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Content AGRICULTURE ______6
FLORICULTURE MISSION ______6 BHARATIYA PRAKRITIK KRISHI PADDHATI (BPKP) ______6 KISAN RATH MOBILE APP ______6 RED RICE FROM ASSAM ______7 JAMMU'S PURPLE REVOLUTION ______7 ECONOMY ______8
NEW AICTE RULES______8 ETHANOL BLENDING ______8 FACELESS INCOME-TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL (ITAT) ______9 THE NATIONAL BANK FOR FINANCING INFRASTRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT (NABFID) BILL, 2021 ______9 ATMANIRBHAR NIVESHAK MITRA PORTAL ______9 TRUSTED TELECOM PRODUCTS ______10 NEW PRIVATE BANKS ______10 UDAN 4.1 ______11 MSME CREDIT HEALTH INDEX ______12 OXFAM COMMITMENT TO REDUCING INEQUALITY (CRI) INDEX 2020 ______12 BOARD FOR ADVANCE RULINGS (BAR) ______13 HIMACHAL PRADESH PLANS TO LEGALIZE HEMP CULTIVATION ______13 MARITIME INDIA VISION 2021 ______14 GST AMNESTY SCHEME ______14 BARGE MOUNTED POWER PLANT ______14 WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT, 2021 ______15 OMCS TO SELL ETHANOL AS STANDALONE FUEL ______15 CEPI INDEX ______16 ENVIRONMENT ______17
GO ELECTRIC CAMPAIGN ______17 ATMOSPHERIC & CLIMATE RESEARCH – MODELING OBSERVING SYSTEMS & SERVICES (ACROSS) ______17 SPECIES RECOVERY PROGRAMME ______18 SENDAI FRAMEWORK ______18 PROJECT RE-HAB OF KARNATAKA ______19 FOOD WASTE INDEX REPORT 2021______20 WORLD AIR QUALITY REPORT, 2020 ______20 WHALE SHARK ______21 PENCH TIGER RESERVE ______21 SEA BUCKTHORN CULTIVATION IN HIMACHAL PRADESH ______21 BLACK-BROWED BABBLER ______22 SWACHHTA SAARTHI FELLOWSHIP ______22 CLIMATE DATA SERVICE PORTAL ______23 CONTAMINATION OF GROUNDWATER DUE TO ARSENIC AND FLUORIDE______23 KEN BETWA RIVER LINK PROJECT ______23 WORLD WATER DAY 2021 ______24 ASIATIC CHEETAH RELOCATION ______24 INDIAN RHINO VISION 2020 (IRV2020) ______24 VOLUNTARY VEHICLE SCRAPPING POLICY ______25 WORLD WILDLIFE DAY ______26 PANEL TO RECOMMEND NORMS TO CUT TREES ______26
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INDIA: TRANSFORMING TO A NET-ZERO EMISSIONS ENERGY SYSTEM REPORT ______26 IUCN STATUS OF AFRICAN ELEPHANT ______27 GULF OF MANNAR BIOSPHERE RESERVE ______27 GIR SANCTUARY ______28 KEIBUL LAMJAO NATIONAL PARK ______28 LION-TAILED MACAQUE ______29 KHARAI CAMELS ______29 QCI SURVEY ON WATER BODIES ______30 CSR AMENDMENT RULES 2021 ______30 MAHENDRAGIRI BIOSPHERE RESERVE ______31 MANAS NATIONAL PARK ______32 GLOBAL WIND REPORT, 2021 ______32 FOREIGN AFFAIRS ______33
HIGH SPEED RAIL - CHINA NEAR ARUNACHAL BORDER ______33 UK TURING SCHEME ______33 VACCINE PASSPORTS ______34 DUSTLIK EXERCISE ______34 INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION (IPU) ______34 KALADAN MULTIMODAL TRANSIT TRANSPORT PROJECT (KMMTTP)______34 TRILATERAL HIGHWAY PROJECT ______35 INDIA-PAKISTAN INDUS COMMISSIONERS MEETING ______35 EU DECLARED AS LGBTIQ FREEDOM ZONE ______36 AFGHAN PEACE PLAN AND INDIA ______37 MOSCOW CONFERENCE ON AFGHAN PEACE ______37 REFUGEE ISSUE WITH MYANMAR ______38 MAITRI SETU______38 INDO-KOREA FRIENDSHIP PARK ______39 GEOGRAPHY ______40
EASTERN RAJASTHAN CANAL PROJECT ______40 CAUVERY - VAIGAI – GUNDAR RIVER INTERLINKING PROJECT ______40 MYTHICAL SARASWATI RIVER ______40 MULLAPERIYAR DAM ______41 MOUNT SINABUNG ______41 DISCOVERY OF MOST DISTANT QUASAR ______42 CRISIS OF HELIUM IN INDIA ______42 NITI AAYOG’S PROPOSAL FOR LITTLE ANDAMAN ______43 CHINA'S GREEN LIGHT FOR FIRST DOWNSTREAM DAMS ON BRAHMAPUTRA ______43 TULIP GARDEN OF SRINAGAR ______43 MARITIME CHOKE POINTS OF INDIAN OCEAN ______44 REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMITS AMENDED: ______45 GOVERNANCE ______45
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SCHEDULED CASTES ______45 APPOINTMENT OF REGULAR CBI DIRECTOR ______46 V-DEM INSTITUTE'S DEMOCRACY REPORT ______46 WORLD'S HIGHEST RAIL BRIDGE ______47 VOLUNTARY CODE OF ETHICS ______47 OLYMPICS 2048 BIDDING BY NEW DELHI ______48 STATES BARRING CBI INVESTIGATION ______48
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TEST-TRACK-TREAT PROTOCOL ______49 NATIONAL TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP ON IMMUNIZATION (NTAGI) ______49 HISTORY ______50
DANDI MARCH ______50 SWAMINARAYAN SAMPRADAYA ______50 RAKHIGARHI ______51 BAMIYAN BUDDHA ______51 SHAHEEDI DIWAS ______52 TOMAR KING ANANGPAL II ______52 SINGORGARH FORT ______52 MAHARAJA CHHATRASAL BUNDELA ______53 BIDRIWARE ______53 LAW AND POLICY ______54
UGC ALLOWS INSTITUTES OF EMINENCE TO SET UP OFFSHORE CAMPUSES ______54 THE PROHIBITION OF EMPLOYMENT AS MANUAL SCAVENGERS AND THEIR REHABILITATION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 202155 SERB – PROJECT INFORMATION SYSTEM & MANAGEMENT (SERB – PRISM) ______55 PRADHAN MANTRI SWASTHYA SURAKSHA NIDHI (PMSSN) ______56 MEDICAL TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021 ______56 AMENDMENT TO NCC ACT PROPOSED ______56 NCT BILL, 2021 ______57 COOKING ENERGY ACCESS SURVEY, 2020 ______58 NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO COMMEMORATE 75 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE ______58 INDRA SAWHNEY JUDGEMENT ______59 CBSE COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION PROJECT ______59 GUIDELINES ISSUED BY SUPREME COURT FOR ORDERS IN SEXUAL OFFENCE CASES ______59 SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAMME ______60 DUAL AIRBAGS IN NEW MODELS ARE MANDATORY FROM APRIL 1 ______60 HYBRID HEARING BY SUPREME COURT ______61 FIRST INDIGENOUS FUEL CELL SYSTEM DEVELOPED BY CSIR ______61 ONE DISTRICT ONE FOCUS PRODUCE (ODOP) ______61 ABOUT WASTE-TO-ENERGY ______62 NATIONAL TOY ACTION PLAN ______62 RATING MECHANISM FOR NATIONAL HIGHWAYS ______63 SUGAMYA BHARAT APP ______63 PARIVAR PEHCHAN PATRA ______64 EASE OF LIVING INDEX 2020 AND MUNICIPAL PERFORMANCE INDEX ______64 MICE ROADSHOW - MEET IN INDIA ______65 SCIENCE AND TECH ______66
GPS BASED TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEM ______66 2001 FO32 ASTEROID ______66 SOLID FUEL DUCTED RAMJET (SFDR) ______67 INTERNATIONAL LUNAR RESEARCH STATION ______67 FLOATING SOLAR PLANT IN TELANGANA ______68 LUNAR POLAR EXPLORATION (LUPEX) MISSION ______68 SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR (SAR) ______69 RAMAN THERMOMETRY FOR MONITORING OF POWER TRANSMISSION CABLES ______69 SUPERMASSIVE MOVING BLACK HOLE ______70 EQUINE HERPES VIRUS ______71
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BHABHA ATOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE (BARC) ______71 GENOME MAPPING OF INDIAN OCEAN BY NIO ______72 TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION REPORT 2021 ______73 NEW BACTERIA FOUND ON INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) ______73 REFRIGERATION SYSTEM PUSA-FSF ______74 DISCOVERY OF FOUR NEW PARTICLES AT THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER (LHC) ______74 OLA LARGEST ELECTRIC TWO WHEELER PLANT ON FAST TRACK ______74 MULTI-BEAM E-BAND PRODUCT GIGA MESH ______75 NEW 'DOUBLE MUTANT' COVID-19 ______75 ARIES-DEVASTHAL FAINT OBJECT SPECTROGRAPH & CAMERA (ADFOSC) ______76 GLIESE 486B: ______76 SECURITY ______76
INNER LINE PERMIT ______76 KALVARI CLASS SUBMARINES ______77 ARMS TRADE REPORT ______77 OPERATION THIRUVALLUR ______78 GELATIN STICKS ______79 SOCIETY ______80
STOP TB PARTNERSHIP ______80 GOND TRIBE ______80 TODA TRIBE ______81 WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2021 ______81 INTERNATIONAL PULSAR TIMING ARRAY ______81 PEOPLE IN NEWS ______82
MUSLIM UIGHURS ______82 SHEIKH MUJIBUR RAHMAN ______82 RAJ KUMAR SHUKLA ______83 PLACES IN NEWS ______84
INDIA'S 1ST AC RAILWAY TERMINAL ______84 SABARMATI ASHRAM ______84 GREATER TIPRALAND ______84 YOJANA MAGAZINE GIST ______86
FINANCE COMMISSION ______86 CONDITIONAL BORROWINGS ______88 FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT ______90 DIPLOMACY IN COVID TIMES ______91 KURUKSHETRA MAGAZINE GIST ______93
ATMA NIRBHAR WOMEN ______93 TOWARDS REALIZATION OF A FIVE TRILLION DOLLAR ECONOMY ______95
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AGRICULTURE Floriculture Mission
In news: Recently, Floriculture Mission has been approved for implementation in 21 States and Union Territories of India.
About the Mission: • It is launched by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). • Mission is implemented in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), APEDA, TRIFED, Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC) and Universities. • Mission focuses on commercial floral crops, seasonal or annual crops, wild ornaments and cultivation of flower crops for honey bee rearing.
Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP)
In news: Recently, NITI Aayog held a national-level consultation on the ‘Principles and Practices of BPKP (Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati)-Natural Farming’.
Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP) programme:
• Natural farming is promoted as Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati Programme (BPKP) under centrally sponsored scheme Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY). • Aim of BPKP is aimed at promoting traditional indigenous practices which reduces externally purchased inputs. • It is largely based on on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass mulching, use of on-farm cow dung-urine formulations, periodic soil aeration and exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs. • It has been adopted in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala.
What is Natural Farming? • Natural Farming is a chemical-free alias traditional farming method. • It is considered as an agroecology based diversified farming system which integrates crops, trees and livestock with functional biodiversity. • It is considered as a cost- effective farming practices with scope for raising employment and rural development.
Kisan Rath Mobile App
In news: Government of India launched this app to help farmers during Covid-19 lockdown.
About Kisan Rath mobile app- • Farmers, Traders, FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations) and Transporters can register on the app.
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• It was launched by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare. • It facilitates farmers, FPOs and traders across India to search and contact the transport service providers for transporting the Agriculture & Horticulture produce. • The app interfaces with major transport aggregators and also allows individual transporters to register their vehicles and provide services to farmers and traders. • The app is available in select languages. • It facilitates Farmers and Traders in identifying right mode of transportation for movement of farm produce ranging from foodgrain (cereal, coarse cereal, pulses etc), Fruits & Vegetables, oil seeds, spices, fiber crops, flowers, bamboo, log & minor forest produce, coconuts etc. • This App also facilitates traders in transportation of perishable commodities by Reefer (Refrigerated) vehicles. Red rice from Assam
In news: Recently, the first consignment of ‘red rice’ was flagged off to the USA. What is red rice? • Red rice can be any of multiple varieties of rice that are high in anthocyanin, an antioxidant pigment that dyes the bran of the rice grain a reddish color • The red rice is being sourced by leading rice exporter - LT Foods. • Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is promoting rice exports through collaborations with various stakeholders in the value chains. • The government had set up the Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF), under the aegis of the APEDA. • Iron-rich 'red rice' is grown in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, without the use of any chemical fertilizer. • This variety is referred as 'Bao-dhaan' in Assam which is a deep water rice, cultivated on low ,swampy lands and flood prone areas . • The rice has a high content of iron, protein, vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, thiamine, niacin, manganese and is high in fibre. • There are several varieties of Bao rice in Assam such as Neghari-Bao, Dal-Bao, Panindraand Maguri-Bao,Padmatai, Panikekoa, Padmanath, Sabita, Rangi-Bao, Badal, etc.. Jammu's Purple Revolution
In news: Around 500 farmers across villages in Doda of Jammu and Kashmir had their incomes quadrupled after shifting from maize to lavender.
More about it- • The initiative was taken in 2016, when the Centre launched Aroma Mission to boost cultivation of plants like lavender which have aromatic medicinal properties. • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu (IIIM Jammu), are the two bodies responsible for taking the Aroma Mission forward. • The Mission is envisaged to bring transformative change in the aroma sector through desired interventions in the areas of agriculture, processing and product development. • The mission will promote the cultivation of aromatic crops for essential oils that are in great demand by the aroma industry. • On February 9, 2021, CSIR-IIIM-Jammu announced Aroma Mission phase 2. • The mission is to increase lavender cultivation to 1,500 hectares within three years. • At present, large-scale lavender cultivation is limited to J&K but governments in Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are also encouraging their farmers to take up lavender.
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ECONOMY
New AICTE rules
In news: AICTE, India’s technical education regulator has tweaked the entry-level qualification for undergraduate engineering programmes.
About New AICTE rules:
• The students who haven’t studied either physics or mathematics (or both) in Classes 11 and 12 are eligible for admission to engineering programmes. • A candidate is expected to have scored at least 45% in any three subjects out of a list of 14 — physics, mathematics, chemistry, computer science, electronics, information technology, biology, informatics practices, biotechnology, technical vocational subject, engineering graphics, business studies, and entrepreneurship. • Earlier, an engineering aspirant should have passed high school with physics and mathematics as compulsory subjects.
Significance of new Rule • The regulator defended the changes on the ground in line with the new National Education Policies multidisciplinary approach. • This will “open a window of opportunity” for students from diverse academic backgrounds to pursue engineering, especially branches like textile and biotechnology.
Ethanol Blending
In news: Oil marketing companies (OMC) are set to procure 283 crore litres of ethanol from mills for blending up to 10% with petrol in 2020-21 (December-November).
About Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme-
• Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme was launched in January, 2003 which sought to promote the use of alternative and environment friendly fuels and to reduce import dependency for energy requirements. • During 2001, pilot projects on Ethanol Blended Petrol started at 3 locations i.e. at Miraj, Manmad (Maharashtra) and Aonla/Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. • The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoP&NG) in 2006 directed the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to sell 5% Ethanol Blended Petrol in 20 States and 4 UTs. • This programme has been extended to the whole of India except Union Territories of Andaman Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands with effect from 01st April, 2019 wherein OMCs sell petrol blended with ethanol up to 10%. • The Government has a 10% blending target for mixing ethanol with petrol by 2022 & 20% blending target by 2030. • The OMCs are to procure ethanol from domestic sources. • Government has notified the administered price of ethanol since 2014. • Government has reduced the GST rate on ethanol meant for the EBP programme from 18% to 5%. • OMCs are advised to continue according priority of ethanol from 1. Sugarcane juice/sugar/sugar syrup, 2. B heavy molasses 3. C heavy molasses and
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4. Damaged food grains/other sources • Department of Food & Public Distribution has introduced a Scheme for extending financial assistance to sugar mills for enhancement and augmentation of ethanol production capacity.
Faceless Income-tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT)
In news: The Finance Bill, 2021, proposed to make the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) faceless.
Faceless Dispute Resolution- • For reducing litigation and to give an impetus to the dispute resolution for small taxpayers, a Dispute Resolution Committee is proposed to be constituted. • The procedure of the Committee will be conducted in a faceless manner. • A National Faceless Income Tax Appellate Tribunal Centre shall be established, wherein all communication between Tribunal and appellant shall be made electronically. • The faceless assessment system was launched to remove the need of the physical presence of the taxpayers in front of the tax officials. • Income Tax appeals will be finalised in a faceless manner with the exception of appeals related to serious fraud, major tax evasion, search matters, international tax issues and matters pertaining to black money. • In the Union Budget 2019, the Finance Minister proposed the introduction of a scheme of faceless e-assessment.
The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) Bill, 2021
In news: The Budget Session of Parliament will consider a new bill to set up a development financial institution (DFI) for the purpose of funding infrastructure projects across their lifespan.
About NaBFID Bill, 2021-
• Sets up a new Development Financial Institution (DFI) as a provider, enabler, and catalyst for infrastructure financing. • It would be the principal financial institution and development bank for building and sustaining a supportive ecosystem for infrastructure projects. • A DFI is an agency that finances infrastructure projects that are of national importance but may or may not conform to commercial return standards. • They provide long-term credit for capital-intensive investments spread over a long period and yielding low rates of return, such as urban infrastructure, mining and heavy industry, and irrigation systems. • They are different from commercial banks which mobilise short to medium-term deposits and lend for similar maturities to avoid a maturity mismatch. • After independence, the institutional framework for development banking began- IFCI (1948), IDBI (1964), IIBI (1972), NABARD and EXIM Bank (1982), SIDBI (1990), etc...
Atmanirbhar Niveshak Mitra Portal
In news: The portal Atma Nirbhar Niveshak Mitra - is in the testing phase and will be launched by May 1, 2021.
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About Atma Nirbhar Niveshak Mitra Portal-
• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is in the process of finalising a dedicated digital portal “Atmanirbhar Niveshak Mitra” for hand holding and facilitation, information dissemination, and facilitation of domestic investors. • The portal is in testing phase and the final version will be ready for launch by 15th May 2021. • This Project is under the “Invest India” agency which was set up in 2009 as a non-profit venture under DPIIT. • Daily updates on policies and new initiatives by the Central and State Government will be made available on the portal. • It will have information on all states, their policies, know your approvals, departments, and key officials etc. Trusted Telecom Products
In news: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has amended the licensing conditions for telecom companies when purchasing ‘trusted telecom products’ and sourcing equipment from ‘trusted telecom equipment sources’.
Trusted Telecom Products or Trusted Telecom Equipment Sources-
• A trusted telecom product or a trusted telecom equipment source, is simply a product, a company, or a technology that has been deemed safe by the government of a country for use in crucial and critical infrastructure. • The list of products telecom companies will be allowed to use in their network would be approved by the National Cyber Security Coordinator, which in turn will make its decision based on the approval of a committee headed by the deputy National Security Advisor (NSA). • DoT amended the telecom licensing norms and included defence and national security as parameters for the purchase of trusted telecom products and from trusted equipment sources. • New norms will kick in from June 15, following which telecom companies will not be able to use any products that do not appear on the trusted telecom equipment source list. • If a telecom company wishes to expand its network by using any equipment that does not come from a trusted source or is not on the list of trusted telecom products, it will have to take prior permission from the National Cyber Security Coordinator.
National Security Advisor-
• The National Security Advisor is the senior official on the National Security Council of India. • Chief adviser to the Prime Minister of India on national security policy and international affairs. • The NSA of India also serves as the Prime Minister's Special Interlocutor with China as well as the envoy to Pakistan and Israel on security affairs. • The NSA receives all intelligence (RAW, IB, NTRO, MI, DIA, NIA) reports and co-ordinates them to present before the Prime Minister. • Ajit Doval is the current NSA, and has the same rank as a Union Cabinet Minister.
New Private Banks
In news: Finance Minister recently said in Parliament that permission to new private banks for conducting government-related business will be given under the RBI guidelines.
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More about it-
• Only entities / groups in the private sector that are owned and controlled by residents shall be eligible to promote banks. • Promoters / promoter groups with a track record for at least 10 years in running their businesses. • Entities/groups having significant (10% or more) income or assets or both from/ in such activities, including real estate construction and broking activities taken together in the last three years, shall not be eligible to promote banks. • Promoter / promoter groups will be permitted to set up a new bank only through a wholly-owned Non-Operative Holding Company (NOHC). • The NOHC will be registered as a non-banking finance company (NBFC) with the Reserve Bank and will be governed by a separate set of prudential guidelines. • The NOHC will not be permitted to borrow funds for investing in companies held by it. • The initial minimum paid-up capital for a new bank shall be `500 crore. • The NOHC shall hold a minimum of 40% of the paid-up capital of the bank which shall be locked in for a period of five years from the date of licensing of the bank. • The aggregate non-resident shareholding from FDI, NRIs and FIIs shall not exceed 49% for the first 5 years from the date of licensing of the bank. • No non-resident shareholder, directly or indirectly, will be permitted to hold 5% or more of the paid-up capital of the bank. • The bank should operate on Core Banking Solutions (CBS) from the beginning. • The bank shall get its shares listed on the stock exchanges within two years of licensing of the bank. • The bank shall comply with the priority sector lending targets and sub-targets. • The bank shall open at least 25 percent of its branches in unbanked rural centres (population up to 9,999 as per 2001 census). UDAN 4.1
In news: On the commencement of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has proposed about 392 routes under UDAN 4.1 bidding process. A brief note on UDAN 4.1:
• It focused on connecting smaller airports, along with special helicopter and seaplane routes. • It has proposed some new routes under the Sagarmala Seaplane Services in consultation with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways. • The special UDAN 4.1 bidding round invites bids for priority routes which have not been covered under UDAN so far. • The focus of this round would be mainly on connecting north-eastern states, hilly states, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh UTs. • Operations under Non Scheduled Operator Permit(NSOP) will be allowed for seaplane, fixed- wing aircraft, Helicopters for Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) Routes awarded under this round.
The Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)- Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN):
• It is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) envisaged to make air travel affordable and widespread in the country.
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• The scheme intends to boost inclusive national economic growth, employment opportunities, and air transport infrastructure development across the nation. • Till date, 325 routes and 56 airports including 5 heliports and 2 Water Aerodromes have been operationalised under the UDAN scheme.
Various phases of UDAN-
1. UDAN 1.0: Phase 1 of the scheme was launched in 2017. Six airports of the North-east were opened under UDAN. 2. UDAN 2.0: It aimed to connect 43 airports and helipads with priority to the North-East and the hill states. States with the maximum number of airports and helipads could see activation under the UDAN 2 scheme. 3. UDAN 3.0: The priority in this phase is connecting tourist destinations such as Mahabodhi temple in Bihar, Ajanta and Ellora in Aurangabad and Hampi in Karnataka and others. 4. UDAN 4.0: The focus of this round would be mainly on connecting north-eastern states, hilly states, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and islands.
MSME Credit Health Index
About the Index:
• TransUnion CIBIL in partnership with the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has launched MSME Credit Health Index. • It aims to provide a measure of the growth and strength of the MSME sector in India. • The first version of the index is based on data from March 2018 to June 2020. • It measures the credit health of India’s MSME industry on two parameters: growth and strength.
o Growth is measured by plotting increase in exposure value (outstanding balances) over time and o Strength is measured by decrease/increase in credit risk in terms of non-performing assets • Bothe indices follow the principle of higher the better i.e. an increasing Growth Index indicates improvement in credit growth and an increasing Strength Index implies better asset quality. Oxfam Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index 2020
• Indian government alleged that the rank assigned to India and methodology adopted in the CRI index is not clear because it did not take into account provisions of the four new labour codes. • The CRI Index of 2020 is the third edition which ranks 158 governments across the world on their commitment to reducing inequality. • It is a joint project by Development Finance International and Oxfam International who have come together to launch this powerful tool in the fight against inequality. • The index ranked countries measuring their policies and actions in three areas- Public services including health, education and social protection, Taxation, and Workers’ rights. • As per the index, Nigeria, Bahrain and India, were among the world’s worst-performing countries in tackling inequality going into the pandemic • Most of the countries near the top of the index are OECD countries. • Overall, India ranked 129 in the index and India spent just 4 percent of its budget on health going into the pandemic, fourth lowest in the world.
