Apr 27, 2017 PIB

IASbaba Press Information Bureau (PIB)- 2nd April to 8th April, 2017

IASbaba Press Information Bureau (PIB) – 2nd Apr to 8th Apr 2017 ARCHIVES GS-1 President visits Vikramshila University Monuments and Museum. (Topic: Culture) About: Speaking on the occasion, the President said that he was happy to come to Vikramshila University which is being established on the site of this ancient centre of higher learning and to visit the monuments and the museum. They reflect an era where a rich culture of learning flourished in the region. It is heartening to find that after meticulous excavations carried out over the last few decades, it has been decided to revive this seat of learning. He also complimented the Archaeological Survey of India in this regard. He stated that resurrection of Vikramshila will be an important step in the preservation of our civilizational ethos. The President said that India has had a long tradition of knowledge generation and propagation. Scholars from distant lands frequented our country, attracted by the philosophy and wisdom of our ancient civilization. In ancient India, Universities such as Vikramshila, Nalanda and Taxila etc. attracted students, teachers and researchers from all over the world. He said that it is important to revive the glory of Vikramshila University. GS-2 India’s 2nd Ever Rankings Of Indian Institutions. (Topic: HRD) About: The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, released the India Rankings 2017 for the Educational Institutions. Details ‘INDIA RANKINGS 2017’ said that in this second edition of India Rankings, a total of 2995 institutions have participated this time. This includes 232 Universities, 1024 Engineering Institutions, 546 Management Institutions, 318 Pharmacy Institutions and 637 General Degree Colleges, and others. Many of these have participated in multiple disciplines, adding to a total of 3319 participants across disciplines. The parameters are Teaching Learning & Resources Research and Professional Practice Graduation Outcome Outreach & Inclusivity Perception List of top India Rankings 2017 is as follows: Overall: Indian Institute of Science, Banglore, Karnataka Engineering Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Tamil Nadu Management Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Gujarat University Indian Institute of Science, Banglore, Karnataka Colleges Miranda House, Delhi, Delhi Pharmacy Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, Delhi Cabinet approves MoU between India and Australia on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine  (Topic: Issues related to health and International Relations) About: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the MoU between India and Australia on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine. The main areas of cooperation include the following: Communicable diseases such as Malaria and TB; Mental Health and Non-Communicable Diseases; Anti-Microbial Resistance and responding to public health emergencies; Regulation of Pharmaceuticals,vaccines and medical devices; Digital Health; Tobacco Control; and Any other area of cooperation decided mutually between the two countries. The MoU will involve cooperation through joint initiatives in the Health Sector and strengthen bilateral ties between India and Australia. Audio Visual Co-Production between India and Bangladesh. (Topic: International Relations) Salient features of the Agreement The Agreement would cover co-production of films, documentaries, and animations films. An audio-visual co-production made in accordance with the proposed Agreement shall be entitled to all the benefits which may be accorded to any national audio-visual work by both countries in accordance with their respective laws and regulations. It will lead to exchange of art and culture among the two countries and create goodwill and better understanding among the peoples of both the countries. Co-productions provide an opportunity to create and showcase our soft power. It leads to generation of employment among artistic, technical as well as non-technical personnel engaged in the arena of Audio-Visual Co- production including post-production and its marketing, thus adding to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of both the countries. The utilization of Indian locales for shooting raises the visibility / prospect of India as a preferred film shooting destination across the globe. India has so far entered into audio-visual co-production agreements with Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, France, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Canada, China and the Republic of Korea. Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana  (Topic: Government policies) About: Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana (MGPSY) which was set up in 2012 to address the social security-related issues of the Emigration Check Required (ECR)-category workers going abroad for employment to ECR countries.             The subscription under the MGPSY was very low and no new subscription was received for more than a year. Closure of the scheme will, therefore, obviate the avoidable recurring administrative and record-keeping expenditure. Crime and Criminals Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) Project. (Topic: Government policies) About: Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) aims to integrate the CCTNS project with the e-courts and e-prisons databases in the first instance and with the other pillars of the criminal justice system - Forensics, Prosecution, Juvenile homes and a nationwide Fingerprint data base of criminals in a phased manner. Impact of the CCTNS Project will lead to Citizen portals in all states and Centre that will facilitate transparency and speed in police service delivery, online registration of complaints and reporting and search of missing persons and stolen goods in self-service mode. Pan-India search on complete National Crime and Criminal database that is accessible to the Investigating Officers throughout the country. Search facility will be available to Police in regional languages for improved inter-state tracking of criminal movement. Reliable network connectivity to all Police Stations in the country. National level crime analytics that will be published at, increased frequency to help policy and law makers in taking data backed timely actions and in making appropriate policy interventions. Integration with various e-Governance projects such as Aadhaar, National Population Register, Vaahan Project of the Ministry of Surface Transport, Passport Seva and National Emergency Response System Project thus increasing the synergies and benefit accrued from these individual systems. It will expedite various kinds of police verification requests and investigation. Advanced features such as biometric based identification, trend and pattern analytics etc. that will be incorporated to enhance hi-tech investigation capability. ICJS that will be available to all pillars of the criminal justice system helping improve its service delivery. List of MoUs between Indian and Bangladesh approved by Cabinet (Topic: International Relations) About: MoUs between India and Bangladesh are as follows Fairway development Ashuganj-Zakiganj stretch of Kushiyara river and Sirajganj-Daikhawa stretch of Jamuna river in the Indo-Bangladesh protocol route. The necessary dredging will be jointly by the two countries. The MoU will considerably reduce the logistics cost of cargo movement to North Eastern India as well as reduce the congestion through the Siliguri Chicken’s Neck Judicial sector appointment Aimed at developing, promoting and strengthening mutual cooperation between the judiciaries of the two countries. It provides for promoting mutual interaction among judges and officials at various levels of the judiciary through exchange visits, training and academic programmes. Also encourage mutual exchange of information on latest developments in the field of law and justice. Passenger cruise service Starting regular movement of passengers and tourists in water crafts between the two countries. It will promote people to people contact and cooperation between the two countries in respect of economic, social and cultural advancement. Also generate employment opportunities for the people of India and Bangladesh. Mass media To facilitate training/study tour of personnel, exchange of experts, encourage cooperation between educational, training and research institutions, cooperation and sharing experiences in the field of mass media and public relations. Recommendations made by Inter-Ministerial Group to look into the issue of malnutrition (Topic: Issued related to health) About: The group was constituted by NITI Ayog to examine the emerging data on undernutrition and prepare a specific strategy for poor performing States/Districts. The recommendation of the Inter-Ministerial Group has been finalized in a report entitled “Toward Kuposhan Mukt Bharat: National Nutrition Strategy”. Some of the core strategies to address the issue of undernutrition in the country mentioned in report are: Convergence of States/District Implementation plans Reaching the most vulnerable communities in the districts/blocks with highest levels of child undernutrition Counselling to reach the critical age group through skilled counsellors Continuum of care that includes preventive, promotive and curative care; innovative service delivery models with evidence of impact Community based monitoring Implementing innovative components of ICDS and strengthening nutrition within the health system. NIMCARE World Health Day Summit 2017 (Topic: Issued related to health) About: Theme of World Health Day 2017- “Depression: Let’s Talk”. The slogan of the first NIMCARE World Health Day Summit is, ‘Unite for a Healthy Mind’. As per the National Mental Health Survey 2015-16 conducted by NIMHANS, 5.2% of the Indian adult population suffers from depression in some form or the other. The problem of depression often gets ignored due to lack of understanding on the part of family members. The social stigma attached to a mental disorder, even if it is easily treatable, is also a major problem in India. There is a severe shortage of mental health professionals in India and this service gap can be bridged effectively by telemedicine. The World Health Day Summit has begun in the right direction by launching the eCAP & SOL’s Telepsychiatry application for the rural and urban population in need of mental health consultation. NIMCARE- NIM CARE is a non-profit organisation founded in the year 2009. Its core activity is to provide medical health awareness care through health camps. High Speed Trains (Topic: Infrastructure Development) About: 52 pairs of trains have been speeded up and converted into Superfast category. Speeding of train is done in view of operational feasibility, availability of sectional speed on line, high speed compatible coaches, high power locos etc. ‘Mission Raftaar’ has been announced in the Railway Budget 2016-17. The mission envisages, inter alia, increasing the average speed of all non-suburban passenger trains by 25 kmph in next 5 years. The fare of Superfast trains has not been increased. However, there is a levy of Supplementary charge for Superfast trains. Travel and Tourism Competitive Index of World Economic Forum (Topic: Infrastructure Development) About: India in the Travel and Tourism Competitive Index (TTCI) of World Economic Forum moved to 40th position from 52nd position in 2015. It was at 65th position in 2014. In all, in last three years India has cumulatively improved its ranking by 25 places which is a significant achievement. India’s individual ranks Cultural- 9th Natural resources- 25th Price competitiveness- 10th International openness- 55th Ground transport infrastructure- 29th India continues to enrich its cultural resources, protecting more cultural sites and intangible expressions through UNESCO World Heritage lists, and via a greater digital presence. This has been possible through stronger visa policies. Implementing both visas on arrival and e-visas, has enabled India to rise through the ranks. At a macro level, the primary reasons for India’s jump in the Travel and Tourism Competitive Index 2017 should be attributed to the pro-active steps taken by Government in terms of development of tourism infrastructure, easing of entry formalities for tourists by introducing the e-visa facilities in November 2014. GS-3 Myanmar to be welcomed as the seventh member of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) programme (Topic: Finance) About: The Union Minister of Finance chaired the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Finance Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi. SASEC Countries: As a part of the SASEC initiative, the member countries have come up with SASEC Vision for the economic growth of the sub-region, which will be launched by Union Minister of Finance of India during the meeting. It will be followed by consideration of the Joint Ministerial statement. The event will be a unique opportunity for the member countries to discuss and exchange ideas and strive to foster better cooperation in the sub-region. Myanmar has joined the SASEC programme as its seventh member and will be officially welcomed during the event. Member countries Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Myanmar Nepal Sri Lanka Summit on ‘mentoring grassroots entrepreneurs in smart grams for inclusive growth’ (Topic: Finance) About: The Rashtrapati Bhavan will host a Summit on ‘Mentoring Grassroots Entrepreneurs in Smart Grams for Inclusive Growth” Details: The Summit is being organized by the Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), as part of its Silver Jubilee Celebrations with the aim of supporting employability initiatives in the country and encouraging youth to take up entrepreneurship. The event will bring together industry veterans, mentors from different fields and BYST’s entrepreneurs, to share views on achieving sustainable employability. Highlights of President Speech If India has to become a great economic power, it has to invest heavily in innovation and entrepreneurship. Every Indian mind is an innovative mind. It has the potential to come up with the solution to our problems. We need people to turn problems into opportunities and work at expanding the scale of operation. Roughly, 12 million youth enter into the labour market every year. Population below the age of 35 years is about 65%. The Indian innovation strategy has to focus on generating ideas that promote inclusive growth and benefit those who are at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid. Smart Gram is an initiative of President Mukherjee aimed at transforming rural areas into sustainable spaces by developing infrastructure, building skills and creating jobs at the local level. The central theme for converting Rashtrapati Bhavan into a 4 ‘H’ – heritage, humane, hi-tech and happy – township was creating an eco-system that spreads happiness and promotes the well-being of the residents. The same theme has been carried forward in our concept of Smart Grams where happiness and harmony are of paramount importance. India Trains Third set of Female Peacekeepers at CUNPK. (Topic: Defence) About: The Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK) in India, is organising two week training at Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi, in partnership with UN Women. A total of 41 participants from 27 different countries are attending the course to derive benefit from it and to be available to the United Nations for deployment in field areas. CUNPK CUNPK is the pioneer institute to conduct this training and has continued training such officers since 2015. India has also taken a lead in hosting specialized UN peacekeeping courses on Conflict related Sexual Violence (CRSV) at CUNPK in the past. Interestingly, India is one of the very few countries to have fielded an all Women Police battalion in a UN mission in Liberia, from 2007 to 2015. INS Shardul on Joint Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Surveillance in South India Ocean (Topic: Defence) About: INS Shardul is a Landing Ship Tank (Large) of the Indian Navy whose primary role is to transport troops, vehicles, armaments and accomplish all objectives of an amphibious operation which primarily includes landing of combat equipment and personnel to an Amphibious Objective Area. INS Shardul has the capability to launch and recover Marine Commandos through sea as well as by helicopters. Ship can act as a ‘Hospital Ship’ with facilities provided in containerised form as well as a ‘Fleet Tanker’ for limited mission/ exercise. The ship is routinely deployed with the First Training Squadron and is responsible for the ab-initio sea training of Young Officers of Indian Navy. Government takes steps to generate Employment Opportunities (Topic: Growth and Development) About: Government has taken various steps for generating employment in the country like Encouraging private sector of economy Fast tracking various projects involving substantial investment Increasing public expenditure on schemes like Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) and National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) Government has implemented the National Career Service (NCS) Project which comprises of a digital portal which provides a nation-wide online platform for jobseekers and employers for job matching in a dynamic, efficient and responsive manner. It also has a repository of career content. A new Scheme Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY)- Under this scheme employers would be provided an incentive to enhance employment where the Government will pay the employer’s contribution of 8.33% EPS for new employees. In textiles (apparel and made-ups) sector, the Government will also pay the 3.67% EPF contribution of employers in addition to paying the 8.33% EPS contribution. Government announced a booster package of Rs. 6000 crores for the textile sector which is an employment intensive sector. Water Management Index (Topic: Economy) About: NITI Aayog has developed a Composite Water Management Index as a useful tool to assess and further improve the performance in efficient management of water resources. The index would provide useful information for the States and concerned Central Ministries/Departments enabling them to formulate and implement suitable strategies for better management of water resources. The Index has 28 key Performance Indicators (KPIs) covering irrigation status, drinking water and other water-related sectors.

