UPSC Quiz - 2020: IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 161 Archives Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) To take the Test - Click Here
IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 18th January 2020 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Yada Yada alphavirus In news: Scientists named a novel virus after Seinfeld catchphrase "yada yada," because it isn’t that big a deal as far as humans are concerned. From Prelims Point of View: Yada Yada is an alphavirus, a group of viruses that the researchers described as “small, single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses (that) include species important to human and animal health, such as Chikungunya virus and Eastern equine encephalitis virus Alphavirus are transmitted primarily by mosquitoes and (are) pathogenic in their vertebrate hosts”. Yada Yada does not pose a threat to human beings. Green clearance for onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration In news: The Environment Ministry has exempted oil and gas firms, looking to conduct exploratory drilling, from seeking an environmental clearance (both on-shore and offshore drilling explorations) From Prelims Point of View: Environment impact assessment (EIA): Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC): Indian Multinational Crude Oil and Gas Corporation It is the largest oil and gas exploration and production company in the country. It produces around 70% of India's crude oil (equivalent to around 57% of the country's total demand) and around 84% of its natural gas Maharatna status A new Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Blockchain Technology in Bangalore In news: A new Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Blockchain Technology, which will strive to adapt emerging technology to create e-governance solutions is established in Bangalore The CoE by National Informatics Centre (NIC) is the third such centre, following CoE for Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. From Prelims Point of View: Blockchain Technology: Blockchains are a new data structure that is secure, cryptography-based, and distributed across a network. The technology supports cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, and the transfer of any data or digital asset. Spearheaded by Bitcoin, blockchains achieve consensus among distributed nodes, allowing the transfer of digital goods without the need for centralized authorisation of transactions. National Informatics Centre (NIC): National Informatics Centre (NIC under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. NIC provides infrastructure to help support delivery of Government IT services and delivery of some of the initiatives of Digital India. China's coronavirus In news: A new virus has been identified by Chinese researchers which is responsible for a new pneumonia-like illness. From Prelims Point of View: Coronavirus Coronaviruses are a specific family of viruses, with some of them causing less-severe damage, such as the common cold, and others causing respiratory and intestinal diseases. A coronavirus has many “regularly arranged” protrusions on its surface, because of which the entire virus particle looks like an emperor’s crown, hence the name “coronavirus”. Apart from human beings, coronaviruses can affect mammals including pigs, cattle, cats, dogs, martens, camels, hedgehogs and some birds. So far, there are four known disease-causing coronaviruses, among which the best known are the SARS coronavirus and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, both of which can cause severe respiratory diseases. (MAINS FOCUS) International Affairs General Studies 2: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interest Taiwan, Hongkong and China Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 18th January 2020 Source of Pic Context: The landslide re-election victory for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan has presented Beijing with a second pressing challenge in its backyard (along with ongoing protests in Hongkong) Also, pro-democratic political parties swept the local district council elections in Hong Kong, which were widely seen as a referendum on the protests happening in Hongkong pressing for wider Democratic reforms Brief Background of Taiwan China’s nationalist government, which was defeated in a civil war by the communists in 1949, had been exiled to Taiwan. Taiwan has been entirely self-ruled since then, however, China claims the island as a part of its territory Taiwan has a thriving democracy and has held direct elections to choose its leaders since 1996. China is Taiwan’s largest trade partner. China’s One Country- Two system model This policy was originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping shortly after he took the reins of the country in the late 1970s. Deng’s plan was to unify China and Taiwan under the One Country Two Systems policy which provided autonomy to Taiwan Under this system, Taiwan could follow its capitalist economic system, run a separate administration and keep its own army but under Chinese sovereignty. Taiwan, however, rejected the Communist Party’s offer. The idea of two systems in one country is replicated again in Hong Kong and Macau when Britain and Portugal, who were running these territories under lease (since colonial times) returned it to China in 1997 & 1999 respectively. These territories was also given autonomy in its functioning in return for recognition of China’s Sovereignty over these areas. Election results in Taiwan a referendum on China If the local elections in Hong Kong were a referendum on the protests, the elections in Taiwan ended up becoming a referendum on China — and specifically, on the “one country, two systems” The events in Hongkong whereby Chinese authorities were criticized for their handling of protestors (not calling for peace talks) revitalized the anti-China campaign in Taiwan (Independence from China) The opposition KMT (pro-China) – in power from 2008-16- had chosen to build economic and political bridges with China. The KMT’s stance was based on need to boost Taiwan’s economic opportunities. Polls conducted in Taiwan by the National Chengchi University in June 2019 showed that 56.9% identify as being only ‘Taiwanese’, up from 54.5% a year earlier On the choice between independence and reunification, 86.1% favoured maintaining the status quo (Not accede to China’s model) Consequences for Taiwan With Ms. Tsai who is at the helm of Taiwan since 2016 and her stated anti-China views, Beijing has pushed with vigour an international strategy aimed at isolating Taiwan. By the end of 2019, Taiwan was left with only 14 UN member states that maintain diplomatic relations, after losing the Solomon Islands and Kiribati which both shifted to recognising Beijing. China believe that the country’s “great rejuvenation”, which President Mr. Xi has declared as the “China dream”, will not be complete without Taiwan’s return Consequences for China China believe the tide of history is on their side (with economic & military might), and that the island (Taiwan) of 23 million people (roughly the population of Beijing) will inevitably return to the fold. However, China needs to offer more than the stability, security, and economic growth that its model promises, when issues of identity, suffrage and values are involved With China aggressively pushing its mega infrastructure project Belt & Road initiative and aiming at superpower status, it has to show to the world that it is able to solve its own internal problems in a peaceful manner before embarking on taking up Global leader status. Lessons for India India also follows