Tnpsc Group Ii Interview Guidance Programme

TNPSC GROUP II

INTERVIEW GUIDANCE PROGRAMME Guided by: Thiru. Vivek Harinarain IAS | Thiru. Jawahar IAS Thiru. T.N. Ramanathan IAS | Thiru. G. Santhanam IAS Thiru. Ajith Kumar IAS Thiru. Sekhar IRS Thiru. Venkatesh Narayanan IRAS Thiru. Nandakumar IRS Thiru. Swaminathan IRS | Thiru. Nedumaran IRS Smt. Beno Zephine IFS Thiru. Abishek Oswal IRAS

DIRECTOR: Prof. Sathyashree Boominathan

Sl.No. Topic 1 Borewell issues, how to avoid another mishap in future 2 Defence export corridor 3 Modi - Xi Jinping meeting Highlights 4 Anti-sterlite protest 5 Cauvery Water Dispute 6 Mekadatu Dam Project 7 Tamil Nadu Vision 2023 8 Tamil Nadu CM’s foreign visit 9 Tamil Nadu e-vehicle policy 10 Chief Justice of Madras High court Transfer 11 Keezhadi - An Urban Settlement of Sangam Age on the bank of Vaigai River 12 Banner Culture 13 Draft New Education policy 14 Early Child care education at TN government schools 15 Chandrayaan – 2 16 Reservation for Economically Weaker sections 17 Representation of Women in Politics 18 Tamil Nadu Budget 19 Single use Plastic ban 20 Science vs Environment controversy in Tamil Nadu

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1.BOREWELL ISSUES, HOW TO AVOID ANOTHER MISHAP IN FUTURE

In news: Tamil Nadu's Surjith Wilson, who was stuck in a borewell for nearly 80 hours died in the early hours of Tuesday. His body was pulled out by the NDRF officials, who had been continuously trying to reach Surjith. He was rushed to the hospital soon after he was retrieved, the doctors, however, declared him dead. Earlier in June 2019, another 2-year-old child, who was stuck in a 150-foot-deep unused borewell in Punjab’s Sangrur was found dead.

Intensity of issue: From 2009, there are 12 children reported to have fallen into the borewell. Only 1 in 2012 among them was recovered.

Measures taken so far: ● After Tamil Nadu witnessed such repeated incidents in April 2014, the government amended local laws in August that year, including the 'Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act' to further regulate sinking of wells and related aspects like its proper maintenance. The amendments mandated permission from authorities for sinking wells and its non-compliance, attracting a minimum of three years imprisonment. After such amendments, the government notified the 'Tamil Nadu Panchayats Rules' and 'The TN Municipalities Rules,' both on regulation of sinking of wells and safety measures, in early 2015. ● Standard operating procedure is already given by NDRF in its official websites for all states to follow. Supreme court guidelines: ● On February 11, 2010, a three-judge Bench, comprising the CJI and Justices B.S. Chauhan and C.K. Prasad, laid down certain safety measures to be followed by all State governments. A suo motu PIL on August 6, 2010 with some modifications to the guidelines issued earlier. As per the modified guidelines, any landowner looking to sink a borewell should inform the government officials concerned about the same, at least 15 days in advance. ● It was also made mandatory for the drilling agencies to get themselves registered either with the district administration or any other statutory authority. ● Further, signboards should be erected on the drilling sites, containing the details of the landowner as well as the drilling agency. ● More importantly, the court-mandated guidelines insisted upon the installation of barbed wire fencing or any other suitable barrier around the borewells at the time of drilling.

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● The capping of the wells with bolts and nuts, the filling up of mud pits and channels on completion of the work and the restoration of the ground to its original condition were the other requirements stipulated by the court. ● In so far as the abandoned borewells were concerned, the court ordered that they should be filled with clay, sand, boulders, pebbles or drill cutting from the bottom of the well till the ground level. ● District Collectors should be empowered to verify that the above guidelines are being followed and proper monitoring of the status of boreholes/tubewells is being taken care [of] through the government agencies concerned. District/Block/Village-wise status of borewells/tube wells drilled, number of wells in use, number of abandoned borewells/tubewells, number of wells found open, number of wells not properly filled should be maintained. ● In rural areas, the monitoring of the above is to be done through village Sarpanch and the executive from the Agriculture department. In urban areas, the monitoring of the above is to be done by Junior Engineer and Executives from the concerned Department of Ground Water/ Public Health/ Municipal Corporation, etc. ● “Random inspection of the abandoned wells is also to be done by the executive of the agency/department concerned. Information on all such data on the above is to be maintained in the District Collector/Block Development Office,” the court order read. ● Toll free number 1800-599-6000 for complaining about open borewell by Coimbatore district collector. ● Organizations like Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaat (TNTJ) have launched toll free number on their part to close borewells on complaint.

Measures that can be taken: ● Students of PES Polytechnic Raghothama P, Achutha R, Adithya P, Ashray Aksh, Pavan Kumar, Tejas R, and Amith Gowda to come up with Borot, a robotised-saving device for accidents that happen in unguarded borewells. “The device works on the principle of rack and pinion mechanism. It can be controlled by Android devices and can work on normal electricity and sealed acid batteries,” said Raghothama, 18. Borot is fitted with a spy strike miniature camera on a robotic arm, which can slide down inside and send live videos to a screen. With its sensors, it can analyse poisonous gas detection, motion of a child who may have fallen into one. “If a child is alive, the device will set off an air balloon through a separate chord. This will go beneath the child and inflate, to arrest further sinking,” he adds.

● Routine inspection of by Panchayat officials and awareness among the public. ● Proper sealing of bore wells following existing guidelines ● Conversion of unused borewells into rain water harvesting system.

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2. DEFENCE EXPORT CORRIDOR

Finance Minister in his budget speech (2018-19) had announced setting up of two Defence Industrial Corridors in the country. In pursuance to the said announcement, it has been decided to develop one such corridor in Tamil Nadu and the other one in Uttar Pradesh. The two corridors are based on existing defence production facilities and will set up new industry clusters to create a supply chain of MSMEs, manufacturers with testing facilities and export facilitation centres. Identified nodes in Tamil Nadu are -- Salem, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hosur and Tiruchirappalli. This corridor include the announcement of new investments by Defence PSUs, the private sector, launch of new defence products and the defence innovation hub in Coimbatore.

Reasons for setting it up in Tamil Nadu: ● Major automobile components already present in Tamil Nadu ● Bangalore aerospace is crowded. ● Coimbatore is a major area for development of precision machinery and is a base of about 4,000 companies, including MSMEs and “big ones” that are exporting. “We are working with them to attract them into defence. ● Tamil Nadu is a major defence manufacturing state in the country. ● It is a much stronger manufacturing state and has a strong IT presence. ● There is also a large base of engineering colleges in the private sector, so there is a huge talent pool.

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3. MODI - XI JINPING MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on an informal summit at Mamallapuram, a coastal town near Chennai, on October 11-12. The first day of the meet showcased the ancient town of Mamallapuram, which was a port from where trade between the two nations were carried out two thousand years ago.

Trade: A new mechanism called High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue mechanism will look into achieving enhanced trade and commercial relations. It will also seek to address the trade deficit and issues related to investment. It seeks to build a 'manufacturing partnership' between India and China. On International issues: They also agreed that rules-based multilateral trading systems must be supported and strengthened. The nations also reinforced their commitment to work together for open and inclusive trade arrangements that will benefit all countries. They also made a commitment to address global developmental challenges, including climate change and meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

People to people contact To celebrate the 70th year of diplomatic relations between the two nations, the year 2020 will be designated as Year of India-China Cultural and People to People Exchanges, the MEA said. To mark the occasion, many events will be planned, it added.