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• The CRI index also ranked India eight from the bottom of top 10 lowest scorers with respect to measures for trade unions, legal protection for women workers and minimum wages. • It noted that only around 10 percent of the workforce in India is formal, with safe working conditions and social security. Board for Advance Rulings (BAR)
In news: In order to enhance the effectiveness of advance rulings, the Finance Bill, 2021 has proposed to replace the Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) by one or more Board for Advance Rulings (BAR) for giving advance rulings under the Act.
About Board for Advance Rulings (BAR)-
• As per the proposed bill, every such Board shall consist of two members, each being an officer not below the rank of Chief Commissioner. • In India, Advance Ruling is a written interpretation of tax laws. • It is issued by tax authorities to corporations and individuals who request for clarification of certain tax matters. • Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) was constituted by inserting a new Chapter XIX-B in the Finance Act, 1993 to avoid dispute in respect of assessment of tax liability and to provide tax certainty. • The legal provisions of Advance Rulings were introduced through the Finance Acts of 1998, 1999 and 2003. • The following categories of applicants to seek an advance ruling- those holding a valid Importer- exporter Code Number granted under the Section 7 of Foreign Trade Act, 1992 or exporting any goods to India or one with a justifiable cause to the satisfaction of the Authority. • Presently AAR is dealing with Customs related applications and pending cases of Central Excise & Service tax.
Himachal Pradesh plans to legalize hemp cultivation
In news: The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister is projecting an economic boom in legalising hemp cultivation.
Key updates-
• During his Budget speech the Himachal Pradesh CM said that the state government has proposed to frame a policy to permit commercial hemp cultivation with proper regulatory framework. • Hemp or industrial hemp is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for industrial use. • Along with bamboo, hemp is one of the fastest growing plants on Earth. • There is a huge demand for opium, an extract of the poppy grown widely in high mountains of the state. • The selective cultivation of cannabis and poppy on the lines of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh could annually generate revenue of Rs 800 crore to Rs 900 crore. • Over 60 percent of the poppy and cannabis produced in Himachal is smuggled to countries such as Israel, Italy, Holland and other European countries. • The rest finds its way to Nepal or other Indian states like Goa, Punjab, and Delhi. • A village in the state called ‘Malana’ in the Kullu Valley, has long been notorious for cultivating the prized ‘Malana Cream’ hashish, a purified resinous extract of cannabis.
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• The Uttarakhand state government has become the first one in India to issue a license for hemp cultivation followed by Uttar Pradesh. Maritime India Vision 2021
• It is a ten-year blueprint for the maritime sector which supersedes the Sagarmala initiative and aims to boost waterways, give a fillip to the shipbuilding industry and encourage cruise tourism in India. • To oversee the funding of the Maritime India Vision 2030 a dedicated Maritime Development Fund (MDF) will be created. • Initial seed funding of about 25,000 cores will be made for the MDF. • The regulatory authority to be set up as per the Indian Ports Act will provide oversight across major and non-major ports, enhance institutional coverage and ensure structured growth of the ports sector to boost investor confidence.
Maritime India Summit 2021-
• Organized by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. • Denmark was the partner country for the three-day summit.
GST Amnesty Scheme
In news: SC rejected plea on extending GST amnesty scheme.
More about it-
• The Finance Ministry has observed that there are a large number of taxpayers who are not filing their GST returns since the inception in 2017. • To put an end to this continuous default and provide an opportunity to non-compliant taxpayers to be up to date with their filings, the GST Amnesty Scheme was introduced. • This was done to encourage non-filers to voluntarily come forward and file their GST returns by providing a one-time relief from late fees. • Taxpayers filing returns for July 2017 to July 2020 post 30th September 2020 are still facing the considerable liability of late fees. • Owing to the COVID pandemic many businesses have faced significant losses. • MSMEs are liable to pay a late fee of INR 50 per day (INR 20 per day in case of a NIL return) for late filing of GSTR-3B by the due date. • Considering all this, constant requests are being made to the Government to extend the period of the GST Amnesty Scheme.
Barge Mounted Power Plant
In news: Recently, the exercise of shifting India’s only 220 MW barge-mounted power plant located on the Kakinada coast has commenced.
About Barge Mounted Power Plant- • The GMR Group owns a 220 MW gas based power plant in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada. • The power plant was brought to the Kakinada coast in April 2010 from the Mangalore coast, where it was first commissioned in November 2001. 14 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• Owned by GMR Energy Limited, the plant, developed by the U.S.-based GE Technology, was shut down in 2013 citing lack of availability of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) that was supposedly procured from the D-6 block in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin. • Now it will be shipped to Turkey through the Kakinada deep-sea port.
Kakinada Port- • Kakinada Port is located at Kakinada off the east coast of India. • It is 170 km (106 mi) south of Visakhapatnam Port. • Kakinada Port is a large complex comprising Kakinada Anchorage Port, Kakinada Deep Water Port, Kakinada Fishing Harbour and Ship-Breaking Unit. • Kakinada Deep Water Port is an all-weather deep-water port and can handle vessels up to 50,000 DWT.
World Development Report, 2021
In news: World Development Report, 2021: Data for Better Lives has been published by the World Bank recently.
About World Development Report, 2021- • Report calls for a new social contract that enables the use and reuse of data to create economic and social value, ensures equitable access to that value, and fosters trust that data will not be misused in harmful ways. • The report flagged concerns over protection of personal data, misinformation and attacks on software, networks and data systems. • The report finds that most countries have shied away from an open-data policy, more so countries with developing economies. • It adds that only 11 per cent low-income countries consistently made available a license classifiable as ’open’. • It says that public intent data should be safeguarded as a global public good and resource to achieve equitable and sustainable development • The report flagged underinvestment in public intent data systems as only half the countries had a national statistical plan that was fully funded as of 2019. • It says that 93 percent of high-income countries had a fully funded national statistical plan, not a single low-income country had one. • It finds that only 10 of the 54 gender-specific indicators (19 percent) in the United Nations- mandated sustainable development goals were widely available. • The report highlighted the concerns on assessment of global poverty by the World Bank, which has been skewed due to absence data on poverty from India. • Real-time health data by using text messaging was able to cut the response time to outbreaks of COVID-19 by half.
OMCs to sell Ethanol as Standalone Fuel
In news: The ministry of petroleum and natural gas has allowed the direct sale of ethanol as a standalone fuel for compatible automobiles.
More information-
• The government has amended the Motor Spirit and High-Speed Diesel Order 2005. 15 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• The new notification will allow oil marketing companies - Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation to sell bioethanol (E100). • Under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, OMCs were given a target of blending 20 percent of ethanol in petrol by 2030.
E100-
• E100 or bioethanol means anhydrous alcohol recognised by BIS. • It is pure ethanol fuel. Straight hydrous ethanol as an automotive fuel has been widely used in Brazil since the late 1970s for neat ethanol vehicles and more recently for flexible-fuel vehicles. • The ethanol fuel used is distilled close to the azeotrope mixture of 95.63% ethanol and 4.37% water (by weight) which is approximately 3.5% water by volume. • The azeotrope is the highest concentration of ethanol that can be achieved by simple fractional distillation. • The maximum water concentration is 4.9 vol.% . • The E nomenclature for hydrated ethanol can be tagged as E100, meaning it does not have any gasoline, because the water content is not an additive, but rather a residue from the distillation process. • However, straight hydrous ethanol is also called E95 .
CEPI Index
In news: Recently, researchers at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysed the 2018 Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) air assessment score that depicts the air quality in industrial regions.
Key findings-
• As per the analysis of CSE, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra had the greatest number of ‘critically polluted’ industrial regions in India. • Mathura, Bulandshahr, Firozabad, Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh; Chandrapur and Tarapur in Maharashtra; Vadodara and Ankleshwar in Gujarat; Jodhpur and Bhiwadi in Rajasthan were found to be the top critically polluted regions with a high CEPI air score. • CSE also compared the latest 2018 assessment scores for air with the 2009 scores and found out that from the 2009 levels, air quality had worsened in several industrial clusters. • The majority of these industrial regions belong to Uttar Pradesh. • A drastic increase in CEPI air scores was observed in Mathura, Bulandshahr, Moradabad and Firozabad in UP, Najafgarh drain basin in Delhi, Vadodara in Gujarat, Jodhpur and Pali in Rajasthan and Durgapur in West Bengal.
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About CEPI Index-
• It was evolved by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as a tool for comprehensive environmental assessment of prominent industrial clusters and formulation of remedial Action Plans for the identified critically polluted areas. • It is a nationwide index that was developed to represent the quality of ambient air, surface water, groundwater and soil of a particular industrial region or cluster with a score. • The CEPI score was calculated based on the individual score assessment for air pollution, surface water pollution, groundwater and soil pollution in the identified cluster. • The regions were ranked as ‘critically polluted area’, ‘severely polluted area’ and ‘other polluted areas’, depending upon the CEPI scores of each of these industrial areas. • A CEPI air score of 60 and above denotes an industrial area to be ‘critically polluted’ and a score between 50-60 classifies it to be ‘severely polluted’ with respect to air quality. • CEPI assessment was first carried out by CPCB in 2009-10 and has been done periodically since then in 2011, 2013 and 2018.
ENVIRONMENT
Go Electric Campaign
In news: The Ministry of Power, Government of India, launched the "Go Electric" Campaign.
About "Go Electric" Campaign: • It is aimed at creating awareness at PAN-India level on the benefits of adopting Electric Vehicles and Electric Cooking appliances such as Induction cook hobs, Electric pressure cooker etc. and to boost the confidence of Electric Vehicle manufacturers. • Bureau of Energy Efficiency will provide technical support to the State Designated Agencies(SDAs) for its implementation on a state and national level. • This initiative is intended to reduce dependency of the country on imported fuel. • Benefits of adopting this electricity based technologies shall be completely realized by enhancing share of renewables in the Grid.
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE):
• It was established in 2002 under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 under the Ministry of Power. • It assists in developing policies and strategies for reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy. • Major Programmes: State Energy Efficiency Index, Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme, The Standards & Labeling Programme, Energy Conservation Building Code.
Atmospheric & Climate Research – Modeling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS)
In news - The Cabinet Committee has approved continuation of the nine sub-schemes of the umbrella scheme ACROSS during 2017-2020.
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About ACROSS- • The ACROSS scheme pertains to the atmospheric science programs of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). • This scheme is a part of the umbrella scheme “Atmosphere & Climate”. • It addresses different aspects of weather and climate services, which includes warnings for cyclones, storm surges, heat waves, thunderstorms etc. • Its nine sub-programmes are multi disciplinary and multi institutional in nature and will be implemented in an integrated manner. • As the objective of the ACROSS scheme is to provide a reliable weather and climate forecast for betterment of society. Species Recovery Programme In news: Caracal, a medium-sized wildcat has been added to the list recovery programme for critically endangered species in India, the list includes 22 wildlife species. Key updates-
• The National Board for Wildlife and Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change recently included the caracal found in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, in the list of critically endangered species. • Besides India, the caracal is found in several dozen countries across Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia. • It has long legs, a short face, long canine teeth, and distinctive ears long and pointy, with tufts of black hair at their tips. • Its iconic ears are what give the animal its name caracal comes from the Turkish karakulak, meaning ‘black ears’. • In India, it is called siya gosh, a Persian name that translates as ‘black Ear’. • A Sanskrit fable exists about a small wild cat named deergha-karn or ‘long-eared’. • IUCN status: Least concern • Typically nocturnal, the caracal is highly secretive and difficult to observe. • The caracal could be earlier found in arid and semi-arid scrub forest and ravines but today, its presence is restricted to Rajasthan, Kutch, and parts of MP. • The earliest evidence of the caracal in the subcontinent comes from a fossil dating back to the civilisation of the Indus Valley( 3000-2000 BC).
A brief note on Species Recovery Programme-
• This programme is one of the components of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’ (IDWH). • The MoEF identified 16 terrestrial and 7 aquatic species with the objective of saving critically endangered species/ecosystems to ensure their protection outside Protected Areas, across the wider landscape/seascape. • So far, 21 species have been identified under the recovery programme.
Sendai Framework In news: 2021 is the midpoint of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the Paris agreement and the Sendai Framework.
About Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030:
• It was endorsed by the UN General Assembly following the 2015 Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR). 18 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• Goal is to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risk through the implementation of integrated and inclusive economic, structural, legal, social, health, cultural, educational, environmental, technological, political and institutional measures. • The present framework will apply to the risk of small-scale and large-scale, frequent and infrequent, sudden and slow-onset disasters, caused by natural or manmade hazards as well as related environmental, technological and biological hazards and risks.
Four priority areas of the framework-
1. Understanding disaster risk 2. Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk 3. Investing in disaster reduction for resilience and 4. Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to "Build Back Better" in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Project RE-HAB of Karnataka
In news: In order to mitigate human-elephant conflict a project-REHAB has been launched in Kodagu, Karnataka recently.
What is project RE-HAB?
• In order to mitigate human-elephant conflict a project-REHAB has been launched in Kodagu, Karnataka recently . • Project RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees) entails installing bee boxes (bee fences) along the periphery of the forest and the villages. • This idea stems from the elephants’ proven fear of the bees. • It is a sub-mission of KVIC’s National Honey Mission. • The spots are located on the periphery of Nagarahole National Park and Tiger Reserve, known as conflict zones. • Bee boxes have been placed on the ground as well as hung from the trees. • The bee boxes are connected with a string so that when elephants attempt to pass through, a tug causes the bees to swarm the elephant herds and dissuade them from progressing further. • High resolution, night vision cameras have been installed at strategic points to record the impact of bees on elephants and their behaviour in these zones. 19 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
Food Waste Index Report 2021
In news: The Food Waste Index Report 2021 has been released recently.
About the report:
• “Food waste” is defined as food and the associated inedible parts removed from the human food supply chain in the following sectors- Retail, Food service, Households. • It is prepared by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partner organisation WRAP. • The Index has a three-level methodology increasing in accuracy and usefulness of data. • Level 1 uses modelling to estimate food waste, for member states that have not yet undertaken their own measurement • Level 2 is the recommended approach. • Level 3 provides additional information to inform policy and other interventions designed to reduce food waste generation. • As per the report, an estimated 931 million tonnes of food were wasted globally in 2019, enough to circle the Earth seven times. • Household food waste in India is about 68.7 million tonnes a year and 50 kg per capita per year. • Of the total food wasted, 61 percent came from households, 26 percent from food service and 13 percent from retail. • The action on food waste is equally relevant in high, upper-middle and lower-middle income countries. • The household food waste estimate in the US is 59 kg per capita per year, while for China these estimates are 64 kg per capita per year • The report finds that 690 million people are affected by hunger in 2019, and three billion people unable to afford a healthy diet. World air quality report, 2020
In news: According to the report, India emerged as the world’s third most polluted country after Bangladesh and Pakistan.
About the World Air Quality Report: • The report was prepared by Swiss organisation IQAir. • The report analyzes PM2.5 data reported by ground-level monitoring stations around the world, as aggregated through IQAir’s air quality information platform. • By comparing PM2.5 levels across the globe, IQAir strives to highlight a wide variety of air quality challenges as well as underscore the threat of human-caused air pollution
Key highlights of the report:
• New Delhi was the world’s most polluted capital for the third straight year in 2020 • India was home to 35 of the world’s 50 most polluted cities. • The report highlights that in 2020, New Delhi’s average annual concentration of PM2.5 is more than double the level of Beijing. • However, it shows that Delhi's air quality improved by approximately 15% from 2019 to 2020. • As the burning of crop stubble peaked, Delhi’s PM 2.5 levels averaged 144 micrograms per cubic metre in November and 157 micrograms per cubic metre in December, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s annual exposure guideline by more than 14 times. • It highlighted that South Asia endured some of the world’s worst air quality on record in 2020.
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Whale shark
In news: Recently a study published in Nature states that the global population of sharks and rays have crashed by over 70% in the past five decades.
About Whale Shark:
• It is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. • Scientific name is Rhincodon typus. • Whale sharks have a unique pattern of white spotted colouration which makes these gentle giants easy to distinguish and very popular with snorkelers. • Light vertical and horizontal stripes form a checkerboard pattern on a dark background, and light spots mark the fins and dark areas of the body. • The head is broad and flat, with a somewhat truncated snout and an immense mouth. • Several prominent ridges of hard tissue, often called keels, extend horizontally along each side of the body to the tail. • Whale sharks are the largest shark, and indeed largest of any fishes alive today. • They feed on plankton and travel large distances to find enough food to sustain their huge size, and to reproduce. • The whale shark is a ‘filter feeder shark’ which means it does not eat meat like other sharks. • They are found in all the tropical oceans (warm waters) of the world. • Adults are often found feeding at the surface, but may dive to 1000m • IUCN: Endangered since 2016 and CITES listing: Appendix II Pench Tiger Reserve
In news: Recently, the three year old tigress PTRF-84 cub of Pandharkawada tigress Avni died during treatment in an enclosure at Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR).
Pench Tiger Reserve:
• PTR in Seoni (Madhya Pradesh) is one of the major Protected Areas of Satpura-Maikal ranges of the Central Highland. • It is the first one to straddle across two states - Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. • Pench was declared as a sanctuary in 1965 but in 1975, it rose to the status of a National Park and was established as a tiger reserve in 1992. • It comprises the Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park, the Pench Mowgli Sanctuary and a buffer. • The national park is named after the river Pench (tributary of Kanhan river), which while flowing from north to south, divides the national park in almost equal halves. • It is same forest area portrayed in the famous "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling • It is home to Bengal Tigers, Chital, Jungle Cat, Wolf, Indian Leopard, Gaur, Four-horned Antelope, Sloth Bear. • A description of its natural wealth and richness occurs in Ain-i-akbari. Sea buckthorn cultivation in Himachal Pradesh
In news: Recently, the state government of Himachal Pradesh has decided to start planting sea buckthorn in the cold desert areas of the state in the current year.
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Key updates:
• It will be planted on 250 hectares in the state over the next five years. • The Seabuckthorn Association of India wants the forest departments of various Himalayan states/UTs to plant sea buckthorn on arid and marginal lands using CAMPA funds. • Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a shrub which produces an orange-yellow coloured edible berry. • In Himachal Pradesh, it is locally called chharma and grows in the wild in Lahaul and Spiti and parts of Kinnaur. • They also have the unique characteristic of remaining intact on the shrub throughout the winter months despite the subzero temperature. • They can grow between 2 and 4 m high (between 7 and 13 ft). • It has a rough, brown or black bark and a thick, grayish-green crown. • It is dioecious, meaning that the male and female flowers grow on different shrubs. • In India, it is found above the tree line in the Himalayan region, generally in dry areas such as the cold deserts of Ladakh and Spiti, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. • It has been widely used for treating stomach, heart and skin problems, and a source of fuelwood and fodder. • Its fruits and leaves are rich in vitamins, carotenoids and omega fatty acids, among other substances, and it can help troops in acclimating to high-altitude.
Black-Browed Babbler
In news: Recently, the Black-Browed Babbler has been rediscovered after 170 years.
Key updates-
• It was first identified by German naturalist Carl Schwaner at some point between 1843 and 1848. • In October 2020, two men in Indonesian Borneo saw this bird but they didn't recognise and snapped photos of it. • Later the Ornithologists confirmed that it was Black-Browed Babbler. • The species holotype is now at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, Netherlands. • It has a small brown babbler with paler underparts and brown crown with a broad black band through the eye. • Black-Browed Babble is often called 'the biggest enigma’ in Indonesian ornithology. • The conservation status of the species is listed in the “Data Deficient” category in the IUCN red list but the species is described as possibly extinct and known only from a single specimen.
Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship
In news: Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship has been launched by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India under its “Waste to Wealth” Mission.
About the Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship-
• The fellowship is an initiative to empower young innovators who are engaged in community work of waste management/awareness campaigns/ waste surveys etc.. as Swachhta Saarthis.
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• It aims to empower interested students and citizens to continuously engage in their attempts to reduce waste in cities and rural areas. • The three categories of awards under the fellowships are- Category-A: Open to School students from 9th to 12th standards engaged in waste management community work, Category-B: Open to College students (UG, PG, Research students) and Category-C: Open to Citizens working in the community and through SHGs, municipal or sanitary workers. • The Waste to Wealth Mission is one of the nine national missions of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). • This mission will identify, develop, and deploy technologies to treat waste to generate energy, recycle materials, and extract worth. • Its objective is to boost and augment the Swachh Bharat Mission and Smart Cities Project by leveraging science, technology and innovation. Climate Data Service Portal
• Secretary, Ministry of Earth Science inaugurated Climate Data Services Portal of IMD on World Meteorological Day.
• The portal has been developed by the scientists of the National Data Centre (NDC) at the Climate Research and Services (CRS) office of IMD, Pune. • It complements fully automated climate data management process from real-time data acquisition to expeditious data dissemination. • This central hub functions as a repository to acquire and disseminate the climate data of the Indian sub-continent region. • This is enabled by automatic ingestion and first level quality control management in addition to monitoring, messaging / mailing response and acceptance. Contamination of Groundwater due to Arsenic and Fluoride
• According to Central GroundWater Board (CGWB) ground water quality data there are 4421 arsenic-affected habitations in India as of September 2020. • Most of the arsenic-affected habitations lie in the Ganga and Brahmaputra alluvial plains. • Assam had the highest share of such habitations (1,853), followed by West Bengal (1,383). • Jharkhand, which did not have any such habitation in 2015, has two now (2020). • Karnataka which had nine habitations in 2015, had none in 2020. • The number of fluoride affected habitations has significantly come down from 12,727 in 2015 to 5,485 as of September 2020. • Rajasthan had the highest number of such habitations (2,956), followed by Bihar (861). • Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking-water and food can cause cancer, skin disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, impacts cognitive development of children and increased deaths in young adults. • Excessive fluoride intake leads to dental fluorosis (tooth decay) or crippling skeletal fluorosis, which is associated with bone deformities. Ken Betwa river link project
• Recently, a memorandum of agreement has been signed between the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement the Ken-Betwa Link Project. • It is the first project under the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers.
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• Under this project, water from the Ken river will be transferred to the Betwa river through a canal. • Both these rivers are tributaries of river Yamuna. • It would benefit the Bundelkhand region, a drought-prone region which spreads across 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. • The project is expected to provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh hectares, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower. • Out of the 6,017 ha of forest area coming under submergence of Daudhan dam of Ken Betwa Link Project, 4,206 ha of area lies within the core tiger habitat of Panna Tiger Reserve. World Water Day 2021 • 22nd of March 2021 was celebrated as World Water Day all over the world. • This year's theme is ‘valuing water’. • World Water Day focuses on highlighting the importance of water and raising awareness about the water crisis that the world faces. • A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 - ‘water and sanitation for all by 2030’. • In 1992 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993.
Asiatic Cheetah relocation
• By the end of the year 2021, India will receive its first shipment of the cheetahs from Africa. • As part of the programme, two experts, one from Namibia and the other from South Africa the two countries with the highest cheetah populations in the world, will arrive to train Indian forest officers and wildlife experts. • This is the first time in the world that a large carnivore will be relocated from one continent to another. • It was declared extinct by the Indian government in 1952. • Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change set up an expert committee under the chairmanship of Wildlife Trust of India board member Dr M K Ranjitsinh to complete an assessment of the sites for relocation. • As part of the programme, six sites, which had previously been assessed in 2010, have now been re-assessed by Wildlife Institute of India. • They include Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve and Shergarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kuno National Park, Madhav National Park and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. • Of these six sites, the expert committee has identified Kuno National Park of Madhya Pradesh as being ready for the relocation. • The site has been monitored since 2006 as it had also been identified for relocating the Asiatic Lion. • It is not the first time that India has attempted a relocation of the cheetah as in early 1970s, Dr M K Ranjitsinh carried out negotiations with Iran on behalf of the Indira Gandhi administration. Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020)
In news: IRV2020 program has been completed recently.
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What is it?
• IRV is a collaborative effort between various organisations, including the International Rhino Foundation, Assam’s Forest Department, Bodoland Territorial Council, WWF-India, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. • IRV2020 was established in 2005. • Moving Rhinos to ecologically (Wild-to-wild translocations) similar but distant areas to ensure species survival is an essential part of the programme. • The goal of IRV2020 was to increase the rhino population in Assam to 3,000 by establishing populations in new areas by 2020. • It intends to spread them over seven of the state’s protected areas: Kaziranga, Pobitora, Orang national park, Manas national park, Laokhowa wildlife sanctuary, Burachapori wildlife sanctuary and Dibru Saikhowa wildlife sanctuary.
About the greater one-horned rhino (or “Indian rhino”)-
• Scientific name:Rhinoceros unicornis • It is the largest of the rhino species. • It is identified by a single black horn about 8-25 inches long and a grey-brown hide with skin folds, which gives it an armor-plated appearance. • Habitat: Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable • Current Population: Around 3700 • Globally, rhinoceros unicornis has been listed in CITES Appendix I • WPA 1972: Schedule – I
Voluntary Vehicle scrapping policy
In news: Voluntary Vehicle scrapping policy has been announced recently.
