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Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 29th October 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 29th October 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Second round of Smart Cities, AMRUT may roll out in 2020 Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains I – Urban Development In News AMRUT, a five-year scheme, started in June 2015. Many of its water and sewage management projects would get completed towards the end of the scheme — June 2020 In AMRUT scheme, there were 500 cities and the criteria was a population of 1,00,000, which gave a coverage of nearly 65% of urban population. The remaining 35% of the urban population will be covered under the AMRUT-2. The Smart Cities Mission covers 100 cities with a total population of 9,96,30,069 with projects worth a ₹2,05,018 crore and is a project designed till 2022 Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) AMRUT adopts a project approach to ensure basic infrastructure services relating to water supply, sewerage, storm water drains, transport and development of green spaces and parks with special provision for meeting the needs of children. Implementation of this mission will be linked to promotion of urban reforms such as e-governance, constitution of professional municipal cadre, devolving funds and functions to urban local bodies, review of building bye-laws, improvement in assessment and collection of municipal taxes, credit rating of urban local bodies, energy and water audit and citizen-centric urban planning in cities other than the 100 smart cities. Under this project, 10% of the budget allocation will be given to states/union territories as incentive based on achievement of reforms during the previous year Smart city Mission Launched on 25 June 2015, Smart Cities Mission’s objective is to strengthen urban infrastructure through application of smart solutions and provide a better quality of life to citizens. This will be implemented through an ‘area based’ approach consisting of retrofitting, redevelopment, pan-city initiatives and development of new cities. Under retrofitting, deficiencies in an identified area will be addressed through necessary interventions. Pan-city components could be interventions like Intelligent Transport Solutionsthat benefits all residents by reducing the commuting time. Smart city aspirants will be selected through a process of competition and with effective citizen participation ending the ‘top down’ approachand leading to ‘people centric’ urban development. IK ONKAR Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains I - Culture In News In a unique gesture to mark 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, Air India has depicted Sikh religious symbol 'Ik Onkar' on the tail of one of its aircraft. The national carrier has put the symbol on its Boeing 787 aircraft which will fly on October 31 from Amritsar to Stansted, UK. Ek Onkar means "God is One". The symbol is an emblem of the Sikh religion and is found on Gurdwaras (Sikh temples) around the world. The gesture is unique as the national carrier has never depicted any religious symbol on its planes DOXXING Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III –Issues related to Cyber In News A court in Hong Kong has issued a temporary order, banning the practice of ‘doxxing’ A common dictionary definition of doxxing (also spelt as ‘doxing’) is to publicly identify or publish private information about someone, especially with the intention of punishing or taking revenge. The intention was to identify and stigmatise, and attempt to force a change in the behaviour of the targeted individual through these intimidatory tactics. While it was employed widely against members of the neo-Nazi white supremacist crowd who seemed open and bold about their racism, its potential for use — and misuse — by a range of people and groups was apparent. In Hong Kong, protesters have been releasing information about police officers and their families, thereby opening them up to targeted violence or harassment and abuse, either physically or online. Doxxing has emerged as one of the major tactics employed by pro-democracy protesters who have been carrying out relentless, sometimes violent, demonstrations that the administration has found impossible to suppress for over four months now. Manipur, Arunachal wants to be kept out of Naga peace deal Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II – Federalism In News Arunachal Pradesh has echoed Manipur in demanding to be kept out of any “territorial changes” that might be incorporated in the settlement of the Naga political problem. The Central government has been discussing with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) as well as a rival conglomerate named Naga National Political Groups for the “final solution” on the peace accord by October 31 NSCN-IM’s vision of Nagalim or Greater Nagaland would entail redrawing of boundaries to bring all Naga-inhabited areas in the Northeast under one administrative umbrella. The NSCN-IM’s map of Nagalim spreads over 1,03,473 sq km beyond the 16,527 sq km area of Nagaland. It includes much of eastern Arunachal. The outfit, as well as rival factions, claim these areas, primarily Changlang, Longding and Tirap districts are dominated by Nagas. Naga Framework Agreement, 2015 On Aug 3, 2015, latest agreement was signed with NSCN (Isak-Muivah)and other Naga armed groups such as NSCN (Khole-Kitovi) with the Union government. (however, NSCN (Khaplang) was excluded) Idea of a pan-Naga Hoho(a proposed statutory body as part of the Framework Agreement) that will enjoy independent executive and budgetary powers to look after the welfare of Naga inhabited areas outside Nagaland was mooted to bring long lasting solution to Naga peace process The biggest breakthrough is that the NSCN (I-M), and other Naga armed groups such as NSCN (Khole-Kitovi) have agreed to give up violence and resolve all issues peacefully. For background on Naga issue refer - https://iasbaba.com/2016/07/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-6th-july-2016/ Nurture the Future Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III - Governance In News The Centre’s first-ever common foundation course Aarambh (Beginning) for 2019 batch probationer civil servants has begun at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat Along with training and seminars by experts, the government has also launched a new initiative under which each official will guide a local youth from villages near the Statue of Unity, which is located in a tribal area along the Narmada river. Under the mentorship programme Nurture the Future, close to 500 civil service officials will be divided into teams to visit villages near Kevadia and each official will take a youth under his wing and provide career and professional guidance The initiative will ensure a better and brighter future for the youth living in remote and rural areas. Over the next five years, the initiative is expected to cover nearly one lakh youth throughout the country as part of the foundation course of probationers who have just passed the civil services exam and joined the country’s elite bureaucracy. Weavers will soon sell products directly online Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III - Economy In News Handloom weavers in Andhra Pradesh are going to get the much-needed impetus as the Department of Handloom and Textiles(H&T) is all set to launch three initiatives that directly connect weavers to customers via popular online and offline garment business platforms. The initiatives are aimed at ending the middlemen system that has been depriving