asymmetric Federalism where by many states enjoy greater autonomy in their functioning as compared to other states (Article 371, Schedule V & VI). These special provision are also intended to deal with issues to identity & culture. India thus needs to handle these in a democratic manner so as to not see Taiwan/Hongkong type of protests happening in India In International Politics: India can always use the leverage of Taiwan and Hongkong whenever China meddles in India’s own internal issues like Kashmir/ Naga unrest. Connecting the dots China’s other internal issues – Tibet and Xinjiang province Why there are no protests in Macau which also enjoys special powers under the One Country-Two system mode How US is trying to exploit this situation? Resolution/laws passed by US legislature aimed at Hongkong/Xinjiang. Governance: Education General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; ASER lessons: Fix early learning in govt schools Context: ASER 2019 shows how poor the quality of education in government schools is even at the foundational levels. About Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) This is an annual survey (since 2005) that aims to provide reliable estimates of children’s enrolment and basic learning levels across rural India ( Statewise and district wise) ASER is a household-based rather than school-based survey. This design enables all children to be included – those who have never been to school or have dropped out, as well as those who are in government schools, private schools, religious schools or anywhere else. Children in the age group 3 to 16 are surveyed to find out their enrollment status in school or pre-school. Children in the age group 5 to 16 are assessed one-on-one to understand their basic reading and arithmetic abilities. It is the largest citizen-led survey in India facilitated by Pratham NGO. It is also the only annual source of information on children’s learning outcomes available in India today About 2019 report The 2019 report focuses on ‘Early Years’ (ages 4-8) since these are critical to later-stage learning Overall. More than 90% of young children in the age group of 4-8 year enrolled in some type of educational institution (91.3% at 4 years to 99.5 at 8 years) Gender gaps are visible even among these young children with more girls than boys enrolled in government institutions and more boys than girls enrolled in private institutions Disparity between Government & Private schools: Only 6.7% of government school students in Std I who were aged 4-5 could correctly do early language tasks, this figure was 24.1% for private schools Similarly, only 16.5% of 4&5-year-olds in Std I in government schools could demonstrate early numeracy competency, compared with 35.3% in private schools. In cognitive skills, too, government institutions lagged their private peers by six to 18 percentage points when performance of 5-year-olds was compared Implication The Right to Education law and the new National Education Policy both set 6 years as the age when a child should enter formal schooling (Standard I) Cognitive development in the pre-school years is key to learning outcomes in school. Disparity in learning levels: A higher population of 4&5-year-olds study in standard I in government schools (26.1%) compared with private schools (15.7%)—largely because of the lack of affordable and accessible pre-primary institutions—it can be argued, the feedstock in government schools sets them up for the disparity in learning levels. High dropout rates at higher level: With the poor learning levels at the primary level (combined with no detention till class 8) many students simply may not be able to cope with the curriculum at the secondary and senior secondary levels thus leading to high dropout rate Reasons for poor early learning outcomes is primarily two-fold India’s Anganwadi scheme: India has one of the largest pre-school care programmes in the world—the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), but it remains primarily focussed on nutrition/healthcare/immunisation, with early learning often neglected at the anganwadis. Distorted Pedagogy: Content knowledge and instruction us the preferred method when research shows that play-based activities geared towards building memory, reasoning, and problem-solving abilities have a much larger impact on building the foundation for later learning. Way Ahead: Funding: India needs to aggressively bolster its early education programme—in FY20, the Centre budgeted $3.9 billion for the umbrella ICDS programme while in 2017, China was spending nearly $19 billion on just early childhood education Reorient Anganwadi centres as not just centres for nutrition but also centres for early learning Teaching Pedagogy should be relied more upn play based learning rather than instructional methodology Revisit State and National norms for age entry to school: Performance on congnitive, early language, early numeracy, and social & emotional learning tasks is closely related to children’s age, with older children doing better than younger ones. Permitting underage children into primary grades puts them at learning disadvantage which is difficult to overcome Connecting the Dots New Educational Policy Operation Digital Board (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note: Correct answers of today’s questions will be provided in next day’s DNA section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Comments Up-voted by IASbaba are also the “correct answers”. Q 1. Which of the following diseases can be transmitted from one person to another through tattooing? Chikungunya Hepatitis B HIV-AIDS Select the correct answer using the codes given below. 1 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 Q 2. Consider the following statements: NTPC is the largest power utility in India ONGC accounts for half of the LPG production of India Indian Oil Corporation operates all the refineries in India The Indian Ordinance Factory is the largest departmentally run industrial undertakings in the country Which of these statements is/are correct? 1 only 2 and 3 2, 3 and 4 1 and 4 Q 3. Consider the following pairs of Terms sometimes seen in news vs Context /Topic: Belle II experiment: Artificial Intelligence Blockchain technology: Digital/ Cryptocurrency CRISPR - Cas9: Particle Physics Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched ? 1 and 3 only 2 only 2 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 Q 4. With reference to ‘Bitcoins’, sometimes seen in the news, which of the following statements is/are correct? Bitcoins are tracked by the Central Banks of the countries. Anyone with a Bitcoin address can send and receive Bitcoins from anyone else with a Bitcoin address. Online payments can be sent without either side knowing the identity of the other. Select the correct answer using the code given below. 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 3 only 1, 2 and 3 ANSWERS FOR 17 JAN 2020 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 C 2 D 3 C 4 D MUST READ About Child deaths in Rajasthan The Hindu About need for continuity of governmental policies The Hindu About fighting radicalization The Hindu