Key features of the policy- • The policy aims to take old, polluting vehicles off the roads and send them to the scrapyard. • It provides for fitness tests after 20 years for personal vehicles while commercial vehicles would require it after the completion of 15 years. • There are four major components of the policy. • Apart from rebates, there are provisions of green taxes and other levies on old polluting vehicles. • The revenue collected through the green tax which is a rate of 10-25 percent of road tax will be utilised for tackling pollution. • As per the policy these vehicles will be required to undergo mandatory fitness and pollution tests in automated facilities. • Automated facilities will be set up under public private partnership (PPP) mode while the government will assist private partners and state governments for scrapping centres. • The policy also provides for penalties on those who are driving such vehicles and fail to pass automated tests. • Initially about one crore polluting vehicles would go for scrapping.
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World Wildlife Day
• The day is observed every year on March 3, to celebrate the world's flora and fauna, and to raise awareness about animals going extinct. • This year, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted that the government is "working on reintroduction of Cheetah, which went extinct in 1952”. • In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 3 March – the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973 (March 3rd) as UN World Wildlife Day. • This year's theme is 'Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet’. Panel to recommend norms to cut trees
In news: Supreme Court said that a seven-member expert committee to recommend policy guidelines for cutting of trees for developmental projects is set up.
About seven-member Panel-
• The order came in a matter pertaining to felling of trees of ages upto 150 years for Road Over Bridges and road widening projects in West Bengal. • The Panel will be headed by M K Ranjitsinh Jwala, wildlife expert and former Chairman of the Wildlife Trust of India. • SC asked the panel to submit its recommendations within four weeks from the date of its first meeting. • Panel while recommending policy guidelines can prescribe a mechanism for assessment of both intrinsic and instrumental value of the trees, based not only on the value of timber, but also the ecosystem services rendered by the trees. • The guidelines shall also mandate rules regarding alternate routes/sites for roads/projects, and possibilities for using alternate modes of transport like railways or water-ways. • Prescribe the mode of compensation financial and otherwise, and the process that governs the computation and recovery.
India: Transforming to a net-zero emissions energy system report
In news: Recently, TERI and Shell released the India: Transforming to a net-zero emissions energy system report.
Key highlights of the report-
• The report says that Net-zero emissions in India’s energy systems by 2050 is possible yet challenging. • However, India needs a suitable policy and innovation driven context to deploy clean energy technologies on a massive scale. • India requires more and faster deployment of large-scale solar, wind and hydro power to enable greater electrification across the country. • It also requires the development of new fuels, such as liquid biofuels and biogas, as well as hydrogen produced from electrolysis. • The carbon removals (from technology and nature-based solutions) will have a critical role in moving towards zero emissions. • It has recommended to improve energy intensity per unit of GDP by almost 60% by 2050, a rate of improvement nearly twice the historical levels.
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• It has recommended to adopt economic mechanisms, such as carbon trading and/or pricing to facilitate reallocation of capital and resources to support commercialization of new fuels and technologies.
IUCN Status of African Elephant
In news: The African forest elephant is now listed as Critically Endangered and the African savanna elephant as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
New Assessments by the IUCN-
• In 2000, scientists recategorized the African elephant species into two distinct species, the larger being the African savanna elephant and the smaller being the African forest elephant. • The persistent pressures are faced by the two species of elephants in Africa due to poaching for ivory and human encroachment. • Previously IUCN had treated both elephants together which it considered as “vulnerable”. • The IUCN data showed that the populations of Africa’s savanna elephants decreased by at least 60% over the last 50 years. • Number of forest elephants found mostly in Central Africa had fallen by 86% over 31 years. • Combined, around 415,000 of two species of elephants in Africa remain. • Despite the overall decline, some populations of forest elephants were rebounding due to successful conservation measures such as those taken by Gabon and Republic of Congo. • IUCN’s latest assessment has assessed 134,425 species of plants, fungi and animals of which more than a quarter are threatened with extinction.
Difference between Asian and African Elephants-
• African elephants have much larger ears that look sort of like the continent of Africa, while Asian elephants have smaller, round ears. • African elephants have rounded heads, while Asian elephants have a twin-domed head, which means there’s a divot line running up the head. • Both male and female African elephants can have tusks, but only male Asian elephants can grow them.
Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve
In news: Recently, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court ordered notice to the Centre and the State in a petition that sought direction to the authorities concerned to collect and dispose of ‘ghost nets’ from the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve.
About Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve-
• The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is a protected area of India consisting of 21 small islands (islets) and adjacent coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar in the Indian Ocean. • It lies 1 to 10 km away from the east coast of Tamil Nadu, India for 160 km between Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) and Dhanushkodi. • Mangroves dominate the intertidal zones of the park islands which consist of species of the genera Rhizophora, Avicennia, Bruguiera, Ceriops and Lumnitzera. • The flowering herb Pemphis acidula (family Lythraceae) is the only endemic plant species. • The dugong, a vulnerable marine mammal, is the flagship mammal of the park. 27 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• It is an important habitat for the cetaceans- Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, finless porpoise, spinner dolphin, common dolphin, Risso's dolphin, melon-headed whale, and dwarf sperm whale.
Gir sanctuary
In news: According to the Tourism Minister, there has been an increase in the number of hotels and resorts in and around Gir sanctuary.
About Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary-
• Near to Talala Gir, it is located 43 km north-east of Somnath, 65 km south-east of Junagadh and 60 km south-west of Amreli. • It has dry deciduous forests. • The seven major perennial rivers of the Gir region are Hiran, Shetrunji, Datardi, Shingoda, Machhundri, Godavari and Raval. • The Government notified the large geographical extent of Sasan Gir as a wildlife sanctuary on 18th September, 1965 in order to conserve the Asiatic Lion. • From a population of approximately 20 lions in 1913, they have risen to a comfortable 523 lions according to the 2015 census. • Apart from Lions, it is also home to Sambar, Chowsinga, Jackal, Fox, 200 species of birds, 40 species of reptiles and amphibians. • Teak bearing areas are mainly in the eastern portion of the forest, which constitutes nearly half of the total area. • Also found here are ber, jamun, babul (acacia), flame of the forest, zizyphus, tendu and dhak. • The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) approved the Asiatic Lion Conservation Project for 2018-21. • The Asiatic Lion, endemic to the Gir landscape of Gujarat, is one of the 21 critically endangered species identified by the Ministry for taking up recovery programmes.
Keibul Lamjao National Park
• Situated in the state of Manipur, spread across 40 sq.km. • The Park is the only floating national park in the world. • Phumdi is a mat of organic matter in which reeds and grasses grow, often up to 15ft or more. • In the 1950s, though it was believed that the Brow-antlered deer had become extinct in the country, it was subsequently re-discovered in Manipur. • By 1975 only a dozen or so animals remained on phumdis in Manipur’s Loktak Lake located within the boundaries of the Park. • It is subdivided into phumdi arupa (sinking) and phumdi ataoba (floating).
Brow-antlered Deer (Rucervus Eldii Eldii)-
• The brow-antlered deer, or Sangai is the state animal of Manipur. • Marked by a small tail, the animal’s coat is a dark reddish brown during winter months and it becomes a much lighter shade in summer. • Native to Cambodia, China, India, Laos and Myanmar, these animals were earlier spread widely across habitats in south and south-east Asia. • The deer’s habitat has varied from shrubland and grassland to dry forests and marshland, depending on the country they’re found in. • The brow-antlered deer usually consumes grass. • It was during the British Raj that indiscriminate hunting first led to the extermination of the
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sangai from most areas. • In 1951, it was reported extinct, but British tea planter and naturalist Edward Pritchard Gee rediscovered it in 1953. • While the habitats have been encroached for grazing, cultivation, and fish farming, the animals are highly threatened by a hydro-electric project in the lake.
Lion-tailed Macaque • Endemic to rainforests of the Western Ghats, the Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca Silenus) is an Endangered species, according to the IUCN assessment. • It is a primate endemic to small and severely fragmented rainforests of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. • Lion-tailed macaques are listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). • It is a Schedule 1 species under WPA, 1972 and thereby, accorded the highest protection under the Indian law. • Lion-tailed macaques play an important role in the ecosystem they live, as they disperse seeds of fruits and plants they consume. • The Lion-tailed Macaque is considered to be omnivorous, eating mainly fruit, insects, eggs as well as small animals on occasion.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)-
• It is also known as the Washington Convention. • It is legally binding on the Parties, but it does not take the place of national laws. • Aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild. • It classifies plants and animals according to three categories-
• Appendix I: It lists species that are in danger of extinction and prohibits their commercial trade except in extraordinary situations for scientific or educational reasons. • Appendix II: They are those that are not threatened with extinction but that might suffer a serious decline in number if trade is not restricted. Their trade is regulated by permit. • Appendix III: They are protected in at least one country that is a CITES member state and that has petitioned others for help in controlling international trade in that species.
In addition CITES also restricts trade in items made from such plants and animals, such as food, clothing, medicine, and souvenirs.
Kharai Camels
In news: Rapid industrialisation in Gujarat threatens the mangroves that kharai camels and their nomadic herders depend on.
About Kharai Camels-
• Their name is derived from the local word khara, meaning saline. • Kutch, a coastal region of Gujarat, which is also a large desert land, has two camel breeds - one is the popular Kutchi breed and the other, the Kharai breed, native to the region.
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• The Kharai breed has the special ability to survive on both dry land and in the sea, making it an ecotonal breed. • The Kharai camel is probably the only domesticated breed of camel that lives in dual ecosystems. • National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) has certified the breed as the ninth camel breed found in India. • Kharai camels are known to feed on mangroves on the island off shores and to eat this salty marine food, they sometimes swim for hours. • Their gently padded hooves help them navigate the wet and salty coastal land with ease and they can swim up to three kilometres. • They are also known as dariyataru (meaning sea-swimmer). • As per latest counting, the state has 6,200 camels. • Industries in Kutch - salt, thermal power, cement and shipyards pose a huge threat to the dwindling mangroves. • IUCN status: Endangered
QCI survey on water bodies
In news: As per the QCI survey, around 28 percent of the government-owned waterbodies in the Ganga basin are dried up.
About the survey- • It was conducted by the Quality Council of India (QCI), an autonomous body established by the Government of India in partnership with ASSOCHAM, CII and FICCI. • Purpose of the survey was to do a 100 percent mapping of all government-owned water bodies in Ganga districts for improvement and rejuvenation. • The survey covered ponds, tanks, and lakes in the Ganga river basin in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal. • The team studied 578 water bodies and found that 411 were surrounded by human settlements. • The findings show that 16 percent of the water bodies in the Ganga basin were eutrophic, and only 56 per cent were functional.
Following are the statewise findings of the survey-
• In Jharkhand about 96 per cent of the water bodies don’t have any type of function while 85 per cent are surrounded by solid waste. • In UP, 53 per cent of functional water bodies were found to be not turbid and 48 per cent of water bodies had solid waste around them. • Ghazipur district has the maximum number of functional water while Bhadohi District has a maximum number of eutrophic water bodies. • In Bihar out of the 39 water bodies assessed, 31 per cent have dried up, 31 per cent were eutrophic, while 38 per cent were functional in the state. • In Uttarakhand the team assessed 10 water bodies out of which 5 had dried up, 3 were functional while 2 were eutrophic in the state. • In West Bengal about 90 per cent of the assessed water bodies don’t have any fencing and 63 per cent have solid waste around them.
CSR amendment rules 2021
In news: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has amended the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014, thus giving effect to the changes introduced in CSR by the Companies Amendment Acts of 2019 and 2020. 30 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
Key Changes- • This would be applicable for three financial years - 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, subject to certain conditions. • The amended rules require that any corporation with a CSR obligation of Rs 10 crore or more for the three preceding financial years would be required to hire an independent agency to conduct an impact assessment of their entire project with outlays of Rs 1 crore or more. • Companies will be allowed to count 5 percent of the CSR expenditure for the year up to Rs 50 lakh on impact assessment towards CSR expenditure. • Contributions to incubators or R&D projects in the field of science, technology, engineering and medicine, funded by the central or state governments or any agency of the government would be considered as CSR. • Contributions to public funded universities, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), national laboratories and autonomous bodies established under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Department of Pharmaceuticals would also come under the CSR ambit. • Further, the relaxation would be applicable for national laboratories and autonomous bodies under the Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. • According to him, the amended policy is now a boon to companies which in their ordinary course of business are engaged in activities included in CSR rules, such as promoting education, protection of national heritage and promoting sports. • This would imply that expenditure towards these activities can be claimed under CSR provisions even though incurred in the ordinary course of business by companies.
Mahendragiri biosphere reserve
In news: Recently, the state government of Odisha has proposed a second biosphere reserve (BR) in the southern part of the state at Mahendragiri.
About Mahendragiri biosphere reserve-
• Similipal Biosphere Reserve is Odisha’s first such reserve and was notified May 20, 1996. • Mahendragiri BR is around 470,955 hectares and is spread over Gajapati and Ganjam districts in the Eastern Ghats. • This ecosystem acts as a transitional zone between the flora and fauna of southern India and the Himalayas, making the region an ecological estuary of genetic diversities. • Once the protected archeological remains of Mahendragiri were listed in the tentative list of Unesco World Heritage Sites • It is inhabited by the Soura people, a particularly vulnerable tribal group as well as the Kandha tribe. • The rich flora in Mahendragiri represents 40 percent of the reported flora of Odisha, with around 1,358 species of plants. • The faunal diversity of the hills consists of 388 species of animals, including 27 species of mammals, 165 species of birds, 23 species of snakes, 15 species of amphibians, three species of turtles and 19 lizards.
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Soura people-
• They are a Munda ethnic group from eastern India. • They live in Gajapati, Rayagada and Bargarh districts of Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh. • They are known by various names such as Savara, Sabara, Sora, and Soura. • The Souras speak Sora, a Munda language. • They practice shifting cultivation, with a few gradually taking up settled agriculture.
Manas National Park
In news: Melanistic Rhesus Macaque(Macaca Mulatta) was sighted for the first time in the Manas National Park.
Key updates-
• The adult female melanistic Rhesus macaque was observed by the team of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) jointly with the Forest Department in March 2021. • This phenomenon is rare in the wild population and photographic evidence has been recorded for the first time.
About the Manas National Park-
• Manas National Park of Assam gets its name from the River Manas, which flows through the reserve and is also the major tributary of Brahmaputra River. • Before 1928, Manas National Park was a reserve forest called Manas R.F. and North Kamrup R.F. • Manas was originally a game reserve since 1928 and became a Tiger Reserve in 1974, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and a Biosphere Reserve in 1989 and then was declared as a National Park in 1990. • The park is contiguous with the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal, and in 2003 it was declared part of the Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve which serves as the international corridor for elephant migration between India and Bhutan • Considered one of the world's rarest simian species, the golden langur was first spotted in Manas in the mid-20th Century. • The combination of Sub-Himalayan Bhabar Terai, Assam Valley Semi-Evergreen Alluvial Grasslands and the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests makes Manas National Park one of the richest biodiversity in India. • The park is known for the rare species of animals like the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, and pygmy hog. • It is also home to the largest population of the endangered Bengal florican in the world. • Manas is very rich in the population of Royal Bengal Tigers.
Global Wind report, 2021
In news: According to a new report by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the world’s capacity to generate electricity from wind jumped 53 per cent in 2020.
Key findings of the report- 32 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• The global wind industry installed a record 93 GW of new capacity in 2020 – a 53% year-on-year increase, showing strong resilience in the face of COVID-19. • However, the report warns that the world needs to install new wind power capacity three times faster over the next decade to achieve global climate targets. • As per the report, all of the 32.2 GW year-on-year increase came from onshore wind markets. • Total global wind power capacity is now up to 743 GW, helping the world to avoid over 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2 annually equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of South America. • The growth was driven by a surge of installations in China and the US – the world’s two largest wind power markets, who together installed 75 percent of the new installations in 2020.
Top 5 Onshore Wind Markets for New Capacity in 2020 are- 1. China – 48,940 MW 2. US – 16,913 MW 3. Brazil – 2,297 MW 4. Norway – 1,532 MW 5. Germany – 1,431 MW
India has been ranked 9th with 1,119 MW capacity.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS High Speed Rail - China near Arunachal Border
In news: Tibet's first high-speed train service between provincial capital Lhasa and Nyingchi near the border with Arunachal Pradesh will be operational by the end of June, 2021.
About the High Speed Rail
• A 435-km rail link to the regional capital of Lhasa will run Fuxing high-speed trains powered by both internal combustion and electricity. • It is the first electrified railroad in Tibet and is slated to begin operations in June 2021. • The railway has a designed speed of 160 km per hour. • The Sichuan-Tibet Railway will be the second railway into Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. • China has claimed that the railway will help "transport advanced equipment and technologies from the rest of China to Tibet and bring local products out”. UK Turing scheme
In news: Having left the European Union’s flagship Erasmus scholarship programme after Brexit, the UK launched its own replacement called the Turing scheme to enable UK students to study abroad.
About UK Turing scheme- • The scheme will enable schools, colleges and universities in the UK to apply for government funding to allow students to study and work across the globe, including in India. • It is launched to support the government’s Global Britain objectives. • Funding is open to UK and British Overseas Territories organisations from across the education and training sector through higher education, further or vocational education and training, and schools projects.
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Vaccine Passports • A vaccine passport can broadly be defined as a piece of documentation proving someone has been inoculated against a virus – in this instance, SARS-CoV-2. • It could take the form of a signed and stamped certificate or a Quick Response (QR) code stored on a smartphone. • The documents could become required for a range of activities from international travel to gaining entry to theatres and restaurants. • Several associations and non-profits have been issuing their own versions for international travel. • The International Air Transport Association is developing an app called IATA Travel Pass that will provide airlines and other aviation industry stakeholders with a common platform to check for the proof of vaccination and its validity. • Non-profit Commons Project has been trying out an app called CommonPass, which contains a passenger’s vaccination record. Dustlik Exercise
• ‘DUSTLIK II’ which commenced on March 10, 2021, in Ranikhet (Uttarakhand) is the 2nd edition of the annual bilateral joint exercise of the armies of India and Uzbekistan. • The first edition of the exercise took place in Uzbekistan in November 2019. • The joint army exercise is mainly based on counter-terrorist operations and aims at enhancing the military cooperation between the two countries. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
In news: Duarte Pacheco, President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva, was present in Rajya Sabha recently to observe the proceedings of the House.
About Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)-
• The organization was established in 1889 as the Inter-Parliamentary Congress. • Its founders were statesmen Frédéric Passy of France and William Randal Cremer of the United Kingdom. • It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. • It is one of the oldest and largest international Parliamentary bodies consisting of more than 179 Members, while 13 regional parliamentary assemblies are associate members. • It was instrumental in setting up the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 1899, foundations for the creation of the League of Nations in 1919 and the United Nations in 1945. • Its historic meeting was organized at the Grand Hotel in Paris on 31 October 1888. • Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members. • India has been contributing to the deliberations and outcomes of IPU by being on various Standing Committees, Forums and Advisory Groups of IPU. • In the past, G.S. Dhilon, the then Speaker of Lok Sabha and Dr Najma Heptulla, the then Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha had served as the Presidents of IPU. Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP)
In news: External Affairs Minister recently said that the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project was in the final stages despite delays due to various challenges.
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About KMMTTP-
• It is named after the Kaladan River that flows from the Chin state in Myanmar through India’s North Eastern state of Mizoram to merge into the Bay of Bengal. • This project would allow the North East region, tenuously connected to the mainland through a 21 km Chicken’s Neck corridor in the upper West Bengal and flanked by Nepal and Bhutan, to be easily accessible. • It would reduce the distance of transportation between Kolkata and Sittwe in Myanmar by shortening the route from 1,880 km via the Chicken’s Neck to 930 km. • The multimodal transportation includes cargo movement through three different modes viz. coastal shipping, inland waterway and road transport.
Kaladan River- • The Kaladan River is a river in eastern Mizoram State of India, and in Chin State and Rakhine State of western Myanmar. • The Kaladan River is called the Chhimtuipui River in India. • It forms the international border between India and Myanmar between 22° 47′ 10" N (where its tributary, the Tiau River, joins it) and 22° 11′ 06" N. • Kaladan is Mizoram's largest river and it flows through its southeastern region.
Trilateral Highway Project
In news: Bangladesh has expressed interest to join the ongoing India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway project recently.
About the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway-
• The trilateral highway is expected to help greatly in the transport connectivity which is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by 2021. • It links Moreh (India) - Bagan (Myanmar) - Mae Sot (Thailand). • India has agreed to help build two vital road sections Kalewa-Yagyi of 120 km, and 69 bridges on the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK). • The decision to extend the Trilateral Highway to Lao PDR and Cambodia to help deepen the India-ASEAN Relations was taken at the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit 2012. • The proposed approx 3,200 km (2,000 mi) route from India to Vietnam is known as the East-West Economic Corridor (Thailand to Cambodia and Vietnam became operational in 2015). • This highway will also connect to the river ports being developed along the way at Kalay (also called Kalaymyo) and Monywa on Chindwin River. • The highway is the country's second prime international road project for India, the first being Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) project. • The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been appointed as the technical executing agency and project management consultant for the project.
India-Pakistan Indus Commissioners meeting
In news: Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan met in New Delhi.
Key updates:
• It will be the 1st meeting of Indus Commissioners after a gap of two and a half years. 35 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• The previous meeting of the India-Pakistan Permanent Indus Commission was held in Lahore, Pakistan from August 29-30, 2018. • As per the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, the Commission shall meet regularly at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan. • During the meeting, Pakistan’s objections on design of Indian hydropower projects on Chenab River was discussed.
Indus water treaty 1960:
• It was signed between India and Pakistan and brokered by the World Bank. • The treaty fixed and delimited the rights and obligations of both countries concerning the use of the waters of the Indus River system. • According to the treaty, Beas, Ravi and Sutlej (eastern rivers) are to be governed by India, while, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum (western rivers) are to be taken care by Pakistan. • As per the treaty, all the waters of the Eastern Rivers (Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi) amounting to around 33 million acre feet (MAF) annually is allocated to India for unrestricted use and the waters of Western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab) amounting to around 135 MAF annually largely to Pakistan. • The treaty has given India the right to generate hydroelectricity through a run of the river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation. • It also gives the right to Pakistan to raise concerns on the design of Indian hydroelectric projects on western rivers. • The Treaty also provides an arbitration mechanism to solve disputes amicably. • A Permanent Indus Commission was set up as a bilateral commission to implement and manage the Treaty. The Commission solves disputes arising over water sharing. • It also makes it mandatory for both countries to appoint water commissioners.
India’s hydropower projects in Ladakh:
India has cleared following hydropower projects in Ladakh: Durbuk Shyok (19 MW), Shankoo (18.5 MW), Nimu Chilling (24 MW), Rongdo (12 MW), Ratan Nag (10.5 MW) for Leh, while Mangdum Sangra (19 MW), Kargil Hunderman (25 MW) and Tamasha (12 MW) have been cleared for Kargil.
EU declared as LGBTIQ freedom zone
In news: Recently, the European Parliament has declared the entire 27-member bloc as an “LGBTIQ Freedom Zone”.
European Parliament’s resolution-
• The resolution to declare the bloc as an ‘‘LGBTIQ Freedom Zone’’ was passed by 492 votes in favour, 141 against and 46 abstentions. • The EU Parliament’s move comes as a response against member state Poland’s controversial move to create more than 100 “LGBTIQ ideology-free zones” around the country since 2019. • The resolution declares that "LGBTIQ persons everywhere in the EU should enjoy the freedom to live and publicly show their sexual orientation and gender identity without fear of intolerance, discrimination or persecution". • It adds that "authorities at all levels of governance across the EU should protect and promote equality and the fundamental rights of all, including LGBTIQ persons''.
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A majority of countries in the EU (23/27) recognise same-sex unions, with 16 legally recognising same-sex marriage.
LGBT rights in India-
• In 2018, in the landmark decision of Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, the Supreme Court of India decriminalised consensual homosexual intercourse by reading down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and excluding consensual homosexual sex between adults from its ambit • Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), dating back to 1861, makes sexual activities "against the order of nature" punishable by law and carries a life sentence. • Transgender people in India are allowed to change their legal gender post-sex reassignment surgery under legislation passed in 2019, and have a constitutional right to register themselves under a third gender.
Afghan peace plan and India
In news: Recently, Russia stated that India can eventually join Afghan peace plan.
What is Afghan peace plan/process?