To celebrate the civilisational ties between the nations, the MEA said that the two leaders have decided to form a 'Sister-state relationship' between Tamil Nadu and Fujian Province. There is also a proposal to set up an academy to study these links.

Chennai connect The 'Chennai connect' sets the tone for future discussions. Here, the two leaders agreed to set up a new mechanism to have better cooperation in trade and defence. In a statement, the MEA said that the two leaders engaged in an "in-depth exchange of views in a friendly atmosphere."

It also reinforced that this 'informal meet' concept works in the India-China context. It also set the ball rolling for more people to people contact.

Kashmir issue The lack of Kashmir in the talks also shows that both nations are willing to look beyond, at least at the leadership level. It is significant as China is accepting India’s interest in Dehyphenation of India - Pakistan issue on Kashmir.

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4. ANTI-STERLITE PROTEST

Tension gripped the coastal city of Tamil Nadu as agitators in Tuticorin clashed with police protesting the proposed expansion of a copper smelter of Sterlite Copper, a unit of the Vedanta group, over pollution concerns. At least nine people have been killed and several others critically injured in clashes with police. With hundreds of residents and social activists raising their voice against the copper unit, the situation in the city is very critical and there is a heavy deployment of police.

Background

● Sterlite Copper had to move from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, after year-long protests by locals, to Thoothukudi in August 1994, with clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). ● A licence to operate from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board was granted in the late 1996. ● After locals began complaining of health issues such as headaches, coughing and choking, blaming them on the discharge from the factory, it caught the attention of some politicians led by MDMK leader Vaiko and environmentalists, who began organising the community. ● In November 1998, the Madras High Court ordered the plant to be closed, but a week later the court modified its order and allowed the plant to run again, meanwhile asking the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute to conduct a study in the region. That turned out to be a clean chit for Sterlite. ● Twelve years later, the court ordered the closure of Sterlite Copper, citing violations of law and for polluting the environment. ● Three days later, the Supreme Court stayed the order. In April 2013, the court slapped a fine of ₹100 crore on Sterlite Copper, but refused to shut it down. ● The current wave of protests was triggered after the MoEF granted permission to build another plant right next to the existing smelter, without conducting the necessary public hearing. ● When construction began in July 2017, the protest resumed, and with the government failing to engage constructively with the local community, it snowballed into the anger that led to Black May 22.

Tuticorin Copper Plant

● The copper unit in Tuticorin has the capacity to produce 400,000 tonnes of copper cathode a year. It is run by Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper unit, controlled by Vedanta Limited.

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● It is owned by Anil Agarwal who kicked off his business career as a scrap dealer from Bihar. ● The unit in Tuticorin was shut down on March 29 this year for 15 days for ‘maintenance work’. ● The company plans to double its production, increasing it up to 800,000 tonnes of copper cathode per year.

Why are the residents protesting against the copper production unit?

They allege that the pollution generated by the unit has contaminated the water bodies in the region, claiming that they are facing severe health problems.

Environmental activists have also expressed concern since copper smelting leads to various kinds of pollution and they must be located far away from the residential areas.

Sterlite Copper’s response to the protest

Responding to the allegations against it, the company said that the plant has received necessary permits and has not violated any norms.

A report in The Economic Times quotes P Ramnath, CEO of Sterlite Copper as saying, “the company had offered to open its gates for people to see for themselves than believe rumours and half-truths.”

However, the offer was turned down by activists insisting that it was not what happened inside the factory, but the environmental damage caused by it.

State’s response

● The State has ordered closure of the company and revoked its grant of land. ● It has also appointed a retired High Court judge to probe the May 22 incident. ● Members of the National Human Rights Commission have arrived at Thoothukudi to conduct their own probe. ● Meanwhile, Sterlite Copper’s CEO P. Ramnath has said false propaganda has driven the protests, while the company has always been willing to engage with the environmentalists and the local community.

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5. CAUVERY WATER DISPUTE

Cauvery/Kaveri

The Kaveri’s origin is at Talakaveri, Kodagu in Karnataka, flows generally south and east through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and across the southern Deccan plateau through the south-Eastern lowlands, emptying into the Bay of Bengal through two principal mouths in Poompuhar, Tamil Nadu.

The Kaveri basin is estimated to be 81,155 square kilometres (31,334 sq mi) with many tributaries including Harangi, Hemavati, Kabini, Bhavani, Arkavathy, Lakshmanana Tirtha, Noyyal and Amaravati.

Historical perspective

The British controlled both Mysore and Madras for a short period in the middle of the 19th century. During their regime, numerous plans were drawn up for the utilization of the Kaveri waters by both states.

In 1924, Mysore princely state and Madras presidency reached an agreement over sharing the Cauvery water. As per 1924-agreement, Cauvery river water is distributed as 75% with Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, 23% to Karnataka and remaining to go to Kerala.

In the 1970s, Cauvery fact finding committee found that Tamil Nadu is irrigated Lands had increased from an area of 14,40,000 acres to 25,80,000 acres whereas Karnataka’s irrigated area stood at 680,000 acres, resulting in an increased demand of water for Tamil Nadu.

In 1974, Karnataka (Mysore) asserted that the 1924 agreement entailed a discontinuation of the water supply to Tamil Nadu (Madras) after 50 years. Karnataka demanded that the river water should be divided according to international rules, i.e., in equal portions.

A report in The Hindu says that between 1991 and 2011 i.e. in 20 years, Tamil Nadu realised less water on 13 occasions.

Recent issue

● In August 2016, the Tamil Nadu government showed a deficit of 50 TMCFT (thousand million cubic feet) of water released from Karnataka reservoirs, as directed by the CDWT. ● Tamil Nadu sought the apex court’s intervention saying its farmers needed the water to begin cultivating samba crops.

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● On September 5, the Supreme Court ordered the Karnataka government to release 15,000 cusecs of water a day for 10 days, to Tamil Nadu. This led to widespread protests and bandhs in Karnataka. ● The Karnataka government’s stand was water could not be released due to drought conditions in South Karnataka. ● On September 22 two Houses of the Karnataka legislature, unanimously passed a resolution stating that “it is imperative for the State government to ensure” that no water is drawn from the four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin “except for drinking water requirements of villages and towns in the Cauvery basin and for the entire city of Bengaluru.”

Cauvery water tribunal ● Owing to Tamil Nadu government’s appeal to the Central government in 1986 to constitute a tribunal for solving the issue under Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956, the Cauvery Waters Tribunal was established on June, 2, 1990. ● In 2007, after sixteen years of hearing and an interim order later, the Tribunal announced its final order. It concluded that the water availability in Cauvery stood at 740 TMCFT.

Issues ● Endless cycle of sporadic litigation and ad hoc adjudication: Both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu continue to avoid any mutual engagement to share the shortfall during distress years. ● The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, which gave its award in 2007, has asked the parties to share the deficiency on a pro rata basis. ● Weak implementation of award: Due to absence of a ‘Cauvery Management Board’ and a Regulatory Authority, which the Tribunal had wanted, created to oversee implementation. ● Excessive complication of the matter is due to regional politics and delayed judicial proceedings. ● Separation of powers and Karnataka defying Supreme Court.