IMPORTANT UPDATE: DAF Session (as part of IMP Program) by Yeshwanth Gurukar, IAS, Karnataka on 23rd January (Thursday), 2020 Dear Students, Congratulations to all those who cleared mains. Your hardwork has borne fruits. It’s now time to nurture the fruit until it is ripe. It gives us immense pleasure to say, 142 IASbaba’s ILP/TLP Connect Students have cleared UPSC Mains Exam 2019 :) Highest pass rate we have achieved till date from ILP and TLP Connect only ! We expect 2 in Top 10 (Hopefully). Now, it adds to our responsibility to handhold you to ensure that you cross the final hurdle successfully. The most important step right now is filling up your Detailed Application Form(DAF). Your DAF introduces you to the board before you get to introduce yourself. And utmost care is needed to ensure that you do not make blunders in filling it up. IASbaba is here to help you in this process. We are conducting a session on Thursday, 23rd January 2020 at 6:30 p.m. to guide you on filling the DAF. The session shall be conducted by Mr. Yeshwanth Gurukar, IAS, Karnataka cadre, 2010 batch on pro-bono basis. Yeshwanth Gurukar has done his MBA from IIMB and was one of the top scorers in UPSC interview. He has helped several aspirants to realise their dream of getting a high score in interview The session is FREE and OPEN TO ALL !! Registration link for DAF Session @ Bengaluru -> CLICK HERE P.S. : Get a print out of your DAF (mandatory). IMP Workshop will be held on 1st February in Bengaluru and 2nd February in Delhi. Details will be announced soon. VENUE: Chandra Layout Centre (TLP Centre): No. 1443/1444, Above Carzspa, 80 Ft. Main Road, Ganapathi Circle, Chandra Layout, Bengaluru- 560040 Email id: support@iasbaba.com Contact No.: Bengaluru: 9035077800/7353177800 ( Office Timings: 10 am – 5.30 pm) Going forward we will be conducting Workshop for Interview as part of Interview Mentorship Program (IMP). HIGHLIGHTS of INTERVIEW MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME (IMP): Workshop – 3 hour session to set the mood for Interview preparation. Open Mocks – a Unique Approach Pioneered by IASbaba!! Mock Interviews – Conducted by the board of five Eminent resource persons chosen to exactly replicate the UPSC Interview board. This session shall be recorded and the video will be provided to the candidate. One-to-one discussion – to analyse the candidate’s performance in the mock interview. DAF discussion Current Affairs Sessions To REGISTER and to Know more about IMP Program -> CLICK HERE Thank You IASbaba
The Undivided Truth: Life makes sense only when looked at in totality. In the hopes of understanding a flower, we can pluck it from the plant, chop its petals, put it under a microscope and try to analyze it. This will not get us any closer to understanding the true nature of a flower; instead, we would have killed the very possibility of understanding what a flower is. A flower makes sense only when it is on the plant – it has no independent function or purpose separate from the plant. If a flower is just an extension of the plant, how can we hope to understand anything about it by detaching and disconnecting it from the plant? This detached and disconnected way of analyzing our life and our place in the universe is the single biggest flaw in our approach to solving the mystery of who we are. Analysis is a limited tool that can only be used to know more about something we already know. We can put a grain of salt under a microscope and analyze its chemical composition, because we already know what we are looking for. Analysis might help us to know the chemical composition of a grain of salt, but it can never answer important philosophical questions like, Why is a grain of salt salty? Is the saltiness of the salt inherently in the salt or is it in the tongue? Why should there even be such a thing as a grain of salt? Answers to the all-important questions of Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we the way we are? What is the purpose of life? can never be answered through analysis. If Truth is what we are searching for, then it’s got to be undivided. How can we ever hope to get to the undivided Truth of what we are, if we are so obsessed with the idea of dividing and analyzing the broken pieces of life? The only way to know life is to look at it in totality. The nature of reality we are surrounded by on the outside gives us great clues to the nature of reality within us. There is a reason why we dream about birds, and there is a reason why we are fascinated to see one flying in the open sky. That reason is what we are searching for. “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Meditation Farm and IASBABA.”
Volcano Archives TOPIC: General Studies 3 Environmental hazard and Disaster A volcano is an opening in the Earth’s crust that allows molten rock, gases, and debris to escape to the surface. Volcanism is the phenomenon of eruption of molten rock (magma) onto the surface of the Earth or a solid-surface planet or moon, where lava, pyroclastics and volcanic gases erupt through a break in the surface called a vent. Movement of molten rock in the mantle, caused by thermal convection currents, coupled with gravitational effects of changes on the earth’s surface (erosion, deposition, even asteroid impact and patterns of post-glacial rebound) drive plate tectonic motion and ultimately volcanism. Volcanoes tend to exist along the edges between tectonic plates, massive rock slabs that make up Earth’s surface. About 90 percent of all volcanoes exist within the Ring of Fire along the edges of the Pacific Ocean. Types of Volcanos [caption id="attachment_56202" align="aligncenter" width="534"] Volcano – Vishesh - RSTV IAS UPSC[/caption] Active Volcano: About 1,900 volcanoes on Earth are considered active, meaning they show some level of activity and are likely to explode again. Dormant Volcano: Many other volcanoes are dormant, showing no current signs of exploding but likely to become active at some point in the future. Volcanoes go dormant because Magma from the Earth’s mantle can no longer reach the volcano. If a volcano doesn’t have a source of magma, it won’t erupt Earth’s plates are constantly shifting above volcanic hotspots When the angle of subduction changes and magma begins to rise through the mantle in a different location. The tectonic plate continues to shift above the hotspot, and eventually the volcano is shut off from the magma chamber beneath. The magma finds a new source to the surface, creating a new active volcano. The older volcano stops erupting and becomes dormant. Some examples Mauna Kea, one of the five volcanoes that make up the Big Island of Hawaii Clear Lake in California Yellow stone national park Tongariro in New Zealand Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania Mt Ararat, Turkey Mt Fuji, Japan Extinct Volcano: Have all the features of volcano but not erupted in historic times Factors that lead to volcanism: Plate Tectonics: The majority of volcanoes occur where two lithospheric plates converge and one overrides the other, forcing it down into the mantle to be reabsorbed. Ocean floor spreading: A major site of active volcanism is along the axis of the oceanic ridge system, where the plates move apart on both sides of the ridge and magma wells up from the mantle. Weak Earth Surface: Because of high pressure in the earth’s interior, the magma and gases escape with great velocity as the pressure is released through eruptions where opportunity is provided by weak zones along the earth’s surface. Faults: Whenever extreme pressure builds in the mantle, along fault lines an eruption is likely to happen next. The earthquakes, for instance, may expose fault zones through which magma may escape. Magma crystallization: Decreasing temperatures can cause old magma to crystallize and sink to the bottom of the chamber and this movement can force fresh liquid magma up and out – similar to dropping a brick in a bucket of water. A decrease in external pressure: A decrease in external pressure can trigger an eruption as it may minimize the volcano’s ability to hold back by increasing the pressures inside the magma chamber Plate movement: Volcanism may occur because of plate