CRORE Relevant for: Indian Economy | Topic: Issues relating to Growth & Development - Taxation & Black Money

Total liabilities of the government increased to Rs 82 lakh crore at end-September from Rs 79.8 lakh crore at end-June this year, latest data on public debt showed on Monday.

Public debt accounted for 89.3 per cent of total outstanding liabilities at end-September 2018 with the share of internal debt being 82.9 per cent.

Nearly 26.6 per cent of the outstanding dated securities had a residual maturity of less than five years, said the Quarterly Report on Public Debt Management, released by the Finance Ministry.

The holding pattern indicates a share of 41.4 per cent for commercial banks and 24.6 per cent for insurance companies by end-September 2018.

G-Sec yields have shown a hardening trend in second quarter of the fiscal with the increase in weighted average yield of primary issuances to 8.01 per cent from 7.76 per cent since the last quarter, reflecting the impact of several developments, it said.

These development are "an increase in crude oil prices, depreciation in the value of rupee against the US dollar and rate hikes by US Fed and the Reserve Bank".

"Central government dated securities continued to account for a major share of total trading volumes in the secondary market, with a share of 85 per cent in total outright trading volumes in value terms during Q2 of FY19," the report said.

During July-September quarter of the fiscal, the Central government issued dated securities worth Rs 1.44 lakh crore as against Rs 1.89 lakh crore in the year-ago quarter.

The temporary cash flow mismatches were bridged through issuance of Cash Management Bills amounting to Rs 20,000 crore during the quarter, it added. Total liabilities of the government increased to Rs 82 lakh crore at end-September from Rs 79.8 lakh crore at end-June this year, latest data on public debt showed on Monday.

Public debt accounted for 89.3 per cent of total outstanding liabilities at end-September 2018 with the share of internal debt being 82.9 per cent.

Nearly 26.6 per cent of the outstanding dated securities had a residual maturity of less than five years,crackIAS.com said the Quarterly Report on Public Debt Management, released by the Finance Ministry.

The holding pattern indicates a share of 41.4 per cent for commercial banks and 24.6 per cent for insurance companies by end-September 2018.

G-Sec yields have shown a hardening trend in second quarter of the fiscal with the increase in weighted average yield of primary issuances to 8.01 per cent from 7.76 per cent since the last quarter, reflecting the impact of several developments, it said.

These development are "an increase in crude oil prices, depreciation in the value of rupee against the US dollar and rate hikes by US Fed and the Reserve Bank".

"Central government dated securities continued to account for a major share of total trading volumes in the secondary market, with a share of 85 per cent in total outright trading volumes in value terms during Q2 of FY19," the report said.

During July-September quarter of the fiscal, the Central government issued dated securities worth Rs 1.44 lakh crore as against Rs 1.89 lakh crore in the year-ago quarter.

The temporary cash flow mismatches were bridged through issuance of Cash Management Bills amounting to Rs 20,000 crore during the quarter, it added.

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