• The Afghan peace plan comprises proposals and negotiations in a bid to end the ongoing war in Afghanistan (between Taliban and the government). • Countries involved in the peace process are - Russia, China, US, India, Pakistan and Iran. • Prior to Russia, the USA had suggested to include India on the table. • USA’s draft peace Plan’s important elements include a Cease-fire, Peace government that would oversee the writing of a new constitution and elections held immediately afterward. • It also includes an independent judiciary that would have the ultimate authority, the High Council for Islamic Jurisprudence would have an advisory role. • Joe Biden’s peace plan has kept open the possibility that the 2500-odd US troops, currently deployed in Afghanistan, might stay on for a while. • The US is pressing the Taliban to accept an immediate agreement to reduce violence for 90 days that will provide the space for the peace initiative. • The US is asking Turkey to convene a meeting of the government in Kabul and the Taliban to finalise a peace settlement. • The US is asking the United Nations to convene a meeting of the foreign ministers from China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, India and the United States to develop a “unified approach” to peace in Afghanistan. • India was the only South Asian country to recognize the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in the 1980s. • Following the withdrawal of the Soviet armed forces from Afghanistan in 1989, India continued to support Najibullah’s government with humanitarian aid. • India’s refrain has been that it wants an Afghan-led, Afghan-controlled and Afghan-owned process. Moscow Conference on Afghan Peace
• Representatives of the five countries, United States, Russia, China, and Pakistan had talks about Afghanistan at Moscow in the conference hall of Russia’s Kremlin palace.
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• The gathering in Moscow is the first of three planned international conferences ahead of a May 1, 2021 deadline for the final withdrawal of the U.S. and NATO, date fixed under a year-old agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban. • The Moscow conference is attended by U.S. peace envoy, head of Afghanistan’s National Reconciliation Council, and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. • Representatives of Pakistan, Iran, and China are also participating. • The Aim of Conference is an effort by regional powers to make peace between the Afghan government and the Taliban. • The group known as the “Troika,” including the U.S., Russia, and China, plus Pakistan, called “on the Taliban not to pursue a Spring offensive,” a major fighting campaign by the Taliban that happens in the spring season of each year. • In a joint statement that stressed that they “do not support the restoration of the Islamic Emirate.” • Russia urged the US to comply with agreements to withdraw its troops from the country by May 1. • Taliban were firm on their demand for an Islamic government, without elaborating on what an Islamic government would look like. Refugee issue with Myanmar
• Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has urged PM Narendra Modi to intervene and allow political asylum to refugees from neighbouring Myanmar. • Myanmar shares a 1,643-km-long border with Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. • After the coup in Myanmar, widespread civil disobedience movements(CDM) are taking place all over Myanmar. • The majority of these people entered India through the international borders in Mizoram and Manipur. • The Mizo people of Mizoram and the Kuki-Zomi communities in Manipur maintain close kinship with the people of Myanmar. • Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued few directives to the State Governments and UTs mentioning that the state governments have no powers to grant ‘refugee’ status to any foreigner. • India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol. • India at present, does not have any separate law to govern refugees and such matters at present dealt with on a case by case basis. Maitri Setu
In news: Recently, the Prime Minister of India inaugurated 'Maitri Setu' between India and Bangladesh.
About Maitri Setu- • The bridge built over the Feni river spanning 1.9 kilometres joins Sabroom of Tripura in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh. • National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd has helmed the construction of the bridge at a project cost of Rs.133 crore. • With this inauguration, Tripura is set to become the ‘Gateway of North East’ with access to Chittagong Port of Bangladesh, which is just 80 km from Sabroom.
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Feni river-
• It is a trans-boundary river with an ongoing dispute about water rights. • It originates in South Tripura district and flows through Sabroom town and then enters Bangladesh.
Kaman Aman Setu-
• Aman Setu was damaged by the October 8, 2005 earthquake when a mountain on the Pakistani side caved in. • The rebuilt Aman Setu bridge on the Line of Control (LoC) was inaugurated in 2006.
Indo-Korea Friendship Park
In news: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of National Defence of South Korea Suh Wook inaugurated the Indo-Korean Bilateral Friendship Park in Delhi cantonment, on 26 March 2021.
About Indo-Korea Friendship Park- • The park has been built to commemorate the contribution of Indian peacekeeping force during the Korean war of 1950-53. • Park includes an entrance gate made in Korean style, a jogging track, well landscaped garden and an amphitheatre. • Developed in joint consultation with the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, Indian Army, Delhi Cantonment Board, Embassy of Korea and Korean War Veterans Association of India. • One of the pillars in the park encompasses Rabindranath Tagore’s narration of Korea as “The Lamp of the East” which was published in Korean daily “Dong-A-ilbo” in 1929.
India’s Role In Korean war 1950-53-
• India under Nehru was involved in negotiating peace in the Korean peninsula by engaging all the major stakeholders – US, USSR and China. • In late 1952, the Indian resolution on Korea was adopted at the UN with unanimous non-Soviet support. • But the resolution recognized without the Soviets support failed. • Despite the rough international political climate, India succeeded in building consensus which precipitated in the “Armistice Agreement”. • Follow-up actions to the Armistice Agreement was the establishment of a Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission (NNRC). • UN Command led by an Englishman and a Custodian Force from India (headed by Lt.Gen Thimayya) was also deployed in the inter-Korean border. • NNRC’s tenure ended in early 1954, and the Indian forces were praised internationally for executing the tough stabilising operations successfully. • At the end of its work, the NNRC was left with over 80 prisoners of war who didn’t want to go to either of the Koreas. • As an interim arrangement, Nehru decided to grant them abode in India until the UN directive on their request was pronounced.
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GEOGRAPHY Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project
In news: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been strongly demanding national project status for the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).
About ERCP:
• ERCP is planned to harvest surplus yield available in the Southern Rajasthan rivers and transfer to deficit basins in South-Eastern Rajasthan. • Under the project the surplus water in the sub basins of Kunnu, Kul, Parvati, Kalisindh and Mej rivers received during monsoon has to be carried to the sub basin of Banas, Morel, Banganga, Gambhir and Parbati rivers. • ERCP is planned to meet the drinking water needs of the 13 districts of Southern & South Eastern Rajasthan for Humans and Livestock till year 2051. • The project will help to irrigate nearly 2.8 lakh hectares of land through 26 different large and medium projects. • It will take care of Flood/ Drought situations in the area. • Would also boost the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) in Alwar district and generate employment for youths of the state. • The Project will be executed in three phases. o The first phase of the project will extend from Galway Dam to Dholpur, o The second phase will extend from Galway to Bisalpur-Isarda, o The third phase will extend from Galway to Alwar • Proposed to be completed by 2023. • In the project with national project status the funding pattern is 90:10. • Current Status is 60% by the Centre and 40% by the state.
Cauvery - Vaigai – Gundar river interlinking project
In news: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the Cauvery-South Vellar-Vaigai-Gundar intra-State river-link project.
Cauvery–Vaigai Link Canal: • The Cauvery – Vaigai - Gundar link is an integral part of the Peninsular Rivers Development component under the National Perspective Plan proposals. • Tamil Nadu state government started this project linking Kaveri and Vaigai rivers which would benefit during the drier seasons. • Project involves construction of a 60-kilometre long canal from Mayanur in Karur district to link river Kaveri with Vaigai. • National Water Development Agency, the gravity canal will provide water for irrigating an additional area of 3.38 lakh hectares and for domestic and industrial water supply. • The Cauvery – Vaigai - Gundar link project lies entirely in Tamil Nadu State. Mythical Saraswati River
In news: The Centre has reconstituted an advisory committee to chalk out a plan for studying the mythical Saraswati river for the next two years, after the earlier panel’s term ended in 2019.
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Composition of the panel- • The committee will be chaired by the Culture Minister. • Include officials from the Culture, Tourism, Water Resources, Environment and Forest, Housing and Urban Affairs Ministries; representatives of the ISRO, officials from the governments of Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan and an ASI official. Saraswati River-
• Originated from Kapal tirith in the Himalayas in the west of Kailash. • The river flowed through Haryana, Rajasthan and North Gujarat and through Pakistan before meeting Western Sea through Rann of Kutch. • The Sarasvati River is an extinct river mentioned in the Rig Veda and later Vedic and post-Vedic texts. • The Sarasvati is considered by Hindus to exist in a metaphysical form, in which it formed a confluence with the sacred rivers Ganges and Yamuna, at the Triveni Sangam. • Book 6 of the Rig Veda includes hymn praises of the Saraswati as being “perfect mother, unsurpassed river, supreme goddess”. Mullaperiyar Dam
In news: The Supreme court has ordered Mullaperiyar Dam Supervisory Committee to issue directions on issues concerning the dam's safety.
About Mullaperiyar Dam-
• It is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar river, located 881 m above mean sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala. • It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick and also reached an agreement to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area. • The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dam's reservoir. • The dam is built at the confluence of Mullayar and Periyar rivers. • The dam is operated and maintained by the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. • The catchment area of the Mullaperiyar Dam itself lies entirely in Kerala and thus not an inter- State river. • Lease agreement was renewed in the 1970s by both Tamil Nadu and Kerala, giving the former rights to the land and water from the dam, authority to develop hydropower projects at the site and Kerala would receive rent from Tamil Nadu. • The Central Water Commission recommended lowering the water stored in the dam’s reservoir to 136 feet from 142 feet. • In 2012, however, an Apex court-appointed committee stated that the dam was “structurally and hydrologically safe” and that the Tamil Nadu government could raise water levels up to 142 feet. • In 2014, the Supreme Court had also directed the Centre and the governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to set up three panels to prepare a contingency plan in case of a disaster. • In the direction of SC, in 2018, the Dam Supervisory Committee headed by A M Khanwilkar was formed. Mount Sinabung
In news: Mount Sinabung of Indonesia erupted and sent a cloud of hot ash as high as 3 km.
About Mount Sinabung volcano:
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• It is located in Karo Highlands in North Sumatra, Indonesia. • This mountain sits on the Sunda Arc of the subduction zone of the Indo-Australian plate under the Eurasian plate. • It is a pleistocene-to-holocene era stratovolcano, and it had been dormant for about 400 years until 29 August 2010. • This volcano is among the 120 other active volcanoes in the country that are located on the Ring of Fire, which is an arc of volcanoes and fault lines that is encircling the Pacific Ocean. • It is the only volcano that is currently on level 4 alert and is considered, by global experts, to be highly dangerous. • Sinabung has four overlapping summit craters aligned along a N-S direction. Discovery of Most Distant Quasar
In news: Recently, a team of astronomers have discovered the most distant ‘radio-loud’ quasar with the help of European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT).
What are Quasars and significance of recent findings: • Quasars are very luminous objects in faraway galaxies that emit jets at radio frequencies. • Quasars are formed by the energy emitted by materials spiralling around a blackhole right before being sucked into it. • However, 90 percent of them do not emit strong radio waves, making this newly-discovered one special. • Named P172+18, the quasar emitted wavelengths which had a redshift of 6.8. • The three other ‘radio-loud’ sources with redshift greater than six have been discovered so far and the most distant one had a redshift of 6.18. • The higher the redshift of the radio wavelength, the farther away is the source. • The recently discovered quasar appears to the scientists as it was when the universe was just around 780 million years old. Crisis of Helium in India
• India imports the majority of helium for its domestic needs but the U.S appears to cut off exports of helium from 2021. • Helium (He) is an inert gas of Group 18 (noble gases) of the periodic table. • The second lightest element helium is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that becomes liquid at −268.9 °C (−452 °F). • It constitutes about 23 percent of the mass of the universe and is thus second in abundance to hydrogen in the cosmos. • The boiling and freezing points of helium are lower than those of any other known substance. • Helium is the only element that cannot be solidified by sufficient cooling at normal atmospheric pressure. • Helium is concentrated in stars, where it is synthesized from hydrogen by nuclear fusion. • Helium occurs in Earth’s atmosphere, in small amounts in radioactive minerals, meteoric iron, and mineral springs and also found as a component (up to 7.6 percent) in natural gases in the United States. • Smaller supplies have been discovered in Algeria, Australia, Poland, Qatar, and Russia. • It is used in medicine, scientific research, for blimp inflation, party balloons as well as in welding applications, in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, in rockets and in nuclear reactors.
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NITI Aayog’s Proposal for Little Andaman • NITI Aayog has devised a plan named the Sustainable Development of Little Andaman Island Vision Document for the sustainable and holistic development of the 680 sq km of fragile Little Andaman Island. • The Plan is to build a new greenfield coastal city, that will be developed as a free trade zone and will compete with Singapore and Hong Kong. • The development is divided in three zones - Zone 1 is spread over 102 sq km alongside the east coast of Little Andaman, Zone 2 is spread over 85 sq km of pristine forest and Zone 3 is spread over 52 sq km of pristine forest. • It shall be a nature zone, additionally categorized into three districts - an unique forest resort, a nature therapeutic district and a nature retreat, all on the western coast. • As per Supreme Court notifications on protection of tribal population 640 sq km of the island is Reserve Forest under the Indian Forest Act, and nearly 450 sq km is protected as the Onge Tribal Reserve.
China's green light for first downstream dams on Brahmaputra In news: Recently, China has given a green signal for first downstream dams on Brahmaputra.
Key updates-
• A draft of China’s new Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), has given the green light for the first dams to be built on the lower reaches of Yarlung Zangbo river, as the Brahmaputra is known in Tibet, before it flows into India. • The objective is to build hydropower bases on the lower reaches of the river. • State-owned hydropower company POWERCHINA had signed “a strategic cooperation agreement” with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government. • The plan also proposes to have “clean energy bases” in the upper and lower reaches of the Jinsha river in western China. • In 2015, China operationalized its first hydropower project at Zangmu in Tibet, while three other dams at Dagu, Jiexu and Jiacha are being developed, all on the upper and middle reaches of the river.
Tulip garden of Srinagar
In news: Asia’s largest tulip garden overlooking the famous Dal Lake in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir was thrown open to the public.
About Tulip garden of Srinagar-
• Formerly known as Siraj Bagh, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden was opened in 2008 by then chief minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state Ghulam Nabi Azad. • The garden is spread over 30 hectares in the foothills of snow-clad Zabarwan range. • It has nearly 15 lakh flowers of more than 64 varieties. • Apart from tulips, other species of flowers found are hyacinths, daffodils and ranunculus. • Garden is built on a sloping ground in a terraced fashion consisting of seven terraces. • Tulip festival is an annual celebration that aims to showcase the range of flowers in the garden as a part of tourism efforts by the State Government. • It is organized during the onset of spring season in Kashmir valley.
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About Zabarwan Range-
• Is a Sub-mountain range between Pir Panjal and Great Himalayan Range, located in the central part of the Kashmir Valley. • The highest peak of this range is Mahadev Peak at 13,013 feet (3,966 m). • The Shankaracharya Temple is built on the edge of the central part of the Zabarwan Range. • Dachigam National Park holds the last viable population of Kashmir stag (Hangul), and also has the largest population of black bear in Asia. • On Northern slopes of the central part of the Zabarwan Range there are three Mughal gardens built by Emperor Shah Jahan as Chashma Shahi, Nishat Bagh, and Shalimar Garden alongside the Pari Mahal.
Maritime choke points of Indian Ocean
• Maritime choke points are naturally narrow channels of shipping having high traffic because of their strategic locations. • Indian Ocean has some of the world’s most important choke points, notably the Straits of Hormuz, Malacca, and the Bab-el Mandeb. • These choke points are strategically important for global trade and energy flow, the security of them become strategically important. • According to a recent analysis of global conflicts by the Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research, altogether 42% of world conflicts can be associated with Indian Ocean countries.
Seven famous maritime chokepoints around the world are-
1. The Malacca strait in the Indian Ocean. 2. The Gulf of Hormuz in the Middle-east. 3. The Suez Canal linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. 4. The Panama Canal linking the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean. 5. The Strait of Bosporus (Turkish Strait) linking the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea. 6. The three Danish Straits linking the Baltic Sea with the North Sea. 7. The Strait of Bab el-Mandeb form a gateway for vessels to pass through the Suez Canal, through the east coast of Africa.
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Requirements for international driving permits amended:
In news: The Central Motor Vehicles (First Amendment) Rules, 2021 were notified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The amendments include the following:
• These amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 to change the requirements to obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP). • Currently, an application for an IDP must include several documents such as valid driving license, proof of Indian nationality, proof of passport, visa proof, and a medical certificate among others. • The amendment removes the requirement of the medical certificate and visa proof. • Application fee for an IDP has been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. • Currently, an applicant has to specify in their application form if he has been disqualified for obtaining a driving license, and the reasons for such disqualification. • The amendment adds that the applicant must specify if he has been barred from driving in that country, along with the reasons for the same.
International Driving Permit-
• International Driving Permit will be issued to an applicant who holds a valid Indian Licence and who is a resident of India. • The application shall be made in Form 2 or in writing to the RTO within whose jurisdiction the applicant resides, specifying the countries to be visited and the duration of stay etc...
GOVERNANCE National Commission for Scheduled Castes
In news: A former Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment and ex-BJP MP, Vijay Sampla, took charge as chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).
About National Commission for Scheduled Castes: • NCSC is a constitutional body that works to safeguard the interests of the scheduled castes in India. • Article 338 of the constitution of India deals with this commission. • The Constitution provided for the appointment of a Special Officer under Article 338, designated as the Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. • The 65th Amendment Act, 1990 replaced the one-member system with a multi-member National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. • The 89th Amendment Act, 2003 replaced this Commission with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes from 2004. • It is composed of the Chairman, Vice-chairman and three other members. Functions- • Monitoring and investigating all issues concerning the safeguards provided for the SCs under the
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constitution. • Enquiring into complaints relating to the deprivation of the rights and safeguards of the SCs. • Taking part in and advising the central or state governments with respect to the planning of socio- economic development of the SCs. • Regular reporting to the President of the country on the implementation of these safeguards. • Recommending steps to be taken to further the socio-economic development and other welfare activities of the SCs. • Any other function with respect to the welfare, protection, development and advancement of the SC community.
Its recommendation is not binding.
Appointment of Regular CBI Director
In news: The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre on a plea seeking appointment of a regular Director for the CBI in accordance with the provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)-
• The CBI is the main investigating agency of the GOI. • It is not a statutory body though it derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. • Its important role is to prevent corruption and maintain integrity in administration. • CBI is exempted from Right to Information (RTI) Act similar to National Investigation Agency (NIA), National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid), etc. • CBI is headed by a Director, an IPS (Indian Police Service) officer of the rank of Director General of Police. • The director is selected based on the CVC Act, 2003 for two years-term. • It works under the supervision of the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) in matters pertaining to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. • The Central Government can authorize CBI to investigate cases in any state with the consent of the concerned state. • The Supreme Court and High Courts can also order the CBI to investigate without state’s consent. • The Central Government shall appoint the Director of CBI on the recommendation of a three- member committee consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India or Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him (change made by Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act (2013)). • As per Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Act, 2014, where there is no recognized leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, then the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha would be a member of that committee. V-Dem Institute's Democracy Report
In news: The fifth annual democracy report by Sweden’s V-Dem Institute, titled ‘Autocratisation goes viral’, has downgraded India from “the world’s largest democracy” to an “electoral autocracy”.
About 2020 report- • V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) produced the largest dataset on democracy with almost 30 million data points for 202 countries from 1789 to 2020. 46 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• India holds 90th position in the democratic countries list. • Denmark stands on top. • Hungary is now classed as an electoral authoritarian regime. • Major G20 nations and all regions of the world are part of the “third wave of autocratization”. • While India’s score was at an all-time high at 0.57 (on a scale of 0-1) in 2013, it had declined to 0.34 by the end of 2020- a loss of 23 percentage points in seven years. • India is, in this aspect (censorship) now as autocratic as is Pakistan, and worse than both its neighbors Bangladesh and Nepal. • Report notes that civil society is being increasingly muzzled while organisations aligned with the “Hindutva movement” have gained freedom. • The world is now left with 87 electoral and liberal democracies. World's Highest Rail Bridge
In news: ‘Marvel in Making'- Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had tweeted on the world's highest rail bridge arch on Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir.
About the Bridge-
• The 476 metre-long steel arch is set to be the "world's highest" railway bridge in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. • It surpassed the record of the Beipan river Shuibai railway bridge (275 m) in China. • The arch bridge is a part railway project connecting Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of the country. • The ₹1,250-crore bridge will be 359 metres above the Chenab river bed. • The overall length of the bridge is 1,315 metres. • Construction of the first three phases of the project has been completed and the line is in operational use for running of trains between Baramulla-Banihal in Kashmir valley and Jammu- Udhampur-Katra in Jammu region. • Three agencies, IRCON, KRCL and Northern Railway with extensive experience in the construction of rail lines are involved in this project. • Railway bridge will be able to withstand up to 8 magnitude earthquakes and high-intensity blasts. • It will be at a height 35 meters more than the Eiffel Tower in Paris and at five times the height of the Qutub Minar in Delhi. Voluntary Code of Ethics
In news: Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on behalf of its members has agreed to observe the “Voluntary Code of Ethics” during all future elections including the ongoing General Elections to the Haryana & Maharashtra legislative assemblies.
About Voluntary Code of Ethics-
• All the major social media platforms and IAMAI came together and mutually devised this “Voluntary Code of Ethics” for the General Elections 2019. • Voluntary Code of Ethics came into immediate effect on 20th March, 2019. • During the 17th Loksabha election period (2019), social media platforms took action on 909 violative cases, reported by the ECI. • Social Media platforms will voluntarily undertake information, education and communication campaigns to build awareness including electoral laws and other related instructions.
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• Social Media platforms created a dedicated grievance redressal channel for taking expeditions action on the cases reported by the ECI. • Accordingly, ECI can notify the relevant platforms of potential violations of Section 126 of the R.P. Act, 1951 and other electoral laws. • Platforms will ensure that all political advertisements on their platforms are pre-certified from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committees.
IAMAI- • The Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is a not-for-profit industry body registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. • It represents the interests of the online and mobile value added services industry . • Its mandate is to expand and enhance the online and mobile value added services sectors. • It is dedicated to present a unified voice of the businesses it represents to the government, investors, consumers and other stakeholders.
Olympics 2048 bidding by New Delhi
In news: Recently, the Delhi government pledged to launch a bid for the 2048 Olympic Games to mark 100 years of India’s independence.
Key updates-
• A vision has been provided in the budget that the 2048 Olympic Games should be held in Delhi • In the last decade, India has considered hosting the sporting extravaganza twice- it first pitched itself for the 2024 Olympics, with Delhi and Ahmedabad as possible candidates. • In 2018, then Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis pitched Mumbai as a potential host for the 2032 Games. • An International Olympic Committee (IOC) gets into discussions with the cities interested to host the Games. • The panel vets the bids and engages with the governments and other stakeholders of the interested countries. • Based on their observations, the committee recommends a potential host, which the Executive Board then has to take a call on. • IOC, which is currently in the process of finalising the venue for the 2032 edition, hasn’t yet invited bids for the 2048 event. • IOC is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland and is responsible for organising the modern Summer and Winter Olympic Games. States Barring CBI Investigation
• The Centre said that eight states in the country have withdrawn general consent required by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct investigation in states. • During the years 2016 to 2020, searches (raids) were conducted by CBI in the premises of 42 public representatives. • Given that the CBI has jurisdiction only over central government departments and employees it can investigate a case involving state government employees or a violent crime in a given state only after that state government gives its consent. • There are two kinds of consent: case-specific and general. • Almost all states have given such consent, otherwise the CBI would require consent in every case.
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• Withdrawal of general consent by State means CBI will not be able to register any fresh case involving a central government official or a private person stationed in these two states without getting case-specific consent. • It also means CBI officers lose all powers of a police officer as soon as they enter the state unless the state government has allowed them. • Withdrawal of consent by a State Government can be effected prospectively and not retrospectively. • Further, the cases which are referred by the Constitutional Courts do not require the consent of the State. Test-Track-Treat Protocol • The Union Home Ministry issued Covid-19 guidelines and suggested to states to focus on Test- Track-Treat Protocol under Disaster Management Act, 2005, which will be effective from April 1 to 30. • The main focus of the Guidelines is to consolidate the substantial gains achieved in containing the spread of COVID-19 in the past five months. • As per the new guidelines, there is no restriction on Inter-State and intra-State movement • State/ UT Governments shall take all necessary measures to promote COVID-19 appropriate behaviour in work places and in public, especially in crowded places. • All State/ UT Governments should rapidly step up the pace of vaccination, to cover all priority groups in an expeditious manner. • States and UTs, where the proportion of RT-PCR tests is less, should rapidly increase it, to reach the prescribed level of 70 percent or more. • The new positive cases, detected as a result of intensive testing, need to be isolated/ quarantined at the earliest and provided timely treatment. • As per the protocol, their contacts have to be traced at the earliest, and similarly isolated/ quarantined. • Based on the positive cases and tracking of their contacts, Containment Zones shall be carefully demarcated by the district authorities, at the micro level. • Local district, police and municipal authorities shall be responsible to ensure that the prescribed Containment measures are strictly followed.