Karnataka arguments ● In spite of having 42% share in total Cauvery basin, Karnataka is getting lower amount of total water share. Hence, water sharing formulas to be reviewed considering the river catchment area into account. ● During monsoon failure years, Karnataka farmers are need of water as any other farmers in other states. ● Karnataka has relatively more drought affected area in Cauvery basin region than Tamil Nadu.

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● Karnataka is benefitted from south west monsoon and it shares a significant amount of water with Tamil Nadu whereas Tamil Nadu gets good amount of rainfall during north eastern which need not be shared with anyone.

Tamil Nadu arguments ● From ancient times Tamil Nadu consumes maximum amount of Cauvery water. Constructing the dam and using the water for any other activities. ● Tamil Nadu has 70% of the geographical area of the Karnataka but its population is 120% of Karnataka. Hence Tamil Nadu should get more water as most of these people dependent on the water of Cauvery. ● 1924 agreement is the foundation to the development of key projects in both the states therefore; it cannot be changed now as any such change will have significant detrimental effects. ● Denying the water to Tamil Nadu just considering the farmers of Karnataka is not correct. As a nation we should share the water in an equitable manner to get equal benefits to both of the states.

What needs to be done? ● Ideally, any distress-sharing formula should come from a technical body and not courts. ● Set up the Cauvery Management Board and Regulatory Authority.

Once the Board is set up, all the Cauvery reservoirs in Karnataka will come under the control of the board and the state will lose its rights over the management of water. The Board will take decisions on water usage and distribution. The Board will also see to it that states ensure proper hydraulic structures at relevant sites. It will determine the amount of water to be received by the states.

During Bad Monsoons: The Board will ensure adequate storage by the end of May each year during good years. This will help during delays in the onset of monsoons. In case of consecutive bad years, the Board will handle the issue appropriately by distributing water in a planned manner with minimum distress.

Attempts to resolve dispute have focused mainly on resource sharing while ignoring equity and efficiency issues. In a world of depleting water resources, fewer crop seasons and lower acreages, a resort to less water intensive crops and better water management hold the key.

In the longer term, experts will have to devise a sustainable agricultural solution for the Cauvery basin, as the river does not seem to have the potential to meet the farming requirements of both sides.

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Different types of irrigation like drip irrigation, sprinkler systems etc. should be adopted widely. Re-Visiting MSP Policies especially with respect to Water Intensive Food Crops. Crops should be planted according to Agro-Climatic conditions.

River basin planning: Stakeholder states should plan collectively for the whole river basin. The fact is the Cauvery basin is overdeveloped and legal instruments are insufficient to address the recurring water crisis.

Non-political initiatives, such as the ‘Cauvery Family’, a body formed a few years ago covering farmers of both States, could help co-operation between farmers.

Data: Transmission of quick and accurate information — rainfall to reservoir storage — could help dispel the current mistrust among the different stake-holders.

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6. MEKADATU DAM PROJECT

● Being set up by the Karnataka government, the project is near Mekadatu, in Ramanagaram district, across the river Cauvery from Tamil Nadu. ● Its primary objective is to supply drinking water to Bengaluru and recharge the groundwater table in the region.

Conflict in Dam Construction: ● Tamil Nadu has moved the Supreme Court. Its main argument is that the project violates the final award of the Cauvery River Water Tribunal, and that the “construction of the two reservoirs would result in impounding of the flows in the intermediate catchment below the Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini reservoirs, and Billigundulu in the common border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu”. ● Karnataka says, the project will not come in the way of releasing the stipulated quantum of water to Tamil Nadu, nor will it be used for irrigation purposes.

The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 ● The Bill seeks to amend the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. ● Disputes Resolution Committee: Under the Act, when a complaint is received from a state government regarding a water dispute, the central government may ask the affected states to undertake negotiations to settle the dispute. If the dispute cannot be settled through negotiations, the central government has to set up a Water Disputes Tribunal within a year of receiving such a complaint. ● The Bill replaces this provision and requires the central government to set up a Disputes Resolution Committee (DRC), for resolving any inter-state water dispute amicably. The DRC will get a period of one year, extendable by six months, to submit its report to the central government. ● Members of DRC: Members of the DRC will be from relevant fields, as deemed fit by the central government. ● Tribunal: The Bill proposes to set up an Inter-State River Water Disputes Tribunal, for adjudication of water disputes, if a dispute is not resolved through the DRC. This tribunal can have multiple benches. ● All existing tribunals will be dissolved and the water disputes pending adjudication before such existing tribunals will be transferred to this newly formed tribunal. ● Composition of the Tribunal: The tribunal shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice- Chairperson, and not more than six nominated members (judges of the Supreme Court or of a High Court), nominated by the Chief Justice of India. The central government may appoint two experts serving in the Central Water Engineering Service, not below the rank of Chief Engineer, as assessors to advise the bench in its proceedings. ● Time allotted to Tribunal to take its decision: Under the Act, any water disputes tribunal has to give its decision on a dispute within a period of three years. This

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period is extendable by a maximum of two years. Under the Bill, the proposed tribunal has to give its decision on a dispute within a period of two years. This period is extendable by a maximum of one year. ● Under the Act, if the matter is again referred to the tribunal by a state for further consideration, the tribunal has to submit its report to the central government within a period of one year. This period of one year can be extended by the central government for such a period as it may consider necessary. The Bill amends this to specify that the extension may be up to a maximum of six months. ● Decision of the Tribunal: Under the Act, the decision of the tribunal must be published by the central government in the official gazette. After publication, the decision has the same force as that of an order of the Supreme Court. ● Under the Bill, the requirement of publication in the official gazette has been removed. The Bill also adds that the decision of the bench of the tribunal will be final and binding on the parties involved in the dispute. This decision will have the same force as that of an order of the Supreme Court. ● Maintenance of data bank and information: Under the Act, the central government maintains a data bank and information system at the national level for each river basin. Under the Bill, the central government will appoint or authorise an agency to maintain a data bank and information system at the national level for each river basin. ● Additional rule -making powers: The Bill gives the central government powers to make rules in which water will be distributed during stress situations arising from shortage in the availability of water.

Way forward

One solution can be to bring water under concurrent list and according to Mihir shah report Central Water Authority can be constituted to manage rivers.

● Centre can play the role of impartial arbitrator. This role cannot be done by courts as this is a political question with political consequences ● A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources too has stated the need for bringing the subject in the Concurrent List. ● It also urged the Centre to initiate “earnest” efforts to build a national consensus for bringing water in the Concurrent List of Constitution so that a comprehensive plan can be prepared for water conservation.

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7. TAMIL NADU VISION 2023

Vision 2023 Tamil Nadu (“Vision 2023”) sets the plan for infrastructure development for the state to reach the desired outcomes by 2023. The three outcomes of Vision 2023 are:

(1) The per capita income of Tamil Nadu’s residents will reach USD 10,0001 per annum (at 2010 prices) – the present median income of Upper Middle Income countries - by 2023,

(2) Tamil Nadu will attain a high standard of social development, with the Human Development Index of the state matching those of developed countries by 2023, and

(3) Tamil Nadu would provide to its residents, high quality infrastructure all over the state comparable with the best in the world.

Crucial to achieving Vision 2023 is identifying the infrastructure requirements of Tamil Nadu and the strategies to develop the required facilities.

This Vision document addresses the inter-play amongst three key components of development, namely (a) What should be the long term growth objectives of Tamil Nadu (“The Outcomes”)?; (b) What are the inputs required in terms of infrastructure, investments, and policies?; and (c) What should be the targeted output mix in terms of economic income, sectoral composition and pace of growth? How should the benefits be distributed in society? What should be the balance between development and environment?