Apr 27, 2017 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 27th April, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 27th April 2017 Archives SOCIAL ISSUE TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3 Conservation, Environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security Tribal Rights and Ecology Introduction India being a diverse landmass with a huge forest area faces competing challenges and priorities. It is significant to uphold the tribal rights and include them in ecological conservation. An exclusionary policy is detrimental and not in line with spirit of the Forest rights act. Issue: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recently ordered that there would be no tribal rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA) in critical tiger habitats. The direction is against the spirit of the law and is also symbolic of defective conservation practices prevalent in India. It has added to actions that are breaching environmental protection and hard-won rights under the FRA every day. Law in perspective: Both the ‘Guidance document for preparation of tiger conservation plan’ and the ‘Protocol/guidelines for voluntary village relocation in notified core/critical tiger habitats of tiger reserves’ issued by the Environment Ministry acknowledge that although there is a need to keep forest reserves as inviolate for the purposes of tiger conservation. This must be done without affecting the rights of traditional forest dwellers. The NTCA and the relevant expert committee constituted to ensure tiger conservation under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (WPA) have a mandate to ensure conservation along with human coexistence. Compromises on the rights of tribals can be made only where there is proof that the tribal/right holder’s presence in these protected areas will create irreversible damage to their ecology. While on paper the process adopted or recommended for creation and maintenance of critical tiger habitats appears fairly just, in effect its functioning is arbitrary. Tribes and forest rights: Neither the FRA nor the WPA has ever made a case for circumscribing the rights of tribals in the name of environmental protection. Yet this takes place as the practice of conservation is predicated on exclusionary logic. Even in the face of significant evidence that tribals have helped in increasing the tiger population, whether the Soligas in the BRT Tiger reserve in Karnataka or the Baigas in the Kanha National Park in M.P. they have been periodically evicted, even as corporations and developmental projects are given a free hand to generate an environmental crisis on an unprecedented scale. Encroachment and Environmental justice: In Karnataka recently, a place of worship for Huligemma, one of the indigenous deities of tribals in Bandipura, was ‘renovated’. The earlier modest shack, occupying little space, was replaced by a temple that was nearly three times its size. This will not only obstruct the passage of animals to waterholes but also allow expansion of commerce. Even as questions are being raised about the breach of law in allowing the structures to exist, the government has feigned ignorance. This reveals the hypocrisy embedded in environmental governance where the strictness of law is manifest only in excluding people whose presence has nearly negligible impact on environmental security. According to the Global Environmental Justice Atlas data of 2016, India registered the highest number of environment-related conflicts (222) in proportion to the population. It is thus necessary for civil society and peoples’ collectives to forge an alliance to prevent dissociating indigenous communities from the environmental conservation narrative. Conclusion: In India a balance between environmentalism and development is a basic necessity. Strengthening the FRA and eliminating instances that marginalize people in the name of conservation will require greater policy attention. Rights of the vulnerable and marginalised community like the tribals especially because they are voiceless is significant. Connecting the dots: Analyse the working of Forest rights act and the challenges in ensuring rights in the phase of development push observed in India. ECONOMY/TOURISM TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Tourism and related issues. India’s tourism potential and World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) travel and tourism competitiveness index Recently released World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) travel and tourism competitiveness index (TTCI) showed that India had moved up 12 places and now ranks 40th among 136 nations globally. The report also noted that this was the largest leap made by any country in the top 50, thereby making India, with its rich and diverse cultural heritage and natural beauty, a prime candidate to lead the so-called Asian century in travel and tourism. Link: http://mediaindia.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/WEF_TTCR_2017-16_INDEX.jpg Assessment: So much for potential—but will India deliver? What are the issues? Why India's tourism potential still largely untapped? India’s performance in this regard tells a complex story. On the one hand, foreign tourist arrivals have been on an upward trajectory at least since the turn of the century. According to the ministry of tourism, India hosted 8.89 million tourists last year compared to only 2.65 million tourists in 2000. But when compared with other countries, India’s performance leaves much to be desired. For example, while India hit an all-time high last year, it was still nowhere close to France, which topped the list of foreign tourist arrivals with 84.5 million visitors. The US (77.5 million) was second, followed by Spain (68.2 million), China (56.9 million) and Italy (50.7 million). India lags behind its other Asian peers like Japan (4th) and China (13th). Europe’s dominant position on the list can be explained through the Schengen agreement, which allows citizens of member states to travel freely across international borders. The US too has a visa-waiver agreement with most European Union countries as well as a handful of others for easy access. But non-Schengen states like China—or, for that matter, Turkey (39.4 million tourists in 2015), Mexico (32.1 million) and Russia (31.3 million) have significantly higher tourist numbers than India. Tourism contribution to India’s economy: India’s foreign exchange earning from tourism has followed a similar pattern. In 2015, for example, India earned more than $23 billion in revenue from international tourism, a significant hike from the $3.5 billion it made in 2000. However, the US earned $204.5 billion from international tourists and China $114.1 billion, in 2015—making India’s $23 billion seem like chump change. However, while overall revenue from tourists in India is low because of fewer visitors, the average revenue per tourist is actually quite high. For example, while the average tourist spends about $2,639 in the US, he/she spends about a comparable $2,610 in India and about $2,005 in China. In France (and this is generally true for other European countries as well), the number drops to $543 per tourist. This is because a large chunk of the tourists visiting France are other Europeans with Schengen privileges on short trips from across the borders. But while such tourists add to the numbers, they don’t always spend a lot of money. In contrast, when a French or German tourist takes a long-haul flight to India for what is ostensibly a well-planned holiday, they tend to stay longer and spend more money. For India, this is not as much a success story as much as it is an indication of a missed opportunity: When they are here, tourists are clearly willing to spend; but they are simply not coming here in adequate numbers in the first place. Positives: India continues to allure international tourists with its vast cultural and natural resources with a ranking of 9th and 24th respectively. In terms of price competitiveness advantage, India is ranked 10th. India continues to enhance its cultural resources, protecting more cultural sites and intangible expressions through UNESCO World Heritage lists, and they also increasing their digital presence. India is ranked 55th, up by 14 places in terms of international openness, which has been possible through stronger visa policies. Implementing both visa-on-arrival and e-visa has enabled India to rise through the ranks. The key reasons for India’s jump in the Travel and Tourism Competitive Index 2017 should be attributed to the pro-active steps taken by the Indian Government in terms of the development of tourism infrastructure and easing of entry formalities for tourists by introducing the e-visa facilities. Why India's tourism potential still largely untapped? Quality is vital for a successful tourism industry. A rapid growth in alternative destinations worldwide means that India's tourism industry today faces the need to be ever more quality conscious to continue to attract tourists in a global marketplace. Although around 89,500 additional rooms (to the existing 80,000 rooms) are expected to come up in India in the next five years, the supply of quality rooms in India is much lower compared to other countries across the globe. There is still a negative perception about India as a safe destination for female foreign tourists. Land acquisition is one of the single largest roadblocks for development of infrastructure. Lack of proper dispute resolution mechanism adds to the delays. Disputes often lead to lengthy litigation and substantial project delays. Inadequate regulatory framework and inefficiency in the approval process. Inadequate efforts to promote tourism aggressively. Lack of automated immigration procedures for the processing of arrivals at ports of entry to facilitate improved time efficiency. Ensuring ancillary infrastructure issues such as taxi-cabs that connect airports and hotels are always safe, clean, licensed and in ample supply. Lack of basic hygienic amenities at halting points. Lack of economic rationale for preserving the ordinary cultural heritage. Limited professional capacity. (Providing training to develop skills to enhance visitor experiences, restore or expand heritage sites, build exhibits and interpret themes and train guides) Problems such as cumbersome visa regulations, bad travel infrastructure, poor sanitation, collapsing law enforcement systems and concerns about women’s safety. On each of these counts, India ranks poorly on the WEF index. Link: http://mediaindia.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/WEF_TTCR_2017-200_INDIA.jpg Other factor is majority of visitors to India are business tourists (who expectedly are high-spenders and takes five-star route). It is worth questioning whether India is getting its fair share of budget travellers especially since it is otherwise one of the most affordable travel destinations? Are middle-class tourists, who want a certain degree of comfort and hassle-free travel but cannot afford to go the five-star route, staying away? If true, that is another challenge for India as it will have to prepare for the changing profile of the international tourist. As the WEF report notes, foreign travel is no longer a luxury enjoyed only by wealthy Westerners. The lowering of trade barriers and the rise of the middle class in many emerging economies mean that North America and Europe, which have dominated the travel markets till now, may give way to international travel from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Currently, India receives the maximum number of tourists from the US, followed by Bangladesh, while regionally, Western Europe and North America make up for a large chunk of the country’s foreign tourists—at 23.42% and 18.62% in 2015, respectively. South Asia tops the list with 24.25% but that is to be expected given that it is India’s neighbourhood. What is of concern though is that other regions that are expected to send out tomorrow’s tourists don’t seem to have India on their radar. In 2015, only 8.72% of India’s foreign tourists were from South-East Asia while East Asia made up 6.92%, West Asia 5.20%, Eastern Europe 4.12%, Australasia 3.89%, Africa 3.66% and Central and South America, 0.88%. Conclusion: The silver lining here is that all these regions, except Eastern Europe, have been sending more tourists to India than before. The government should be cognizant of the fact that a lot more needs to be done on the home front. It has to start by liberalizing the visa regime which is expected to improve the numbers quickly. But that’s only the first step. Making it easier to visit India won’t do much when being a tourist in India is replete with problems. Connecting the dots: The potential of tourism industry in India remains untapped despite efforts made by successive governments since independence. Suggest what proactive measures are needed to revive this sector. Critically examine the potential of India’s tourism sector in generating foreign exchange earnings and employment generation. 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Apr 27, 2017 AIR