National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI)
In news: Recently, Centre asked States/UTs to increase the interval between two doses of COVISHIELD to 4-8 weeks based on NTAGI and NEGVAC recommendation. About NTAGI -
• It was established by an order of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in 2001. • As India’s apex advisory body on immunization, the NTAGI provides guidance and advice to the MoHFW on provision of vaccination and immunization services for the effective control of vaccine preventable diseases in the country. • It fulfils a need for informing decision-making concerning the introduction of new vaccines and strengthening the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). • It includes a Standing Technical Sub-Committee (STSC) which is tasked with undertaking technical review of scientific evidence on matters related to immunization policy and programmes. • The NTAGI shall evaluate licensed vaccines as well as prioritize other related interventions such as associated immune globulins and chemo-prophylactic agents and new technologies for delivery, logistics, disease prevention.
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• NTAGI recommendations may include guidance on route, dose and frequency of administration of the vaccine, population groups, circumstances in which a vaccine is recommended, strategies for introduction of the vaccine and adverse events associated with the vaccine. • The NTAGI is chaired by the Secretary of Health and Family Welfare (H & FW), while the Secretary of Department of Biotechnology and the Secretary of Department of Health Research, serve as the Co-chairs. • Core membership is composed of Government of India representatives functioning in an exofficio capacity and independent experts.
HISTORY Dandi March
In news: 2021 Dandi March marks 75 years of Independence.
About Dandi March-
• The Dandi March or Salt March was part of Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent protest against the British monopoly on production of salt. • The twenty four day march lasted from 12 March 1930 to 5 April 1930 as a direct action campaign of tax resistance. • Gandhi started this march with 78 of his trusted volunteers. • The march spanned 240 miles (390 km), from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, which was called Navsari at that time (now in the state of Gujarat). • When Gandhi broke the British Raj salt laws at 6:30 am on 6 April 1930, it sparked large scale acts of civil disobedience against the salt laws by millions of Indians. • The Congress Party planned to stage a satyagraha at the Dharasana Salt Works, 40 km south of Dandi. • However, Gandhi was arrested on the midnight of 4–5 May 1930, just days before the planned action at Dharasana. • The satyagraha against the salt tax continued for almost a year, ending with Gandhi's release from jail and negotiations with Viceroy Lord Irwin at the Second Round Table Conference. • It had a significant influence on American activists Martin Luther King Jr., James Bevel, and others during the Civil Rights Movement for civil rights for African Americans and other minority groups in the 1960s.
Participation in the 2021 Dandi March-
• Descendants of those who walked the Salt March (in 1930) were honoured. • The march saw 81 walkers traverse the route in memory of the 78 who accompanied Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 from Ahmedabad to Dandi and two others who had joined mid-route. • The subsequent journey saw “big events at six places” associated with Gandhi including his birthplace Porbandar, along with Rajkot, Vadodara, Bardoli (Surat), Mandvi (Kutch) and Dandi (Navsari). Swaminarayan Sampradaya
In news: Around hundred saints got the Covid-19 jab at Swaminarayan temple in Gujarat.
About Swaminarayan Sampradaya: • Swaminarayan Sampradaya/ Uddhav Sampraday is a part of Hindu sampradaya. 50 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• It was propagated by Swaminarayan (Sahajanand Swami) in the 1800s who was born on 3 April 1781 in the village of Chhapaiya in present-day Uttar Pradesh. • Ramanand Swami initiated him as Sahajanand Swami on 28 October 1800 and appointed him to be his successor and the leader of the sampradaya in 1801. • At the time of initiation, Ramanand Swami also gave him the second name, Narayan Muni. • He directed his devotees to chant the Swaminarayan mantra, which is a compound of two Sanskrit words: Swami and Narayan. • According to him the ultimate goal of life is moksha, a spiritual state of ultimate liberation from the cycle of births and deaths that is characterized by eternal bliss and devotion to God. • In the Vachanamrut, the principal theological text of the sampradaya, Swaminarayan identifies five eternal and distinct entities- Parabrahman, Aksharbrahman, maya, ishwar, and jiva. • Before Swaminarayan died, he split the administration of the Swaminarayan Sampraday into two gadi (seats) for his two adopted sons. • The Nar Narayan Dev Gadi is headquartered in Ahmedabad and the Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi is headquartered in Vadtal. • During his lifetime he constructed six mandirs at Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Vadtal, Dholera, Junagadh and Gadhada. • Even Akshardham temple of New Delhi is associated with this sect. • His important literary works are the Shikshapatri and the Vachanamrut • He engaged with the Vedanta philosophical tradition, particularly the Vaishnava Vedanta of Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallabha, and Chaitanya. Rakhigarhi
In news: Recently, the Ministry of Culture stated that Rakhigarhi is being developed as one of the five Identified Iconic Archaeological Sites as announced in the union budget of 2020.
About the Rakhigarhi:
• The ancient sites of Rakhi-Khas and Rakhi-Shahpur are collectively known as Rakhigarhi. • It is located on the right bank of the now dried up Palaeo-channel of Drishadvati. • Several scholars have identified the river with the present-day Ghaggar-Hakra river or dried up part of it. • It is the site of a pre-Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) settlement going back to about 6500 BCE and also part of the mature IVC. • This site encompasses a set of 11 mounds with a confirmed size in excess of 350 hectares. • According to the Global Heritage Fund, Rakhigarhi is the largest and oldest Indus sites in the world. • The earliest excavation of IVC sites started from Harappa in 1921-1922 and Mohenjo-daro in 1931and the excavations at Rakhigrahi were first carried out in 1969. • As of 2020, 5% of the site had been excavated by the ASI and Deccan College. • As per the discoveries, digging so far reveals a well planned city with 1.92 m wide roads, a bit wider than in Kalibangan. • Key findings in the site include a granary that was found here belonging to the mature Harappan phase (2600 BCE to 2000 BCE), made up of mud-bricks with a floor of ramped earth plastered with mud and has 7 rectangular or square chambers. Bamiyan Buddha
In news: Recently, Bamiyan Buddhas have been brought back to life in the form of 3D projections in an event called “A Night With Buddha”.
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About Bamiyan Buddha: • The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th-century monumental sandstone statues of Gautama Buddha carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley of central Afghanistan. • They were once the world's largest standing Buddhas, but they were lost forever when the Taliban blew them up 20 years ago. • Salsal and Shamama, as they were called by the locals, rose to heights of 55 and 38 metres respectively and were said to be male and female. • Salsal means “light shines through the universe” whereas Shamama is “Queen Mother”. • According to Carbon dating the smaller "Eastern Buddha" was built around 570 AD, and the larger "Western Buddha" was built around 618 AD. • The statues represented a later evolution of the classic blended style of Gandhara art. • In their Roman draperies and with two different mudras, the Bamiyan Buddhas were great examples of a confluence of Gupta, Sassanian and Hellenistic artistic styles. • UNESCO included the remains in its list of world heritage sites in 2003.
Shaheedi Diwas
• March 23 is known as Shaheed Diwas or Sarvodaya Day to commemorate the execution of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru who had fought for the assassination of Lala Lajpat Rai. • They were hanged for their involvement in the assassination of the ASP of Lahore, John Saunders. • Bhagat Singh with his companions on 8th April, 1929 threw bombs over the Central Legislative Assembly by reading the slogan "Inquilab Zindabad". • 23rd March is the day when revolutionary freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged to death by the British government in 1931 at the Lahore Jail. • Their body was cremated at the banks of the Sutlej River.
Tomar king Anangpal II
• The Union government has recently formed a committee to popularize the legacy of 11th-century Tomar king, Anangpal II. • The committee’s head is BJP MP from UP’s Gonda, Brij Bhushan Singh. • Anangpal Tomar II belonged to the Tomar dynasty that ruled parts of present-day Delhi and Haryana between the 8th and 12th centuries. • During his time only the capital city of the Tomar dynasty was changed from Anangpur (near Faridabad) capital during the reign of Anangpal I to Dhillikapuri (Delhi). • He was succeeded by his grandson Prithviraj Chauhan, who was defeated by the Ghurid forces in the Battle of Tarain (present-day Haryana) after which the Delhi Sultanate was established in 1192. • Crediting him with giving Delhi its present name and also repopulating it, the National Monument Authority (NMA) has embarked on a mission to present “correct history” to the people through the works of historians, academics and archaeologists. • The committee’s proposals seminar include building a statue of Anangpal II at the Delhi airport and building a museum dedicated to his legacy in Delhi. Singorgarh Fort In news: The President of India laid the foundation stone for the conservation works of Singorgarh Fort in Singrampur village of Damoh district in Madhya Pradesh.
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About the Singorgarh Fort-
• This fort is an old hill-fort of the Gondwana dynasty which is spread over hills in a forested area. • It was attacked in June, 1564 during the last war of the Garha Kingdom dynasty, under the rule of Rani Durgavati. • Before Gond rulers, it was under Chandela rulers of Bundelkhand region. • During the 1308, the Singorgarh was ruled by Vyaghradev Ji who was ruler of Kumhari and was under rulers of Kalinjar. • The Gond ruler Sangramshahi conquered the Singorgarh fort in the early period of the 16th century who was father-in-law of Rani Durgavati. • In 1564 the Mughal army, led by Asaf Khan (from Kunda, Uttar Pradesh), with assistance of Rewa rulers, attacked on Gond Kingdom, then it was ruled by Queen Durgavati & she was present in the same Singorgarh fort. • Hirde Shah, the first Gond king to adopt Islam. Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundela
In news: Minister of State for Tourism and Culture and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh inaugurated the ‘Maharaja Chhatrasal Convention Centre’ at Khajuraho developed under Swadesh Darshan Scheme. Maharaja Chhatrasal (4 May 1649 – 20 December 1731)-
• He was a Bundeli warrior who chose to turn against the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and seek to establish his own kingdom in Bundelkhand. • He was a descendant of Rudra Pratap Singh of Orchha. • Chhatrasal was a disciple of Pran Nathji and accepted him as his guru and accepted Pranami Dharma. • Chhatrasal was a patron of literature and eulogies written by Kavi Bhushan, Lal Kavi, Bakhshi Hansaraj and other court poets helped him gain lasting fame. • In his lifetime, he saw the Mughals at their height under Shah Jahan and their fall with Muhammad Shah Rangila. • Some of the Mughal generals who were defeated by him were Rohilla Khan, Kaliq, Munawwar Khan, Sadruddin, Sheikh Anwar, Sayyid Latif, Bahlol Khan and Abdus Ahmed. • Chhatrasal was able to defeat the Mughals until he was attacked by Muhammad Khan Bangash on December 1728. • The Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I's second wife Mastani was Chhatrasal's daughter born from his Muslim concubine.
Bidriware In news: Bidriware is one of the products that was displayed in 28th Hunar Haat programme in Panaji, Goa.
About Bidriware- • Bidriware is a combination of blackened alloy of zinc & copper (proportion of 16:1) and inlaid with thin sheets of pure silver. • It is a metal decorative object ornamented with a type of inlay work. • The Bidriware undergoes an eight-stage process. • Bidriware derives its name from the town of Bidar, in Karnataka. • Bidriware in other parts of India: Hyderabad, Lucknow,Purnia and Murshidabad. • It originated in the 14th century during the rule of Bahmani Sultans. • It was first practised in ancient Persia and then it was brought to India by Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti’s followers. 53 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• The art form developed due to a mix of Persian and Arabic cultures and after the fusion with local style, a new and unique style of its own was created. • This native art form has obtained a Geographical Indications (GI) registry. • Common Bidriware items include various flowers (known as asharfi-ki-booti), leaves (vine creepers), geometric designs, human figures, stylized poppy plants with flowers, etc... are found on the items.
A brief note on Hunar Haat-
• It is an initiative to provide the supremely talented artisans and craftsmen a platform where they can showcase their talent. • “Hunar Haat” is a “Perfect, Popular and Proud Platform” for indigenous artistry and crafts of the country. • It is organized by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs. • The 28th “Hunar Haat” has a theme of “Vocal for Local”.
LAW AND POLICY UGC allows institutes of eminence to set up offshore campuses In news: The University Grants Commission (UGC) notified amendments to regulations for Institutes of Eminence (IoE).
Off-campus centre (a centre outside the main campus within India)-
• IoE are permitted to set up a maximum of three off-campus centres in five years, subject to not more than one centre in a year. • Institutions can submit their application to the Ministry detailing a 10-year vision plan and a 5- year implementation plan. • Further, they should meet the following conditions in the proposed off-campus centre within a period of five years:
1. a minimum of 500 students under regular classroom mode with at-least one-third as postgraduate or research students, 2. five postgraduate programmes, 3. a teacher-student ratio of 1:10, 4. at least 60% of the faculty must be appointed on a permanent basis.
▪ Off-shore campus (a campus outside India)
• IoE are permitted to set up off-shore campuses with the approval of the Ministry of Education and after receiving no objection certificate from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs. • The Institutes must ensure that they follow the same norms and standards for admissions, curriculum, and examination as in the main campus.
The functioning of the off-campus centres and the off-shore campuses of the Institutes will be reviewed by an Expert Committee once in three years, which can recommend discontinuation of the off-campus centre/off-shore campus.
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Institutions of Eminence-
• The Institutions of Eminence scheme was launched in 2017. • Under the Scheme, 10 public institutions and 10 private institutions have been declared as Institutes of Eminence. • Objective of the scheme is to provide for higher education leading to excellence and innovations in such branches of knowledge as may be deemed fit at post-graduate, graduate and research degree levels and award degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions.
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2021
It provides for complete mechanisation of sewer cleaning and better protection in work and compensation in case of accidents.
Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act-
• Any person who has been employed to handle undecomposed human waste from an insanitary latrine, open drain or pit or railway track is a manual scavenger under this law. • It does not matter if he/ she was given regular employment or engaged on contract basis, he/she is covered under this law. • It lays down the rules and procedure for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers through training in alternate employment, financial help and help with purchasing property. • Every local authority (municipality or panchayat), cantonment board or railway authority is responsible for surveying its area to identify manual scavengers. • Any person who has been employed to clean human waste and does so with the help of the appropriate protective gear and equipment will not be considered a manual scavenger under this law. • 'Safai karamcharis' also sometimes considered as manual scavengers usually refer to people working as sweepers or cleaning workers in the municipalities, government or private organisations. • This law makes it an offence to: ▪ Employ people as manual scavengers to clean insanitary latrines. ▪ Employ people to clean sewers and septic tanks without protective gear. ▪ Construct insanitary latrines. ▪ Not demolish or convert insanitary latrines within a certain period of this Act coming into force. • A person who had an insanitary latrine at the time the Act came into force had to pull it down or convert it within 6 months (would be given an extension of 3 months for valid reasons). SERB – PRoject Information System & Management (SERB – PRISM)
In news: The portal called ‘SERB – PRoject Information System & Management (SERB – PRISM)’ developed by SERB, a Statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), was launched.
About SERB – PRISM Portal-
• It is the external public portal developed as part of the Management Information System (MIS)
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• This portal is designed to provide information regarding projects sanctioned by SERB from 2011 onwards, including funding details, status, research summary, and project output information such as publications and patents. • It will help researchers to look at research trends, learn about cutting-edge science, locate critical equipment in their vicinity and help seek collaborations across disciplines. Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN)
In news: Cabinet approved creation of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi.
Salient features of the PMSSN-
• It is a single non-lapsable reserve fund for Health from the proceeds of Health and Education Cess. • Accruals into the PMSSN will be utilized for the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) namely, Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB- PMJAY), Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), National Health Mission, Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), Emergency & disaster preparedness and responses during health emergencies, and the targets set out in the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017. • In any financial year, the expenditure on such schemes of the MoHFW would be initially incurred from the PMSSN and thereafter, from Gross Budgetary Support (GBS). Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 In news: Rajya Sabha has approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.
Highlights of the Bill- • The Bill amends the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. • The Act specifies the grounds for terminating a pregnancy. • Changes proposed in conditions for terminating a pregnancy at different gestational periods. • Currently, abortion requires the opinion of one doctor if it is done within 12 weeks of conception and two doctors if it is done between 12 and 20 weeks. • Bill allows abortion to be done on the advice of one doctor up to 20 weeks, and two doctors in the case of certain categories of women between 20 and 24 weeks. • Bill sets up state level Medical Boards to decide if a pregnancy may be terminated after 24 weeks in cases of substantial foetal abnormalities. • A registered medical practitioner may only reveal the details of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated to a person authorised by law. • The Act (and the Bill) require abortion to be performed only by doctors with specialisation in gynaecology or obstetrics.
Amendment to NCC Act proposed:
In news: Recently, the High Court of Kerala asked the National Cadet Corps (NCC) to amend its act to allow transwomen to apply for enrolment into NCC.
A brief note on the issue-
• Hina Haneefa, a student at the University College in Thiruvananthapuram had filed a writ petition questioning her exclusion from the NCC unit at the college on the basis of her gender. 56 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• In her petition she challenged Section 6 of the National Cadet Corps Act, 1948 which only allows either ‘male’ or ‘female’ cadets. • In November 2020, when the Centre told the High Court that transgender persons cannot be allowed into the NCC as there is no provision for the same, the court took exception to the position and stressed that it goes contrary to Kerala’s Transgender Policy and other applicable statutes. • A single bench of the High Court has now said the fact that NCC Act does not recognise the third gender cannot be a justification to deny the petitioner’s entry into the NCC. • The judge said the provisions of the NCC Act, 1948 cannot preclude the operation of the Transgender Rights Act, 2019. • The bench also said that the petitioner is entitled to enrol in the NCC Senior Girls Division and the denial of enrolment is unsustainable. • In 2015, Kerala became one of the first states in the country to formulate and implement a welfare policy for transgender persons.
National Cadet Corps (NCC)-
• The National Cadets Corps came into existence under the National Cadet Corps Act XXXI of 1948 ( came into existence on 16th July, 1948). • NCC is a youth development movement. • The NCC provides opportunities to the youth of the country for their all-round development with a sense of Duty, Commitment, Dedication, Discipline and Moral Values so that they become able leaders and useful citizens. • The NCC is open to all regular students of schools and colleges on a voluntary basis. The students have no liability for active military service.
NCT Bill, 2021
In news: Recently, the Union government Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha.
Key provisions of the bill:
• The proposed bill makes it necessary for Delhi government to obtain the opinion of the lieutenant governor before taking any executive action and it forces the elected government to take the L-G’s advice before taking any action on any cabinet decision. • The Union government claims that the amendment Bill seeks to give effect to the Supreme Court’s interpretation and that it “further defines” the responsibilities of the elected government and the Lt Governor in line with the Constitutional scheme. • The bill mentions that the term “government” in any law made by the Legislative Assembly shall mean “ the Lieutenant Governor of the NCT of Delhi appointed by the President under Article 239 and designated as such under Article 239 AA of the Constitution”. • It seeks to add a provision in the original GNCTD Act, 1991, barring the Assembly or its committees from making rules to take up matters concerning day-to-day administration, or to conduct inquiries in relation to administrative decisions. • In 2018, Apex Court’s five-judge Bench had held that the L-G’s concurrence is not required on issues other than police, public order and land and the L-G was bound by the aid and advice of the council of ministers in other matters. • Now the amendment, if cleared, will force the elected government to take the L-G’s advice before taking any action on any cabinet decision. 57 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
Cooking Energy Access Survey, 2020
In news: A survey by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) found that only half of the 86% households in urban slums with LPG connections use LPG exclusively.
Key findings-
• The survey has looked at urban slums across six states such as Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and 83 urban slums across 58 districts. • These six states account for nearly a quarter of India’s urban slum population. • Around 16 percent of households are still using traditional fuels such as firewood, dung cakes, charcoal, and kerosene and over a third are stacking LPG with these polluting fuels. • Reasons for using polluting fuels are inefficient infrastructure that leads to households either not having access to electricity or not being able to afford it. • It further highlighted that 37 percent of LPG-using slum households do not receive doorstep delivery of cylinders. • The study has recommended leveraging platforms like LPG Panchayats to increase awareness regarding the process of subsidy calculation and disbursement for households. • Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) is one of Asia’s leading not-for-profit policy research institutions. Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)-
• It is one of Asia’s leading not-for-profit policy research institutions. • It was founded in 2010. • CEEW uses data, integrated analysis, and strategic outreach to explain and change the use, reuse, and misuse of resources. • Its research areas include resource efficiency and security; water resources; renewable energy; sustainability finance; energy-trade-climate linkages; integrated energy, environment and water plans; and climate geo engineering governance.
National Committee to commemorate 75 years of independence
In news: Prime Minister chaired the first meeting of the National Committee to commemorate 75 years of independence, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
About the National Committee- • The National Committee will have 259 Members. • It includes dignitaries and eminent citizens from all walks of life. • It will provide policy direction and guidelines for formulation of programs for the commemoration of 75th anniversary of Indian Independence, at the national and international levels. • A National Implementation Committee under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Home Minister had earlier been constituted for the commemoration, to guide the policies and programs to be undertaken. • A Committee of Secretaries has also been set up for this purpose. • The celebrations are to be launched 75 weeks prior to 15th August 2022 i.e. on 12 March, 2021, which is the 91st anniversary of the historic Salt Satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi. • The Prime Minister informed that 5 pillars have been decided for the celebration of the 75 years-
1. Freedom Struggle
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2. Ideas at 75 3. Achievements at 75 4. Actions at 75 and 5. Resolve at 75.
Indra Sawhney Judgement
• While considering the validity of the reservation for the Maratha community in Maharashtra, the Supreme Court has decided that it will hear all the States on the 50% limit on total reservation imposed by the court in the Indra Sawhney case (1992). • As the Indra Sawhney case also known as the Mandal verdict, was a decision by a nine-member Bench, a bench of at least 11 judges will be needed to reconsider the question. • The Supreme Court also wants to consider whether the reservation for Marathas affected through a 2018 Act and amended in 2019, is covered by the “exceptional circumstances” mentioned in the Indra Sawhney judgment. • The 1992 verdict had said that the power conferred by Clause (4) of Article 16 should also be exercised in a fair manner and within reasonable limits and reservation shall not exceed 50% of the appointments. • However the judgement had said that the 50% limit can be exceeded in “certain extraordinary situations” as a special case. • Any judgment on the Maratha reservation issue would have to deal with three issues - the 50% ceiling on total reservation, the power of States to determine who its backward classes are and confer benefits on them, and the legislative competence of State legislatures regarding backward classes after the introduction of the 102nd Amendment. • The Court also said that the criteria for a group to qualify for reservation is “social and educational backwardness”.
CBSE Competency Based Education Project • Union Education Minister launched CBSE Assessment Framework for Science, Maths and English classes as part of CBSE Competency Based Education Project. • British Council is working with the CBSE at the secondary level (classed 6 to 10) to improve competency-based assessment through this initiative. • This project aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) of India. • CBSE Assessment Framework is a part of the CBSE Competency Based Education Project that aims to replace the existing rote learning model with a competency-based framework. • In the first phase selected Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, UT Chandigarh and private schools across the country will participate in the programme which will be rolled out to all 25,000 CBSE schools in India by 2024. • British Council along with AlphaPlus as the UK knowledge partner, designed and developed this framework. • An interactive online course on ‘Competency based Education’ for the teachers and school leaders has been developed which is divided in four modules. Guidelines issued by Supreme Court for orders in Sexual Offence cases
• The Supreme Court of India issued a set of seven guidelines on how cases involving sexual assault should be handled by all courts. • Bail conditions should not mandate, require or permit contact between the accused and the victim.
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• Where circumstances exist for the court to believe that there might be a potential threat of harassment of the victim, the nature of protection shall be separately considered and appropriate order made, in addition to a direction to the accused not to make any contact with the victim. • In all cases where bail is granted, the complainant should immediately be informed that the accused has been granted bail and a copy of the bail order made over to him/her within two days. • Bail conditions and orders should avoid reflecting stereotypical or patriarchal notions about women and their place in society, and must strictly be in accordance with the requirements of the CrPC. • The courts while adjudicating cases involving gender-related crimes, should not suggest or encourage any steps towards compromises between the prosecutrix and the accused to get married or any form of compromise as it is beyond their powers and jurisdiction. • Sensitivity should be displayed at all times by judges, who should ensure that there is no traumatization of the prosecutrix, during the proceedings, or anything said during the arguments. • Judges especially should not use any words, spoken or written, that would undermine or shake the confidence of the survivor in the fairness or impartiality of the court. School Health Programme
• Government launched a School Health Programme under Ayushman Bharat-Health & Wellness Centres. • It is a joint collaborative programme between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Human Resource & Development. • This initiative is targeting both Education and Health implementers and is envisaged to facilitate an integrated approach to health programming and more effective learning at the school level. • Two teachers in every school will be declared as “Health and Wellness Ambassadors” preferably one male and one female. • They will transact one hour every weekly health promotion and disease prevention information in the form of interactive activities. • Every Tuesday may be dedicated as Health and Wellness Day in the schools. • This initiative will aim to strengthen the existing programs of Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) and Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). • Objective is to provide age appropriate information about health and nutrition to the children in schools and to detect and treat diseases early in children and adolescents. • It also aims to promote yoga and meditation through Health & Wellness Ambassadors. Dual airbags in new models are mandatory from April 1
In news: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has mandated that all new passenger vehicles should have dual airbags from April 1, 2021.