Key facets of Vision 2023 include Tamil Nadu’s enhanced economic dynamism, best in class human development indicators, a well-developed infrastructure that provides universal access to basic services, an investment climate that compares with the best in Asia, and the evolution into India’s foremost knowledge and innovation hub.

Vision 2023 Tamil Nadu identifies ten themes for the state as follows:

1. Tamil Nadu will be amongst India’s most economically prosperous states by 2023, achieving a six-fold growth in per capita income (in real terms) over the next 11 years to be on par with the Upper-Middle-Income countries globally.

2. Tamil Nadu will exhibit a highly inclusive growth pattern – it will largely be a poverty free state with opportunities for gainful and productive employment for all those who seek it, and will provide care for the disadvantaged, vulnerable and the destitute in the state.

3. Tamil Nadu will be India’s leading state in social development and will have the highest Human Development Index (HDI) amongst all Indian states.

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4. Tamil Nadu will provide the best infrastructure services in India in terms of universal access to Housing, Water & Sanitation, Energy, Transportation, Irrigation, Connectivity, Healthcare, and Education.

5. Tamil Nadu will be one of the top three preferred investment destinations in Asia and the most preferred in India with a reputation for efficiency and competitiveness.

6. Tamil Nadu will be known as the innovation hub and knowledge capital of India, on the strength of world class institutions in various fields and the best human talent.

7. Tamil Nadu will ensure Peace, Security and Prosperity for all citizens and business, enabling free movement and exchange of ideas, people and trade with other Indian states and the rest of the world.

8. Tamil Nadu will preserve and care for its ecology and heritage.

9. Tamil Nadu will actively address the causes of vulnerability of the state and its people due to uncertainties arising from natural causes, economic downturns, and other man-made reasons and mitigate the adverse effects.

10. Tamil Nadu will nurture a culture of responsive and transparent Governance that ensures progress, security, and equal opportunity to all stakeholders.

To achieve the above vision, the Government of Tamil Nadu will adopt multiple strategies that energise various slivers of the economy and create a virtuous circle of enhanced competitiveness, efficiency and vibrancy in all sectors and galvanise the citizens and other stakeholders to march towards the targets in unison. Strategy for development is about building on the strengths of the state to exploit opportunities while simultaneously protecting the vulnerabilities that could arise due to intrinsic weaknesses and threats in the environment. Accordingly, Vision 2023 identifies ten thrust areas which form the basis of acceleration in the economy and achievement of the long term goals. The ten thrust areas are described below:

● Strategic initiative 1 - Increasing the share of manufacturing in the state’s economy ● Strategic initiative 2 - Making SMEs vibrant ● Strategic initiative 3 - Making Tamil Nadu the Knowledge Capital and Innovation hub of India ○ Ushering in a revolution in Skill Development aimed at skilling 20 million persons across the state over the next 11 years ○ Establishing best in class institutions as Centres of Excellence in various fields that will attract the best talent from across the globe

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○ Fostering a social climate and institutional structure that will encourage the free movement of people to and from other states of India and other parts of the world.

● Strategic initiative 4 - Specialisation in service offerings ○ Back-office capital of the world: Tamil Nadu shall aim to be a global leader in attracting large scale back-offices for knowledge intensive businesses such as banks, insurance companies, financial services companies, consultancies, engineering, accounting, architecture, law firms, design firms, scientific research, data management & analytics, telecommunication, technology and media. ○ Healthcare capital of South Asia: Given that Tamil Nadu is already renowned for healthcare facilities (hospitals in Chennai, Coimbatore, Vellore and Madurai are popular with patients from all over the country and outside), Tamil Nadu will aggressively position itself as the medical tourism destination of South Asia. ○ Audio and Video production and post production: Chennai is already recognised as India’s leading audio and video production centre, with several post-production processing activities such as digital recording, mastering, dubbing, and animation being undertaken for several films made all over India. Given the scalability of the operations, the cost advantage that India enjoys globally, and the reputation for quality that Chennai has developed in this area, there is no reason why this service cannot be extended to Hollywood and other major film producing countries of the world. ○ Tourism: Tourism has very high potential for local employment generation and Tamil Nadu has considerable natural endowments that enable tourism as an industry to flourish. Vision 2023 gives significant thrust to the development of this sector to its potential over the next 11 years. Tamil Nadu’s tourism industry is the second biggest in India and is built on several attractive propositions including beaches, hill resorts, architecture, and heritage sites. ● Strategic initiative 5 - Thrust on skill development ● Strategic initiative 6 - Improving agricultural productivity ○ Improving productivity by introducing scientific agricultural methods and building an institutional network to support the continued adoption of the same. ○ Ensuring timely irrigation by intelligent use of available water by adopting effective recharging mechanisms, drip/sprinkler irrigation systems, timely cleaning and deepening of tanks and canals, and adopting appropriate cropping pattern based on water availability. ○ Developing suitable post-harvest infrastructure to maximise the benefits of value addition and timely marketing of produce. The state will also extend agricultural extension activities to cover the entire farming community

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● Strategic initiative 7 - Transforming ten cities into world class cities that become the nodes of growth across the state ● Strategic initiative 8 - Thrust on social welfare programmes to ensure inclusive growth ● Strategic initiative 9 - Signature Projects

i. Develop world class Centres of Excellence in at least 10 areas that act as nuclei of innovation

ii. Set up two medical cities in southern and western Tamil Nadu

iii. Double water storage capacity across the state

iv. High speed broadband connectivity to be reached to every village

v. Two supercritical and other power projects of cumulative 20000 MW capacity

vi. Gas grid connecting ten large cities

vii. 2000 km of 6/8 lane highways

viii. High speed rail connecting Chennai - Coimbatore - Madurai – Kanyakumari

ix. Development of industrial corridors between Chennai - Hosur, Chennai – Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore – Madurai, Coimbatore - Salem and Madurai – Thoothukudi.

x. Three greenfield ports and 5 minor ports with total cargo handling capacity of 150 million tonnes per annum

xi. Greenfield airport near Chennai with an annual capacity of at least 40 million passengers

● Strategic initiative 10 - Encourage PPP in infrastructure project creation and /or service provision

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8. TAMIL NADU CM’S FOREIGN VISIT

● First state chief minister to travel abroad in decades. The visit included countries of USA, UK, and Dubai. ● MoUs for investments to the tune of ₹8,830 crore inked ● Sixteen US-based companies have committed to invest in Tamil Nadu, to the extent of Rs 2,780 crore and generate employment for Tamil Nadu youth. ● In an interaction with Tamil diaspora in New York, Chief Minister started and informed about the “Yaadhum Ooorey” scheme. It is a scheme to attract investments of Tamil diaspora. He also Visited Bloom energy plant and Tesla electric unit at US. ● At UAE CM attended the “Investors meet” held at Dubai jointly by the “Business Leaders. ● UK King's hospital provides inspiration for “Copter Ambulance” in Tamil Nadu. ● At Suffolk, UK CM visited the IP Switch – Smart Grid Factory to inspire on solar and Wind energy Generation System

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9. TAMIL NADU E-VEHICLE POLICY

● The Tamil Nadu State Government introduced its first-ever electric vehicle (EV) policy. The Tamil Nadu Electric Vehicle Policy, 2019, provides for various concessions to manufacturers of e-vehicles. ● Tamil Nadu accounts for 6.4% of the electric vehicles sold in the country as of July 31, 2019. ● To encourage start-ups in the EV sector, incubation services will be offered in the form of office space, common facilities and mentoring support. ● An EV Venture Capital Fund will be created to offer financial support to EV start- ups to enable them to scale up their business. The policy called for 100% road tax exemption till December 30, 2022 and a waiver of registration charges for electric two-wheelers. ● 100% State GST will be “refunded” for EVs manufactured, sold and registered for use in the State till 2030. For tourist and commercial EVs permit fee will be waived till December 2022. ● Special Number plates - Registration number of Transport vehicles will be exhibited in yellow color on a green background for rental taxis. It will be white on a green background for all other EV’s. ● India, currently, has four kinds of number plates — white licence plates with numbers on black font for private cars, yellow plates with fonts in black for commercial vehicles, black plates with yellow font letters for self-driven rental vehicles and blue plates with white font letters for Embassies and High Commissions.