weavers of basic earnings and sustainability, and passing on the benefit from the sale of the product to the weaver Government already tied up with e-commerce site Yes Poho which is selling Uppada and Kalamkari saris. Yes Poho talks to weavers directly and middlemen and even the AP State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society (APCO) have no role to play here. For sale of saris and fabric through showrooms other than APCO’s stores, the H&T Department is going to tie up with Fab India who will procure the saris from weavers directly and sell them in their stores across the country and abroad. The APCO has also entered into an agreement with e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart for sale of 400 types of handloom products like saris, towels and blankets on their platforms. Kyarr Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains I - Geoghraphy In News Supercyclone ‘Kyarr’ in the Arabian Sea has moved westwards and away from India’s coast, Heavy Rainfall to very heavy rainfall very likely in Kerala & Mahe is expected. With raging wind speeds of 220-230 kmph gusting to 250 kmph, the Category-4 Kyarr is thought to be the biggest Arabian Sea storm in at least a decade. Indian Ocean Dipole, a natural climate pattern, has given a boost to tropical cyclones in the western portion of the basin this year. It’s currently in a positive phase, which creates a warm reservoir of water in the Arabian Sea and elsewhere. Cyclones feed off of this warm water, and it generally spurs more areas of thunderstorms that can be spun up into cyclones. It has been a landmark year for cyclones in the North Indian Ocean. In fact, it has been the Indian Ocean’s most energetic cyclone season on record. Thus far, 2019 Accumulated Cyclone Energy, or “ACE,” has hit 53.9 units. ACE is a measure of how much kinetic energy a cyclone is dishing out through its winds.The average year-to-date ACE for the North Indian Ocean is no more than 10 units.the previous seasonal record was 46.1 ACE units in 2007. Two-child policy Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains I - Society In News All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) – political party in Assam- has opposed the Assam government’s two-child policy for job eligibility In September 2017, the Assam Assembly had passed the 'Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam' that specified that job candidates with two children only would be eligible for government employment and the existing government staff were to strictly follow the two children family norm The policy will come into effect from January 1st, 2021 India, Saudi to form strategic council Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II–International Relations In News India and Saudi Arabia are set to sign an agreement for creating a bilateral strategic partnership council during the official visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Riyadh The council will include multiple sections involving the External Affairs Ministry and NITI Aayog and counterpart organisations from Saudi Arabia. The council will be led by Mr. Modi and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. PM Modi’s visit will be used to showcase that Saudi-India ties are determined by long-term strategic considerations like India’s energy security and desire to ensure stability in the Gulf region Kashmir unlikely to get any attention from Saudi rulers as the visit is expected to boost the Crown Prince’s global stature which suffered after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. PM Modi will deliver address at Future Investment Forum organised by the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s public investment fund The forum is popularly known as the ‘Davos in the Desert’ and has been hosted by Riyadh since 2017 to project the kingdom as the future investment hub in the region. (MAINS FOCUS) 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 18th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit (Part-2) Context The 18th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit held in Baku, Azerbaijan between October 25 and October 26, 2019T his will be second time in row PM Modi is missing in NAM summit Earlier skipped the 17th Margarita NAM Summit, 2017 in Venezuela too wherein India was represented by the then Vice-President Mr. Hamid Ansari. This time again the country will be represented by the Vice President of the country Mr. V. Naidu. India and NAM: The term "Non-Alignment" was coined by V K Menon in his speech at UN in 1953 India played an important role in multilateral movements of colonies and newly independent countries that wanted join the Non-Aligned Movement. Non-Aligned movement was the "formula" devised by Nehru and other leaders of the newly independent countries of the third world to "guard" their independence "in face of complex international situation demanding allegiance to either of the two warring superpowers" The  principles of “Panchsheel” serves as the basis of the Non-Aligned Movement. Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty Mutual non-aggression Mutual non-interference in domestic affairs Equality and mutual benefit Peaceful co-existence Significance:                       NAM Brought India large international prestige among newly independent states India used nonalignment to establish itself as a leader of the newly independent world in multilateral organisations as the United Nations (UN) and the Nonaligned Movement. Crux: The signing of the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Cooperation between India and the Soviet Union in 1971 tarnished India’s image as a nonaligned nation India's involvement in the internal affairs of its neighbours in the 1970s and 1980s tarnished India’s image as a nonaligned nation NAM and India in 21st century India continues to practice the policy of non-alignment which allows it to maintain national sovereignty while still receiving economic and military assistance when needed. Non-alignment has propelled India to achieve one of their main strategic objectives: non-dependence. In recent years India has used this policy to its advantage in order to strengthen external partnerships and seek out material needs when necessary, while still ensuring that India as a country is able to pursue its own foreign policy goals. Conclusion: Given the present impasse in international relations with little leeway for game-changing initiatives, India will do well to move away from being a camp follower of one of the emerging poles to create our own fourth pole. Connecting the dots: India must seek nonaligned partnerships which can work together outside the influence of the U.S., China and Russia. Analyse. INTERNAL SECURITY TOPIC: General Studies 3 Linkages between development and spread of extremism. Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security. Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention NAGA Peace talks Context: The deadline set by the Centre for wrapping up the Naga peace talks is on October 31 The Centre’s interlocutor and now Nagaland’s Governor, R N Ravi, has stressed some key issues remain unresolved with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN(I-M). Pic: http://images.newindianexpress.com/uploads/user/imagelibrary/2018/8/3/w900X450/Nagaland_map.jpg Background: The ethnic conflict in Nagaland, is an ongoing conflict fought between the ethnic Nagas and the governments of India and Myanmar. Nagaland inhabited by the Nagas is located at the tri-junction border of India on the West and South, north and Myanmar on the East. "National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang)", which wants an independent "greater Nagaland" to include territory now in Myanmar, based on ethnicity; and the "Naga National Council (Adino)". The question of "Naga Sovereignty" was put to plebiscite on 16 May 1951. Historian Benjamin Zachariah, ″It was in the north-east of India that the Nehruvian vision took on its most brutal and violent forms.