Key updates- • As per the current safety standards, passenger cars sold in India are required to provide only one airbag (only the driver's seat). • Since July 2019, airbags for the driver's seat in the front row have been mandatory. • The Ministry has now made it mandatory for cars to have an airbag installed for the passenger side as well. • The move is based on the suggestion of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety headed by former apex court judge Justice K S P Radhakrishnan. • For the existing models, the compliance date has been set at August 31 2021. • This move is expected to increase car prices in the range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 on average.
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Hybrid hearing by Supreme Court
In news: Supreme Court of India has started hearing cases in “hybrid mode” from March 15.
What is hybrid hearing?
• The ‘hybrid’ mode will enable counsel to appear either via video-conferencing or be physically present in court. • The court has come up with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on hybrid mode. • According to these guidelines, the final hearing/regular matters listed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays may be heard in the hybrid mode, as may be decided by the Hon’ble Bench. • Considering the number of parties in a matter as well as the limited capacity of courtrooms and that “all other matters, including those listed on Mondays and Fridays shall continue to be heard through video/tele-conferencing”. • Final hearing/regular matters where the number of advocates for the parties are more than the average working capacity of the Court rooms, 20 per courtroom at any given time shall invariably be listed for hearing through video/conferencing mode. • If the number of parties is more, then one AOR (advocate-on-record) and one arguing counsel per party will be allowed entry and one registered clerk per party, as may be chosen by the AOR shall be allowed entry to carry paper books/journals etc… • The SOP adds that the AORs may submit their preferences within 24 hours/1:00 PM next day after the publication of the Weekly List of Final Hearing/Regular matters. • Counsel having more than one case for a hybrid hearing in the court rooms will be issued a separate ‘Special Hearing Pass’ for each case.
First Indigenous Fuel Cell System developed by CSIR
• The President of India recently unveiled the first Indigenous High Temperature Fuel Cell System developed by CSIR in partnership with Indian industries under “New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI)”. • It is a unique example of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) among CSIR’s three Laboratories [CSIR- NCL, Pune; CSIR-NPL, New Delhi & CSIR-CECRI, Karaikudi (Chennai Center)] and two Indian industries; M/s Thermax Limited, Pune and M/s Reliance Industries Limited, Mumbai. One District One Focus Produce (ODOP)
In news: Govt has announced ‘One District One Focus Produce’ programme.
About One District One Product programme-
• It is operationally merged with ‘Districts as Export Hub’ initiative being implemented by DGFT, Department of Commerce, with Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as a major stakeholder. • The scheme will provide the framework for value chain development and alignment of support infrastructure. • There may be more than one cluster of ODOP products in one district. • There may be a cluster of ODOP products consisting of more than one adjacent district in a State. • The States would identify the food product for a district.
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• The ODOP product could be a perishable Agri produce, cereal-based product, or a food product widely produced in a district and their allied sectors. • Certain other traditional and innovative products including waste to wealth products like honey, minor forest products in tribal areas could be supported under the Scheme. • Under the initial phase of the ODOP programme, 106 Products have been identified from 103 districts across 27 States. • State Export Promotion Committee (SPEC) and District Export Promotion Committee (DEPC) will be constituted in all districts of India. About Waste-to-Energy
• The Prime Minister’s Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council has identified the Waste to Wealth Mission as one of its nine missions. • This mission would be the "scientific arm" of the Swachh Bharat Mission and aims to identify, test and validate technologies towards conservation, sustainable use and restoration of our land, air and water resources. • The goal of the mission is to move India towards a zero waste nation. • The mission will assist and augment the Swachh Bharat and Smart Cities projects by leveraging science, technology, and innovation to create circular economic models that are financially viable for waste management to streamline waste handling in the country. • It is predicted that India has the potential to generate 3GW of electricity from waste by 2050. National Toy Action Plan
In news: The first India Toy Fair 2021 was inaugurated.
About the Plan-
• Government has prepared a National Toy Action Plan by involving 15 ministries. • It aims to make the domestic toy industry competitive and to promote the toy industry including traditional handicrafts and handmade toys. • The Plan was commissioned by the Department for Promotion of Industries and Internal Trade (DPIIT). • Under the National Action Plan, toy production clusters will be set up across the country. • Toys and games will be integrated with education, specifically for subjects such as mathematics, history and science. • Hackathons and grand challenges to encourage design and innovation of toys will be organised. • The toy laboratories will be developed to test and monitor quality & safety standards. • An annual ‘Made in India Toy Day’ in schools will be observed. • An e-commerce platform to provide a centralised direct marketing portal to handicraft artisans will be developed. • The first India Toy Fair 2021 was recently inaugurated. • Toycathon-2021 was also organized to promote Indian sports based toys and more than 7000 ideas were brainstormed. • The Indian toy retail market accounts for <1% of the global market. • Currently, 85% of the domestic demand for toys is met through imports, 80% from China, while the remaining are sourced from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Germany, Hong Kong and the US.
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Toy Fair-
• The fair was organised on the virtual platform of the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH). • The Ministry of Textiles served as the nodal body for organising the fair annually. • This move aligns with the government’s efforts towards making India a self-reliant economy and attracting foreign investments in the sector.
Toycathon-
• To promote toy manufacturing among domestic players, particularly rural entrepreneurs, the Common Service Centre (CSV), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, has joined forces with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to organise ‘Toycathon 2021’. • This concept is envisioned as a first-of-its-kind hackathon to develop indigenous toys and games highlighting India's culture, history and mythology. • The inter-ministerial initiative is a collaboration of six ministries—Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of MSME, Ministry of Textiles and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, along with CSV and the AICTE. • It aims to invite students, teachers, start-ups, toy experts and professionals to innovate and submit feasibility assessments for local manufacturing of creative toys, games and concepts.
Rating mechanism for National Highways
In news: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released the ratings for 18,668 km of completed 4/6 lane NH stretches covering 343 toll plazas.
Rating mechanism for National Highways-
• The fundamental objective of the initiative of highway rating is “Minimum time with maximum safety in a stress free environment” from highway users’ perspective. • Each toll plaza of highway is judged based on three major criteria viz. Efficiency, Safety and User Services. • These criteria are further divided into a total of 39 parameters. • It is first-of-its-kind as no such criteria has been developed across the globe in the past which evaluates the performance of highways from the users’ perspective. Sugamya Bharat App
In news: Minister for Social justice and Empowerment virtually launched “Sugamya Bharat App”.
About the App-
• It is a crowdsourcing mobile application to sensitise and enhance accessibility in the three pillars of the Accessible India Campaign – built environment, transportation sector and ICT. • It provides for five main features of which four are directly related to enhancing accessibility. • The fifth feature is a special feature meant only for Divyangjan for COVID related issues. • The App has an easy registration process, requiring only 3 mandatory fields, namely, Name, Mobile number and Email-id.
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• The App has been provided with several user-friendly features like easy drop-down menus, videos in Hindi and English, along with sign language interpretation. • It is available in 10 regional languages, namely, Hindi, English, Marathi, Tamil, Odiya, Kannada, Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Malayalam. • The App also has provision of easy photo uploads with geotagging option of the premise where accessibility intervention is required.
Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan)-
• The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has conceptualised the “Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan)” . • Nation-wide flagship campaign for achieving universal accessibility that will enable persons with disabilities to gain access for equal opportunity and live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life in an inclusive society. • The campaign targets at enhancing the accessibility of the built environment, transport system and Information & communication ecoSystem. • It has the following three important components-
1. Built Environment Accessibility 2. Transportation System Accessibility 3. Information and Communication Eco-System Accessibility
Parivar Pehchan Patra
In news: Haryana Chief Minister launched a unique identity card called Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) through which the state government aims to monitor each of the approximately 54 lakh families living across the state.
Parivar Pehchan Patra Yojana-
• The primary objective of PPP is to create authentic, verified and reliable data of all families in Haryana. • Each family will be provided an eight digit Family-Id, linked to the Birth, Death and Marriage records to ensure automatic updation of the family data as and when such life events happen. • Family ID will link existing, independent schemes like scholarships, subsidies and pensions, so as to ensure consistency and reliability. • The data available in the Family Id database will be used to determine eligibility through which automatic self-selection of beneficiaries will be done for receiving benefits. • PPP is mandatory for families availing benefits under government schemes. • While Aadhaar represents an individual as a unit, a PPP represents a family as a unit. Ease of Living Index 2020 and Municipal Performance Index
In news: Government has released the Ease of Living Index (EoLI) & Municipal Performance Index recently.
Ease of Living Index (EoLI)-
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• Index is released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. • It is an assessment tool that evaluates the quality of life and the impact of various initiatives for urban development. • It incorporates the residents' view on the services provided by city administration through a Citizen Perception Survey. • EoLI report aims to measure the well-being of Indian citizens in 111 cities, across the pillars of Quality of Life, Economic-ability, and Sustainability with 49 indicators under 13 categories. • Bengaluru has adjudged the most liveable city in India, followed by Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Surat. • Of the 49 cities ranked on livability index in the million-plus population category, Delhi ranks 13th, Shimla topped followed by Bhubaneswar, Silvassa, Kakinada and Salem. • At the bottom of the list of 62 cities are Aligarh, Rampur, Namchi, Satna and Muzaffarpur.
Municipal Performance Index 2020 (MPI)-
• The MPI was launched as an accompaniment to the Ease of Living Index. • It seeks to examine local government practice in municipalities across areas of services, finance, policy, technology and governance. • The MPI examined the sectoral performance of 111 municipalities across five verticals which comprise 20 sectors and 100 indicators in all totality. • The five verticals under MPI are Services, Finance, Policy, Technology and Governance. • No city from the north with over a million people figured in the top 10 involving 51 municipal corporations. • Indore topped the index, followed by Surat, Bhopal, Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune. • The last five were Aurangabad, North Delhi, Srinagar, Kota and Guwahati. • New Delhi topped the list of cities with less than a million people followed by Tirupati, Gandhinagar, Karnal and Salem. • The report suggested amending the Constitution to further fiscal decentralisation. • It suggested creating a five-year mayoral term across India.
MICE roadshow - meet in India
In news: Recently, Minister of State for Tourism and Culture and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh launched “MICE Roadshow Meet in India” for the Promotion of India as MICE Destination in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.
MICE Roadshow- Meet in India- • In order to promote India as MICE Destination (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions), Ministry of Tourism, in association with Madhya Pradesh Tourism and India Convention Promotion Bureau organized ‘MICE Roadshow – Meet in India’. • The event also deliberated the draft Master Plan being prepared by the Ministry of Tourism to develop Khajuraho as an Iconic Destination.
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Development of Iconic Tourist Destinations Scheme-
• It is a Central Sector Scheme for development of nineteen identified iconic destinations in the country following a holistic approach. • The identified tourist sites to be developed as iconic destinations under the scheme are:
Taj Mahal & Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh), Ajanta Caves & Ellora Caves(Maharashtra), Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort & QutubMinar (Delhi), Colva Beach (Goa), Amer Fort (Rajasthan), Somnath , Dholavira & Statue of Unity(Gujarat), Khajuraho (MP), Hampi(Karnataka), Mahabalipuram (TamilNadu), Kaziranga (Assam), Kumarakom (Kerala), Konark(Odisha), Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar).
SCIENCE AND TECH GPS based toll collection system
In news: Government has finalised GPS-based (Global Positioning System) technology toll collection to ensure seamless movement of vehicles across the country.
About GPS based toll collection system:
• It will ensure India becomes ‘toll booth free’ in the next two years. • Toll amount will be deducted directly from the bank account based on the movement of vehicles. • While now all commercial vehicles are coming with vehicle tracking systems, the Government will come up with some plan to install GPS technology in old vehicles. • By using GPS technology for toll collection, the toll income in next five years will be Rs 1.34 lakh crore. • It is likely that the same formula as the Fastag may be applied here. • If this formula is implemented, toll booths will be removed and this will facilitate transport movement in a better fashion. The Global Positioning System (GPS)-
• Satellite-based navigation system that consists of 24 orbiting satellites, each of which makes two circuits around the Earth every 24 hours. • These satellites transmit three bits of information – the satellite’s number, its position in space, and the time the information is sent. • These signals are picked up by the GPS receiver, which uses this information to calculate the distance between it and the GPS satellites. • As GPS provides real-time, three-dimensional Positioning, navigation, and timing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all over the world, it is used in numerous applications, including GIS data collection, surveying, and mapping.
2001 FO32 asteroid In news: On March 21, 2021 FO32 passed by at about 124,000 kph – faster than the speed at which most asteroids encounter Earth.
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About 2001 FO32 asteroid-
• It was discovered in March 2001 by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program in Socorro, New Mexico. • Recently the near-Earth asteroid made its closest approach at a distance of about 2 million kilometers or 5 1/4 times the distance from Earth to the Moon. • The reason for the asteroid’s unusually speedy close approach is its highly inclined and elongated (or eccentric) orbit around the Sun, an orbit that is tilted 39 degrees to Earth’s orbital plane. • This orbit takes the asteroid closer to the Sun than Mercury and twice as far from the Sun as Mars. • It completes one orbit every 810 days (about 2 1/4 years). • There is no threat of a collision with our planet now or for centuries to come. • The last notably large asteroid close approach was that of 1998 OR2 on April 29, 2020.
Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR)
In news: DRDO successfully flight tested the second indigenously developed ‘Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR)’ propulsion based missile system.
About Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) Technology- • It is a missile propulsion system based on the concept of Ramjet Engine principle. • DRDO began developing SFDR first in 2017 and had conducted successful tests in 2018 and 2019 as well. • Successful demonstration of SFDR technology will enable DRDO to develop indigenous long range air-to-air missiles. • At present, such technology is available only with a handful of countries in the world. • The missile based on SFDR fly at supersonic speeds and high manoeuvrability ensures the target aircraft cannot get away.
International lunar research station
In news: China National Space Administration (CNSA) and Roscosmos signed a memorandum of understanding on the construction of a moon outpost called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
About ILRS-
• It is a comprehensive scientific experiment base with the capability of long-term autonomous operation. • ILRS will be built on the lunar surface and/or in lunar orbit. • It will carry out multi-disciplinary and multi-objective scientific research activities such as lunar exploration and utilization, lunar-based observation, basic scientific experiment and technical verification. • Russia and China will adhere to the principle of co-consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits. • Open to all interested countries and international partners to strengthen scientific research exchanges.
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Floating solar plant in Telangana
In news: Telangana is all set to host India's biggest floating solar power plant.
About India's biggest floating solar power plant- • These projects are coming up at Ramagundam power project (100 MW), which will be the single location largest floating solar plant in the country as of now. • The solar project is commissioned by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). • The solar project cost around Rs 423 cr will have 4.5 lakh photovoltaic panels. • The solar panels will cover 450-acre areas of the reservoir. • Aimed at reducing its carbon footprints and accelerating its green energy production to 30 percent of its capacity.
World's largest solar plant-
• The world's largest solar power plant with 600 MW capacity is being set up on Omkareshwar Dam on Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh. • The project costing Rs 3,000 cr is expected to start power generation only by 2022-23. • South Korea is building the largest dam-based floating solar power plant in the world with a capacity of 41MW.
Ramjet-
• A ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that takes up oxygen from the atmosphere during flight, thus doesn’t require an oxidizer as part of the solid motor. • However, ramjet-powered vehicles require an assisted take-off like a rocket. It assists to accelerate it to a speed where it begins to produce thrust. • Further, ramjets work efficiently at supersonic speeds around Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound) and can operate up to speeds of Mach 6. • But the ramjet efficiency starts to drop when the vehicle reaches hypersonic speeds. • The scramjet engine is an improvement over the ramjet engine, it operates at hypersonic speeds and allows supersonic combustion. Thus, it is known as Supersonic Combustion Ramjet or Scramjet.
Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) Mission
In news: ISRO and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) held a virtual meeting to review their ongoing cooperation in launching a joint lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission.
About lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission- • LUPEX robotic lunar mission is a concept between ISRO and JAXA. • It would send a lunar rover and lander to explore the South Pole region of the Moon in 2024. • JAXA is likely to provide the under-development H3 launch vehicle and the rover. • ISRO would be responsible for the lander.
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Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR):
In news: ISRO has completed development of a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capable of producing extremely high-resolution images for a joint earth observation satellite mission with NASA.
About NISAR-
• NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) is a joint collaboration for a dual-frequency L and S-band SAR for earth observation. • NISAR will be the first satellite mission to use two different radar frequencies (L-band and S- band) to measure changes in our planet’s surface less than a centimetre across. • The mission is targeted to launch in early 2022 from ISRO’s Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, about 100km north of Chennai. • NASA is providing the mission’s L-band SAR, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder and payload data subsystem. • ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band radar, the launch vehicle and associated launch services for the mission. • NISAR would provide a means of disentangling highly spatial and temporally complex processes ranging from ecosystem disturbances to ice sheet collapses and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides • It will observe Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces globally with 12-day regularity on ascending and descending passes, sampling Earth on average every six days for a baseline three-year mission. Raman thermometry for Monitoring of Power Transmission Cables
In news: IIT Madras have demonstrated that by using Raman thermometry on fibre optic cables, they can achieve the monitoring of power transmission cables. Raman Thermometry-
• Raman spectroscopy is the analytical method for identifying chemical compounds and characterizing the chemical bonding and solid-state structure of materials. • One can use Raman spectroscopy to determine the temperature of the material being analyzed. • Raman thermometry is a thermal characterization technique which makes use of Raman scattering phenomena to determine the local temperature in microelectronics systems. • When light is scattered off an object, say a molecule, two bands are observed, with higher and lower frequency than the original light, called the Stokes and anti-Stokes bands, respectively.
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• The temperature measurement was performed in not just one location, but in a distributed manner using an optical fibre. • This technology helps to analyze transmission efficiencies in a better way and reduce Transmission and Distribution loss that is incurred to DISCOMS.
Raman Effect-
• The Raman Effect is a phenomenon in spectroscopy discovered by the eminent physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in 1928. • In 1930, he got a Nobel Prize for this remark. • The Raman Effect is a change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules.
• The Raman Effect is when the change in the energy of the light is affected by the vibrations of the molecule or material under observation, leading to a change in its wavelength. • Raman effect is “very weak” — this is because when the object in question is small (smaller than a few nanometres), the light will pass through it undisturbed.
Supermassive moving Black hole
In news: Recently, the Astronomers have discovered the first moving supermassive black hole.
Key updates:
• Its mass is about three million times that of our Sun. • According to the Astrophysical Journal, the black hole was travelling within its own galaxy, J0437+2456, which is around 228 million light years away from Earth • Black hole in motion was surprising because the majority of supermassive black holes are not expected to be moving and they're usually content to just sit around. • The focus of the researchers’ study was the water in the accretion disk, the spiralling mass around a supermassive black hole made of matter that is eventually ingested by the black hole. • Scientists used radio antennas and by using a technique called very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) they calculated the velocities of the 10 black holes under survey.
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• Only one, whose velocities didn’t match with the other objects in the host galaxy, stood out. • The study noted that the supermassive black hole is moving with a speed of about 110,000 miles per hour. • The scientists have narrowed down on two possibilities causing this motion - Two black holes merging and a binary system of blackholes. • The twin of the newly-discovered wandering black hole might not be emitting masers, keeping it from being detected by the radio antenna network. Equine Herpes Virus
In news: Due to the outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus, International Equestrian Federation (FEI) announced cancellation of World Cup finals recently. Its outbreak has also disrupted India's lone Tokyo- bound equestrian Fouaad Mirza's Olympic preparations.
What is Equine Herpes Virus(EHV)?
• It is a virus of the family Herpesviridae that causes abortion, respiratory disease and occasionally neonatal mortality in horses. • But it does not affect humans. • EHV are DNA viruses that are found in most horses all over the world • There are more viruses in this family, but EHV 1, 3, and 4 pose the most serious health risks for domestic horses. • Most common way of spread is through direct horse-to-horse contact via the respiratory tract or through direct or indirect contact with an infected aborted fetus and fetal membranes. • Two main strains of EHV-1 have been isolated - D752 strains are correlated to outbreaks associated with neurological disease, whereas outbreaks with non-neurological disease are more closely associated with strains of N752. • The disease caused by neurological strains has been named Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy or EHM. There is currently no licensed vaccine against EHM and no treatment other than palliative care. • Signs and symptoms include decreased coordination, urine dribbling, fever, hind limb weakness, leaning against things to maintain balance, lethargy and the inability to get off the ground. • The present diagnosis for EHV-1 is PCR, polymerase chain reaction, which copies the DNA so one can see if a virus is in the DNA segment. • Seven countries have confirmed EHV-1 cases so far - Spain, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Qatar.
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
In news: Recently, BARC has designed the first research reactor through PPP model.
Key updates-
• BARC has designed a research reactor that can make radioisotopes available at low costs to medical and other industries. • For the first time, the premiere nuclear research organisation of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) will share the technology with industries through a public-private partnership. • The proposed research reactor is expected to bring down the cost of nuclear medicine, which are extensively used for cancer treatment.
About Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)- 71 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• The Government of India created the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET) with Homi J. Bhabha as the founding director on 3 January 1954. • It was established to consolidate all the research and development activities for nuclear reactors and technology under the Atomic Energy Commission. • It is headquartered in Trombay, Mumbai • Its core mandate is to sustain peaceful applications of nuclear energy, primarily for power generation. • It also conducts research in other high technology areas like accelerators, micro electron beams, materials design, supercomputers, and computer vision etc… • It researches spent fuel processing and safe disposal of nuclear waste. • The BARC also researches biotechnology at the Gamma Gardens and has developed numerous disease-resistant and high-yielding crop varieties, particularly groundnuts. • To encourage research in basic sciences, BARC started the Homi Bhabha National Institute.
Important reactors of BARC-
• Apsara (1956; named by the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru) • CIRUS (1960; the "Canada-India Reactor" with assistance from the US) • The now-defunct ZERLINA (1961; Zero Energy Reactor for Lattice Investigations and Neutron Assay), Purnima I (1972) • Purnima II (1984) • Dhruva (1985) • Purnima III (1990), and • KAMINI
Genome mapping of Indian Ocean by NIO
In news: National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Panaji another 30 crew members including six women are taking the first-of-its-kind research project in the country to map genomes in Indian Ocean.
More information: • They will spend three months on the research vessel Sindhu Sadhana traversing the course of over 10,000 nautical miles in the Indian Ocean. • The project aims to gather samples from various stretches of the ocean at an average depth of about 5 km for genome mapping of microorganisms in the Indian Ocean. • It helps in understanding the biochemistry and the response of the ocean to climate change, nutrient stress and increasing pollution. • Project cost is Rs 25 crore and will take three years to complete. • The mapping of the DNA and RNA will show the nutrients present in them, and also those lacking in different parts of the ocean. • Coverage course is from India’s east coast, Australia, Port Louis in Mauritius and up to the border of Pakistan, off India’s west coast.
What is Genome Mapping?
It describes the methods used to identify the locus of a gene and the distances between genes. Gene mapping can also describe the distances between different sites within a gene.
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About CSIR-the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO)-
• CSIR-NIO was established on 1 January 1966 following the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) in the 1960s. • The principal focus of research has been on observing and understanding special oceanographic characteristics of the Indian Ocean. • NIO, with its headquarters at Dona Paula, Goa, and regional centres at Kochi, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam, is one of the 37 constituent laboratories of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi.
Technology and Innovation Report 2021
In news: As per UNCTAD’s report, India was the biggest ‘overperformer’ in frontier technologies among developing countries.
About the report-
• UNCTAD analysed the progress of countries in using frontier technologies, considering their national capacities related to physical investment, human capital and technological effort. • Frontier technologies include artificial intelligence, the internet of things, big data, blockchain, 5G mobile telephony, 3D printing, robotics, drones, gene-editing, nanotechnology and solar power. • According to the country-readiness index, India was the biggest ‘overperformer’ in frontier technologies than the country's per capita GDP. • Several developing countries showed stronger capabilities to use and adapt frontier technologies above their GDPs, the report highlighted. • Country’s actual index ranking was 43, while the estimated one based on per capita income was 108 which meant that India overperformed other countries by 65 ranking positions. • India was followed by the Philippines, which overperformed by 57 ranking positions. • But most of the 158 countries assessed were lagging behind. • As per the report, both India and China performed well in research and development because of availability of qualified and highly skilled Human Resources. • The report highlighted that the United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom were “best prepared” for frontier technologies Most of the best-prepared countries are from Europe, except the Republic of Korea, Singapore and the United States. New bacteria found on International Space Station (ISS)
• Four species of bacteria have been identified on ISS, one of which has been named after Indian biodiversity scientist Seyed Ajmal Khan who is a professor at the Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu. • Researchers from the University of Hyderabad, working with NASA, have described the discovery and isolation of four strains of bacteria. • All of them are rod-shaped bacteria belonging to the Methylobacteriaceae family – usually found in soil and freshwater, where they are involved in nitrogen fixation and defend against pathogens. • Of the four, one strain was identified as Methylorubrum rhodesianum bacteria, whereas the other three strains were previously undiscovered.