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10. CHIEF JUSTICE OF MADRAS HIGH COURT TRANSFER

● Article 222 of the Constitution makes provision for the transfer of a judge (including the Chief Justice) from one High Court to another. The initiation of the proposal for the transfer of a judge should be made by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) whose opinion in this regard is determinative. Consent of a judge for his first or subsequent transfer, according to the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), would not be required. All transfers, the memorandum makes it clear, are to be made in the public interest, that is, for promoting better administration of justice throughout the country. ● But the phrase “better administration of justice” is a cliche which the memorandum does not elaborate on. The only safeguard it envisages is that the views on the proposed transfer of a judge or a Chief Justice of the High Court should be expressed in writing and should be considered by the CJI and the four senior- most judges of the Supreme Court, who constitute the collegium. ● “The personal factors relating to the concerned judge, including the Chief Justice, and his (or her) response to the proposal, including his preference of places, should invariably be taken into account by the CJI and the first four puisne judges of the Supreme Court before arriving at a conclusion on the proposal,” the memorandum states. ● In the case of the transfer of the Chief Justice of the High Court, there is one additional safeguard to be followed by the CJI in the formation of his opinion. The CJI should take into account the views of one or more Supreme Court judges who are in a position to offer his/their views, which would assist in the process of deciding whether or not a proposed transfer should take place, the memorandum adds. ● In the case of Justice Tahilramani, the collegium, comprising the CJI, Justice S.A. Bobde, Justice N.V. Ramana, Justice Arun Mishra and Justice R.F. Nariman, on August 28 resolved to recommend that she be transferred, in the interest of better administration of justice, to the Meghalaya High Court. By another resolution on the same day, the collegium resolved that Justice A.K. Mittal, Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court (with the Punjab and Haryana High Court as his parent High Court) be transferred “in the interest of better administration of justice” to the Madras High Court.

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● The collegium had recommended her transfer on August 28, after which she had

made a representation requesting it to reconsider the proposal. She protested

against the Collegium decision to not consider her request against transferring her

to the Meghalaya High Court.

● After the Supreme Court Collegium declined her request for reconsideration of

transfer, Madras High Court Chief Justice Vijaya K Tahilramani resigned. Justice

Tahilramani was to retire on October 2, 2020

● This issue again highlighted the lacunae in collegium system which was discussed

after National Judicial Appointment commission in 124th Constitutional amendment

bill had been declared null and void by the highest court.

Issues highlighted about collegium are: ● Lack of transparency in Procedure adopted for transfer and appointment. ● Lack of consistency in reasons adopted by collegium ● Lack of fixed criteria for appointment, transfer and elevation of judges to supreme court ● Debate on merit versus seniority compromising the trust in collegium system which is now said to incline towards merit overriding seniority. ● Allegation of nepotism and favouritism in collegium functions.

Way forward: Memorandum of procedure for appointments should be finalised to reform collegium system and bring out fixed criteria and transparency in all its functioning.

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11. KEEZHADI - AN URBAN SETTLEMENT OF SANGAM AGE ON THE BANK OF VAIGAI RIVER

● The Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department (TNAD) has stated that the cultural deposits unearthed during excavations at Keezhadi in Sivaganga district, could be dated to a period between 6th century BCE and the 1st century CE. ● Keezhadi excavation site is a Sangam period settlement. This excavation site is located 12 km southeast of Madurai in Tamil Nadu. ● This is a large-scale excavation carried out in Tamil Nadu after the Adichanallur archaeological site. The settlement lies on the bank of the Vaigai River and it reflects the ancient culture of the Tamils. ● It is a turning point in the cultural historiography of Sangam Age Keezhadi Civilization/Culture of 2600 years old. The sample collected at the depth of 353 cm goes back to 580 BCE. ● The Sangam age is considered to be between 300BC and AD 300 but new findings after determining the age through carbon dating of materials unearthed shows the Sangam period could be dated between 600BC and 100 AD. ● The recent scientific dates obtained for Keezhadi findings pushback the date of Tamil-Brahmi scripts to another century i.e. 6th century BCE. These results clearly ascertained that they attained the literacy or learned the art of writing as early as the 6th century BCE. ● Graffiti marks on the artefacts obtained from the excavation site point to a link between the scripts of the Indus Valley Civilization and Tamil-Brahmi. ● The results from the fourth excavations suggest that the “second urbanization [the first being Indus] of Vaigai plains happened in Tamil Nadu around 6th century BCE as it happened in Gangetic plains.” ● The new findings prove that an advanced urban habitation existed in Keezhadi from 600 BC. The study also says that the Tamils of the Sangam period were literate, as early as the 6th century BCE. ● The results suggest that the second urbanization (the first being the Indus Valley Civilization) of Vaigai plains happened in Tamil Nadu during the 6th century BC. The contemporary of which in the Gangetic plains was the Iron Age & the period of the rise of various Heterodox sects. ● Skeletal fragments of Cow/Ox & Buffalo, Sheep & Goat, Nilgai & Blackbuck, Wild boar, and Peacock suggest that the society in Keezhadi had used animals predominantly for agricultural purposes and cattle rearing was practiced. ● The availability of cut marks in some of the animals like antelope, goat and wild boar suggest that they were consumed. ● Pottery specimens from Keezhadi confirmed that the water containers and cooking vessels were shaped out of locally available raw materials. ● The recovery of spindle whorls, pinpointed bone tip tools, hanging stones of the yarn, terracotta spheres, copper needle, and earthen vessels to hold liquid, outlines

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the various stages of weaving industry from spinning, yarning, looming, weaving and dyeing. ● The baked bricks were used in Sangam Age as the archaeological site remain stands as an evidence for urban culture. ● The occurrence of seven gold ornaments, copper article, beads of gems, more than 4000 beads of semi-precious stones, glass beads, shell bangles, ivory bangles and well-crafted household utensils which indicate the cultural richness and economic prosperity of Sangam Age. ● The occurrence of gamesmen such as hopscotch and dice, really reflects the pastime activities of the ancient people. Majority of the gamesman recovered from excavations are of terracotta. 80 chessmen of similar shape but different sizes were collected from the excavation. ● It is to be noted that this site didn’t yield any objects meant for worship so far.

*(Additionally, have an idea on Sangam age)

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12. BANNER CULTURE:

Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies (Permission for Erection of Digital Banners and Placards) Rules, 2011:

Application for permission:

Every application for permission to erect digital banners or placards shall be made to the District Collector, fifteen days prior to the date of their proposed erection.