″ The Indian Government conceded a separate Naga state within the Indian Union in 1960 and the state was inaugurated in 1963. Rebel groups have operated in Nagaland : Naga National Council under Angami Zapu Phizo. Naga National Council (Adino) – NNC (Adino): led by the daughter of Naga rebel A.Z. Phizo. National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah): want to establish a ‘Greater Nagaland’ (‘Nagalim’ or the People’s Republic of Nagaland) based on Mao Tse Tung’s model. National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang): formed goal is to establish a ‘greater Nagaland’ based on ethnicity, comprising the Naga-dominated areas within India, and contiguous areas in Myanmar. Pic: https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-f72266ce1f485983cd489d1072b5b2e0.webp Current status: In 2015, the Centre signed a framework agreement with the NSCN(I-M). Prime Minister Narendra Modi described this as a “historic agreement” towards settling the “oldest insurgency” in India. This set the stage for the ongoing peace talks. In 2017, six other Naga armed outfits under the banned of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) joined the talks. Currently , Muivah remains the senior-most Naga rebel leader. Isak died in 2016. In the NSCN(-K), its leader Khaplang died in 2018 Framework agreement: The government has not yet spelt out the details in public. Following the agreement, the government had said “The Government of India recognised the unique history, culture and position of the Nagas and their sentiments and aspirations. The NSCN understood and appreciated the Indian political system and governance.” Current status 2018: The accord being finalised “does not change the boundary of states; Provides autonomous Naga territorial councils for Arunachal and Manipur; A common cultural body for Nagas across states; Specific institutions for state’s development, integration, rehabilitation of non-state Naga militia The removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act”. Other issues: The government and the NSCN(I-M) have failed to agree on issues relating to a separate Naga flag and a constitution. NSCN(I-M) has said it will not budge from the demand for the flag and the constitution — and that it is looking for a lasting solution. Connecting the dots: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur are wary of the NSCN-IM’s concept of Nagalim or Greater Nagaland that could lead to a redrawing of their boundaries. Analyse. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1)DOXXING oftenseen in news is related to which of the following areas? Evergreening of Patents Military exercises with focus on counter-terror operations Publishing private information about someone None of the above   Q.2)Consider the following statements about Future Investment Forum It is organised by the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s public investment fund The forum is popularly known as the ‘Davos in the Desert’and has been hosted by Riyadh since 2017 to project the kingdom as the future investment hub in the region. Which of the statements given above are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3)Consider the following statements about India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Council The council will include only the External Affairs Ministry and Defence Ministry and their counterparts from Saudi Arabia. The council will be led by Indian Prime Minister and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia-King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Which of the statements given above are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4)Consider the following statements about Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Itis a measure of how much kinetic energy a cyclone is dishing out through its winds. The average ACE for the North Indian Ocean is no more than 40 units. Thus far, 2019 Accumulated Cyclone Energy has hit 53.9 units. The previous seasonal record was 46.1 ACE units in 2007. Which of the statements given above are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 MUST READ Death of a terrorist: On Baghdadi's killing The Hindu The power of ordinary people The Hindu  Settling the Ayodhya case once and for all The Hindu The many gaps in NCRB data The Hindu

Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – Embracing Creativity – Inspirational Educative Articles

Embracing Creativity: Creativity is not just an isolated department of life; it is the core of life. The very process of living is a creative endeavor. Creativity cannot happen without you, and this is very important to understand. It is your mind that has the ability to imagine, create thoughts, and generate emotions. When you project the inherent nature of your mind outward, it becomes creativity. In this sense, everyone is creative. It’s not as if you can say, “Oh, I don’t want to be creative. I’ll just go on living my life the way I’m living it. I don’t have to worry about it.” When you are right in the middle of life, creativity is inevitable. Why would you ever desire to avoid it? You are here to express yourself, and in that expression, your life can become complete and meaningful. Should you decide not to express yourself, a part of you will never reach its highest potential, and you will always feel a sense of incompletion in your life. You have to embrace creativity as a part of your life. If you don’t, your life will seem dull and boring and you will be constantly searching for deeper meaning. Without creativity, new scientific inquiry would have been impossible, and the greatest of scientific minds like Albert Einstein, would have never walked among us. In fact, Einstein attributed his scientific acumen, more than anything else, to his ability to imagine. It was his imagination that allowed him to see the universe in a new way. Most people know Einstein as a great scientist, but very few people know that he was a great dreamer. Notably, Einstein himself said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there will ever be, to know and understand.” Imagination can easily be confused with thinking, but there is an ocean of difference between the two. While thinking is simply a process of regurgitating information that you have already gained, imagination is a process of probing the unchartered realms of your mind. Einstein was able to walk a very different path from all the other physicists of his time because he valued imagination more than thinking. The birthplace of imagination is the silent and still depths of your mind. Without silence and stillness, imagination is impossible. Thinking can happen in a confused and chaotic mind, but imagination requires a quiet and still mind. Since meditation can help you to access your inner silence and stillness, it is the greatest nurturer of creativity. In reality, meditation is to creativity what tilling the soil is to gardening. In order for the garden to flourish, you need to remove the weeds and create the conditions for growth. In order for creativity to flourish, you must get rid of unwanted and excessive thinking and find the zone of inner silence and stillness. If you don’t allow yourself any space for inner silence and stillness, creativity will simply have no room to take root and grow. “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Meditation Farm and IASBABA.”