All India Radio - Climate Variability

Climate Variability ARCHIVES Search 19th January 2017 http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 3 Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Understanding the terms Climate change takes place over decades and centuries. It means there is permanent shift in climate conditions like rainfall patterns, temperature patterns, cyclones, droughts, hailstorms etc. There is not increase in temperature or rainfall or delayed winter every year. At this point of time, there is climate variability and not climate change. For ex. December 2016 was warmest in eight years at 25 degrees, 6 degrees above recorded temperatures because of 90% deficit in the rains. 2015 and 2016 were also warm. Normally, the coldest part of the year is first week of January but it was delayed in 2016. January 2016 had 9.2 degrees which is higher than the 7.6 degree, the 70 year average. So, last year, January 2016 was very warm and this year December 2016 was very warm. In 2014, summers were the warmest since 1880. So it is the erratic behaviour which is being witnessed at this point of time. It cannot be said that henceforth every winter will be delayed or every Decembers will be warm. It is likely to happen after 50-60 years if present trends continue. Climate change cannot be reversed but climate variability can be When the temperatures rise, the Pacific Ocean being the largest water body on earth, absorbs lot of heat. Due to this, there is change in the ocean currents and the winds that blow over it. That change affects the global temperature, global weather including India’s monsoon patterns. Though there is shift in Pacific Ocean, but it is not in one direction.  In some years there is El Nino and in some years there is la Nina, and these are also not showing a consistent trend. The key issue is that it is known that human activity (energy used) is leading to carbon dioxide. It is creating certain chemical reaction in atmosphere which is leading to increase in temperature. Inspite of this problems, the heat exchange between land mass and ocean is not very well understood. For example, while the Arctic ice is melting, the Antarctic ice is expanding. But it is not known why such is happening. Energy, infrastructure development, food consumption and other growth patterns have given the by-product of climate variability. Throughout civilisations, as long as world was an agricultural society, nature was in balance as there was shifting cultivation where trees were cut down to grow vegetation and trees grew back again. When world started using energy to produce manufactured goods and moved to cities, some things happened like Loss of balance with nature that was present due to and with agriculture. Loss of link with nature There is no cultivation of own food but buying of food. Thus became consumers instead of producers. Lot of demand for infrastructure- cement, steel, electricity- all produce C02 Once shifted in city, there is heavy reliance on personal transport which is hugely polluting with C02. Lot of food wastage- biodegradable, generates methane and creates climate change problem. Thus, in urban civilisation, the middle class lifestyle is leading to more problems of climate variability. Solution is also by the middle class if it is changed by changing the lifestyle such as more public transport, less food wastage, smaller houses, energy efficiency are things that can be improved. Two thirds of population is in Asia which is yet to develop. So if Asia is developed differently than the way west developed, then there will not be similar trends in consumption patterns, and hence the impact on climate is likely to be less. This is the reason why there is no major disturbance and the variability is within bounds. First impact of climate variability The immediate impact is temperature. But the more significant impact is the shift in the monsoon patterns. India is an agrarian country whose prosperity throughout the 2000 year old civilisation has been due to monsoon. No other country in the world had two crops without irrigation. Even in Deccan plateau there was large scale conservation of water from the monsoons. So it is the shift in monsoon that will have largest impact not only in drinking water or agriculture but also snowfall in Himalaya. Now, two thirds of water in Ganga is dependent on snow melting. So when it is said that glaciers are melting because of climate change, what is really happening is that glaciers are receding. However, because of monsoon and snowfall in Himalayas, the water supply is not getting reduced. The estimate at the moment is that western Himalayas will have more rainfall than historical average. So river melt is going to increase and there is going to be almost no problem in western Himalayas. In eastern Himalayas there will be some decrease but as Brahmaputra doesn’t travel through lot of countries and volume of water is high, it will not make any drastic change. So according to present evidence, the impact of climate variability is not going to be severe in near future. Hence, now there is a need to change the cropping practices and change timing of sowing. If the monsoon is delayed, the flowering and the grain formation also gets delayed and thus adjusting according to the nature is the key. Small impacts will be there but not of serious kind. Danger of diseases Change in temperature shows increasing diseases danger. There is a balance between vector borne diseases and temperature and moisture. Thus, if the temperature increases or moisture regime shifts then there is shift in disease pattern also. For this to be prevented, there needs to be a greater focus on drainage. Presently, some of the patterns of living were ignored like drainage infrastructure. This is getting highlighted with increase in disease cases. For example, Delhi did not have disease like chikungunya like it has now. The localities where chikungunya is more prevalent are the areas where there is drainage problem. Part of this is also related to urbanisation as when the roads and habitats were built, the traditional waterways were ignored. Only when there is stagnated water, there is a disease problem. Other ecosystems Ecosystems means there is interrelationship between many organisms in a particular area. They have evolved over centuries by responding to the climate changes around them. If the change is gradual, they will adapt as they have greater resilience and adaptability than humans. For example in Himalayas, if there is temperature increase, the key line shifts, the flora and fauna shifts but they don’t get extinct. Conclusion The solution is that there has to be lesser reliance on road transport, personal commutation, more focus on energy efficiency, tax breaks or benefits to the builders who use energy efficient means such as double glazing on doors and windows. This can reduce energy consumption drastically because air conditioning is more energy intensive than heating. This technology has more relevance in tropical countries and there are baby steps in the direction. Greater importance to solar energy and lesser reliance on coal, boost to public transport is being extended to many cities, eg the metros, opting for rail travel than road travel as they are less polluting and not wasting food are some measures which can be adopted. This will have huge impact on climate change. Thus, the behaviour change aspect of using the resources is a critical factor in mitigating climate change. Climate variability patterns can be corrected if people and government work together. Connecting the dots: What is climate variability and how is it different from climate change? Explain

Apr 27, 2017 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue - National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on Tribal Rights

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue - National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on Tribal Rights Archives P.S- Right Click on the image and open it in new tab. From there you can save it in your system.   Reference - Link

Apr 27, 2017

IASbaba's 60 Day Plan- Prelims Test 2017 Geography and Current Affairs [Day 28]