Regulations upon erection:

● On or before the last date of permission, the digital banners or placards shall be removed and disposed of safely, without causing any hazard to health or environment. ● No digital banners or placards shall be erected,-- ○ In front of educational institutions, places of worship and hospitals with inpatient treatment facility; ○ In the corners of roads or street junctions, up to a distance of 100 metres on either side of the junction including the junctions and traffic islands; and ○ In front of notified monuments, statues and other places of tourist importance. ● No digital banners or placards shall be permitted on both sides of the road having a footpath of less than ten feet in width. ● In roads with no separate footpath, a minimum of ten feet width shall be available between the road margin and the digital banners or placards for the use of pedestrians. ● The display of the placards in the medians shall not be allowed if 10 feet width is not available. ● There shall be a space of not less than ten metres between one digital banner or placard and another with uniform spacing. ● If there is any damage caused to the public property or road, while erecting the digital banners or placards on the roads and public places, the entire deposit amount will be forfeited. ● Any digital banners or placards erected after the expiry of the permission is liable for confiscation and summary removal. ● The permission holder shall erect only the actual number of digital banners or placards for which permission has been granted. Whoever erects any digital banners or placards without the permission of the District Collector shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees or with both. ● The permission holder shall display the following details in the bottom of the digital banners or placards, in a font size of not less than 1 inch, viz., permission Number / period of validity/ total number of digital banners or placards for which permission has been granted.

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13. DRAFT NEW EDUCATION POLICY:

The National Education Policy 2019 envisions an India-centred education system that contributes directly to transforming our nation sustainably into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society, by providing high quality education to all.

● Quality early childhood education available for all children between 3-6 years by 2025. ● Every student in Grade 5 and beyond will achieve foundational literacy and numeracy by 2025. ● New 5+3+3+4 developmentally- appropriate curricular and pedagogical structure for school education. ● 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio from pre-school to secondary levels by 2030. ● Effective governance through school complexes. ● Rigorous teacher preparation, robust recruitment, well-defined career path. ● New vision and architecture for higher education with large, well-resourced, multidisciplinary institutions. ● Broad-based liberal arts undergraduate education-Flexible curricular structures; Creative combinations of study; Multiple exit points. ● Professional education as an integral part of higher education . ● Empowered governance and autonomy for higher education institutions. ● ‘Light but tight’ regulation - separation of functions to eliminate conflicts of interest National Research Foundation to catalyze research and innovation. ● Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog - custodian of education in India.

14. EARLY CHILD CARE EDUCATION AT TN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS

● Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami recently initiated a pilot project enabling children to attend kindergarten classes based on Montessori education in English medium at government middle schools with Anganwadi centres in the State. ● The project would benefit 52,933 children in 2,381 Anganwadi centres in the State, it said. ● The kindergarten classes would be supervised by the head masters of the respective middle schools. ● The school education department would train the teachers under the Samakra Shiksha Abhiyaan scheme. Samagra Shiksha is an overarching programme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class 12. ● The children enrolled in the LKG, UKG classes would receive four pairs of uniforms, colour pencils, crayons and footwear for free and a course completion certificate. ● Through this scheme, parents would be encouraged to send their wards to government-run schools and also improve the learning, writing and reading skills of the children.

15. CHANDRAYAAN - 2

● Chandrayaan-2 mission is a highly complex mission, which represents a significant technological leap compared to the previous missions of ISRO, which brought together an Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan) with the goal of exploring south pole of the Moon. ● This is a unique mission which aims at studying not just one area of the Moon but all the areas combining the exosphere, the surface as well as the sub-surface of the moon in a single mission.

Why did we go to the Moon? ● The Moon is the closest cosmic body at which space discovery can be attempted and documented. It is also a promising test bed to demonstrate technologies required for deep-space missions. ● Chandrayaan-2 aims for enhancing our understanding of the Moon, stimulate the advancement of technology, promote global alliances and inspire a future generation of explorers and scientists.

What are the scientific objectives of Chandrayaan 2? ● Moon provides the best linkage to Earth’s early history. It offers an undisturbed historical record of the inner Solar system environment. Though there are a few mature models, further explanations were needed to understand the origin of the Moon. ● Extensive mapping of the lunar surface to study variations in the lunar surface were essential to trace back the origin and evolution of the Moon. ● Evidence for water molecules discovered by Chandrayaan-1, required further studies on the extent of water molecule distribution on the surface, below the surface and in the tenuous lunar exosphere to address the origin of water on Moon.

Why was the Lunar South Pole targeted for exploration? ● The Lunar South pole is especially interesting because of the lunar surface area that remains in shadow is much larger than that at the North Pole. There could be a possibility of presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it. ● In addition, South Pole region has craters that are cold traps and contain a fossil record of the early Solar System.

16. RESERVATION FOR ECONOMICALLY WEAKER SECTIONS:

● The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal for the introduction of the 124th Constitution (Amendment) Bill, extending 10% quota to “the economically weaker sections in the general category who are not covered by any of the existing schemes of reservation”. ● The bill is designed to amend the Constitution to extend 10% reservation in direct recruitment in government jobs and for admission in higher educational institutions to “economically weaker” sections among all castes and communities, Christians and Muslims included, who are not eligible under the existing quotas.

The proposed amendment Bill will define Economically Weaker Section (EWS) as one having: ● Annual household income below Rs 8 lakh. ● Agriculture land below 5 acres. ● Residential house below 1000 sqft. ● Residential plot below 100 yards in notified municipality. ● Residential plot below 200 yards in non-notified municipality area.

Amendments required in constitution: An amendment of Articles 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth) and 16 (equality of opportunity in matters of public employment) of the Constitution. The amendment will have to be ratified in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, by at least two thirds of members present and voting, and by the legislatures of not less than half the states.

Why Constitutional amendment bill? The 10% reservation will be in addition to the existing cap of 50% reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes, taking total reservation to 60%. The quota targets the poor among the upper castes. This will be over and above 50% mandated by Constitution and hence the need for Constitution amendment Bill.

Challenges in Court: A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case of 1992 specifically answered the question,

Whether backward classes can be identified only and exclusively with reference to the economic criterion? ● The constitution bench had categorically ruled that a backward class cannot be determined only and exclusively with reference to economic criterion. The bench had held that economic criterion may be a consideration or basis along with, and in addition to, social backwardness, but it can never be the sole criterion. ● The bench in its judgement declared 50% quota as the rule unless extraordinary situations “inherent in the great diversity of this country and the people” happen. Even then, the court stated that extreme caution is to be exercised and a special case should be made out.

17. REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN POLITICS:

What can be done to improve the representation? (1) Quotas for women in Parliament; (2) Reservation for women in political parties; (3) Awareness, education and role modelling that encourage women towards politics.

● The 73rd and 74th amendments to the Indian Constitution reserve one-third of local body seats for women. (TN Reservation: Not less than 50% of the total number of offices are reserved for women). ● Reservation for one-third of the seats for women in the Lok Sabha has been tabled as a bill several times until as recently as 2008. Each time the bill has lapsed. ● Around the world, more countries follow the reservation in political parties. Sweden, Norway, Canada, the UK and France are examples.

PS: Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was the first Indian woman to contest an election. Influenced by Irish-Indian suffragist Margaret Cousins and by Mahatma Gandhi, she was a strong voice for a woman’s right to elect and be elected. (Google doodle recognised her contributions)

18. TAMIL NADU BUDGET:

● The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Tamil Nadu for 2019-20 at current prices is estimated to be Rs 17,25,639 crore, which is 8% higher than the revised estimate for 2018-19. ● Revenue deficit for the next financial year is targeted at 0.83% of the GSDP. Fiscal deficit is targeted at 2.56% of GSDP. ● Sectors such as energy (18%), transport (21%), and irrigation and flood control (38%) saw the highest increase in allocations. Allocations to rural development, and social welfare and nutrition have decreased.