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 26th October 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 26th October 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) RTI RULES Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II–RTI In News The Ministry of Personnel notified the Right to Information (Term of Office, Salaries, Allowances and Other Terms and Conditions of Service of Chief Information Commissioner, Information Commissioners and State Information Commissioners) Rules, 2019. The rules have reduced the tenure of Information Commissioners from five years to three. The Chief Information Commissioner’s salary has been fixed at Rs2.5 lakh and an Information Commissioner’s at Rs 2.25 lakh. It gives the government the discretion to decide on “conditions of service” for which no express provisions are made in the rules. According to activists, the rules had been drafted and promulgated in completely surreptitious manner which is in violation of the procedures laid down in the Pre-Legislative Consultation Policy of 2014. The policy requires all draft rules to be placed in the public domain for comments/suggestions of people. The draft was not available in the public domain and no consultations were held with members of the public. The changes would affect the independence of ‘Information Commissions who will function like caged parrots.’ PMO tells States to address stubble burning issue Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III - Environment In News The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has instructed Punjab and Haryana to address the issue of stubble burning.  Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister chaired a meeting with members of a task force that oversees implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) According to assessment by weather forecast agency SAFAR, the impact of stubble burning from Haryana & Punjab is “moderate but gradually increasing.”  Experts had earlier said that this weekend is particularly crucial for air quality due to Diwali which will see bursting of crackers as well as heightened traffic. The GRAP Task Force recommended that hot mix plants, stone-crushers and construction activities that generate dust are prohibited from October 26 to 30 in Delhi and its satellite towns What is graded response action plan (GRAP)? The plan was prepared by the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA), which held meetings with stakeholders from all states over several months. A graded response lays down stratified actions that are required to be taken as and when the concentration of pollutants reaches a certain level. This plan will be putting into action a number of anti-pollution measures and there will be specific actions for each category — moderate to poor, very poor, severe and emergency. The measures include stoppage in the running of diesel sets, a three-fourfold increase in the parking rates, enhanced bus and metro services, and newspapers, TV and radio stations alerts on a daily basis with advice to people with respiratory and cardiac problems. Also, air in moderate-to-poor category will involve periodical mechanised sweeping of roads, deployment of traffic police for smooth flow of traffic at identified choke areas and strict enforcement of pollution norms at brick kilns and industrial complexes. IndiGen initiative Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III –Science & Technology In News The IndiGen initiative was undertaken by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in April 2019, which was implemented by the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi and CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad. CSIR has conducted Whole Genome Sequencing of 1,008 Indians from different populations across the country under the IndiGen Genome project. This has enabled benchmarking the scalability of genome sequencing and computational analysis at population scale in a defined timeline. The ability to decode the genetic blueprint of humans through whole genome sequencing will be a major driver for biomedical science. The aim of the exercise was twofold: to test if it’s possible to rapidly and reliably scan several genomes and advise people on health risks that are manifest in their gene and to understand the variation and frequency of certain genes that are known to be linked to disease. The outcomes of the IndiGen will have applications in a number of areas including predictive and preventive medicine with faster and efficient diagnosis of rare genetic diseases. About Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) It is an autonomous body and the largest research and development (R&D) organisation in India – running 37 laboratories and 39 field stations or extension centres. Although it is mainly funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, it operates as an autonomous body registered under the Registration of Societies Act, 1860. The research and development activities of CSIR includes aerospace engineering, Structural engineering, ocean sciences, Life sciences, metallurgy, chemicals, mining, food, petroleum, leather, and environment. Brazil intends to allow Indians without visas Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II – International Relations In News Brazil is working to implement a policy to facilitate a faster entry for Indian travellers into the country,  This is intended to boost people to people contact between the two countries and increase foreign investment into Brazil Brazil has already ended visa requirements for the citizens of U.S., Canada, Japan and Australia. The announcement from Brazil came ahead of the upcoming BRICS summit that will be held in Brazil which is expected to boost intra-BRICS ties. SYCAMORE Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III – Science & Technology In News Google announced that its quantum computer – Sycamore- has achieved a breakthrough called quantum supremacy in computing. what is quantum supremacy? It describes the point where quantum computers can do things that classical computers cannot.  In Google’s case, researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have claimed to have developed a processor that took 200 seconds to do a calculation that would have taken a classical computer 10,000 years. what is a quantum computer? Traditional computers work on the basis of the laws of classical physics, specifically by utilising the flow of electricity. A quantum computer, on the other hand, seeks to exploit the laws that govern the behaviour of atoms and subatomic particles.  A classical computer processes information. Bits of information are stored as either 0 or 1. Every string of such digits (bitstrings) represents a unique character or instruction; for example, 01100001 represents the lowercase “a”. In a quantum computer, information is stored in quantum bits, or qubits. And a qubit can be both 0 and 1 at the same time. Unlike classical physics, in which an object can exist in one place at one time, quantum physics looks at the probabilities of an object being at different points. Existence in multiple states is called superposition, and the relationships among these states is called entanglement. (MAINS FOCUS) POLITY TOPIC: General Studies 2 India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests 18th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit (Part-1) Context The 18th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit held in Baku, Azerbaijan between October 25 and October 26, 2019T his will be second time in row PM Modi is missing in NAM summit  Earlier skipped the 17th Margarita NAM Summit, 2017 in Venezuela too wherein India was represented by the then Vice-President Mr. Hamid Ansari.  