Hello Friends So, here we are with the 28th Day of 60 Days Plan. It is the third edition of 60 Days program but seems like the first one because of the excitement involved everywhere, including us :) We are equally excited and pumped. Our Team is working hard to make you realize your dream. Do not take it insincerely and let us down. Your faith and participation has to be in sync with the amount of hard work and effort we do. Let us pledge to make it a big game changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days! Importance of Self - Tracking: Learning from Last Year Last year, aspirants used to comment their answers in the comment box on daily basis. There were huge participation in discussion. Putting answers in comment box has been very effective to self track yourself after updating the score. In the end you can cross check your performance through disqus profile. It was highly effective in the last edition of 60 Days that propelled aspirants to monitor their performance and learn through discussion. Let you solve these questions with full honesty and write your result in the comment box. Interact with peers to know your mistakes. The importance of this initiative stands time bound and aggressive reverse engineering to learn the concepts. Many of you must be busy with your own strategy but let us tell you honestly that in the last two months, it is very important to revise and consolidate your learning. Just reading won’t suffice. So, take out few hours from your schedule and make it a revision exercise. How you can make the best use of it? Be honest to your effort and do not start competing with XYZ aspirants here just for the sake of marks. It is more important for you to introspect and check your learning than focusing on others. Try to answer the questions in 20 minutes only.  Do not get into negative feeling that I don’t have enough knowledge to answer these questions. Feel like you are taking the real exam. What would be your response then? The same will be replicated in UPSC exam. Here, you get marks only and nothing else matters. So make effort to know the answers of all questions. Do not cheat :P Baba's Gyan for REVISION Many of you, almost all, asks about effective revision strategy! Can there be any? Let us tell you something Baba does :D  You guys study a lot and there is no issue with the hard work that has been put in. But when it comes to input-output comparison, your performance is questionable. What to do? Just do this for a Week: Go to bed before stipulated time of your sleep, at least 1 hour before. Close your eyes and try to relax your mind. You should attain full comfort and calmness. Do this on the First Day: Imagine the full story of a recent movie that you have watched. Try to recollect from starting to end. See, whether you are able to depict the clear picture or not! Now, do the same for everything you learnt from morning specially the ones you struggled with. Since it is fresh, most of the things should flow into your mind smoothly. Check what is your recollecting capacity. For example, if you prepared Polity Day 2: Topics- Try to collect all important concepts and learning of the day. Trust us, this exercise if done with sincerity will give you immense confidence as well as boost your performance. There is no ideal time for revision and there cannot be any specific date put for it, as commonly done. This will always expose your weaknesses the very same day and if you tend to forget something, can always get back to consolidate and cement it. REPEAT IT FOR A WEEK & SEE THE MAGIC :D  Must to Do: Read the detailed article regarding Micro Analysis Matrix and follow the guidelines- Click Here Try to hold your nerves and learn to control the temptation. This is very important art to learn and implement! Are you ready? Let's start [Day 28]: GEOGRAPHY & CURRENT AFFAIRS  ARCHIVES TOPICS:  FOCUS ON: Indian Geography: Forests (or Natural Vegetation), Human Geography, Wildlife and Conservation of flora and fauna, Forests (or Natural Vegetation) Tropical Evergreen forests, Deciduous, Hill forests Thorn, Littoral and Swamp forests Temperature, Rainfall conducive for the growth of these Forests Regions they occur/grow Types of trees grown (general awareness) Economic utilities of these forests Example: Deciduous Forests found in areas of rainfall 150-200 cm;They are found majorly in Peninsular India; Trees like teak, sal, sandalwood, rosewood grow here. They are less dense unlike evergreen forests and are a source of good quality timber.  Human Geography FOCUS ON: Major Tribal groups and States they belong to; their Skills; Festivals they celebrate. Demographic dividend   Wildlife and Conservation of flora and fauna: This topic overlaps with Environment PRELIMS MCQ’s:  Q.1) Identify the state in which when you travel from East to West you tend to find this pattern of Natural vegetation: Mangrove Forest à Tropical evergreen Forest à Tropical Moist deciduous à Tropical Dry deciduous. Choose the correct option from the codes given below: Odisha Tamil Nadu Kerala West Bengal Q.2) Which of the statements given below is/are correct about Indian Wild Orange or ‘Citrus Indica’, which was recently in news? It is endemic to north-east India The species is considered to be the ancestor of all cultivated citrus fruits in the world It has been accorded the Geographical Indication tag It is known to have medicinal properties Choose the correct option from the codes given below: 1 only 1, 2 and 4 only 2 and 3 only 2, 3 and 4 only Q.3) Compared with other forests, Coniferous forests have little undergrowth. It can be attributed to which of the following reasons – Excessively leached and very acidic soils Absence of direct sunlight Short duration of summer The evergreen leaves provides little leaf fall for humus formation Low temperature slows down the rate of decomposition of leaves Select the correct answer using the code given below: 1, 4 and 5 1, 3, 4 and 5 1, 2 and 3 All the above Q.4) Consider the below statements: The trees can grow to over 40 metres in the effort  to get sunlight These forests have evergreen appearance due to continuous growing season The forest floor is damp and dark. There is little undergrowth because the sunlight cannot reach ground level. Identify the appropriate type of forest region from below: Characteristics of Equatorial forests Characteristics of Coniferous forests Characteristics of Deciduous forests Characteristics of Taiga forests Q.5) Identify the state which has Tropical dry evergreen forest as unique type of natural vegetation? Odisha Tamil Nadu Kerala West Bengal Q.6) The following options lists the tribes with their respective climatic region. Hausa - Sudan type climate Inuits - Hot desert Bedouin - Tundra Pygmies - Equatorial Which of the given above pairs is/are correctly matched? 1 only 1 and 4 only 2 and 4 only None Q.7) Match the following Wildlife Sanctuaries with its associated states Wildlife Sanctuary                                         State Borail Wildlife Sanctuary                                1.Madhya Pradesh Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary                        2.Bihar Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary                              3.Assam Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary                      4.Punjab Choose the appropriate code: A-B- C-D 1-2- 3-4 2-1- 3-4 4-3- 1-2 3-1- 4-2  Q.8) Which among the following crops are Kharif crops? Rice Wheat chickpea/gram millet/ragi soya bean Choose the appropriate code from below: 1, 4 and 5 only 2 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 only 1, 3 and 4 only  Q.9) Consider the characteristics of the natural vegetation: These kind of Forests found in areas with Moderate rainfall of 100 to 200 cm per annum Mean annual temperature of about 27 degree C Average relative humidity of 60 to 70 % This type of forest is found in some parts of Odisha and West Bengal Identify the type of Vegetation from the options given below: Mediterranean Shrublands Tropical wet evergreen Forests Tropical dry evergreen forests Tropical Moist deciduous Forests  Q.10) Identify the factors which influence Temperature: Latitude Altitude Continentality Winds and Ocean currents Distance from Sea Aspect Choose correct codes from the below given options: 1, 2 and 3 only 2,3 and 4 only 1,2,3,4 and 5 only All Q.11) Identify the type of climate by considering below given statements: Dry, warm summer with off- shore trade winds. Concentration of rainfall in winter with on-shore westerlies Drought resistant Xerophytic plants in an environment deficient in moisture Wide range of Citrus fruits are grown here Choose correct code from the below given options: Warm temperate western margin climate Warm temperate eastern margin climate Hot desert mid latitude climate Steppe climate Q.12) Consider the following statements regarding type of climate: It is a transitional type of climate found between the equatorial forests and trade wind hot deserts. This type of climate is characterized by an alternate hot, rainy season and cool, dry season. Extreme diurnal range of temperature is another characteristic of this type of climate This landscape is typified by tall grass and short trees Identify the type of climate from the below given options: Tropical Monsoon type of climate Sudan type of climate Warm temperate western margin climate Steppe climate Q.13) Consider the following pairs:             Wildlife Sanctuary/Lake                    –          State Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary         –          Assam Bhimtal Lake                                       –          Himachal Pradesh Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary              –          Kerala Which of the pairs above is/are not correctly matched? 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 only 1, 2 and 3  Q.14) Consider the following statements with regard to red panda, classified as Endangered by the IUCN, which was recently in news: Red panda is a mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. The red panda is endemic to the temperate forests of the Himalayas. It is an herbivorous animal, feeds mainly on bamboo. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day. Choose the correct code from below: 1 and 4 only 1, 2 and 4 only 1, 3 and 4 only All of the above  Q.15) Identify the following state/States with such unique pattern of climatic regions: When we travel from West to East of this particular State, we tend to encounter, Tropical wet à Tropical wet and dry à Semi Arid pattern of climatic regions. Choose the correct codes from the option given below: Karnataka Maharashtra Both a and b Kerala Q.16) Gaofen project – a network of observation satellites orbiting the Earth to provide global surveillance capabilities is a project of which of the following countries? Russia China Japan Germany Q.17) Consider the following statements about ‘Swasthya Raksha Programme’ It is under the aegis of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare It propagates the Ayurvedic concept of pathya-apathya It provide health insurance coverage to the unrecognised sector workers belonging to the BPL category and their family members Select the correct statements 1 and 2 Only 2 1, 2 and 3 2 and 3 Q.18) Consider the following statements about ‘Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers, 2016’ It provides for creation of a Bonded Labour Rehabilitation Fund which is released by the Ministry of Labour & Employment to the District National Child Labour Project Society and the District Project Society Child bonded labourers and migrant bonded labourers are covered under the Scheme Select the correct statements Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.19) Consider the following statements about ‘Nai Roshni Scheme’ It is launched by Ministry of Rural Development It is a special scheme under Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana for training and placement of rural poor youth from LWE affected districts Select the correct statements Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.20) Kalamkari painting refers to a hand-painted cotton textile in South India a handmade drawing on bamboo handicrafts in North-East India a block-painted woollen cloth in Western Himalayan region of India a hand-painted decorative silk cloth in North-Western India Q.21) Global Terrorism Index (GTI) is released by Institute for Economics & Peace Centre for Land Warfare Studies RAND Corporation Brookings Institution Q.22) Which of the following countries signed a treaty to exchange pieces of land along the Meuse river border? Slovenia and Croatia Hungary and Slovakia Belgium and Netherlands Kosovo and Macedonia Q.23) In the context of Indian economy, Open Market Operations' refers to Borrowing by scheduled banks from the RBI Lending by commercial banks to industry and trade Purchase and sale of government securities by the RBI None of the above Q.24) Consider the following statements regarding ‘Sovereign Gold Bonds’ (SGBs): SGBs are government securities denominated in grams of gold They are issued by the Reserve Bank of India on behalf of Government of India The risks and cost of storage of physical gold is eliminated through SGBs SGBs are absolutely free from any risk of loss Which of the above statements are incorrect? 2, 3 and 4 3 and 4 4 only All of the above Q.25) Which of the following was merged with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)? Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) Forward Markets Commission (FMC) Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) None of the above Download the Solution- Click Here