Policy Highlights:

● Accident cum life insurance scheme: An accident cum life insurance scheme will be launched for all families below the poverty line. The scheme will provide an insurance cover of Rs two lakh and Rs four lakh for natural death and accidental death, respectively. In case of permanent disability, the amount will be Rs one lakh. Rs 250 crore has been allocated for payment of premium under the scheme in 2019-20. ● Urban housing: The Tamil Nadu Housing and Habitat Development for Urban Poor programme will be launched with the World Bank’s assistance. Under the programme, 38,000 tenements, at a cost of Rs 4,648 crore, will be constructed in Chennai and the surrounding areas for poor families living at river margins. ● Electric and BS-VI buses: Rs 5,890 crore has been allocated to procure 12,000 new BS-VI buses and 2,000 new electric buses. 2,000 BS-VI buses and 500 electric buses will be introduced in the first phase. ● Public health: The Tamil Nadu Health Systems Reforms programme will be launched at a cost of Rs 2,686 crore to improve access of poor and disadvantaged to the government health facilities. Further, an essential diagnostics list will be formulated to guarantee a set of diagnostic tests at each level of health care.

Comparative study of sector wise allocation:

Comparison between Tamil Nadu’s expenditure on some key sectors, as a proportion of its total expenditure, with the average expenditure by other states (using budgeted estimates of 2018-19).

● Education: Tamil Nadu has allocated 14.7% of its expenditure on education in 2019- 20. This is lower than the average expenditure allocated to education (15.9%) by other states in 2018-19. ● Health: Tamil Nadu has allocated 5.1% of its expenditure towards health in 2019-20, which is marginally lower than the average allocation (5.2%) by other states in 2018- 19.

● Agriculture and allied activities: The state has allocated 6.3% of its expenditure towards agriculture and allied activities in 2019-20. This is marginally lower than the allocations by other states (6.4%) in 2018-19. ● Rural development: Tamil Nadu has allocated 2.6% of its expenditure on rural development in 2019-20. This is significantly lower than the average (6.1%) for other states in 2018-19. ● Roads and bridges: The state has allocated 4.8% of its budget for expenditure on roads and bridges in 2019-20. This is higher than the allocations by other states (4.3%) in 2018-19. ● Energy: In 2019-20, Tamil Nadu has allocated 4% of its budget for expenditure on energy. This is lower than the allocations by other states (5.2%) in 2018-19.

19. SINGLE USE PLASTIC BAN:

Prime Minister’s call on India’s 73rd Independence Day, to “make India free of single use plastics”, a massive public campaign will be launched engaging all stakeholders.

Single use plastics definition by UNEP:

● Single-use plastics, often also referred to as disposable plastics, are commonly used for plastic packaging and include items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These include, among other items, grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups and cutlery.

India’s efforts to beat plastic pollution:

● Some states like Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh banned plastic bottles and Tetra packs, single-use straws, plastic/Styrofoam tea cups/containers, etc. But many like Bihar banned only polythene bags. ● India has also won global acclaim for its “Beat Plastic Pollution” resolve declared on World Environment Day last year, under which it pledged to eliminate single- use plastic by 2022. ● Yet, waste plastic from packaging of everything from food, cosmetics and groceries to goods delivered by online platforms remains unaddressed. ● The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 are clear that producers, importers and brand owners must adopt a collect-back system for the plastic they introduce into the environment. ● It includes an Extended Producer Responsibility clause, Small producers of plastics are facing the ban, while more organised entities covered by the Extended Producer Responsibility clause continue with business as usual.

Way forward: State and local governments should upgrade their waste management systems, even to measure the true scale of packaging waste. Local bodies should consult manufacturers or importers to assess the problem. Cities and towns need competent municipal systems to achieve this. A central legislation with a clear definition of what constitutes single-use plastic is also necessary.

20. NEDUVASAL HYDROCARBON PROJECT CONTROVERSY

A village named as Neduvasal in Pudukkottai district in Tamil Nadu was in the news headlines. The reason being the launch of a hydrocarbon project. In this post, we cover everything you need to know about Neduvasal Hydrocarbon Project controversy and policies like Discovered Small Field Policy, NELP, and HELP.

What is a Hydrocarbon Project?

In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbon exploration (or oil and gas exploration) is the search or hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth’s surface, such as oil and natural gas.

What is Neduvasal Hydrocarbon Project Controversy?

The central government is planning to extract the hydrocarbon (oil and natural gas) in Neduvasal village in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu. ● Many villagers are protesting against the proposed Hydrocarbon project. ● Their fear is due to the possible impact the project can result in the village life and agriculture. ● Similar to Jallikattu Ban, this protest is also getting momentum.

Neduvasal Hydrocarbon Project: The Background

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister on February 15, 2015, gave its approval for all the hydrocarbon projects including Neduvasal Hydrocarbon Project as a part of the Centre’s 2015 ‘Discovered Small Fields policy’. The two contract areas, Karaikal (10.4 Sq km) located in Puducherry and Neduvasal (10.0 Sq km) located in Tamil Nadu were awarded under Discovered Small Field (DSF) bidding round. They have an in-place volume of 4,30,000 metric tons of oil and oil equivalent gas. The proposed Hydrocarbon Project at Neduvasal village in Pudukkottai district was recommended for award to GEM laboratories Private Limited, a company based out of Davangere in Karnataka for extracting both oil and natural gas from hydrocarbon sediments in an area of about 10.0 sq km.

What is Discovered Small Field Policy? ● The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi (CCEA) has approved the award of 31 contract areas as part of the Discovered Small Field (DSF) Bid Round 2016. ● The contract was for 44 oilfields (in 31 contract areas), including 28 on-land and 16 offshore fields discovered by Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd (OIL) ● These fields were offered under the new policy for small fields known as Discovered Small Field (DSF) policy, 2015, which offers improved fiscal terms with the aim to enhance Oil and gas production and reducing import dependency of the country.

● These fields were offered through a transparent international competitive bidding process. And the bidding was open to all, including National Oil Companies (i.e. ONGC and OIL) and other central and state PSUs. ● The Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) replaced the previous licensing format (NELP) which was already in place for 18 years. ● The New Exploration Licensing policy (NELP) had issued separate licenses to different types of hydrocarbons, whereas HELP covered all hydrocarbons such as oil, gas, coal bed methane, etc. ● Currently, there are three Operational Exploration Blocks (Approximately 1461 sq km), under Production Sharing Contract System in Tamil Nadu where hydrocarbon exploration is going on. ● Under the Nomination regime, 31 Mining leases (approximately 3500 sq km) have been granted in the State from where 600 tonnes of Oil and 30 lakhs cubic meter of Natural Gas are produced per Day . ● Till date, more than 700 wells have been drilled for extraction of Oil and Gas in the Tamil Nadu.