movement over a “hot spot” from which magmas can penetrate to the surface. Ex. Islands of Hawaii The gases and dust particles thrown into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions have effects on climate. Effects of Volcanism Negative effects Volcanic eruptions produce hazardous effects for the environment and climate Ashes can stay in the stratosphere for about two to five years, and within this period, there are chemical reactions that destroy the stratospheric ozone molecules. Volcanoes contribute about 18%-20% of Chlorine entering the atmosphere, this also destroys ozone. Volcanoes also cause global warming by releasing greenhouse gases such as water vapour and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Lava can kill plants and animals. This also contributes to global warming by reducing carbon sink. Positive effects Unlike other natural disasters such as floods, wildfires and earthquakes, volcanoes can have some positive effects. Most of the particles spewed from volcanoes cool the planet by shading incoming solar radiation. The cooling effect can last for months to years causing cooling over large areas of the Earth. Some ash and lava breakdown become soils that are rich in nutrients and become good areas for crop planting activities and growth of the forest. Volcanism and landform evolution Craters: Crater is a bowl-shaped depression at the top of a volcano caused by past volcanic eruptions. A volcanic crater is relatively small, usually spanning about a half a mile in diameter or less, and can fill with water to form a crater lake. Caldera: If a volcanic eruption causes the magma chamber to empty, the volcano can implode, forming a larger depression known as a caldera. eg. Yellostone caldera. Volcanic domes: Volcanic Domes result from the extrusion of highly viscous, gas poor andesitic and rhyolitic lava. Since the viscosity is so high, the lava does not flow away from the vent, but instead piles up over the vent. Basalt plateau: Basalt plateau is formed due to outpouring of extremely large volume of low viscosity basaltic magma from fissure vents. The basalts spread huge areas of relatively low slope and build up plateaus. eg. Deccan plateau, Columbian plateau. Intrusive landforms: Dykes – When magma solidifies in vertical fissures. Eg. Many Scottish Islands, such as Mull and Skye Sills – Horizontal bodies of intrusive igneous rocks. Eg. Great Whin Sill (which carries part of Hadrian’s Wakk) and Drumadoon on the Isle of Arran Batholiths – Magma that cools in the deeper depth & develop in the form of large domes. Eg. Sierra Nevada Batholith, California Laccoliths – These are large dome shaped intrusive bodies having a pipe like conduit from below. Eg. Eildon Hills on the Scottish Borders Note: Humans pollute more than volcanoes The Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO), a 500-strong international team of scientists, noted that Human activity churns out up to 100 times carbon each year as all the volcanoes on Earth. Manmade emissions in 2018 alone topped 37 gigatonnes. By comparison, the CO2 released annually by volcanoes hovers around 0.3 and 0.4 gigatonnes Modern manmade emissions were the “same magnitude” as past carbon shocks that precipitated mass extinction. Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano The Kilauea volcano, the most active in Hawaii, remained highly unstable. Highly toxic sulfur dioxide gas pouring from some fissures continued to contribute to “extremely dangerous” conditions. The high levels of sulfur dioxide are a threat to all who become exposed. Important Value Additions: Kilauea is a currently active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and the most active of the five volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kilauea is considered one of the world’s most frequently active volcanoes. Do you know? There are five active volcanoes in Hawaii. They are: Loihi Kilauea Mauna Loa Hualalai Haleakala Mauna Loa is an active volcano and is due for an eruption. India’s only active volcanoe is located in Barren island of Andaman, which is also the only confirmed active volcano in South Asia. Connecting the Dots: Discuss the distributional pattern of volcanoes in the world.
IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 17th January 2020 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) India to invite Pakistan PM Imran Khan to regional SCO summit Part of: GS Prelims International Organizations and GS Mains II–India’s foreign relation In news: New Delhi will invite Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit From Prelims point of view: SCO: SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation. It’s a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation aiming to maintain peace, security and stability in the region. It was created in 2001. The SCO Charter was signed in 2002, and entered into force in 2003. It is a statutory document which outlines the organisation's goals and principles, as well as its structure and core activities. The SCO's official languages are Russian and Chinese. [caption id="attachment_56167" align="aligncenter" width="472"] Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 17th January 2020[/caption] Vodafone Idea tanks 39% on AGR verdict, Airtel shrugs off concerns Part of: GS Prelims Economy and GS Mains III–Tax Evasion In news: Shares of Vodafone Idea Ltd tanked 39.3% on Friday, a day after the Supreme Court rejected the review petition by Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel challenging the apex court's 24 October order on adjusted gross revenues (AGR) From prelims point of view: What is AGR? Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) is the usage and licensing fee that telecom operators are charged by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). It is divided into spectrum usage charges and licensing fees, pegged between 3-5 percent and 8 percent respectively. How is it calculated and what’s the contention? As per DoT, the charges are calculated based on all revenues earned by a telco – including non-telecom related sources such as deposit interests and asset sales. Telcos, on their part, insist that AGR should comprise only the revenues generated from telecom services. National Park : Commercial activities near Bannerghatta National Park banned Part of: GS Prelims Environment and GS Mains III–Conservation In news: Developmental and commercial activities have been stopped within 10-km radius of Bannerghatta National Park area, which is part of the eco-sensitive zone. From Prelims Point of view Bannerghatta National Park The Bannerghatta National Park is located near Bangalore in Karnataka. Wildlife such as elephants, gaur, leopard, jackal, fox, wild boar, sloth bear, Sambar, Chital, spotted deer, barking deer, common langur, bonnet macaque, porcupine and hares are found in abundance. The Bannerghatta Biological Park has been an integral part of Bannerghatta National Park and emerged out as an independent establishment during the year 2002. In order to meet the growing demand for eco-recreation, eco-tourism and conservation, some area of forest from the National park were set aside to constitute as Biological Park. Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) Eco-Sensitive Zones or Ecologically Fragile Areas are areas notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. Activities conducted in eco-sensitive zones are regulated under the Environment (Protection Act) of 1986 and no polluting industry or mine is allowed to come up in such areas. As a general principle width of the eco-sensitive zone could go up to 10 km around a protected area. In case of places with sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape linkage, even area beyond 10 km width can also be included in the eco-sensitive zone. Industries classified as prohibited under guidelines for declaration of eco-sensitive zones around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are not allowed to operate in these zones. The guidelines prohibit activities such as commercial mining, commercial use of firewood and major hydropower projects. Activities such as felling of trees, commercial use of natural water resources, including groundwater harvesting and setting up of hotels and resorts, are regulated in these areas. The basic aim is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas. Ranitidine Part of: GS Prelims Science & Tech and GS Mains III–Pharmaceutical industry In News: A group of doctors came forward to clear “misconceptions” about Ranitidine, an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) used in drugs to treat gastric acidity. Following a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning about the presence of low levels of carcinogens in Ranitidine, there are a lot of misconceptions about its use From Prelims Point of view: Ranitidine Ranitidine is one of the oldest drugs to be used in acidity and upper intestinal ulcers and has been considered to be safer than similar other drugs like proton pump blockers. It is a commonly prescribed medicine for countering acidity and also on the World Health Organisation’s ‘Model List of Essential Medicines’. In India, a host of companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Dr. Reddy’s, Sun Pharmaceuticals sell over 180 versions of the drug. Some commonly known brands of Ranitidine are Zantac, Aztec, Giran, etc. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as probably carcinogenic to humans. It is an environmental contaminant found in water and foods. It is the same impurity that the US FDA had investigated in blood pressure drugs valsartan and losartan over the last year. Myeloma Part of: GS Prelims Science & Tech and GS Mains II–Health In news : Myeloma risk may be higher among Indians than whites From Prelims point of view Myeloma Myeloma is a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs. Multiple myeloma causes cancer cells to accumulate in the bone marrow, where they crowd out healthy blood cells. Rather than produce helpful antibodies, the cancer cells produce abnormal proteins that can cause complications. Data Protection Bill: JPC to invite views from all stakeholders Part of: GS Prelims Polity and GS Mains III– Privacy In news: The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Personal Data Protection Bill will throw open its doors for all stakeholders to express objections and point out loopholes in the proposed legislation, the panel decided at its first meeting held From Prelims Point of view Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 The Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 (PDP Bill 2019) was tabled in the Indian Parliament by the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology The Bill covers mechanisms for protection of personal data and proposes the setting up of a Data Protection Authority of India for the same. Some key provisions the 2019 Bill provides for which the 2018 draft Bill did not such as that the central government can exempt any government agency from the Bill and the Right to Be Forgotten has been included In July 2017, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology set up a committee to study issues related to data protection. The committee was chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice B. N. Srikrishna. Bru-Reang Refugee Crisis: Home Minister presides over signing of Historic Agreement to end the Bru-Reang Refugee Crisis Part of: GS Prelims History and GS Mains I–Society In news: Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah presided over the signing of an agreement between Government of India, Governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives This historic agreement is in line with PM Modi’s vision for the progress of the North East and the empowerment of the people of the region. Background: In 1997, following ethnic tension, around 5,000 families comprising around 30,000 Bru-Reang tribals were forced to flee Mizoram and seek shelter in Tripura. These people were housed in temporary camps at Kanchanpur, in North Tripura. Since 2010, Government of India has been making sustained efforts to permanently rehabilitate these refugees. The Union government has been assisting the two State governments for taking the care of the refugees. From Prelims Point of view: Bru -Reang are one of the 21 scheduled tribes. The Bru can be found Tripura ,Mizoram and Assam Naval version of LCA Tejas takes off from INS Vikramaditya Part of: GS Prelims Science & Tech and GS Mains II-Defence In news: A naval prototype of the homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas successfully took off from the deck of Indian Navy's sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya From Prelims Point of view: India is now among a select group of countries that have the capability to design a fighter jet that can operate from an aircraft carrier. LCA Tejas: Tejas is a Light Combat Aircraft developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in coordination with the Aircraft Research and Design Centre of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd Single-engine, delta wing, multirole light fighter INS Vikramaditya The country’s most powerful aircraft carrier. It was built in 1987 and had served the Soviet navy It can carry over 30 aircraft comprising MiG-29Ks, Kamov-28s, Kamov-31s, ALH-Dhruv and Chetak helicopters. It was retrofitted with a Barak missile system under joint development with Israel. It is based at its home port at Karwar in Karnataka. Historic Trump impeachment trial begins in Senate Part of: GS Prelims Polity and GS Mains II–Comparing Indian constitution In news: The historic impeachment trial of Donald Trump opened in the US Senate, as lawmakers took a solemn oath to be "impartial" in deciding whether to force the 45th US president from office. From Prelims point of view: Indian Impeachment process In India, President can be impeached for violation of the Constitution (Article 61) The motion for impeaching President can be introduced in any House of Parliament. After the investigation, the motion of impeachment must be passed by a two-thirds majority of the total membership of the House by both Houses of the Parliament. (MAINS FOCUS) Indian Governance/ Economy 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. Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies Fertiliser Subsidy: Direct Benefit Transfer Context: A survey conducted by NITI Aayog showed that nearly two-thirds of the farmers don’t favour direct benefit transfer (DBT) of fertiliser subsidy. The present regime of fertilizer subsidy – Partial DBT (Since April 2018) Manufacturers of fertilizers receive 100% of subsidy after fertiliser is delivered to the farmer, and the latter’s identity viz. Aadhaar is captured on the point of sale (PoS) machine at the dealer’s shop. Therefore, the subsidy continues to be routed through manufacturers even though the sale of fertilizer is being verified using Aadhar ecosystem The manufacturers sell urea at the maximum retail price (MRP) controlled by the Centre, which is kept at a low level. They also get subsidy reimbursement on unit-specific basis under the new pricing scheme (NPS). The manufacturers of non-urea fertilisers are given ‘uniform’ subsidy (on per nutrient basis) under the nutrient based scheme (NBS). Example to illustrate the scheme At present, for a bag of urea (containing 50 kg) a farmer pays Rs 268 —as against the cost of supply that is at least twice as much , or Rs 536 The difference is claimed by the manufacturer as subsidy from the government (after the sale to farmer has been verified through Aadhar) Under this arrangement, subsidy to farmer is embedded in the price—also termed as subsidised price. Implications: This system helps ensure the subsidy is not being siphoned off by another beneficiary, but it doesn’t help the larger issue of farmers overusing urea many times over as there is a huge subsidy on it. The unacceptably large urea subsidy has ensured that against the ideal N:P:K ratio of 4:2:1, the average is 6.1:2.5:1, and it is as much as 25.8:5.8:1 in states like Punjab. What is the full-fledged DBT scheme? The farmer will have to pay the higher cost-based price or Rs 536 to the manufacturer, and get subsidy of Rs 268 ‘directly’ in his bank account. In total, he will be spending Rs 268 only for bag of Urea. Yet, the switch-over makes a big difference as he has to first pay the full price, and thereafter, get the subsidy. Benefits of Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme: It will empower farmers to make the right choices based on crop/soil need, as now the market for fertilizers will be less under government control It reduces imbalance in fertiliser use – as DBT would mean a dramatic increase in urea prices, farmers would buy only the amount of urea they really need and more of other fertilisers It improves efficiency in the supply chain as now private players will be encouraged to enter the sector and give a boost to ‘Make in India’. It will lead to saving on the subsidy by eliminating misuse, and owing to better targeting. Why government has not undertaken full-fledged DBT? Inadequate working Capital among farmers: Farmer has to sell out entire cost price of fertilizer (if subsidy is not provided before hand by the government). Given that 85% of Indian farmers are small and marginal and that their incomes are meagre it would be burdensome for them to arrange for this high upfront money. This would make them depend on informal money lenders making them vulnerable to debt trap Cash- Strapped government which puts it in a politically difficult situation for DBT In FY 2020, the government could end up owing Rs 60,000 crore to the industry. While it is possible to accumulate such dues in the current system (partial DBT), the government will have to make upfront payment to farmers to overcome the above obstacle If farmers don’t get the subsidy before they buy the fertiliser, they will never buy it as doing so will mean a big dent in their budgets – thus impacting production & food security Cash- strapped government will thus not be able to postpone payments (which is being done in present system). Owing payment to farmers will be politically sensitive issue which is thus deterring government to adopt full-fledged DBT Way forward Government should ensure fiscal discipline and undertake reforms in subsidy management (rationalisation and DBT) so as to ensure that neither the food security of a Nation nor the welfare of farmers is not compromised. Think! DBT in food subsidy, Food coupons Sustainable agriculture – Organic farming – Zero Budget Natural Farming Indian Economy TOPIC:General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment. The perils of RBI’s fixation on inflation Context: Retail inflation climbed to a six-year high of 7.35 per cent breaching the Reserve Bank of India's upper band of 6 per cent for the first time since the Monetary Policy Committee was created. RBI’s Mandate In India, the RBI had earlier pursued a ‘multiple indicators approach’, implying concern for outcomes other than inflation, including even the balance of payments. However, the Indian government instituted inflation targeting as the sole objective of monetary policy since 2016-17. This was hailed by the government as the adoption of the ‘modern monetary policy framework’ by India. Till now inflation remained within the range envisaged, however with the recent data showing the retail inflation breaching the 6% range, doubts have been raised over narrow objective of Inflation targeting as the main objective of RBI Criticism of RBI’s fixation on Inflation RBI’s responsibility to regulate the financial sector may have taken a back seat after adoption of inflation targeting as the main objective. Some of the crisis in financial sector which is partly attributed to short comings in regulations are: Within three years of adoption of inflation targeting as goal, a crisis engulfed IL&FS- It defaulted on several of its obligations, including repayment of bank loans and the redemption of commercial paper Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank- fictitious accounts created and deposits were siphoned off as loans to the promoters Inefficiency of Monetary Policy tools: Recent spike in inflation is primarily due to rise in food prices which is temporary and seasonal phenomenon. Inflation led by rising prices of food stuff cannot quickly or easily be contained by the mode of control which RBI uses. Thus, the inflation rate was within the intended range so far, may have been due to both declining food prices and, for a phase, oil prices. Bad management of Currency Ordinary Indian considers the RBI’s principal mandate as the management of the currency so that trade is facilitated. There is shortage of small denomination notes in the bazaars of India Way Ahead The establishment of some of the world’s oldest central banks was inspired by the goal of maintaining financial stability. Central Banks emerged as lender of last resort accompanied by tough regulatory oversight powers over banking system However, with the rise of neoliberalism whereby markets should be given free play, the regulatory role of central banks took a back seat. They came to be primarily mandated with inflation control. Central Banks need to revisit their mandate in the spate of financial crisis. Do you know? Monetary Policy Framework The Government of India and Reserve Bank of India signed a Monetary Policy Framework Agreement in 2015. The objective of monetary policy framework is to primarily maintain price stability, while keeping in mind the objective of growth. As per the agreement, RBI would set the policy interest rates and would aim to bring inflation below 6 per cent by January 2016 and within 4 per cent with a band of (+/-) 2 per cent for 2016-17 and all subsequent years. Monetary Policy Committee (MPC): Monetary Policy is announced by MPC which has been setup based on recommendations of Urjit Patel committee. MPC consist of six members, 3 from RBI and 3 appointed by the Government. Members from RBI are governor of RBI, a deputy governor and one officer of RBI. Members from government are appointed on the recommendations of a search cum selection committee headed by cabinet secretary. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note: Correct answers of today’s questions will be provided in next day’s DNA section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Comments Up-voted by IASbaba are also the “correct answers”. Q.1) Which of the following country was not the founding member of the SCO? China Kazakhstan Uzbekistan Russia Q.2) The main aim of SCO is to generate cooperation between member nations on: Resolving border issues Countering Terrorism Economic Cooperation All of the above Q.3) Consider the following statements about AGR The AGR directly impacts the outgo from the pockets of telcos to the DoT as it is used to calculate the levies payable by operators. Telecom companies now owe the government not just the shortfall in AGR for the past 14 years but also an interest on that amount along with penalty and interest on the penalty. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) With reference to ‘Eco-Sensitive Zones’, which of the following statements is/are correct? Eco-Sensitive Zones are the areas that are declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The purpose of the declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones is to prohibit all kinds of human activities in those zones except agriculture. Select the correct answer using the code given below. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 MUST READ About Political Activism by celebrities The Hindu About Taiwan and Hong kong- One country Two system The Hindu About need for Mob lynching law The Hindu About Modern internet regulations IE