Apr 26, 2017 PIB

IASbaba Press Information Bureau (PIB)- 26th March to 1st April, 2017

IASbaba Press Information Bureau (PIB) – 26th March to 1st April 2017 ARCHIVES GS-1 Ugadi celebrations (Topic: Culture) About: Ugadi begins on the first new moon after the Spring Equinox. This date usually falls in late march or early April in the western calendar and this date moon signifies a change in the seasons and essentially means Ugadi is a spring festival. Thus, Ugadi which heralds the arrival of spring and warmer weather, signifies the start of a new year in many parts of South India, particularly the people of the Telugu and Kannada communities. The nine day long spring festival of Vasanta Navratri (Chaitra Navratri) begins on this day and concludes on Ram Navami. In Maharashtra it is known as Gudipadawa. The name Yugadi or Ugadi is derived from the Sanskrit words yuga (age) and ādi (starting) – ‘the beginning of a new age’. Indian Mathematician Bhaskaracharya’s astronomical calculations in the 12th century determined the date of Ugadi from the sunrise on as the beginning of the New Year, new month and new day. Promotion of Indian Food Culture (Topic: Culture) About: India has a rich culinary heritage. Most of our traditional food has evolved over centuries, transferred from one generation to the next. Given the range of diversity in soil type, climate, culture, ethnic group and occupations, these cuisines vary significantly from each other and use locally available spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits. Almost all states have their unique recipes. Government has undertaken following steps to promote Indian food culture Collaborative project on National Directory of Traditional Food Recipes of India has been initiated. Launch of book focusing on regional cuisine of India. Programmes Of Ministry of Culture to Promote Local Dialects (Topic: Culture) About: Sahitya Akademi, an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, is organising many programmes to promote literature in local dialects of the country. Details of the programmes organized by the Sahitya Akademi Adi Language Convention at Pasighat, East Siang, Arunachal Pradesh. Warli Language Convention at Thane, Maharashtra. Kumauni Language Convention at Almora, Uttarakhand. Halbi Language Convention at Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh. Literary Forum on Contribution of Oral Literature of Tribes to the Development of the Contemporary Literature of the Hmar, Paite, Tangkhul and Thadou Kuki languages at Canchipur, Manipur. Seminar on The Silence of Dying Voices: Literatures on the Verge of Extinction in India’s North East and the World at Agartala, Tripura. Seminar on Route to Oral Literature at Gangtok, Sikkim. Literary Forum programme on Pena and Manipuri Literature at Agartala, Tripura. Tribal Writers’ Meet, a convention of writers from 10 tribal languages of Odisha on at Bhubaneswar. Paite Language Convention at Imphal. Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat (Topic: Culture) About: ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ programme, aims to actively enhance interaction between people of diverse cultures living in different States and UTs in India Objective: Promoting greater mutual understanding between diverse people and culture As per the programme, each year, every State/UT would be paired with another State/UT in India for reciprocal interaction between the people. It is envisaged through this exchange, that the knowledge of the language, culture, traditions and practices of different states will lead to an enhanced understanding and bonding between one another, thereby strengthening the unity and integrity of India. An indicative list of activities has been drawn up and circulated to the State Governments / UT Administrations and to the key Central Ministries. The States/ UTs may choose, evolve and develop their interaction pattern based on the suggested list as per operational suitability in the course of their interactions. GS-2 Credit Rating of Urban Local Bodies gain momentum. (Topic: Infrastructure Development) About: 94 cities assigned Credit Ratings as Smart Cites and AMRUT cities gear up to issue Municipal Bonds. Details With the exercise of Credit Rating of cities and towns gaining momentum, 94 of the 500 cities included in Smart City Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) have obtained such ratings which are necessary for issuing Municipal Bonds for mobilization of resources. The 94 cities that have so far been assigned Credit Ratings are spread across 14 States. Ministry of Urban Development is promoting Credit Rating of cities as one of the five Transformational Reforms under which about 500 cities and towns that account for about 65% of total urban population were to be given Credit Ratings during this year. Of the total 20 ratings ranging from AAA to D, BBB- is the ‘Investment Grade’ ratings and cities rated below BBB- need to undertake necessary interventions to improve their ratings for obtaining positive response to the Municipal Bonds to be issued. Ratings of different cities NDMC, Navi Mumbai and Pune lead with AA+ Rating Ahmedabad, Visakahapatnam, Hyderabad come next with AA Rating Kolkata-A+, Bhopal and Jaipur-A-, Thiruvananthapuram and Panaji-BBB, Ranchi-BBB-, all investment grade As per the reforms timelines suggested by the Ministry of Urban Development, 39 cities that have got Credit Ratings below the investment grade (BBB-) have to undertake necessary interventions for improving the ratings in one year. Forest Right Committees (Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections) Objective--- As per ‘The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006’ (in short FRA), responsibility for implementation of the Act lies with the States/UTs. As per information received from the State Governments, upto 31.01.2017, Gram Sabhas have constituted Forest Rights Committees under FRA in all the States, except (i) Arunachal Pradesh (ii) Manipur (iii) Meghalaya (iv) Nagaland (v) Sikkim. Manipur, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh State Governments reported that they feel that the FRA is not so relevant in their State because of the prevalent customary community ownership of forest land. Sikkim reported that there are no forest dwelling STs and Other Forest Dwellers in the true sense of the term and most of STs of Sikkim hold revenue land in their own name and they are not solely dependent on the forests for their livelihood. Nagaland has informed that the land holding system and the village system of Naga people is peculiar in that the people are the landowners. Broad Policy to Eliminate Chronic Diseases  (Topic: Issues related to health) About: The Government has approved the National Health Policy 2017. The Policy seeks to move away from Sick- care to Wellness, with thrust on prevention and Health promotion. The policy inter-alia seeks to: Reduce premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases by 25% by 2025, Achieve global target of 2020 for HIV/AIDS i.e. – 90% of all people living with HIV know their HIV status, – 90% of all people diagnosed with HIV infection receive sustained antiretroviral therapy and 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression Achieve and maintain a cure rate of >85% in new sputum positive patients for TB and to reduce incidence of new cases to reach elimination status by 2025, Reduce prevalence of blindness to 25/1000 by 2025 and disease burden by one third from current levels and Achieve and maintain elimination status of Leprosy by 2018, Kala-Azar by 2017 and Lymphatic Filariasis in endemic pockets by 2017. Zero Tolerance Policy (Topic: Governance Issues) About: The Central Government is fully alive and committed to implement its policy of “Zero Tolerance against Corruption” Measures to combat corruption and improve functioning of government To increase transparency in government and effectiveness of RTI Act, an Online RTI web Portal (https://rtionline.gov.in) is launched in 2013 Issue of Instructions by the CVC asking the organizations to adopt Integrity Pact in major procurement activities Ratification of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2011 Placing of details of immovable property returns of all Members of the All India Services and other Group ‘A’ officers of the Central Government in the public domain Setting up of additional Special Courts exclusively for trial of CBI cases in different states Introduction of e-governance and simplifications of procedure and systems Disbursement of welfare benefits directly to the citizens under various schemes of the Government in a transparent manner through Direct Benefit Transfer initiative. Key findings of Transparency International on corruption in Asia-Pacific region: 53% People in India were most positive about their governments’ efforts in fighting corruption Only 41% respondents in India think that the level of corruption has increased. This is substantially lower than countries like China (73%), Indonesia (65%), Malaysia (59%), Vietnam (56%), South Korea (50%) and Hong Kong (46%). In the Asia-Pacific region, police forces are perceived to have the highest level of corruption of all the public services accessed by the people. Survey not conducted at the behest of the central government. G20 Framework Working Group  (Topic: International Relations) About: G-20 Framework Working Group (FWG) discussed the Current State of the Global Economy as well as G-20 agenda on Inclusive Growth and Reports on Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth & G-20 Enhanced Structural Reform Agenda among others. It was hosted by Ministry of Finance and RBI. G-20 FWG is one of the core Working Group of G-20 and deliberates on matters related to global economy and on the policy co-ordination that is required between the major economies of the world to face global economic challenges. India co-chairs this group with Canada. Germany is presently holding the Presidency of G-20 in 2017. The 4th Meeting of G-20 FWG Meeting under the German Presidency will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. India and IEA announce activation of Association Status of India with IEA (Topic: International Relations) About: International Energy Agency is a Paris based autonomous organisation established in 1974. It’s mandate is to work towards ensuring reliable, affordable and clean energy mainly for its 29 member countries by coordinating collective response to major disruptions in oil supply through release of oil stocks into the global markets. In the recent times, IEA has evolved its scope to a full mix of energy resources and has acquired an important part of global dialogue on energy, providing research, data/statistics, analysis and recommendations on the global energy sector. Four main focus areas of IEA are Energy security Economic development Environmental awareness Energy engagement India’s relation with IEA was of Partnership in 2013. Now it has been upgraded to Association Status. Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (Topic: Scheme for vulnerable) About: Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana aims at providing Senior Citizens, belonging to BPL category and suffering from any of the age related disability/infirmity viz. Low vision, Hearing impairment, Loss of teeth and Locomotor disability, with such assisted-living devices which can restore near normalcy in their bodily functions, overcoming the disability/infirmity manifested. Under the Scheme, the following Aids and Assisted-Living Devices will be provided to eligible elderly beneficiary senior citizens, depending upon their physical impairment :- Walking sticks Elbow crutches Walkers / Crutches Tripods / Quadpods Hearing Aids Wheelchair Artificial Dentures Spectacles South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Operational Plan (OP) 2016-25 (Topic: International Relations) About: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a total of nine projects costing $2.42 billion as part of the Operational Plan (OP) 2016-2025 of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program. The nine projects comprise of two rail projects in Bangladesh, two economic corridor initiatives (a project and program loan) and a bridge project in India, trade facilitation and airport projects in Bhutan and key SASEC road and energy projects in Nepal. Background Established in 2001 SASEC program is a project-based partnership to promote regional prosperity by improving cross-border connectivity, boosting trade among member countries and strengthening regional economic cooperation. ADB is the secretariat and lead financier of the SASEC program Bringing regional cooperation to a higher level, the SASEC OP plans to extend physical linkages not only within SASEC but also with East and Southeast Asia by the next decade. GS-3 DE-INDUCTION OF TU 142M (Topic: Defence) About: The Indian Navy is preparing for de-induction of TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft after its 29 years of dedicated service to the nation. Details of TU 142 M                        The TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft was inducted into Indian Navy at Dabolim Goa from erstwhile USSR in 1988. The aircraft subsequently shifted base permanently to INS Rajali in 1992 and became the most formidable LRMR ASW aircraft of the Indian Navy. The aircraft has done the Indian Navy proud by participating in all major naval exercises and operations with distinction. The aircraft saw action during operation ‘Cactus’ in Maldives and participated in operational missions off Sri Lanka to provide airborne surveillance. TU142M aircraft with its 04 powerful engines, contra rotating, slender fuselage and swept wings is the fastest turboprop aircraft in the world and reportedly has been difficult to intercept by fighters. With its enhanced endurance, speed, long range weapons and sensors the aircraft transformed the aspects of Maritime Reconnaissance and airborne ASW for the Indian Navy and was one of the most formidable platforms around the world. Third meeting of G-20 framework working group to be held at Varanasi (Topic: Finance) About-- The 3rd G-20 Framework Working Group (FWG) Meeting under the G-20 German Presidency is being co-hosted by Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in Varanasi. Previously, India had hosted the G-20 FWG Meetings in Neemrana, Rajasthan (2012 under Mexican Presidency), in Goa (in 2014 under G-20 Australian Presidency) and in Kerala (2015 under G-20 Turkish Presidency). Important issues to be covered: Will discuss the current global economic situation as well as deliberate on the policy options that countries can pursue to counter the important development challenges. One important focus of this meeting will be to deliberate on the inclusive growth agenda of G-20 and to formulate a framework that will enable countries to help frame country specific inclusive growth policies. About G-20 The G-20 is the group of 19 countries and European Union (EU) deliberating on global economic issues and other important development challenges. G-20 Framework Working Group (FWG) is one of the core working groups of G-20. The mandate of FWG is to deliberate on the challenges facing the global economy and the policy options that countries can use to address these challenges. India along with Canada has been co-chairing this group. Industrial Corridors (Topic: Commerce and Industry) About: Government of India gave its concurrence for engaging the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for carrying out feasibility study and preparing the Conceptual Development Plan for East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) linking Kolkata in the East through Chennai to Tuticorin in South in a phased manner. Details: ADB has submitted the final report on Conceptual Development Plan of Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC). Master planning of two nodes namely Visakhapatnam and Srikalahasti-Yerpedu has been initiated. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $631 million (Rs. 4165 crore) in loans and grants for infrastructure development along the Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) on 20th September, 2016. A proposal has been received from Government of Puducherry for inclusion of Puducherry as a node in ECEC. ADB has agreed for feasibility study. Trade Facilitation Agreement of WTO (Topic: Commerce and Industry) About: India tabled the “Concept Note for an initiative on Trade Facilitation in Services” at the WTO to facilitate discussion among WTO members with an aim to achieve an outcome. India’s proposal on Trade Facilitation in Services and the US visa fee hike for H-1B and L-1 categories are different issues and are being taken up separately at the appropriate level. Issues Government of India has been consistently taking up the issue of tightening norms for skilled foreign workers with the Government of UK at the highest levels. The UK Government has been urged to not accept the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) in the interest of the bilateral trade in services between India and the UK. 730 million Internet users are anticipated in the country by 2020-NASSCOM. (Topic: Science & Technology) About: due to fast adoption of digital technology, it is expected that number of internet users will increase in the country. Details The National Telecom Policy-2012 envisages 600 million broadband connections by the year 2020 at minimum 2 Mbps download speed. Further, as per National Association of Software & Services Companies (NASSCOM) –Akamai report launched on 17.08.2016 regarding “The Future of Internet in India”, 730 million Internet users are anticipated in the country by 2020. Government has allocated 965 Megahertz spectrum through auction in October 2016 to various telecom service providers for access services. This will enable the telecom service providers to roll-out 3G and 4G services which will facilitate proliferation of high speed internet facility. Further, for provision of broadband facility in rural areas, BharatNet project is also being implemented to provide 100 Mbps broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (approx. 2.5 lakh) in the country by using an optimal mix of underground fibre, fibre over power lines, radio and satellite media. Ratification of Kyoto Protocol (Topic: Environment) About: The Government of India has decided to ratify the Second Commitment Period (2013- 2020) of the Kyoto Protocol. Developing countries like India have no mandatory mitigation obligations or targets under the Kyoto Protocol. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol enables developed countries to invest in “Clean” projects in developing countries to gain emissions credits (Certified Emission Reduction-CER). Indian Industry has benefited from trading in CERs in the international market. Of late, due to lack of demand internationally, prices of CERs have been very low leading to low activities under this mechanism. Assessment of EAC and River Valley Projects and Hydro-Electric Projects (Topic: Environment) About: The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for environmental appraisal for River Valley and Hydroelectric Projects is constituted in terms of provisions of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006. It appraises the project thoroughly by examining environment impact assessment report, environmental management plan, public hearing proceedings, presentation made during the meeting etc. The EIA Notification mandates 4 steps for considering environmental clearance namely Screening, Scoping, Public Consultation and Appraisal. The Step-3, “Public Consultations” has two components A public hearing is held at the project site for ascertaining concerns of the project affected persons; and Obtaining responses in writing from public at large. A set procedure has been prescribed in the EIA Notification, 2006 and amendment thereof, for conducting public consultations. Extreme Changes in Climate (Topic: Environment) About: As per the fifth Assessment report (AR5) of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2014, globally averaged combined land and ocean surface temperature has risen by 0.85 0C (0.65 to 1.06) over the period 1880 to 2012. Many extreme weather and climate events like heat waves, heavy precipitation and tropical cyclones have been observed since about 1950. According to IMD, all India mean temperatures have risen nearly 0.60 C over the last 110 years. IMD studies have highlighted that extreme events like heat waves have risen in the last 30 years. Government has launched the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in June 2008 to deal with the climate change and related issues. NAPCC has 8 missions in specific areas of solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, habitat, water, sustaining Himalayan ecosystems, forestry, agriculture and strategic knowledge for climate change. It addresses the issues relating to mitigation of greenhouse gases and adaptation to the adverse impacts of climate change on environment, forests, habitat, water resources and agriculture. All States and Union Territories (UTs) have also been requested to prepare State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) in line with the objectives of the NAPCC India ratified the Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2016. It involves implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by India to the UNFCCC. India has committed to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 level. Other goals are: Achieve about 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030 with the help of transfer of technology and low cost international finance including from Green Climate Fund (GCF) Create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. New Initiatives and Policy for Power Sector (Topic: Energy and Power) About: The Government has initiated several initiatives and policies for the development and improvement of power sector. These are: Preparation of state specific action plans for ‘24X7 Power for All’ covering adequacy of generation, transmission capacity and distribution system. Focus on 4Es– Electricity for all, Efficiency to ensure affordable tariffs, Environment for a sustainable future, Ease of doing business to attract investments and ensure financial viability. Launching of a scheme called Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) for rural areas for separation of agriculture and non-agriculture feeders, strengthening and augmentation of sub-transmission and distribution infrastructure and rural electrification Launching of Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for urban areas Operationalization of Power System Development Fund (PSDF)– for creating necessary transmission system of strategic importance, installation of shunt capacitors etc. for improvement of voltage profile in the grid, Renovation and Modernisation of transmission and distribution systems etc. Launching of Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) for operational and financial turnaround of Discoms. Standard Bidding Documents (SBDs) have been developed for carrying out competitive bidding for procurement of power and transmission services. Approved an innovative mechanism for utilisation of stranded gas based capacity by making available Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) along with interventions by all stakeholders Inauguration of ‘Test Bed’ of Integrated Automatic Aviation Meteorological Systems (IAAMS) at INS Rajali (Topic: Science and Technology) About: The IAAMS is an ambitious project of the Indian Navy to modernise the meteorological infrastructure of the nine Naval Air Stations (NAS). At INS Rajali, the complete integrated system has been tested for its reliability, performance and functioning. The IAAMS project will give a major fillip to aviation safety, through automation of weather monitoring process. IAAMS undertakes automatic and continuous recording of relevant weather parameters that are vital for accurate weather forecasting. It has a special alarm feature that alerts the duty staff during abnormal change of weather parameters that may affect safe flying operations. Rare Species of Flora & Fauna (Topic: Environment) About: Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and Botanical Survey of India (BSI) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change conduct surveys of threatened and important species of fauna and flora respectively of the country. For protection of the interests of flora and fauna, the Government has established a country-wide protected area network (678 Protected Areas (PAs) including 102 National Parks, 515 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 4 Community Reserves, and 57 Conservation Reserves in different biogeographic regions) Moreover, 9 of the 18 Biosphere Reserves in India are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO. India is signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). India is also a signatory to many international convention and treaties viz. Ramsar Convention, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), Conference of Parties (CoP) etc. which are aiming at conservation of wildlife in the country. Several steps to conserve/protect the wildlife and species of flora and fauna undertaken by the Ministry/Govt. are: Project Tiger and Project Elephant have been setup for protection of charismatic species and their habitat including associated flora and fauna. There are Ramsar sites of wetland importance and Natural Heritage Sites declared by the Government of India for creating conducive environment for rare species of animals. State Governments have been requested to strengthen the field formations and intensify patrolling in and around the Protected Areas. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has been set up for control of poaching and illegal trade in wildlife and its products. On policy front- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; National Biodiversity Act, 2002, etc. – ensure protection of threatened species and their habitats. The Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’ has been modified in 2008-09 by including a new component namely ‘Recovery of Endangered Species’ and 16 species have been identified for recovery. Funds for following species are being provided: Hangul in Jammu and Kashmir Snow Leopard in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand Vulture in Punjab Haryana and Gujarat Swiftlet in Andaman & Nicobar Islands Nilgiri Tahr in Tamil Nadu Sanghai Deer in Manipur Snow Leopard in Arunachal Pradesh BOP on Indo-Bangladesh Boarder (Topic: Science and Technology) About: The Government has adopted a multi pronged approach for security arrangements at the borders to curb smuggling and infiltration. The arrangements include deployment of Border Guarding Force (BGF), construction of border fence, construction of border roads, installation of floodlights, construction of Border Out Posts (BOPs), introduction of Hi-tech surveillance equipments, providing advanced weapons and specialized vehicles to Security Forces, etc. The Government of India has approved for providing security and logistic support to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) by way of using Indian border roads in the States of Tripura and Mizoram for construction of Border Out Posts (BOPs) by BGB in Chittagong Hill Tracts area. To promote border trade, among other measures, Border Haats and Integrated Check Posts are being established on Indo-Bangladesh Border. NERSD Scheme (Topic: Commerce and Industry) About: Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region launched a scheme in 2016 namely ‘North-East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS). It aims at rehabilitation/up-gradation of important but neglected inter-State roads of the region to be implemented by National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL). The following 4 roads were taken up for implementation by NHIDCL under the scheme: Upgradation of Doimukh to Harmuti Road in Arunachal Pradesh & Assam. Upgradation of Tura-Mankachar road in Assam. Rehabilitation and upgradation of Saiphai-Bagha Bazar (16.5 km) portion in Assam of the Sherkhan-Bagha Bazar road. Rehabilitation of Wokha-Merapani-Golaghat road in Nagaland and Assam. However, the road at S. No. 3 was later on taken up by the Government of Assam under different sources of funding and as such NHIDCL is implementing 3 (three) roads as on now. India becomes Net Exporter of Electricity for the first Time (Topic: Energy and Power) About: As per Central Electricity Authority, the Designated Authority of Government of India for Cross Border Trade of Electricity, 1st time India has turned around from a net importer of electricity to Net Exporter of electricity. During 2016-17, India has exported around 5,798 Million Units to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar which is 213 Million units more than the import of around 5,585 Million units from Bhutan. Ever since the cross border trade of electricity started in mid-Eighties, India has been importing power from Bhutan and marginally exporting to Nepal Export of power to Bangladesh from India got further boost with commissioning of 1st cross border Interconnection between Baharampur in India and Bheramara in Bangladesh in 2013. A few more cross border links with neighbouring countries are in pipe line which would further increase export of Power Lithium Battery Technique (Topic: Science and Technology) About: ISRO has developed 4 types of lithium ion battery for satellite and launch vehicle applications. 5Ah and 50 Ah– for space applications 5Ah and 100Ah– for induction in space applications. ISRO has supplied 50 Ah lithium-ion cells to Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). Lithium-ion battery developed by ISRO was successfully demonstrated in a prototype two-wheeler at the Symposium on International Automotive Technologies (SIAT 2017). The prototype uses a 48V, 50Ah lithium-ion battery, which can attain speeds of 40-50 kmph and can run up to 98 km once charged for 2 hrs. Technology is ready for transfer to Indian industries for undertaking the production of Li-ion batteries. BHEL has expressed interest in the transfer of technology. Li-ion Battery It is a type of rechargeable battery in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge and back when charging. Li-ion batteries use an intercalated lithium compound as one electrode material, compared to the metallic lithium used in a non-rechargeable lithium battery. The electrolyte, which allows for ionic movement, and the two electrodes are the constituent components of a lithium-ion battery cell. Lithium-ion batteries are common in home electronics. Beyond consumer electronics, LIBs are also growing in popularity for military, battery electric vehicle and aerospace applications. Lithium-ion batteries can pose unique safety hazards since they contain a flammable electrolyte. An expert notes “If a battery cell is charged too quickly, it can cause a short circuit, leading to explosions and fires”. Thus, testing standards are more stringent than those for acid-electrolyte batteries. India’s longest road tunnel (Topic: Infrastructure Development) About: India’s longest road tunnel – the 9 kilometre long “Chenani – Nashri Tunnel” The tunnel on NH-44 which connects Jammu with Srinagar, will reduce travel time between the two cities by upto two hours. It achieves a distance-reduction of 31 kilometres, bypassing snow-bound upper reaches. The estimated daily fuel savings are to the tune of Rs. 27 lakhs. The tunnel will provide a safe, all-weather route to commuters travelling from Jammu and Udhampur, to Ramban, Banihal and Srinagar. The tunnel is equipped with world-class security systems, and is expected to boost tourism and economic activities in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Key features It is a single-tube bi-directional tunnel, with a 9.35 metre carriageway, and a vertical clearance of 5 metres. There is also a parallel escape tunnel, with “Cross Passages” connecting to the main tunnel at intervals of 300 metres. It also has smart features such as an Integrated Traffic Control System; Surveillance, Ventilation and Broadcast Systems; Fire Fighting System; and SOS call-boxes at every 150 metres. The project has been completed at a cost of over Rs. 2500 crore Bharat Mala Project (Topic: Infrastructure Development) About: The Bharatmala Pariyojna, inter-alia, comprises development of Corridors, Border roads, Coastal and Port Connectivity roads etc. The highways are envisaged to be constructed under PPP pattern like Build-Operate-Transfer (Toll) and Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) as well as under Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode. The Government has also approved a project for upgradation of NH-51 and NH-54 in the states of Meghalaya and Mizoram with soft loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Bharatmala is a roads and highways project. Sagarmala is a strategic and customer-oriented initiative to modernize India’s Ports. The programme aims to promote port-led development in the country by harnessing India’s 7,500-km long coastline, 14,500-km of potentially navigable waterways and strategic location on key international maritime trade routes. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to up a separate Enforcement Department (Topic: Economy) About: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is setting up a separate Enforcement Department. The Enforcement Department is to separate those who oversee the possible rule breaches and those who decide on punitive actions so that enforcement process operates fairly and is evidence based. It shall develop a broad policy for enforcement and initiate enforcement action against the Regulated Entities (REs) for violation consistent with such policy. EFD would serve as a centralized department to deal with banks only for enforcement action.