This time again the country will be represented by the Vice President of the country Mr. V. Naidu. [caption id="attachment_51804" align="aligncenter" width="555"] IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 26th October 2019[/caption] Img: https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/images/story/201901/nonaligned_movement.jpeg?wSE3nTP7UvBer2nTciKuexZQA0U1u50R NAM: The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 developing world states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc(USA or USSR).  After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide Agreed at the Bandung Conference in 1955 Established in 1961 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia through an initiative of the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito. Now consists of nearly two-thirds of the UN members and 55% of the world population. Purpose: To ensure "the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their "struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference or hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics." (Havana declaration ,Fidel castro) During cold war: Many of the Non-Aligned Movement's members were closely aligned with one or another of the superpowers  the movement  maintained unity throughout the Cold War. Several conflicts between members threatened the movement.  After cold war: NAM focused on developing multilateral ties and connections as well as unity among the developing nations of the world India and Non Alignment: India played vital role in the multilateral movements of colonies and newly independent countries that wanted to join  the Non-Aligned Movement.  India's policy was neither negative nor positive.  Diplomacy, size and its economic miracle turned India into one of the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement and upholder of the Third World solidarity Connecting the dots: The role of the Non-Alignment Movement in world affairs had suffered greatly due to the theatre of internecine conflicts among the third World countries who spearheaded it. Elucidate. IR TOPIC: General Studies 2 Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Russian intervention in Syrian civil war Context Russian military police have arrived in Syria, under an accord between Turkey and Russia which halted Turkey's military incursion into northeast Syria. The deal, by Presidents Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, requires that Russian military police and Syrian border guards remove all Kurdish YPG militia from the Turkish border. Turkey regards the YPG as a terrorist group aligned with Kurdish militants who have waged an insurgency in southeast Turkey since 1984. [caption id="attachment_51805" align="aligncenter" width="453"] IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 26th October 2019[/caption] Img: https://www.worldatlas.com/img/areamap/ebaac62ad98375890050b695082ce11b.gif Russian intervention in Syria: The Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War began in September 2015, after an official request by the Syrian government for military aid against rebel groups. Initially involved air strikes against targets against Syrian opposition militant groups opposed to the Syrian government, including the Syrian National Coalition, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), al-Nusra Front (al-Qaeda in Syria) and the Army of Conquest. Russian special operations forces and military advisors were stationed in Syria. Russia′s goals : Fighting terrorist organisations such as the Islamic State,  Helping the Syrian government retake territory from various anti-government groups that are labelled by the United States as ″moderate opposition″,  To roll back U.S. influence.  In 2015, Russian president Vladimir Putin defined Russia′s goal in Syria as "stabilising the legitimate power in Syria and creating the conditions for political compromise". Significance: Recapture of Palmyra from the Islamic State in March 2016, Retaking the major city of Aleppo in December 2016, Breaking the three-year-long siege of Deir ez-Zor  Criticisms: Russian air strikes killed acivilians, including children.  Russian attacks have killed more civilians than either the Islamic State or the Syrian Army. The intervention polarized international observers.  International community:  Countries with close diplomatic and economic ties to Russia, including China, Egypt, Iraq and Belarus, have generally supported the intervention Governments close to the US were usually contrary denouncing Russia for its role in the war and accusing the state of complicity in the Syrian regime's alleged war crimes.  Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have alleged Russia is committing war crimes and deliberately targeting civilians. The United States government has condemned the intervention and imposed economic sanctions against Russia for supporting the Syrian government  United Nations have condemned the Russian intervention and accused Russia of war crimes. India’s response: India over decades has advocated policy of non interference in internal affairs of a sovereign nation. India suggested for dialogue and negotiations, and on the basis of the principles of the UN Charter and in accordance with international law Connecting the dots: India over decades has advocated policy of non interference in internal affairs of a sovereign nation. Justify (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1)IndiGen initiative is undertaken by which body/organisation? DRDO Ministry of Skill Development CSIR None of the above Q.2)Consider the following statements about Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) It is an autonomous body registered under the Registration of Societies Act, 1860. The research and development activities of CSIR includes aerospace engineering, Structural engineering, ocean sciences, Life sciences, metallurgy, chemicals, mining, food, petroleum, leather, and environment. Which of the statements given above are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3)SYCAMORE often seen in news is related to which of the following area? Cyber ransomware New vaccine to treat Malaria Quantum Computing None of the above Q.4)Consider the following statements about BRICS The first BRIC Summit took place in 2009 in Russia During the Sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza (2014) the leaders signed the Agreement establishing the New Development Bank (NDB). Which of the statements given above are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 MUST READ A delayed imperative: On BSNL-MTNL merger The Hindu Cutting risk: On India’s anti-polio drive The Hindu India’s big foreign policy shake-up The Hindu When the abstract destroys the physical being The Hindu

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RSTV IAS UPSC – Livestock Census 2019