Neduvasal Hydrocarbon Project: Who are the protestors? ● The villagers along with students, environmental activists, and farmers of Neduvasal, resorted to fast at four centers across the district as a protest against the upcoming Hydrocarbon project. ● The movement got momentum when it attracted several people from the nearby villages to voice their support for the cause of the farmers. ● The protest got support from social media. ● Residents of Vadakadu, where ONGC had sunk an exploratory well but abandoned the project, joined the protests. ● Political leaders and film personalities like Samathuva Makkal Katchi leader Sarath Kumar, film directors Pandiraj and Thangar Bachan, DMK MLAs C. Ve. Meyyanathan, S. Ragupathy, and Durai Chandrasekaran expressed their wholesome support to the protest. ● The state had witnessed similar protests in Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts in the Cauvery Delta region from 2011 against the coal bed methane and shale gas extraction project— for extracting methane gas using hydraulic fracturing— leading the Centre to scrap the project in November 2016.

Neduvasal Hydrocarbon Project: What is the mode of protest? ● A large contingent of students from Chennai, Erode, Namakkal and Pudukkottai districts took part in a fast at Neduvasal village. ● Similar fasting protests were held in Thilagar Thidal, Nallandarkollai and Kottaikadu villages.

● A group of activists from ‘Thaneer’ (an organization based in Tiruchi) taken out a bike rally to Neduvasal to express their opposition to the project. But they were arrested by the police before reaching the destination place.

Neduvasal Hydrocarbon Project: What are the reasons put forward by the protestors? ● This hydrocarbon project would pose severe environmental problems and adversely affect the livelihood of farmers in and around Neduvasal. ● The farmers also claimed that the fertility of the land will be affected. ● There is also apprehension regarding the lowering of ground water level. ● The displacement of habitation of the people in the village. ● The villagers also fear that this project may disturb the interface of the seawater and groundwater that may later on results in the intrusion of saline water to the fresh water sources. ● There may be no agricultural activity while the hydrocarbon exploration is on. The villagers in and around Neduvasal are completely dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and this may seriously affect their life pattern. ● The government didn’t have any information related to the exact location of hydrocarbon exploration and there is no clarity in how the crude oil will be extracted.

What are the possible advantages of Neduvasal Hydrocarbon Project? ● This is a major step towards self-sufficiency in the crude oil production. ● The Government of India aims to use the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) to reduce India’s crude imports by 10% by 2022. ● It aims to net revenue of Rs 9,300 crore from this project out of which the state is expected to get Rs 5,000 crore. ● This project is believed to pass economic benefits to the State and its people in the form of royalty, VAT, additional employment generation and economic development as per the petroleum ministry.

What are the assurances given by the authorities about the extraction process? The extraction of Oil and Gas from sub-surface is a well-established practice and the Exploration and Production industry uses state-of-the-art technology for the operations and takes maximum care for environmental effects. ● The operators also get Environment Impact Assessment is done before carrying out any drilling activities and other activities. ● The process of drilling and production requires very limited surface land area (120X120 square meters) which will not affect agriculture or the soil of the entire lease area. ● Additionally, operators are required to follow strict environmental norms for the use of operational land.

● The oil and gas extraction is being carried out from deeper earth area (more than 1000m) and thus doesn’t affect ground water aquifers which are located at much shallower levels. ● Hydrocarbon extraction method is being used worldwide which has not seen any direct impact to water resources of the mining area. ● And while drilling for oil and gas, cement casing is used; hence, there is no impact on groundwater as such.

Summary ● Neduvasal, a fertile village of the Cauvery delta bordering Pudukottai and Thanjavur districts, is one of the 31 contract areas of small fields where exploration of hydrocarbons is to be taken up as per a recent decision of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. ● Villagers claim that no information had been given to them on the project so far. They are apprehensive that the project would lead to a depletion of the water table and deprive them of their livelihood. ● Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s gave assurances that any project which negatively affects farmers would not be allowed in the State.

20. SCIENCE VS ENVIRONMENT CONTROVERSY IN TAMIL NADU

Neutrino: ● Neutrinos are fundamental particles which make up the universe. ● After photons, neutrinos are the most abundant particles in the universe. ● Billions of neutrinos pass through our body every second, without hurting an atom or a molecule in our body. ● India can proudly say that the first detection of cosmic-ray produced neutrinos was in the ● Kolar Gold Field (KGF) experiment in 1965. ● A neutrino (neutral leptons) is a fermion (an elementary particle with half-integer spin) that ● interacts only via the weak subatomic force and gravity. ● It is electrically neutral and because its rest mass is so small ( ino ) ● Neutrinos typically pass through normal matter unimpeded and undetected. ● There are 3 types of Neutrinos- electron neutrinos (νe), muon neutrinos (νμ), or tau neutrinos (ντ).

India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO): The INO project has been marked as a Mega Science Project in the 11 th 5 years plan. Particle physics research project under construction to primarily study atmospheric neutrinos in a 1,300-meter (4,300 ft) deep cave under INO Peak near Theni, Tamil Nadu, India. ● The project is a multi-institute collaboration and one of the biggest experimental particle physics projects undertaken in India. ● The underground project, jointly supported by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) ● It will comprise a complex of caverns – the main cavern, which will house detector which is 130 metres long, 26 metres wide and 30 metre high. ● When completed, the main magnetised iron calorimeter (ICAL) experiment will include the world largest magnet, four times larger than the 12,500-tonne magnet in the Compact Muon ● Solenoid detector at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland ● China planned to have its underground neutrino laboratory in 2022. ● Neutrino Observatories around the world. ● The Super-Kamiokande neutrino observatory in Japan. ● Sudbury Neutrino Observatory in Canada. ● Gran-Sasso Lab in Italy. ● IceCube Neutrino Observatory in the South Pole

The former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, when questioned about INO in 2010 said, “Scientific institutions and colleges around the Theni area will be reinforced through the neutrino project. ● Fundamental Science laboratory set up, and the scientists and students working in the lab, will inevitably mean a township will be created around the lab. ● Setting up the laboratory itself means heavy employment opportunity in constructing it.

● The floating population of scientists in the lab will bring in a richer demand to the market around; maybe even tourism. ● The prospects of setting up research institutes around the lab are immense. ● Bodi West Hills just got put into the scientific community’s map.

NGT tussle: ● Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal suspended the Environmental Clearance (EC) granted to the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO). ● Madhikettan Shola National Park in Idukki district of Kerala was just about 4.9 km from the proposed project site and the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border was just a kilometre away, making it a Category ‘A’ project. ● Earlier the MoEF had called it a Category ‘B’ project, for which an Environmental Impact Assessment is not necessary, but the department processed it as an additional measure, a source said. However, under the guidelines laid down by the Ministry, any project that falls within 5 km from an inter-State boundary or within a notified national park or a sanctuary has to be considered a Category ‘A’ project that involves a number of processes before an EC is granted.

Challenges/Criticism: ● Radiation from the Lab could pose a threat to the biodiversity around. ○ There will be no radiation emitting from the lab; the lab is that deep in the earth to keep out radiation (to study environmental neutrinos without the interference of cosmic radiation). ● The mountain may become unstable. ○ As INO scientists have said, the lab will not affect the structural stability of the mountain. The tunnel will be tiny, when compared to the underground mines (with its numerous shafts) that was operational in KGF for more than a 100 year. While making the tunnel, the technological advancement will ensure that the environment is left untouched; at the most, the rock blasting will cause flutters, but that won last long, and normalcy will be restored in no time. ● There will be hazardous chemicals and gases. ○ To ensure safety of the experiment and the people working in the lab (needless to mention, the environment and the people living nearby), the gases (which are not hazardous in their quantity and which comply with international standards) will be recycled many times and only then let off in controlled amounts. The equipment and the gases used for the experiment will be hermetically sealed, so there is no chance of any pollution/contamination from there.