Apr 26, 2017 AIR

All India Radio - SC Observation on Air Pollution

SC Observation on Air Pollution ARCHIVES Search 18th January 2017 http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3 Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment In news: CPCB submitted solution before SC to deal with November 2016 public health crisis emerging from air pollution. The court is demanding from the government about the steps taken to mitigate air pollution. Background Firecrackers during Diwali celebrations and stubble burning pollution coming to Delhi from nearby states created massive and unprecedented air pollution problem in November. The situation was responded immediately. But SC took notice of the pollution and directed the government to frame a Graded Response Action Plan. It means when there are different air pollution levels, what are the steps to be taken.  In terms of action, large number of actions have been taken up in past such as vehicle pollution is sought to be controlled by implementing BS IV standards for vehicles and matching fuel in NCR and many other major cities. From April 2017, the entire country will have BS IV equivalent vehicle and fuel quality norms. Actions are taken up against polluting industries, the emission standards have been made more stringent, there is more focus on enforcement of industries etc. So there are steps taken throughout the country for different sources. Graded Response Action Plan The Government has notified a Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi and NCR, which comprises measures such as prohibition on entry of trucks into Delhi ban on construction activities introduction of odd and even scheme for private vehicles shutting of schools closure of brick kilns, hot mix plants and stone crushers etc. The nature, scope and rigor of measures to be taken is linked to levels of pollution viz. Severe+ or Emergency, Severe, Very poor, Moderate to poor and Moderate, after due consideration by authorities concerned. Thus, as per the severity of the pollution, steps shall be taken until the cleaner environment doesn’t prevail. Major strategies/steps to tackle increasing air pollution in Indian cities and urban areas include control and mitigation measures related to emissions from automobiles, industrial activities notification of National Ambient Air Quality Standards formulation of environmental regulations / statutes setting up of monitoring network for assessment of ambient air quality introduction of cleaner / alternate fuels like gaseous fuel (CNG, LPG etc.), ethanol blending promotion of cleaner production processes launching of National Air Quality Index universalization of BS-IV by 2017 leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI fuel standards by 1st April, 2020 comprehensive amendments to various Waste Management Rules and notification of Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules ban on burning of leaves, biomass, municipal solid waste promotion of public transport and network of metro, e-rickshaws, car pooling, etc. Most of the cities have moderate to poor quality now throughout the year. There are actions given for it like: cleaning road dust- especially the unpaved roads or roads with heavy traffic, dust gets suspended. So plan suggests that there has to be a mechanism to identify which are the priority roads in terms of potential to have suspended dust. Other measure is water sprinkling on roads so that dust doesn’t get suspended. Outdoor air quality and indoor air quality throughout the cities has also deteriorated. The graded action plan is expected to improve the air quality. When the air quality is moderate to poor, there are actions defined for it. These actions are to prevent that the air quality doesn’t get deteriorated to next higher level i.e. very poor. Coordination has been not upto the mark throughout the year between various agencies to maintain pollution. But when it is very high then government departments like municipalities, traffic department, pollution control board, ministry of industries are working together. Environmental Pollution Control Authority Environmental Pollution Control Authority has been entrusted with the responsibility to enforce graded response action plan and the task force is constituted by central board. The issues taken up by the EPCA included fuel quality, pre-mixed oil dispensers, adulteration of fuels, fuel testing laboratory, vehicle technology, emission warranty for vehicles, setting up of CNG out lets, conversion of public transport fleet to CNG mode, traffic management etc. Since its inception in 1998, the EPCA is pursuing the various agencies to implement plan of action of white paper, priority measures for air pollution control and various orders by Hon’ble Supreme Court. Conclusion Public awareness and public participation is very crucial. There is a need of proper budgetary allocation to fill up the gaps of infrastructural deficiencies. It is very clear that this problem cannot be solved overnight. Hence, the public and government together have to do their job together as well as in individual capacity. Connecting the dots: Why is air pollution now becoming a major health hazard in India? Examine. What are the solutions to control such pollution?

Apr 26, 2017 RSTV Video

The Big Picture - Death Sentence to Kulbhushan Jhadav: what are the option before India?