Livestock Census 2019 Archives 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 In News: The provisional data of the 20th Livestock Census released by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying showed that the livestock population increased by 4.6 per cent, from 512.06 million in 2012. The total number for livestock was pegged at around 536 million. Conducted periodically since 1919-20 The census shows a further decline in the indigenous cattle population.  It also shows that the cow belt of the country has shifted eastwards with West Bengal emerging as a state with the largest cattle population, leaving behind Uttar Pradesh. For the latest round of census, more than 80,000 personnel were in the field collecting data from more than 27 crore households and non-households using tablets. According to the official statement, this was a unique attempt to digitise household level data transmitted directly from the field. Released by: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying What is the livestock census? Under the livestock census, various species of animals possessed by households, household enterprises or non-household enterprises and institutions are counted at site — both in rural and urban areas. In other words, it covers all domesticated animals in a given period of time. India has been conducting livestock censuses periodically since 1919-20. This is the 20th one, started in October 2018. The last livestock census was conducted in 2012. Key results and changes since the last census The population of cows in the country has risen by 18 per cent in the last seven years, while that of oxen dipped by 30 per cent. A spectacular 16.8 per cent increase in the poultry population in the country to 851.81 million, mainly on account of a 46 per cent rise in backyard poultry birds, whose numbers have gone up to 317 million. Assam had registered the largest (71.63%) growth in poultry population. The number of female cattle is 145.12 million, which is 18 per cent over the 122.98 million in 2012. The number of male cattle, on the other hand, dropped to 47.4 million as against 67.92 million in 2012. Significantly the male to female cattle ratio in the 2019 survey dropped to 1:3 from 1:1.8 in the 2012 livestock survey. There is a 6 per cent decline in the total number of indigenous cattle over the previous census. On the contrary, the population of total exotic/crossbred cattle has increased by 26.9 per cent in 2019 as compared to previous census. Due to continuous fall in productivity, indigenous breeds of cattle have become liabilities for farmers, forcing them to desert the unproductive cows. Farmers find other animals such as buffaloes, goats and sheep much more productive.  Unlike cows, if these animals become unproductive, they can be sold and slaughtered for further processing. Experts believe this could have long term health and environmental impacts because the milk of indigenous breed has higher nutritional value than that of crossbreeds.  Moreover, there is a danger of losing these indigenous breeds, which have been developed and sustained by generations from time immemorial. As compared to the previous census, the percentage of sheep and goats has increased whereas the percentage of cattle, buffaloes and pigs has marginally declined. State Report Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of livestock of 67.8 million (68.7 million in 2012) Rajasthan: 56.8 million (57.7 million) Madhya Pradesh: 40.6 million (36.3 million) West Bengal: 37.4 million (30.3 million) Significance of livestock rearing The livestock species play very important economic, social and cultural roles or functions for rural households once they contribute to improve income and wellbeing of the farm family. Livestock has an important contribution for food supply of rural and urban areas and contributes to the family nutrition, supplying animal protein. Cry of Distress: The NSSO Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households (2013) shows that 52% of farming households are indebted, with rates as high as 89-92% in some States. The distress is mainly due to lack of compensation during drought and disasters, the failures of the crop insurance scheme, and the deficit due to prices falling below the announced Minimum Support Prices. Diversification of sources of income for farmers is one of the few suggested solutions. Here, livestock plays an important role for a distress farmer. Labour: A distress farmer cannot afford mechanised farming. For him cattle provide the service of labour. They help in very crude form of mechanised farming for small and marginal farmers. Reliable source of income: Unlike farm crops, livestock do not easily suffer from monsoon failure or such other natural calamity. They continue to provide milk, eggs, etc. in almost all weather conditions. Every part of livestock carries economic importance such as leather, wool, meat, etc. Reduces input cost: Dung and other remnants of livestock act as green manure, a substitute to fertilisers. They also help in weed control without using chemicals or others costly and hazardous methods. An asset: Livestock are important asset for a distress farmer which can be encashed at any moment and may help him to come out of debt trap. Nutritional security: For a distressed farmer’s family, food provided by livestock is the only source of nutrition required for survival. However, we face issues like – Poor Quality breeds Shrinking pasteur land Low productivity of dairy- which could be improved by using scientific method There is a huge deficit of good quality fodder Spread of disease among the cattle There is an excessive number of unproductive animals which compete with productive dairy animals in the utilisation of available feeds and fodder. Late maturity, in most of the Indian cattle breeds, is a common problem. The calving interval is on the increase resulting in a reduction in efficiency of animal performance. Veterinary health care centres are located in far off places. The ratio between cattle population and veterinary institution is wider, resulting in inadequate health services to animals. (Foot and Mouth disease) Many cattle owners do not provide proper shelter to their cattles leaving them exposed to extreme climatic conditions. Unsanitary conditions of cattle shed and milking yards, leads to mastitis conditions Lack of proper farmer-industry connectivity A low number of APEDA-approved abattoir High export duty on raw salted hides Lack of R&D in the sector Way forward A national breeding policy is needed to upgrade the best performing indigenous breeds. Buffalo breeding ought to be given more attention, while poultry breeding should be focused on conservation. State governments should be encouraged to participate in national breeding policy implementation. Geographical information system-based analysis must be utilised to map production systems. Animal health care should become a priority, with greater investment in preventive health care. Private investment must also be encouraged. The government needs to create better incentive structures for investment in livestock. State governments should sponsor research and assessment of the market, along with highlighting investment potential. Conclusion:  The growth in the livestock sector is demand-driven, inclusive and pro-poor. The extent to which the potential of livestock can be harnessed would depend on how technology, institutions, policies and financial support address the constraints of the sector.  