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• These new bacteria were identified from swabs of various locations inside the ISS. • It may bolster future efforts to cultivate crops during long spaceflight missions, since related species are known to promote the growth of plants.
Refrigeration System Pusa-FSF
• Women scientists from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) of ICAR in collaboration with researchers from Michigan State University have developed the Refrigeration System Pusa- FSF. • Pusa-Farm SunFridge (Pusa-FSF) is a 100% solar-powered battery-less cold store that can preserve around 2 tonnes of freshly-harvested produce at 3-4°C during the day and 8-12°C at nighttime. • It is built on dismantlable mild steel frames and plates and has been installed at IARI’s New Delhi campus and two villages – Picholiya in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district and Chamrara in Panipat, Haryana. • The technology has been licensed to Jaipur-based SND Infraprojects Pvt. Ltd. • The total cost is Rs 5-5.5 lakh. Discovery of four new particles at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
In news: Recently, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN has announced the discovery of four brand new particles at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva.
Key updates-
• The LHC is a particle accelerator that pushes protons or ions to near the speed of light. • It consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures that boost the energy of the particles along the way. • With the recent discovery, LHC will have 59 new particles in addition to Higgs boson since it started colliding protons particles that make up the atomic nucleus along with neutrons in 2009.
More about the Large Hadron Collider-
• It is the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider and the largest machine in the world. • It was built by the CERN between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and hundreds of universities and laboratories, as well as more than 100 countries. • The accelerator sits in a tunnel 100 metres underground at CERN, on the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, Switzerland. • The first collisions were achieved in 2010 at an energy of 3.5 teraelectronvolts (TeV) per beam, about four times the previous world record.
OLA largest electric two wheeler plant on fast track
In news: OLA Electric Mobility Pvt. Ltd is building what it calls a ‘Future Factory’.
Key highlights-
• The ‘Future Factory’ when ready, will produce 10 million e-scooters every year, making it the largest two-wheeler maker globally. 74 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• ABB robots will be digitally integrated into Ola’s AI-enabled mega-factory, to optimize robot performance, productivity and product quality. • This Future factory is being built on Industry 4.0 principles and it will be powered by its own proprietary AI Engine and tech stack that will be deeply integrated into all its systems, continuously self-learning and optimizing every aspect of the manufacturing process. • This future factory is expected to be the country’s most automated, with about 5,000 robots and automated guided vehicles in use once the factory is fully operational to its full capacity
Multi-beam E-band product Giga Mesh
In news: Astrome, a women-led startup, has developed an innovative wireless product that gives fibre- like bandwidth at fraction of cost of fibre to help telecom operators deliver reliable low-cost internet services to suburban and rural areas.
About the GigaMesh-
• The wireless product called Giga Mesh could enable telecom operators to deploy quality, high- speed rural telecom infrastructure at 5 times lower cost. • Rural connectivity customers and defence customers who have already signed up for pilots will soon witness the demonstration of this product by Astrome. • The deep tech startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore is supported by DST-ABI Woman Startup Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. • They proved their millimeter-wave multi-beam technology in the lab in 2018, for which the company has been granted a patent in India and US. • Since then, the technology has been converted to a powerful and scalable product called Giga Mesh, which can solve much of the last mile connectivity telecom needs of our country. • The Multi-beam E-band product packs 6 Point-to-Point E-band radios in one, thereby distributing the cost of the device over multiple links and hence reducing capital expenditure. • The radio provides long-range and multi-Gbps data throughput at each link. • Features like automatic link alignment, dynamic power allocation between links, and remote link formation help operators achieve significant operating expenditure cost reduction.
New 'double mutant' COVID-19
In news: A new double mutant strain of SARS CoV2 virus has been detected in India.
What is a "double mutant" variant?
• Like all viruses, the coronavirus keeps changing in small ways as it passes from one person to another. • The vast majority of these mutations are inconsequential and don't alter the way the virus behaves. • But some mutations trigger changes in the spike protein that the virus uses to latch on to and enter human cells - these variants could potentially be more infectious, cause more severe disease or evade vaccines. • Vaccines against respiratory pathogens like SARS-Cov2, the virus that causes Covid-19, protect us by stimulating our bodies to make antibodies. • The best type to protect us are the "neutralising antibodies" because they block the virus from being able to enter the human cells. • Such double mutations confer immune escape and increased infectivity.
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• If enough mutations happen in a viral family tree or a lineage, the virus can begin to function differently and the lineage can become a so-called 'variant of concern. • Double mutant is not a scientific term and is just another mutant which seems to be unique to India.
Aries-Devasthal Faint Object Spectrograph & Camera (ADFOSC)
In news: The Ministry of Science & Technology has commissioned the ADFOSC on Devasthal Optical Telescope.
About ADFOSC-
• It is indigenously designed and developed by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital. • Largest of its kind among the existing astronomical spectrographs in the country. • It is a low-cost optical spectrograph that can locate sources of faint light from distant quasars and galaxies in a very young universe, regions around supermassive black-holes around the galaxies and cosmic explosions. • It is about 2.5 times less costly compared to the imported ones and can locate sources of light with a photon-rate as low as about 1 photon per second. • It has been successfully commissioned on the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT), the largest in the country and in Asia, near Nainital Uttarakhand. • Photons coming from distant celestial sources, collected by the telescope, are sorted into different colours by the spectrograph and are finally converted into electronic recordable signals. • It uses an in-house developed Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) camera cooled to an extremely low temperature of -120 degree. Gliese 486b:
In news: An exoplanet dubbed Gliese 486b was recently discovered orbiting its star, Gliese 486.
About Gliese-
• It orbits the star once every 1.5 days at a distance of 2.5 million km and it belongs to a class of exoplanets called super-Earths. • It has a radius of 1.31 Earth radii, a mass 2.8 times that of our home planet, but has a similar density. • Its composition is not its only distinguishing feature, its relative closeness to Earth . • It is the third-closest such "transiting" alien world known and the closest one that orbits a red dwarf with a measured mass. SECURITY Inner Line Permit
In news: The Uttarakhand government sought withdrawal of “inner-line permit” (ILP) system in Niti Valley of Chamoli district and Nelang Valley of Uttarkashi district.
Why is the Inner Line permit in Uttarakhand’s three districts?
• In Uttarakhand, tourists have to obtain ILP for locations near China border, at least in the three districts of Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh and Chamoli.
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• Nelong valley of Uttarkashi and Niti village, Chamoli share boundaries with China. • Vyas valley, Dharchula, Pithoragarh is strategically more sensitive as it shares boundaries with both China and Nepal.
What is the Inner Line Permit system?
• ILP is a document that allows an Indian citizen to visit or stay in a state that is protected under the ILP system. • IPL in force today in three Northeastern states — Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur. • It has its origin in Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act, 1873, which the British framed to restrict the entry and regulate the stay of outsiders in designated areas. • After Independence, the Indian government retained it to address local concerns about protecting the interests of the indigenous people from outsiders belonging to other Indian states. • An ILP is issued by the state government concerned.
Kalvari class Submarines
In news: Indian Navy’s fifth Kalvari-class Diesel Electric attack submarine INS Vagir was launched at Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai.
Kalvari-class background-
• The other vessels of the Kalvari class are INS Kalvari, INS Khanderi, INS Karanj, INS Vela and INS Vagsheer. • Kalvari and Khanderi have been commissioned in 2017 and 2019, Vela and Karanj and undergoing sea trials, Vagir has now been launched and Vagsheer is under construction. • The now-decommissioned Kalvari and Vela classes were one of the earliest of the submarines in the post-independence Indian Navy, which belonged to Soviet origin Foxtrot class of vessels.
Important Facts about Kalvari Class Submarines-
• These submarines are built under Project 75 and their design is based on the Scorpene class of the submarines. • Constructed by the public sector shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai. • Used in anti-warship and anti-submarine operations, intelligence gathering and surveillance and naval mine laying. • Design is based on Scorpene class of submarines designed and developed by French defence major Naval Group formerly DCNS and Spanish state owned entity Navantia.
India’s Current submarine fleet includes one submarine each in nuclear powered Classes of Chakra and Arihant. In addition to 14 submarines belonging to three classes of Diesel Electric category — Kalvari, Shishumar and Sindhughosh. Arms trade report
In news: According to a report by SIPRI, India’s arms imports came down by a third between 2011-2015 and 2016-2020. 77 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
About the report-
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an international organisation that tracks arms trade has released a report. • SIPRI is an international institute founded in 1966 and provides data, analysis and recommendations for armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade, disarmament and arms control. • India’s arms imports came down by a third between 2011-2015 and 2016-2020. • As per the report, India remains the second highest importer, only behind Saudi Arabia. • The top five global arms exporters were the US, Russia, France, Germany and China in 2016- 2020. • The report also stated that arms imports by India decreased by 33 percent between 2011–15 and 2016–20. • Reasons for decline of India’s arms imports were due to factors including reducing the dependence on Russian arms, and the complex procurement procedure. • Russia was the most affected supplier, although India’s imports of US arms also fell, by 46 per cent. • Indian government last year had announced a negative imports list of 101 defence equipment and platforms and this year it promoted the domestically produced weapons and platforms. • Substantial increases in transfers by three of the top five arms exporters the USA, France and Germany were largely offset by declining Russian and Chinese arms exports.
About the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI):
• SIPRI is an international institute based in Stockholm. • It was founded in 1966 and provides data, analysis and recommendations for armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade as well as disarmament and arms control. • SIPRI’s organizational purpose is to conduct scientific research in issues on conflict and cooperation of importance for international peace and security, with the goal of contributing to an understanding for the conditions for a peaceful solution of international conflicts and sustainable peace. • The SIPRI Arms Transfers Database contains information on all transfers of major conventional weapons from 1950 to the most recent full calendar year.
Operation Thiruvallur
• Southern Command of the Indian Army, Pune has launched ‘Operation Thiruvallur’ in Tamil Nadu. • It has been launched for the safe disposal of at least 10 tonnes of unexploded ordnance collected from the industrial sector in Thiruvallur district. • The aim of the operation is to ensure a safe environment for all citizens in and around Gummidipoondi. • It involves meticulous and high risk segregation of unexploded ordnance and controlled destruction, which has been undertaken by a formation of the Southern Command that has expertise in handling bombs and explosive devices. • The dump had been left unattended after a violent blast and consequent death of a factory worker a few years ago.
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• The operation is being undertaken under the aegis of ‘Aid to Civil Authorities’. • The operation is a classic demonstration of joint coordination and planning between the Army and Tamil Nadu state government, on whose request the operation has been specifically approved by the Ministry of Defence.
Gelatin sticks
In news: Recently, the recovery of gelatin sticks near the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani has sparked off a major political upheaval in Maharashtra.
About gelatin sticks-
• They are explosive materials used by industries for the purpose of mining and construction related work, like building structures, roads, rails and tunnels etc... • They cannot be used without a detonator. • Blasting Gelatin, also known as Gelignite or simply jelly is a kind of explosive that is made up of collodion-cotton and dissolved in wood pulp and saltpetre. • Alternatively, it can also be dissolved in nitroglycol. • This is one of the cheaper explosives and burns slowly. • Since it cannot be burned without a detonator, these explosives can also be stored properly. • It was invented by Alfred Nobel in the year 1875, who also invented dynamite. • Only licensed explosive manufacturers can make gelatin sticks. • In India, the manufacture is regulated by Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), formerly known as Department of Explosives. • From 2002 till 2003, gelatin sticks were used in attacks by a terror organisation called the Gujarat Muslim Revenge Force in Mumbai.
Why did the police not able to trace its sale?
• Loose sticks are not bar coded yet. • Though the government has recently introduced a rule that individual explosives should also be barcoded but the implementation of the same has been delayed. • Another reason for not tracing it is blackmarketing behind these sticks. • The customers may be small time contractors who use it in construction work or private individuals who mainly use it to blast wells.
About PESO- • Since its inception on September 5, 1898, it has been the nodal agency for regulating safety of hazardous substances such as explosives, compressed gas and petroleum including gelatin sticks. • It looks after the approval, grant, amendment and renewal etc. of various licenses and permits regarding manufacture, testing, authorisation, storage, transportation, use, import, and export of explosives. • It administers the responsibilities under the Explosives Act 1884 and Petroleum Act 1934 and the Rules made there under with the motto "Safety First" and Explosives Rules 2008 etc… • The PESO comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. • PESO has its Headquarters at Nagpur in Maharashtra.
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SOCIETY Stop TB Partnership
In news: The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan has been appointed as the Chairman of the international body Stop TB Partnership Board.
Key updates: • He was appointed in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the movement to eradicate Tuberculosis from India by 2025. • He will serve a three year term, commencing from July, 2021.
About Stop TB Partnership: • It was formed in 2001 with a vision of a TB-free world. • Its mission is to ensure that every TB patient has access to effective diagnosis, treatment and cure. • Its partners include international and technical organizations, government programmes, research and funding agencies, NGOs, community groups and the private sector. • It was conceived following the meeting of the First Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Tuberculosis Epidemic held in London in March 1998. • In 1998 through the Amsterdam Declaration it gave a call for collaborative action from ministerial delegations from 20 countries that bear the highest burden of TB. • It operates through a secretariat hosted by UNOPS in Geneva, Switzerland. • It envisages to end the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030 as envisaged under the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the WHO End TB Strategy. • Its 90-(90)-90 targets is that by 2020 at least 90% of all people with TB should be reached and placed on appropriate therapy, at least 90% of the most vulnerable, should be reached and to achieve a treatment success of at least 90%. • India has committed to eliminating TB in the country by 2025, five years ahead of the global deadline of 2030.
Gond tribe
In news: On the occasion of International Women’s day, the Prime Minister of India mentioned the artistic works done by Gond Tribes.
A brief note on Gond Tribe- • Gond tribes are one of the largest tribes of Central India and call themselves Koitur or Koi. • They can be found in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam and West Bengal. • They speak Gondi, which belongs to the Dravidian family of languages and is similar to Tamil and Kannada. • And they also speak Sadri in Bihar and Jharkhand. • Their first historical references of the Gonds come from Muslim writers in the 14th century. • The first kingdom of the Gonds was that of Chanda, founded in 1200 and other kingdoms include Garha, Kherla, Deoghar and Mandla (Rani Durgavati). • There is no cultural uniformity among the Gond, although the religion of all Gond peoples centres in the cult of clan and village deities, together with ancestor worship.
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• The Gond people were known to offer human sacrifices, especially to the goddesses Kali, Danteshwari and Bara Deo. • They venerate Ravana as Gade Raja, a figure they have been worshipping since ancient times. • They are listed as a Scheduled Tribe. • Pola, a cattle festival and Phag are some of their major festivals. • They follow slash-and-burn (jhum) cultivation on hill slopes and digging sticks are still used more than plows. Toda Tribe
In news: On International Women’s day Prime Minister of India mentioned about women of Toda tribes and their artistic works.
A brief note on Toda Tribes-
• They are pastoral tribes of the Nilgiri Hills of southern India, mainly concentrated in Tamil Nadu. • They speak Toda language which is Dravidian but is the most aberrant of that linguistic stock. • They also speak in other languages like Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam etc.. • They live in settlements of three to seven small thatched houses built on a wooden framework, with an arched roof in the shape of a half barrel. • They call their villages as munds, which consist of five buildings or huts, out of which they use three as dwellings, one as a dairy and the other as shelter for the calves at night. • These tribes traditionally trade dairy products, as well as cane and bamboo articles, with the other Nilgiri peoples, receiving Baḍaga grain and cloth and Kota tools and pottery in exchange. • Their religion centres on the all-important Buffalo. • They also worship nature like hill gods, Lord Amodr (the realm of the dead) & Goddess Teikirzi. • As per the tradition, ritual must be performed for almost every dairy activity, from milking and giving the herds salt to churning butter and shifting pastures seasonally. • Polyandry is fairly common. World Happiness Report 2021
• India is ranked 139th in the recently released World Happiness Report 2021 (previous year India’s rank was 144). • The report is released by Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) for the United Nations. • The report ranks 149 countries on "how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be". • It is the ninth edition with focus on the effects of COVID-19 on happiness and how countries have differed in their success in reducing deaths and maintaining connected and healthy societies. • The results of the report, which is based on the Gallup World Poll, have been correlated with factors like GDP and social security. • Ranking of Happiness is based on a three-year-average 2018-2020. • The report evaluated levels of happiness by taking into account 6 key factors such as economic, health, social support, personal freedom, generosity, and perception of corruption. • Finland has been declared the world’s happiest country for the fourth year running. • Of the 10 top countries in the list, nine were in Europe. • A number of Asian countries fared better this year than they had last year, while China moved to the 84th spot from the 94th.
International Pulsar Timing Array
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• Recently, the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA) approved India’s full membership as the Indian Pulsar Timing Array (InPTA). • IPTA is multi-institutional, multi-telescope collaboration, comprising the European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA), the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav), and the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA). • Goal of IPTA is to detect gravitational waves using an array of approximately 30 pulsars. • InPTA set up in 2019, is an experiment aimed at detection of Gravitational waves (GWs) in the sub-microHertz frequency range by observing an ensemble of millisecond pulsars (MSPs). • With the India’s joining, observations made by Pune-based upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) will be used along with the data gathered by some large radio telescopes located in Europe, America and Australia. • With uGMRT, India has become the first Asian country to be a full member of IPTA consortium. • With 30 dish antennas each measuring 45m diameter and positioned over 25 km around Khodad village in Junnar, the uGMRT is the only radio telescope in the world offering a frequency range of this width (frequency range between 300 to 800 MHz) and sensitivity.
PEOPLE IN NEWS Muslim Uighurs
In news: China is facing mounting criticism from around the world over its treatment of the mostly Muslim Uighur population in the north-western region of Xinjiang.
About Muslim Uighur- • Uighur, Chinese (Pinyin) Weiwuer are Turkic-speaking people of interior Asia. • \There are about 12 million Uighurs, mostly Muslim, living in north-western China in the region of Xinjiang, officially known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). • The Uighurs speak their own language, similar to Turkish, and see themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations. • In recent decades, there's been a mass migration of Han Chinese (China's ethnic majority) to Xinjiang, and the Uighurs feel their culture and livelihoods are under threat. • A UN human rights committee in 2018 said it had credible reports the Chinese were holding up to a million people in "counter-extremism centres" in Xinjiang. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
In news: Bangladesh is observing the 50th anniversary of the historic speech given by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka on 7th March 1971.
About Sheikh Mujibur Rahman/Sheikh Mujib-
• Sheikh Mujib was a Bengali leader who became the first Prime Minister (1972–75) and later the President (1975) of Bangladesh. • He is called the "Father of the Nation" in Bangladesh. • He began his formal political career in 1949 as a cofounder of the Awami League. • The Awami League advocated political autonomy for East Pakistan, the detached eastern part of Pakistan. • He played an important role in the six-point movement and the Anti-Ayub movement. • Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had delivered the historic speech at the then Race Course Maidan which is now known as Suhrawardy Udyan.
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• He had declared before a huge crowd on that day that ‘the struggle this time is for our freedom, the struggle this time is for our independence’. • This was virtually a declaration of independence from Pakistan which had refused to acknowledge the victory of Awami League in the national elections held in late 1970. • With Government of India support under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi a sovereign government at Dhaka was created in January 1971. • UNESCO recognised his speech as part of World Documentary Heritage in 2017. • In 2020, UNESCO has decided to launch an international prize in the field of ‘creative economy’ in the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. • Starting November 2021, the dollar 50 thousand award will be given away once in two years for global economic initiatives of the youth • UNESCO has declared 2021 as ‘International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development’.
Gandhi Peace Prize for 2019 and 2020 • The Ministry of Culture announced the Gandhi Peace prize for the year 2019 and 2020. • Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020 has been conferred to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh who was a champion of human rights and freedom and year 2020 marked his birth centenary. • Late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, in recognition of his vision to strengthen relations with India and his efforts to promote peace and non-violence in the Gulf region has been awarded Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019. • Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by the government of India since 1995, the 125th birth anniversary commemoration year of Mahatma Gandhi. • It is given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. • The award is open to all people regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex. • An association, institution or organization shall also be eligible for the award. • The award carries an amount of Rs 1 crore, a citation, plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item. • It is conferred by the Ministry of Culture. • The jury for this award is chaired by the Prime Minister of India and it also comprises two ex- officio members, namely the Chief Justice of India and leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha. • Two eminent members are also part of the jury- Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation.
Raj Kumar Shukla In news: Department of Posts has issued a Commemorative Postage Stamp on Rajkumar Shukla.
About Raj Kumar Shukla-
• He was born on 23rd August 1875 in Satwaria village of Champaran in Bihar. • During the 31st session of the Congress in Lucknow in 1916, Shukla, a representative of farmers from Champaran, met Gandhiji and requested him to come and see for himself the miseries of the indigo ryots there. • He rose to fame for his close association with Gandhiji during the Champaran Satyagraha which was launched in 1917-18. • Its objective was to create awakening among the peasants against the European planters.
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• It was during this agitation, that first time Gandhi was called Bapu (Father) by Sant raut and Mahatma (Great Soul).
PLACES IN NEWS India's 1st AC Railway Terminal:
In news: The nation's first centralised AC railway terminal in Bengaluru is set to become operational soon.
More about it- • The terminal is named after Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya. • New coach terminal is planned at Baiyappanahalli in the city to meet the demand to introduce more express trains connecting Bengaluru. • Modern station buildings with centralised air-conditioning and airport-like facade have been constructed. • The station building is of 4,200 square metre covered area to cater to daily footfalls of 50,000. • The terminal has seven platforms apart from eight stabling lines and three pit lines enabling the terminal to operate 50 trains daily.
Sabarmati Ashram
• Sabarmati Ashram, formerly known as 'Satyagraha Ashram’ is where Gandhi stayed from 1915 to 1933 and later on the Ashram was disbanded. • It was founded on May 25, 1915 in Ahmedabad at Kocharab Bungalow of Jivanlal Desai, who was a barrister friend of Gandhi. • The Ashram was shifted on the bank of river Sabarmati on 17 June, 1917. • It was also from here on 12 March 1930 that Gandhi launched the famous Dandi march and vowed not to return to the Ashram till India gets freedom. • It was also called a Harijan Ashram.
Various places at Ashram & their significance:
• Hridaya Kunj': During his stay at the Ashram, Gandhiji lived in a small cottage which is now known as 'Hridaya (Heart) Kunj'. • Nandini: It is on the right hand side of 'Hridaya Kunj'. It is an old Ashram guest house, where guests from India and abroad are put up. • Vinoba Kutir: Named after Acharya Vinoba Bhave who stayed here, and also known as Mira Kutir after Mirabahen, Gandhiji's disciple, daughter of a British Admiral. • Upasana Mandir: It is an open-air prayer ground, situated between 'Hridaya Kunj' and 'Magan Kutir' (the hut where Maganlal Gandhi, the ashram manager, used to stay).Here, Gandhiji used to refer to individual questions after prayers and as the head of the family analysed and gave his solutions. • Gandhi Sangrahalaya: It is a museum inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru on May10,1963. It has five units and a library, two photo-galleries and an auditorium.
Greater Tipraland
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What is Greater Tipraland?
• It is essentially an extension of the ruling tribal partner Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT’s) demand of Tipraland, which sought a separate state for tribals of Tripura. • New demand seeks to include every tribal person living in indigenous area or village outside the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) under the proposed model. • Idea also seeks to include ‘Tiprasa’ of Tripuris spread across Assam, Mizoram etc… and even those living in Bandarban, Chittagong, Khagrachari and other bordering areas of neighbouring Bangladesh. • Demand would be placed before the central government for dialogue if all indigenous tribal leaders of Tripura including himself are invited for talks. • Call of ‘Greater Tipraland’ rose due to unfulfilled demands of revising NRC in Tripura and opposition to CAA in the past.
What are ‘Tipraland’ and ‘Greater Tipraland’?
• Tipraland: Demand of the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), which is now in power in Tripura in alliance with the BJP. It was a political call for the creation of a separate state for indigenous groups. • Greater Tipraland: Demands that every indigenous area or village which is today outside the TTAADC be included.
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Yojana magazine gist Finance commission
The constitution of the finance commission is governed by Article 280 of the constitution, which spells out the manner and the modality for the management of the finances of the union and the states resources. The fifteenth finance commission (FC-XV) was constituted by the President on November 27, 2017.
The title of the report ‘Finance Commission in Covid times ’was submitted to the President for the period 2021-2026. The union government, in its action taken report on the commission’s report tabled in Parliament on February 1, 2021 accepted the most recommendations.