Death Sentence to Kulbhushan Jhadav: what are the option before India? Archives TOPIC: General Studies 2 India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests Background Former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav has been awarded death sentence by Pakistan Military court. Pakistan has claimed that its security forces arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016, after he reportedly entered the area from Iran. Pakistan also claims that he was a serving officer in the Indian navy. The Indian government has denied this fact of him being a serving officer but accepted that he was a part of Indian Navy before retirement. However, Indian government is not satisfied with the trial process which led to awarding of a sentence and aims to find out ways to bring Jadhav to justice. The death sentence Pakistan was quite for 10 months after initial announcement of capturing Jadhav. But, the death sentence came as a surprise as it is not in conformity with either Pakistani law or international law. Right from the beginning the attempt has been to use this matter and project Jadhav the way they have. For past few months, the relationship between two countries have been troublesome. India had successfully isolated Pakistan on issue of terrorism. To create a moral equivalence between India and Pakistan, Pakistan has constantly tried to prove that India is interfering in Baluchistan which hardly has any takers. However, Pakistan has brought forward this matter to bring on the table so that they can have a better place during negotiation. This is not the first time Pakistan has done similar things in past and used people like jadhav to use them as leverage to discuss certain agendas. Also, a report was carried by dawn few days before awarding the death sentence that a Pakistani retired officer being missing and captured in Nepal by India. This allegation has been repeated and can be a speculation too. But India has not yet responded to those allegations. In such issues, it is not about truth but what is the perception in Pakistan which drives issues. The process By international laws and also Pakistani laws, even for the sake of argument if it is true that Jadhav is a spy, there is no death sentence for the same. Pakistan’s legal system, military judicial system, policies will come under international scrutiny post India takes action for the same. India has asked for consular access to jadhav for 13 times, but it was not granted. This exposes Pakistan to a robust challenge by India on international law basis. Both countries are signatories to optional protocol of the Vienna convention on Consular Relations which means that in an event of dispute over subject matter of this convention, both countries have accepted in advance the compulsory jurisdiction of ICJ. ICJ has ruled earlier in some countries, notably when the USA did not give timely consular access to Germany and Mexico where their nationals were arrested and tried in USA. The ICJ was in favour of countries whose prisoners were denied access. Thus India can appeal to the ICJ to make Pakistan abide by the international law in case like this. The relationship standing This is a move by Pakistan army which controls everything when it comes to terms with India. They are not concerned about Pakistani judiciary or civil government. If Indian navy is helping Pakistani marines, it is the obligation of the sea. The Indian defence forces know how to carry out their obligations. The same cannot be said for Pakistan for the way they have handled kulbbhushan jadhav’s case. They abducted him from a neighbouring country and hence there is no question of bonhomie between two nations when a life of person is hinged on unfair army trial. India has said that it had been constantly in contact with Pakistan on this matter and it has taken a constructive approach to the Pakistani conditions and asked Pakistan to let Indian envoys meet Jadhav to examine the allegation. India’s options ICJ- India has never gone to international court. Pakistan took India in 1999 after their naval aircraft was shot down in Indian Territory. Then India had said that international court has no jurisdiction in India-Pakistan issues. If India waves off that condition, India will be opening for all kinds of trouble in future, especially with Pakistan which normally is in favour of third party involvement. Firmness and reciprocity- The standard approach should be followed in such matter- firmness and reciprocity. The External Affairs minister said that Pakistan will allow conditional access to jadhav only if India helps to find the evidence. This shows that Pakistan has no substantive and sufficient evidence to provide such death sentence. It has also levied ludicrous allegations against senior Indian officials. This shows how their mind is working. So India has to be firm in tis approach to deal with Pakistan without third party interference as well as reciprocate in a manner which is understood by Pakistan. this doesn’t mean India should behave as Pakistan does but find a way out to show it its standards. Appealing- Other ways are providing assistance to jadhav’s family in appealing in Pakistani court, Union of India by itself can proceed against Pakistan legally through Pakistani courts. The question is to filing appeal against the sentencing of Jadhav and capturing diplomatic moral high ground. India needs to assure jadhav’s release without compromising India’s interest. Conclusion Appealing and diplomatic approach is fine. But the matter is not with Pakistan civilian government but with military. India has to understand that Pakistan is a dysfunctional state when it comes to issues related to India, Kashmir and Afghanistan. They want to pressurise India on table where they have edge over any negotiations by bringing India under pressure. At the international fora, it is trying to get support from China which is has problems with India over Dalai Lama visit. Somehow, Pakistan is trying to patch with Russia and Iran. Thus, by approaching all this countries, it is trying to pressurise USA and India which has condemned Pakistan for supporting terrorism, forced to arrest Hafeez Sayeed etc. The focus now for India is to bring Jadhav back irrespective of repercussions on ties with Pakistan. It has been called premeditated murder if the death sentence is executed. Undoubtedly, the Indian government is very outraged by such action from Pakistan but they have to calmly and objectively look at the options available to bring Jadhav back. Key words: Article 36 of Vienna convention: Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), which the United States ratified in 1969, provides that when a national of a foreign country is arrested or detained on criminal or immigration charges, the detainee must be advised of the right to have the detainee’s consulate notified and that the detainee has the right to regular consultation with consular officials during detention and any trial. Connecting the dots: There is constant deteriorating of ties between India and Pakistan in last one year. Examine the issues and suggest how India can possibly deal with Pakistan considering the fact that it is taking advantage of India’s allies on its side.

Apr 26, 2017 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue - Standing Deposit Facility

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue - Standing Deposit Facility Archives P.S- Right Click on the image and open it in new tab. From there you can save it in your system. Reference - Link

Apr 26, 2017 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 26th April, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 26th April 2017 Archives NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. NITI AYOG – Change in Planning mindset Introduction Post independence planning was adopted as major part of economy. Economic and social planning is part of concurrent list of Indian constitution. With the NITI Ayog taking over from the erstwhile Planning Commission there is change in the planning framework. Perspective Planning: The decades-old five-year plans will now make way for a larger and more focused 15-year "National Development Agenda" that will include internal security and defence as well. The new blueprint will be implemented after the last of the five-year plans, the 12th (2012-17) ends next year. In the new framework, there will be a 3-year Action Plan for 2017-18 to 2019-20, aligned to the award period of the 14th Finance Commission. In it there is also a 7-year strategy from 2017-18 to 2023-24 to convert “longer vision into implementable policy and action as part of the “National Development Agenda” with a mid-term review after three years, in the financial year ending March 2020. Finally, it will have an over-arching 15-year aspirational plan for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Issue: To do away with the erstwhile Planning Commission’s control-and-command approach towards States and his oft-repeated emphasis on ‘cooperative federalism’, there were great expectations from the successor organisation, the NITI Aayog. The Five Year Plans — the last one ended on March 31 — were relegated to history, to be replaced by a three-year action plan. This was to be part of a seven-year strategy that would in turn help realise a 15-year long-term vision. The agenda outlined in the recent meet is meant to be the first step towards attaining the envisioned outcomes by 2031-32. This ‘New India’, as NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya put it, will ensure housing for all, with toilets, LPG, power and digital connections; access to a personal vehicle, air conditioner and white goods for ‘nearly all’; and a fully literate population with universal health care. Assuming that the economy grows at 8% annually hereon, the Aayog has presented estimates about the size of the economy and per capita incomes by 2031-32, though comapring these with China’s performance in the last 15 years is a bit odd. India’s GDP will rise by ₹332 lakh crore in the next 15 years, the Aayog reckons. The bare details of the 15-year vision that have been shared seem like motherhood statements with some optimistic numerical guesswork. But even that is more than we know about the seven-year strategy. Without the larger strategy and vision in place, the three-year action plan is likely to be more of an abstract wish list that Chief Ministers will now evaluate and revert on. Effectively, till it is ratified by the Council, there is a vacuum in India’s policy framework — similar to the delayed starts of past Five Year Plans. It is not yet apparent if the 12th Plan’s innovation of painting alternative scenarios (of actions and outcomes) — a more useful tool for longer-term planning — has been adopted. Meanwhile, the PM’s message to States to speed up capital expenditure and infrastructure development is important as pump-priming the economy is not only the Centre’s task. To make cooperative federalism truly effective, the Council, or Team India, must meet more often — a nearly two-year gap in doing so is a recipe for communication breakdown. Conclusion: Planned development is a necessary framework for a country like India. NITI Ayog can go a long way in ensuring the much needed cooperative federalism imbibed with innovative practices and long term vision. But the idea of Team India should be in true spirit than in words. Connecting the dots: Critically analyse the new planning framework outlined by the NITI Ayog. How will it be different compared to erstwhile planning framework?   INTERNATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2 India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests Delay in quota reforms to erode IMF's credibility In News: Addressing the plenary of the International Monetary and Finance Committee (IMFC), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said current IMF quotas do not reflect global economic realities and demanded reforms to the controversial quota system. So what exactly does it mean to reform quotas at the IMF? What is an IMF ‘quota’? IMF member countries are each assigned a quota — a value of its share in the IMF financing system that is tied to its impact on the world economy. A country’s quota at the IMF determines its voting power, the amount of financial resources it must provide to the IMF and its access to IMF financing. The larger a country’s quota, the more say that country has in the governance of the international financial institution. Quotas are based on a weighted average of GDP, openness, economic variability and international reserves. They are expressed in a value known as Special Drawing Rights, an international reserve asset determined by the value of the U.S. dollar, euro, Japanese yen and pound sterling. Issue: The IMF's Board of Governors conducts general quota reviews at regular intervals (usually every five years). Any changes in quotas must be approved by an 85 percent majority of the total voting power, and a member’s quota cannot be changed without its consent. On December 15, 2010, the Board of Governors, the IMF’s highest decision-making body, completed the 14th General Review of Quotas (GRQ), which involved a package of far-reaching reforms of the IMF’s quotas and governance. This reform package, which became effective on January 26, 2016, delivered an unprecedented 100 percent increase in total quotas and a major realignment of quota shares. It doubled the overall size of the quotas to $659 billion (from $329 billion) while allotting an additional 6% of quotas to the developing world. However, there has been a long delay in implementation of this 14th GRQ reforms and stakeholders have argues that the quotas do not reflect global economic realities. Key reforms proposed by 14th GRQ: Gave boost to the representation of emerging economies like India, China, Brazil, Russia and increased their power and greater say in IMF. India’s voting rights increased by 0.3% from the current 2.3% to 2.6%. China’s voting rights increased by 2.2% from current 3.8% to 6 %. These reforms shifted more than 6% of the quota shares to emerging and developing countries from the US and European countries. Russia and Brazil also have gained from the reforms. The combined quotas or the capital resources of IMF also have doubled due to reforms to $659 billion from current $329 billion. The doubling of quotas means that the shares (roles) of advanced European and Gulf countries have been reduced and that of emerging nations particularly China has been increased. China will have the 3rd largest IMF quota and voting share after the US and Japan. While, India, Russia and Brazil will also be among the top 10 members of the IMF. The voting power and quota shares of the IMF’s poorest member countries will be protected. Under the reform, for the first time IMF’s Executive Board will consist entirely of elected Executive Directors and it ends the category of appointed Executive Directors. The 15th General Review of Quotas (GRQ), the most recent attempt to revise the size and composition of the system, was to be completed by October 2017, but the deadline has now been extended to 2019. Why is reform necessary? IMF shareholders decided the reforms were necessary in order to more accurately reflect the growing global influence of emerging market economies, and to boost the IMF’s legitimacy as a global financial institution. The reform will boost the IMF’s “core resources,” which will allow it to more effectively respond to financial crises. The reform will strengthen the IMF in its role of supporting global financial stability. The developing world is looking beyond the short-term crisis management tools that the IMF, as the sole international lender of last resort, has traditionally offered them for decades now — albeit in an unsatisfactory and politically biased way. There have been rising influence of economies seeking alternative sources of capital to fund their long-term growth needs. For instance, India is seeking $2 billion from the New Development Bank, set up by the BRICS countries in 2015 with a more equitable power structure, to fund infrastructure projects. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched in 2014, could be an even bigger threat to the IMF’s influence given its larger membership, lending capacity and international reach. In this environment of competition, the IMF will have to do more than just superficially tinker with its asymmetric power structure and outdated quota system. Else, it could be slowly but steadily pushed into irrelevance. Any further delay in the 15th GRQ will erode IMF's legitimacy and credibility and will be against the spirit of the Articles of Agreement. The IMF could turn irrelevant unless it reforms to keep up with rival global institutions. Connecting the dots: There is urgency for reforming international financial institutions so as to reflect the growing role of developing countries in the world economy. Do you agree? Elucidate. MUST READ The expanding universe of IP Hindu   On tribals and tigers Hindu   Celebrating Champaran 1917 Indian Express   Cities at crossroads: Starving the municipality Indian Express   The Sukma syndrome Indian Express   The changing face of the urban leisure economy Livemint   The absurdities of the United Nations Livemint   How are state governments spending on education, health, and irrigation? Livemint   Indian cities and climate challenge Business Line   The Indian economy is in a sweet spot  Business Line   The stent fiasco Business Line