The growth of the livestock sector would have more effect on poverty reduction and will contribute to Doubling farmer income by 2022. Note: Salient features of National Livestock mission Sustainable growth and development of livestock sector, including poultry Increasing availability of fodder and feed to substantially reduce the demand –supply gap through measures which include more area coverage under quality fodder seeds, technology promotion, extension, post – harvest management and processing in consonance with diverse agro -climatic condition. Accelerating production of quality fodder and fodder seeds through effective seed production chain (Nucleus – Breeder –Foundation – Certified-Truthfully labelled, etc.) with active involvement of farmers and in collaboration with the dairy / farmers cooperatives, seed corporations, and private sector enterprises. Establishing convergence and synergy among ongoing Plan programmes and stakeholders for sustainable livestock development. Promoting applied research in prioritized areas of concern in animal nutrition and livestock production. Capacity building of state functionaries and livestock owners through strengthened extension machinery to provide quality extension service to farmers. Promoting skill based training and dissemination of technologies for reducing cost of production, and improving production of livestock sector Promoting initiatives for conservation and genetic upgradation of indigenous breeds of livestock (except bovines which are being covered under another scheme of the Ministry) in collaboration with farmers / farmers’ groups / cooperatives, etc. Encouraging formation of groups of farmers and cooperatives / producers’ companies of small and marginal farmers / livestock owners. Promoting innovative pilot projects and mainstreaming of successful pilots relating to livestock sector. Providing infrastructure and linkage for marketing, processing and value addition, as forward linkage for the farmer’s enterprises. Promoting risk management measures including livestock insurance for farmers. Promoting activities to control and prevent animal diseases, environmental pollution, promoting efforts towards food safety and quality, and supply of quality hides and skins through timely recovery of carcasses. Encouraging community participation on sustainable practices related to animal husbandry, involvement of community in breed conservation and creation of resource map for the states. Must read: Mindmap Connecting the Dots: Livestock wealth is central to rural economy In India. Discuss the importance of livestock as a means of sustainable rural development. Also discuss the salient features of the National Livestock Mission. Suggest a roadmap to tap India’s real potential in the livestock sector. Identify key focus areas to achieve the same.  Dairy farming can’t sustain itself without a vibrant livestock processing industry. Comment. For the rural economy, animal rearing can become a cushion in times of distress. Don you agree? Substantiate.

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Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 25th October 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 25th October 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) KARTARPUR SAHIB CORRIDOR AGREEMENT Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II–International Relations In News India and Pakistan signed an agreement to operationalise the Kartarpur corridor that will facilitate pilgrims from India to visit the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. The corridor is being built to connect Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak, to commemorate his 550th birth anniversary celebrations on November 12. Indian pilgrims of all faiths and persons of Indian origin can use the corridor. The travel will be Visa Free; Pilgrims need to carry only a valid passport The Pakistan side has assured India to make sufficient provision for ‘Langar’ and distribution of ‘Prasad’. However, there has been no progress on resolving the disagreement over a $20 fee that Pakistan intends to levy on each traveller. Pilgrims would be allowed to carry kirpans (dagger), one of the five articles of faith worn by Sikhs. Pic: https://images.indianexpress.com/2018/11/kartarpur1.jpg A.P. likely had a flourishing port 2,000 years ago Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains I – Culture In News The first round of excavation at the site near the banks of the Swarnamukhi river in Andhra Pradesh’s Gottiprolu, about 80 km from Tirupati and Nellore,unearthed a huge settlement surrounded by a brick enclosure (fortified settlement) A maritime trade centre based out of a fortified settlement may have had a trade guild with its own army to protect its interests around 2,000 years ago, according to Archaeological Survey of India officials involved in the excavation of the site. The excavation unearthed brick-built structures in elliptical, circular and rectangular shapes. The size of bricks (43 to 48 cm) can be compared to those in the Satavahana/Ikshvaku period structures in the Krishna valley, according to the ASI. This means the site may date back to 2nd century to 1st century BCE. A four-armed 2-metre tall sculpture of Vishnu was unearthed at the site that can be dated back to the Pallava period (8th Century CE), looking at its features like head gear and drapery. The excavation also unearthed a series of broken terracotta pipes that fit into each other, pointing towards a form of drainage. ASI had excavated about 10% of the site and would start on the second round of excavations in November or December, when more evidence was likely to be unearthed. Commission for Protection of Child Rights Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II - Polity In News  The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights wants the Department of Primary and Secondary Education to ban schools from assigning homework to students in classes I to V. This proposal is made on the grounds that the move will ease the pressure on young minds. Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005 provided for establishment of Commissions for Protection of Child rights both at National level and State level. About National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) NCPCR is country’s apex child rights body. Objective of this commission is to protect, promote and defend the child rights in India including the rights adopted in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, 1989, ratified by India in 1992. The Chairperson of NCPCR should be a person of eminence who has done outstanding work on promoting the child rights. The Commission’s Mandate is to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Do you know? The Child is defined as a person in the 0 to 18 years age group. DOING BUSINESS REPORT 2020 Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III –Economy In News The World Bank released its latest Doing Business Report (DBR, 2020). India ranks at 63rd among 190 countries, moved 14 places from the previous year (77th rank in 2018). The DBR ranks countries on the basis of Distance to Frontier (DTF), a score that shows the gap of an economy to the global best practice. This year, India’s DTF score improved to 71.0 from 67.23 in the previous year. The report assess improvement in ease of doing business environment in Delhi and Mumbai. In the last 5 years, India’s ranking has improved 79 places - to 63 in 2019 from 142 in 2014. Significant improvements have been