Census 2021 ARCHIVES Search 10th Jan, 2020 Spotlight here: http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e governance- applications In News: The 2021 Census of India, also the 16th Indian Census, will be taken in 2021. The 15th Indian Census taken in 2011, attempted to estimate the population based on Socio-Economic and Caste Status for the first time since 1931. However, as the enumeration was based on recording the respondents' declaration, it led to creation of hundreds of thousands of caste/sub-caste categories. For the 16th Indian census, the government is instead considering enumeration based on a list of OBCs notified by each state The 2011 caste data, collected as part of the Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC), is yet to be released by the Centre. What is Census Act 1948? The Census Act 1948, as amended in 1994 defines the act as: In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires — (a) "premises" means any land, building or part of a building and includes a hut, shed or other structure or any part thereof; (b) "Prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (c) "Vehicle" means any vehicle used or capable of being used for road transport, whether propelled by mechanical power or otherwise Details Citing the powers conferred by Section 3 and Section 17A of the Census Act 1948, the Central Government issued the notification declaring that the house-listing operation of the Census of India 2021 shall take place from April 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020. [caption id="attachment_56164" align="aligncenter" width="551"] Census 2021 - All India Radio (AIR) IAS UPSC[/caption] First Digital Census: The data collected during the 2021 Census will be stored electronically. An individual’s household data is not published by the RGI. They are published in the form of tables on the Census website. The data is preserved for 10 years and then it is destroyed. From 2021 Census it will be stored forever in electronic format. Caste: Census 2021 is unlikely to collect “caste wise” data as a similar exercise conducted in 2011 by another ministry threw up about 40 lakh caste names that were difficult to tabulate. Third Gender inclusion: The option of “Other” under the gender category, which roughly 5 lakh people marked in 2011, is now “Third Gender”. However, there is a need to improve the Civil Registration System - especially on registration of birth and death in remote areas, and strengthening sample registration system for estimating the data namely, infant mortality rate, maternal mortality ratio and fertility rates. Answer: Not counting caste in census has been part of a calculated silence over upper caste domination in India. Do you agree? Discuss. List of Questions: Building number(Municipal or local authority or Census number). Census house number. Predominant material of roof, floor and wall of the census house. Ascertain use of census house. Condition of the census house. Household serial number. Total number of persons normally residing in the household. Name of the head of the household. Sex of the head of the household. Whether the head of the household belongs to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Others. Ownership status of the census house. Number of dwelling rooms exclusively in possession of the household. Number of married couples living in the household. Main source of drinking water. Availability of drinking water source. Main side of lighting. Access to latrine. Type of latrine. Waste water outlet. Availability of bathing facility. Availability of kitchen and LPG/PNG connection. Main fuel used for cooking. Radio/Transistor. Television. Access to internet. Laptop/Computer. Telephone/Mobile Phone/Smartphone. Bicycle/Scooter/Motorcycle/Moped. Car/Jeep/Van. Main cereal consumed in the household. Mobile number (for census related communication only)
UPSC Quiz - 2020: IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 160 Archives Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) To take the Test - Click Here
IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 16th January 2020 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Indian Economy TOPIC: General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment. General Studies 2: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interest Indian Economy: Comparison with other economies in the Asian region Context: India’s Economic growth (2QFY20 GDP growth at 4.5%) is at its lowest in six years, while inflation (December 2019- CPI is 7.35%) is at its highest in five years. Trade war going on between USA and China that has led to realigning of global supply chain providing an opportunity for India to tap this shift. Comparison with rest of Asian economies that are broadly at a comparable level of development as India Economic Growth India is no longer the fastest growing economy in the region. There are eight regional economies that are growing faster than India is at this point in time, including China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Nepal. Slowdown in the past Many of these countries have experienced growth slowdowns in the past couple of years. China, the Philippines and Nepal have lost the momentum. Nevertheless, there are some that have broadly maintained their rates of economic expansion, such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar, Trade tensions, inventory de-stocking, weak corporate investment, new emission norms and the electronics technology cycle are some of the reasons which can explain this broad regional economic slowdown. One country that has actually accelerated in the midst of the regional slowdown, Bangladesh. There is no country that has slowed down as sharply as India has since 2017, by 2.2 percentage points. 