Finance commission transfers are made under articles 270, 275 and 280 of the constitution, which provides a mechanism for sharing of taxes and revenues vertically between the central and states and horizontally among all states. Fifteenth finance commission was additionally tasked with reviewing and commenting on the design of fiscal principles for various grants that are typically provided alongside revenue shares.
It was also asked to consider performance based incentives to support and motivate the effort of the states and/or local government-the “appropriate level of government” in a variety of policy areas. Another unique Terms of Reference (ToR) given to it included recommending funding mechanisms for defense and internal security.
Then commission from its very conception faced multiple challenges including the difference in opinion on the use of the population census of 2011 to allay the fears of certain efficient states that they would be penalized for efficient demographic management. Other issues included non-lapsable defense funds and use of certain parameters for performance incentives.
Vertical Transfer: There is a structural vertical imbalance which necessitates orderly transfer of resources from the union to the states. This imbalance between revenues and expenditure responsibilities forms the basis of a fair vertical devolution. The fifteenth finance commission, in its final report, recommended the devolution to be at 41 percent. As compared to FC-XIV, this commission has only made the required adjustment of about one percent due to the changed status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into the new union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Horizontal Distribution: The diverse nature of this country with states at different levels of development and having complex characteristics impact their revenues and expenditures. The commission has given the criterion for horizontal distribution of taxes.
Criteria Weight (percent)
Population 15.0
Area 15.0
Forest and ecology 10.0
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Income distance 45.0
Tax & Fiscal efforts 2.5
Demographic performance 12.5 Population, area and forest and ecology represents the need-based principle, while income distance criterion represents an equity based principle. In addition to these criteria, this commission has used tax and fiscal efforts and demographic performance as a performance criterion to allay the fears of the more efficient states in the country. Fifteenth finance commission was mandated by its ToR to use the population data of the most recent census, after four decades. The overall allocation to states as recommended by the commission is progressive.
The commission has recommended the five different categories of grants: a. Revenue deficit grants, b. Grants for local government, c. Grants for disaster management, d. Sector-specific grants, and e. State-specific grants.
FC-XV recommended grants aggregating to Rs. 10,33,062 crores, which is 19.65 per cent of total recommended transfers to states.
Revenue deficit grants: The commission has recommended an allocation of 1.92 per cent of the gross revenue receipts of the union as revenue deficit grants to specific states.
Local Government Grants: The total size of the grant to local governments recommended by the commission is Rs.4,36,361 crores for the period 2021-26. A sum of Rs.2,36,805 crores is earmarked for rural local bodies, Rs. 1,21,055 crores for urban local bodies and Rs. 70,051 crores for health grants through local governments.
Urban local bodies have been categorized into two groups, based on population. Basic grants proposed only for cities/towns having populations of less than a million. For million plus cities, 100 per cent of the grants are performance-linked through the million plus cities challenge fund (MCF).
The grants to local bodies, both rural and urban (less than a million category), contain a mix of basic, tied as well as performance grants such as sanitation, solid waste management and ease of breathing in the metro cities.
Disaster Management Grants: The commission recommended mitigation funds to be set up at both the national and state levels, in line with the provisions of the disaster management act.
Other Sector-specific and State-specific Grants: The commission has also recommended performance based grants and incentives for sectors like health, education, agriculture, PMGSY roads, judiciary, statistics and aspirational districts and blocks.
It recommended that the union government may constitute in the public account of India, a dedicated non-lapsable fund, Modernization fund for defense and internal security (MFDIS). The total indicative size of the proposed MFDIS over the period 2021-26 is Rs. 2,38,354 crores and this recommendation has been accepted by the government.
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In the formula given by the finance commission, Rs. 40,000 crores per annum would be available for defense, Rs. 10,000 crores per annum would be available for home ministry to upgrade paramilitary forces. Finally, Rs.1000 crores per annum has been recommended as a jawan welfare fund given the enormous sacrifices of India’s armed and paramilitary forces.
Conclusion: As the commission faced the unprecedented challenge of making projections and recommendations under the most uncertain circumstances, it consistently tried to balance the views of these stakeholders to achieve efficient, equitable, inclusive solutions in this extremely diverse country.
Conditional Borrowings: Grant of reform-linked additional borrowing limits to states was first announced in May, 2020 with the twin objective of pushing reforms and providing states the much needed financial resources to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
An important component of the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ packages was an increase in the net borrowing limit of states for 2020-21 by 2 percent of GSDP. The step made available additional financial resources to the tune of Rs. 4, 27,302 Crore to the states, easing their highly stressed fiscal situation.
Borrowing by states in India is guided by provisions of Article 293 of the constitution. States are permitted to borrow within the territory of India against the security of the consolidated fund of the states, subject to the limit fixed by the legislature of the state.
However, according to the Article 293(3), if a state is yet to repay a central loan extended to the State by the government of India or by its predecessor's Government, it has to obtain consent of the government of India before raising any such loan.
Based on the recommendations of the finance commission, the central government had fixed the net borrowing ceiling of states for the year 2020-21 at three percent of GSDP.
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Four areas were identified for undertaking the much needed reform-implementation of ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ system, reforms to promote ease of doing business, local bodies and public utilities reforms and reforms in the power sector.
Initial deadline to complete the reforms was December 31,2020 for ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ and ‘Ease of doing business’ reforms, January 15, 2021 for ‘Urban Local Body/Public Utility Reforms’ and January 31,2021 for ‘Power Sector Reforms’.
One Nation One Ration Card: • ‘One Nation one Ration Card’ is a technology driven reform which enables beneficiaries of NFSA and other welfare schemes to get their entitled monthly quota of food grains from any electronic point of sale (e-PoS) -enabled FPS of their choice anywhere in the country. • The reform especially empowers the migratory population like laborers, daily wagers, urban poor like rag pickers, street dwellers, temporary workers in organized sectors, domestic workers etc. • Till February 8, 2020, Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) has certified that 12 states have completed the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ reform.
Ease of Doing Business: The reforms stipulated in this category are: • Completion of first assessment of ‘District Level Business Reform Action Plan’. • Elimination of the requirements of renewal of registration certificates, approvals, and licenses obtained by businesses. • Implementation of a computerized central random inspection system wherein allocation of inspectors for statutory inspections is done centrally, • Prior inspection notice is provided to the business owner, and inspection report is uploaded on the website within 48 hours of inspection.
Department for promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has certified that till February 8, 2021, a total of 12 states have completed the ease of doing business reforms.
Urban Local Bodies/Utilities Reforms:
Reforms in Urban Local bodies (ULBs) are aimed at their financial strengthening to enable them to provide better public health and sanitation services, and create god civic infrastructure. By February 8, 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has confirmed completion of these reforms by five states.
Power Sector Reforms:
States have been asked to undertake three reforms in the power sector and incentive for completing each of reform has been prescribed: • 0.05 percent of the GSDP for reduction in aggregate technical & commercial losses in the state as per prescribed targets. • 0.05 percent of GSDP is allowed for reduction in the gap between average cost of supply and average revenue realization (ACS-ARR gap) in the state. • 0.15 percent of GSDP of the state of introduction of direct benefit transfer (DBT) to all farmers in the state in lieu of free/subsidized electricity.
By February 8, 2021, the Ministry of Power has reported that two states, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, have achieved the reforms in the power sector partially.
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Conclusion: Linking the grant of additional borrowing permissions by the Government of India to the states to reforms in the various citizen-centric sectors not only help states to maintain a sustainable debt path, but has also started bringing benefits to the citizens. Foreign Direct Investment:
With record levels of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), rapid deployment of technology that both hand-held investors and eased supplies of mission critical goods and services, Invest India has been at the forefront of fulfilling vision of safety and security while maintaining business resilience. Invest India, the national investment promotion and facilitation agency under the ministry of commerce and industry, has won the UNCTAD Investment Facilitation Award 2020.
India received an unprecedented USD 35 billion in foreign investments between April and August 2020, the largest ever in the first 5 months of the fiscal year and 13 per cent higher than in the same period of the previous year. In the financial year 2019-20 India received FDI worth USD 73 billion, the highest ever in a single year.
Invest India, committed to the PM's vision of a ‘New India’, launched its business immunity platform (BIP) on March 21, 2020. The platform provided both local and foreign business the much needed direction amidst evolving protocols, safety directions and lockdown limitations.
India Shines through: The pandemic exposed vulnerabilities of highly specialized supply chains and sent companies scrambling to ensure their supplies. With its large domestic market, vast skilled labor force and a liberal FDI regime, India began to appear as an opportunity waiting to be explored.
India’s robust pharmaceutical industry displayed global leadership in quick supplies of generic medicines paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). A combination of these factors has contributed to making India a leading FDI destination and foremost manufacturing hub of the world.
Making India Investors-Friendly: A recent survey conducted by the CII and Ernst & Young found that India is the leading choice for future investments for more than two-thirds of the multinational company respondents. The government has undertaken extensive revisions to existing land, labor, and insolvency laws. Indian states have been at the forefront of this transformation, quick to adopt a single windows system and digitization across all government departments.
Over 90 per cent of all FDI we received last year was under the automatic route, that is, it did not require government permissions. Nearly 50 per cent of those total investments came into Greenfield projects further signaling the growing faith in India’s future. The government has expanded the highly successful Production Linked Incentives (PLI) scheme to 13 crucial sectors to include energy, auto, textiles, pharma and electronics, among others.
To achieve the target of a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024 and meet the demands of its entrepreneurial citizenship, India must rapidly develop and upgrade its infrastructure. The National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) launched in August 2020 will focus on this urgent national need. The GST regime has brought overwhelming clarity to the tax system.
There is also now a land allocation system based on GIS-enabled tracking which collates all industrial land resources in the country on a single platform and allows investors to explore available land across the country, providing them with all necessary details. It will work towards ensuring that public infrastructure projects are efficient, inclusive, and disaster-resilient.
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Conclusion: With evolving policies, up gradation of infrastructure, easier access to clearances and competitive tax regime, India is continuously redefining the definition of ‘Ease of Doing Business’. The pandemic has allowed India to successfully reimagine its role as a global economic force in the modern age. Diplomacy in Covid Times
By adopting India-centric foreign policy during the recent years, we have been able to send a message to the world that India has a will and a capacity to define the priorities of the international systems.
India’s Strengthening position in Multilateral Institutions: During the cold war, the world divided into two blocks, and India had opted for non-alignment which seemed a better option then. Fall of Soviet Union and the breaking of the Berlin wall resulted in a collapse of the bipolar world system and a unipolar world system came into existence where in America became the power center.
As such, it became necessary that India should change its traditional path and lay down a solid foundation for its foreign policy in accordance with the requirements in the new scenario. India started moving in this direction in the 1990's. The then prime minister P.V Narsimha Rao added a part of economic diplomacy in the traditional diplomacy which had traversed in the direction of globalization. Today, after about 22 years of Pokhran-2, India is being acknowledged as one of the major Asian powers and as a global power.
Civilised Soft Power: India is the geo-political nucleus of South-Asia. Under “Diplomacy with Neighborhood first”, India has tried to move ahead by taking along Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives and has presented an example before the world through “Heart to Heart diplomacy” with Pakistan as well. India under its neighborhood policy has been successful in moving ahead in the direction of empowering connectivity, reviving socio-religious relations, development and human assistance.
Towards Global Synergy: In Indo-Pacific region, on one side China is following the strategy of establishing a monopolistic setup on the strength of its defense power built on the basis of its economic strength and the US on the other side is trying to maintain its supremacy. Russia is the third player which wants to move forward on the “Pivot to East” strategy. India is stressing on inclusive action.
India is trying to make an alliance with the US and Japan and has tried to maintain its traditional relations with Russia and China as well. India played an active role in setting up the strategic QUAD in Indo-Pacific region on one hand and became a partner in BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on the other hand.
China’s increasing military power based on its expanding economic activities in Pacific region has provided it an edge over other countries of the region. The cheque-book Diplomacy of China has turned the smaller countries in this region almost as its colonies. It has been successful in construction of China-Pakistan economic corridor from Kashgar to Gwadar, String of Pearls policy and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) under the grand maritime policy in the Indian Ocean.
At present tension between the two countries seems to be the most complex and India needs to advance a few more steps towards Russia and Europe besides going towards the US. But Europe is a victim of internal contradictions. The condition developed in Europe after the “Merkozy Effect”
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(Angela Merkel and Sarkozy economic theory) weakened the bonding between France and Germany and a leakage in European Union has become visible now.
Brexit has shown that there will be a need to define the relations with the European Union afresh. With France, relations based on reciprocity are encouraged. Rafale from France gave a new direction to Indian Air force and the naval exercise Varun concluded between the two countries strengthened the establishing of Indian presence in Indo-Pacific region. By carrying out a military exercise near Djibouti (where China is building its new military base), the two countries are showing that they are quite serious about their strategic partnership in the Indian Ocean.
The Middle East which has always been the nucleus of geopolitical activism. India’s trade and energy security is closely connected with the security of the Strait of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb strait. India has taken part in naval exercise with many gulf countries including Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Djibouti. Saudi Arabia is home to around 2 million Indians where many of them are in higher positions.
India has been following the policy of Afro-Asian brotherhood for a long time and now along with BRICS and IBSA, India has cordial relations with African Union. It is also possible that Seychelles- Chabahar may emerge as an alternative to Gwadar-Djibouti connection and India may succeed in blue water diplomacy.
India’s membership in Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) was its first entry in any multilateral export control system after which India would be able to purchase higher level missile technology and its joint venture with Russia would also get a boost. India already has a non-military nuclear pact with Russia and is trying to enter into NSG, Australia group and Wassenaar Arrangement. These groups regulate traditional, nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
After the US backed out from the Paris Agreement of 2017, India has emerged as an example for other developing nations in this regard. India is presenting standards of environmental policies along with development requirements before them. In this direction, the International Solar Alliance (ISA), headquartered in Gurugram, is very important which was launched on the initiative of PM Modi in November 2015.
Conclusion: The traditional conventional elements of India’s foreign policy have become ineffective and stress on practical initiative in external affairs has increased. India needs to tell that she is in the process of becoming a world power and has a capability to define priority of the international system.
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Kurukshetra magazine gist ATMA NIRBHAR WOMEN
Finance Minister, in her budget speech, said that while the battle against the pandemic continues into 2021, the focus in this year’s Budget is to strengthen the “Sankalp of Nation First, Doubling Farmers Income, strong Infrastructure, Healthy India, Good Governance, Opportunities for youth, Education for all Women Empowerment, and Inclusive Development” among others.
Women and health sector-
With the overarching goal to boost health infrastructure over the next six years, Atma Nirbhar Swastha Bharat Yojana will develop capacities of primary, secondary, and tertiary care health system, strengthen existing national institutions, and create new institutions, to cater to detection and cure of new and emerging diseases.
This will be in addition to the National Health Mission. Now, women constitute almost half of the qualified health workforce in the country, as doctors, nurses, ASHA workers, midwives, anganwadi workers, etc.
The proposed healthcare bills – the National Commission for Allied Healthcare Professionals Bill and National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill also have the ability to take into account the differential gender needs, as well as be informed by the voice, choice and agency of women healthcare functionaries.
Social Sectors schemes benefitting Women:
Mission Poshan 2.0 Scheme: A sum of Rs. 24,435 crores has been set aside for the women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry for the next fiscal in Budget. Out of this, the highest amount has been allocated to the newly announced Sakshan Anganwadi and Mission Poshan 2.0 Scheme with Rs 20,105 crore.
Poshan 2.0 scheme is an umbrella scheme covering the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyan, Scheme for Adolescent Girls and the National Creche Scheme. Mission Shakti (mission for protection and empowerment of women) has been allocated Rs. 3109 crores.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana: The Scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 1, 2016, to distribute Five crore LPG connections to women of below Poverty Line families to promote a of below poverty line families to promote a smoke – free rural India. The finance minister aims to bring one crore more women under this scheme. The government also plans to add 100 more districts in the next three years to the City Gas Distribution network.
Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban): The Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) aims at universal water supply in all 4,378 Urban Local Bodies with 2.86 crores household tap connections, as well as liquid waste management in 500 AMRUT cities.
Fillip To Women Labour Force Participation: According to Census 2011, women constitute only 18.6 percent of the population working or looking for work, whereas in the case of men, the number goes
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up to 55.6 percent as of 2018-19. Female labor force participation (FLFP) stood at 24.5% in 2018-19 for women aged 15 years and above (after declining sharply from 31.2% in 2011-12). In the aftermath of COVID – 19 pandemic, the government has taken initiatives for creating jobs at local levels through Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana Rojgar Abhiyan (PMGKRA). Government has also launched PM SVANidhi Scheme to facilitate collateral free working capital loan up to Rs. 10000 of one year tenure, to approximately 450 lakh street vendors including women, to resume their business.
Opportunities in Gig Economy: Women are seeking and finding more opportunities in urban areas, particularly the gig economy which includes digital platforms offering on demand services, beside the informal sector which includes work settings such as freelancing, direct selling, beauty parlors and the like. For women professionals and even semiskilled workers, the gig economy, especially digital platforms, is a game changer. It is in this context that the Budget proposed to launch a portal that will collect relevant information on gig, building, and construction-workers among others. For the first time locally, social security benefits will extend to gig and platform workers. Minimum wages will apply to all categories of workers, and they will all be covered by the Employees State Insurance Corporation.
Allowing Women to Work Across Sectors and in Night Shifts: The budget proposal, to let women work in all sectors and also in night shifts, can boost gender diversity in workplaces and see increased participation of women in sectors such as manufacturing and engineering. This announcement would encourage companies to create workplace policies with proper safeguards that are gender inclusive by structure and design.
Textile and Tea Industries:
With the government announcing seven Mega Investment Textiles Schemes in the Budget, so as to enable the textile industry to become globally competitive and attract large investments, it throws open new employment opportunities for women. Coming to the tea industry, the announcement of Rs. 1,000 crores for the welfare of tea workers, especially women and their children in Assam and West Bengal, is a welcome step given that women constitute close to 60% of tea pluckers in the industry.
Skilling and Training Imperatives: On the skill development front and to enhance opportunities for youth, the Finance Minister proposed to amend the Apprenticeship Training Scheme for post – education apprenticeship, training of graduates and diploma holders in engineering. An initiative is under way in partnership with the UAE to benchmark skill qualifications, assessment, and certification, accompanied by the deployment of certified workforce. India also has a collaborative training, inter – training programme with Japan to facilitate transfer of Japanese industrial and vocational skills, techniques and knowledge.
Encouraging Entrepreneurs:
To further facilitate credit flow under the scheme of Stand up India for SCs, STs, and women, the Budget has proposed to reduce the margin money requirement from 25% to 15% and to also include loans for activities allied to agriculture.
Conclusion: The proposed Budget initiatives and investments across sectors and schemes have the potential to re – orient the lives of millions of women, make nutrition and healthcare more accessible
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even as their job prospects brighten through relevant skill training, new employment opportunities and access to cheaper credit. These moves ultimately make them self – reliant and financially independent. An empowered women population, ready to make the most of new opportunities, is the vision of ‘New India’. Towards realization of a Five trillion Dollar Economy: Indian economy has set an ambitious target of transforming itself into a US$ five trillion economy by 2024-25. As evident from World Bank’s data, India’s GDP at constant prices stood at US$ 2.94 trillion in 2019.
Immediate challenges: The pandemic and its consequent stringent lockdowns inhibited economic growth and adversely impacted the health of the people along with causing unfavourable social and psychological consequences. There was dire need to follow a two-pronged approach to
(a) mitigate the impact of the consequences of the pandemic and (b) ensure the accelerated growth.
Both liquidity injections and fiscal stimuli are being used to steer the economy back on the growth trajectory. Some of the cornerstones of achieving higher rates of growth are facilitating agriculture, bolstering infrastructure, boosting trade and investment, guaranteeing employment and ensuring health.
Halting the slow down: In recent years, the rate of growth of GNI has slowed down since 2017-18. However, 2020-21 witnessed an unprecedented contraction of -7.9 percent. Atma nirbhar packages together with the measures taken by the RBI, amounted to Rs. 27.1 lakh crores, i.e. around 13 percent of the GDP. From 9.5 percent of GDP in 2020-21, the fiscal deficit is projected to become 6.8 percent in 2021-22 and further to 4.5 percent in 2025-26, for which the budget envisages fiscal consolidation.
Health First: For augmenting health care infrastructure and preparedness for dealing with new and unknown diseases, the health budget has been augmented by 137 percent, besides announcing PM Atma Nirbhar Swasth Bharat yojana.
The launch of Jal Jeevan mission (urban) and the Urban Swachh Bharat mission 2.0 will be added boosters for achieving universal health. The budget announcements like allocation of Rs. 2,217 crores to 42 urban centers for dealing with air pollution, a voluntary vehicle scrapping policy, rolling out of the pneumococcal vaccine across India and provisions for COVID-19 vaccine will directly or indirectly lead to better public health.
Harnessing Inherent Strength: There is an important need to improve nutritional requirements and the launch of the Mission POSHAN 2.0 across 112 aspirational districts will be a definite step in this direction. More than 15,000 schools are proposed to be qualitatively strengthened. 100 new Sainik schools and 750 Eklavya schools in tribal areas are to be set up.
A Central university is proposed in Leh and 9 cities are going to get various research institutions, universities, and colleges supported by the government of India. The post matric scholarship scheme, for the welfare of scheduled castes would be revamped. Accordingly, the budget has announced an outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore for the National Research Foundation over 5 years.
Handling External Sector: Due to the pandemic and lockdowns, India’s trade with the rest of the world in April-December, 2020 was around 23 percent lower than the corresponding period in 2019.
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The trade balance continued to be in deficit, although the gap reduced to less than half in April- December, 2020, i.e. US$ 60 billion.
The decline in imports and exports in 2020, from the levels attained in 2019, reduced in the quarter of April-December, 2020, which indicates the beginning of the revival of the economy. The new trade policy 2021-26 is to be implemented on 1st April, 2021.
To provide a competitive edge to the MSMEs, import duties on products produced by them have been proposed to be increased. Besides agriculture infrastructure and development cess has been proposed on certain items including urea, apples, crude soybean and sunflower oil, crude palm oil, kabuli chana and peas.
FDI flows in April-September, 2020 were US$ 30 billion, i.e. around 15 percent higher than the corresponding period of 2019. To facilitate ease of investing in India the budget has revised the cap on FDI in the insurance sector from 49 percent to 74 percent.
Facilitating Employment: The lockdown witnessed large-scale reverse migration from urban to rural areas, socio-economic hardships, followed by re-migration to urban areas. The doubling of the outlay for MSMEs which has created 11.10 crore jobs in the country, may prove to be a game-changer. For migrant workers in particular, the budget made important announcements — ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ plan, launching a portal to collect relevant information, extending social security benefits to gig and platform workers, all workers to be covered by the employees state insurance corporation, women to be allowed to work in all categories and also in the night shifts with adequate protection and reducing compliance burden on employees.
Hoisting Infrastructure: The budget has announced Rs. 1.97 lakh crore for production linked incentive schemes for 13 sectors. It proposed to make access to infrastructure investments trusts and Real Estate investments trusts easier and launched a national monetization pipeline of brownfield infrastructure assets.
For the textile sectors, the launch of the mega investment textile parks is of paramount significance. For the road sector, the budget has announced plans for economic corridors, launching of a new scheme on a PPP mode for public buses and a vehicle scrapping policy.
National rail plan has been prepared to bring a future ready railway system by 2030. The relatively newer mode of transport viz. metro rail, too received boost in the budget. In the power sector, to provide assistance to DISCOMS for infrastructure creation, including pre-paid smart metering and feeder separation, up gradation of systems, etc. tied to financial improvements.
With regard to fuel supplies, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwal Yojana (LPG scheme) has been planned to cover 1 crore additional beneficiaries. The budget has announced adding 100 more districts to the city gas distribution network, a gas pipeline project for Jammu and Kashmir and an independent gas transport system operator.
Hailing Agriculture: Advance estimates published in the economic survey 2020-21 indicate that this is the only sector which will record a positive growth of 0.9 percent in 2020-21. Accordingly, the budget made announcements for agriculture which include- • enhancing agricultural credit target, • raising the allocation for the rural infrastructure development fund from Rs. 30,000 crore to Rs. 40,000 crores, • doubling the corpus of the micro irrigation fund to Rs. 10,000 crore; 96 www.journalsofindia.com March 2021
• enlarging the scope of operation green scheme to include 22 perishable products; • enlarging the coverage of e-NAM by another 1,000 mandis; • making agriculture infrastructure funds available for APMC’s • setting up an agriculture infrastructure and development cess • establishing a multi-purpose seaweed park.
Conclusion: The resilience of the economy is evident, especially from the revival in FDI and trade. Further, the RBI has projected a growth of 10.5 percent in 2021-22. The IMF too has projected India’s growth in 2021 to be 11.5 percent, after recording a dismal 8 percent in 2020. Timely and effective implementation of the budget announcement will have a multiplier effect across different sectors of the economy.
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