1.Macro-economic Stability (Fiscal Deficit and Inflation) Most regional economies have macro stability indicators, fiscal and monetary, that are on par with India’s. Most of the other regional Asian economies run on relatively tight budgets, ranging from the Philippines (1.1%) and Cambodia (1.3%) to Vietnam (4.4%) and Bangladesh (4.8%). What does this (better fiscal management) mean? This essentially means that these countries have more policy space to increase public spending to support growth in case it falters. The only other comparable regional economy that has a fiscal deficit in excess of 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) is China, though the actual number is likely to be far higher than the Indian fiscal deficit 2.Inflation Four of the eight Asian countries have average annual inflation that was higher than India’s in 2019. The other four have lower inflation. India is the median. What does it mean? This challenges the growing consensus in India that the pursuit of low inflation has wrecked growth, because there are countries such as the Philippines that are growing faster than India with lower inflation Trade Diversion it is well known that Vietnam and Bangladesh have got an early lead in the race to attract global supply chains that are moving away from China. They have been the principal beneficiaries of trade diversion What were some of the reasons that led India to falter in tapping the opportunities? Indian public discourse gave up on manufacturing too early in the game, either citing a unique growth model based on services or arguing that automation was anyway killing manufacturing jobs India’s Make in India scheme could not take off Domestic Financial crisis – Twin Balance sheet problem & NBFC crisis- has negatively impacted the demand and thus weakened the prospects of FDI inflow. However, there is still reason for hope A look at manufacturing as a percentage of value added in the eight Asian countries provides hope for India to revive its tag of fastest growing nation in the world China is obviously the leader, with manufacturing accounting for 20% of gross value added. India is at 15%, which does not compare too badly with Cambodia (16%), Indonesia (20%), the Philippines (19%), Vietnam (16%) and Bangladesh (18%) This data suggests that there is still an opportunity for India to take advantage of the trade war, rather than prematurely losing hope. Way Ahead India will need a policy framework that plugs it into global supply chains, rather than moving back into a protectionist shell. Timely implementation of the infrastructure projects which reduces logistics cost thus enhancing the competitiveness of Indian products.(104 Lakh Crore announced for Infrastructure development between 2019-24) There needs to be domestic peace & harmony to ensure that business sentiment is intact thus assuring that economy will thrive in a Vibrant Democratic market Connecting the dots International Monetary Fund says that China is running a fiscal deficit that is in double-digit territory as a proportion of GDP. What will be the impact of such opaqueness in fiscal reporting by China? MUST READ About trade agreements Livemint About Internet freedom Livemint Supreme Court’s decision on restrictions in Kashmir IE
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban ARCHIVES Search 27th Dec, 2019 Spotlight here: http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 1 Social Issues, Urbanization, their problems & remedies General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes. In News: PMAY - Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: one of the world’s most ambitious and biggest housing schemes, ‘Housing For All by 2022’ announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, has accomplished a crossed a big milestone. It has recently expanded its scope to cater to the housing needs of the mid-income group, besides the economically weaker sections (EWS) and low-income group (LIG). It has sanctioned one crore houses under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana – Urban category and that too in a short span of four years from 2015 to 2019. 1.2 crore jobs have been created so far under the scheme The houses sanctioned so far under the scheme involve an investment of about ₹5.7 lakh crore with Central assistance of ₹1.6 lakh crore Compared to the earlier JNNURM scheme, PMAY (U) has achieved 10 times more in a span of 4.5 years, whereas the earlier scheme had taken 10 years to achieve a significantly less number. Under PMAY: The Government envisages building affordable pucca houses with water facility, sanitation and electricity supply round-the-clock. The scheme originally was meant to cover people in the EWS (annual income not exceeding ₹3 lakh) and LIG (annual income not exceeding ₹6 lakh) sections, but now covers the mid-income group (MIG) as well. PMAY scheme comprises of four key aspects – One, it aims to transform slum areas by building homes for slum dwellers in collaboration with private developers. Two, it plans to give a credit-linked subsidy to weaker and mid income sections on loans taken for new construction or renovation of existing homes. An interest subsidy of 3 per cent to 6.5 per cent has been announced for loans ranging between ₹6 lakh and ₹12 lakh. For those in the EWS and LIG category who wish to take a loan of up to ₹6 lakh, there is an interest subsidy (concession) of 6.5 per cent for tenure of 15 years. So far around 20,000 people have availed of loans under this scheme. This month, the Government increased the loan amount to ₹12 lakh, targeting the mid-income category. The interest subsidy on loans upto ₹12 lakh will be 3 per cent. In rural areas, interest subvention of 3 per cent is offered on loans up to ₹2 lakh for constructing new homes or extension of old homes. Three, the Government will chip in with financial assistance for affordable housing projects done in partnership with States/ Union Territories for the EWS. Four, it will extend direct financial assistance of ₹1.5 lakh to EWS. Challenges Low participation from private real estate development Increasing construction cost on account of lack of bulk sourcing of materials Unavailability of land in prime areas The faulty bidding mechanism The government will need another ₹1 lakh crore in three years to build one crore houses, as disbursements under PMAY-U show a huge lag. A ramp-up in fund-raising and utilisation is crucial. The success of the housing schemes depends largely on how active the states and urban local bodies are. The Union government provides the funds and they are spent by the states and urban local bodies. Some states are active and some may not be very enthusiastic about it because of political reasons Right now, the challenge before the government is to double the speed of construction in order to complete the remaining 6.6 million houses before March 2019. To achieve this target, the Centre has to nudge states such as Assam and Bihar, which have been lagging behind in implementing the scheme. Solutions A) Roping in the private sector under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model:Among other initiatives, the government needs to Grant infrastructure status to the entire real estate industry making long-term financing easy for the industry Fix GST rate for all types of housing at 6% Revise carpet area to 60 sq. mt including in metro cities (to qualify for subsidy) Make land available at subsidized rates in metros and tier 1 cities so that the projects can be viable; Reduce premium on additional FSI (floor space index) to encourage affordable housing within metro cities Reduce time taken and cost of permissions and clearances Work on the mass housing model, bringing economies of scale into the picture B) Reward developers for last mile connect Availability of land in cities at affordable pricing is one of the major challenges. The government could facilitate the development of affordable housing by making surplus land held by PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings) available for affordable housing projects. Also, local government’s property that is no longer useful can be monetised by selling to developers. The central government should guide the states on programmes to allocate and incentivise the usage of land for affordable housing, while also incentivising state governments to facilitate engagement and implementation. It is also recommended to incentivise developers for infrastructure and last mile connectivity development in semi-urban centres. It can be in the form of an increase in FSI or reduction in stamp duty or tax, and others. Infrastructure upgrading precedes the FSI increase to ensure that existing households are not adversely impacted due to the new development