registered in ‘Resolving Insolvency’, 'Dealing with Construction Permits', ‘Registering Property’, ‘Trading across Boards’ and ‘Paying Taxes’ indicators Recovery rate under resolving insolvency has improved significantly from 26.5% to 71.6%. The time taken for resolving insolvency has also come down significantly from 4.3 years to 1.6 years. India continues to maintain its first position among South Asian countries. It was 6th in 2014. Jailed Uighur intellectual wins EU rights award Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II – Human rights In News The European Parliament has awarded the Sakharov Prize for human rights to Uighur intellectual Ilham Tohti, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment in China for “separatism”. The outspoken former Professor of economics at a Beijing university was sentenced in 2014. By awarding this prize, European Parliament strongly urge the Chinese government to release Tohti and calls for the respect of minority rights in China Who are Uighurs? The Uighurs are a minority Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The Uighurs have been recognized as native to only one region, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China 2 out of 3 wild poliovirus strains have been eradicated Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III - Health In News In an announcement by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on World Polio Day (October 24), an independent commission of experts declared that wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3) has been eradicated worldwide. This follows the eradication of smallpox and wild poliovirus type 2. Efforts are being taken to eliminate the wild poliovirus type 1. This virus remains in circulation in just two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. There are three individual and immunologically distinct wild poliovirus strains: wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), wild poliovirus type 2 (WPV2) and wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3). Symptomatically, all three strains are identical, in that they cause irreversible paralysis or even death. But there are genetic and virological differences, which make these three strains three separate viruses that must each be eradicated individually. There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life. Two polio vaccines, are used throughout the world to provide immunity to poliovirus. One uses inactivated (dead) poliovirus and the other uses attenuated (weakened) poliovirus. (MAINS FOCUS) ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment World Bank's ease of doing business ranking (India 63rd Rank) Context: India hiked 14 places to the 63rd position on the World Bank's ease of doing business ranking India is  among the top 10 performers on the list for the third time in a row New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong topped World Bank applauded the reform efforts undertaken by the India in its report India is the first country of its type to jump this year by 14 position. Pic: https://static.toiimg.com/img/71732579/Master.jpg Journey from 140 to 63: In 2014 India was at 140th. 100th position in 2018 77th position in 2019 63rd now Policies that helped : 'Make in India' campaign focused on attracting foreign investment, boosting the private sector (manufacturing in particular) and increasing the country's overall competitiveness In 2015, the government's goal was to join the 50 top Rank in the ease of doing business ranking by 2020. successful implementation of the Insolvency And Bankruptcy Code(Before the implementation of the reform, it was very burdensome for secured creditors to seize companies in default of their loans) Improvements were registered in starting business(start up India scheme), dealing with construction permits and trading across borders. Govt made starting a business easier by abolishing filing fees for the SPICe (Simplified Proforma for Incorporating a Company Electronically) company incorporation form, electronic memorandum of association, and articles of association Trading across borders made easier by enabling post clearance audits, integrating trade stakeholders in a single electronic platform, upgrading port infrastructures, and enhancing the electronic submission of documents. Ease of doing business report: The report was introduced in 2003 by world bank to provide an assessment of objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies on ten parameters affecting a business through its life cycle Starting a business Dealing with construction permits Getting electricity Registering property Getting credit Protecting investors Paying taxes Trading across borders Enforcing contracts Resolving insolvency Implications: First, the Doing Business indicators provide a snapshot of a country’s red tape; they have no pretension of providing a comprehensive picture of the investment climate. As the World Bank makes clear, the indicators are not designed to comment on macroeconomic indicators or prospects for growth. Second, there exists a wide divergence between de jure and de facto realities in most economies. What firms actually encounter “on the ground” is perhaps more important, but there are limitations to our ability to measure and interpret those experiences without bias. The Way Ahead: While we can truly be proud of the extent of India’s macro-policy reforms, it is time we started to focus on the micro-policies of enforcement. Top down macro reforms can only be effective if they are twinned with bottom-up micro reforms. Unless the day-to-day experience of doing business improves, we will continue to under-perform relative to our true potential. To secure changes in the remaining areas will require not just new laws and online systems but deepening the ongoing investment in the capacity of states and their institutions to implement change and transform the framework of incentives and regulation facing the private sector. India’s focus on ‘doing business’ at the state level may well be the platform that sustains the country’s reform trajectory for the future Conclusion: The Ease of doing business rankings thus, should not be seen as the ultimate marker of the ruling party’s reform success. Likewise, investors who are considering the prospects for investment in India should recognize what the rankings do and do not tell us. While India has made tremendous progress in various categories, it is the depth of these reforms which needs to be worked in the next few years to bring up India into the Top 50 ranking. Connecting the dots: The change in Ease of doing business ranking is fully acknowledged by the growth in Foreign Direct Investment into India. Analyse. Mind map Pic: https://iasbaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Ease-of-Doing-Business.jpg 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, Indian Diaspora. Operationalisation of the Kartarpur Corridor Context India and Pakistan signed agreement on Kartarpur corridor. The agreement relates to the modalities for operationalisation of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor at Zero Point, International Boundary, Dera Baba Nanak. Indian pilgrims of all faiths and persons of Indian origin can use the corridor and the travel will be Visa Free Pilgrims need to carry only a valid passport and the Corridor is open from dawn to dusk Pilgrims travelling in the morning will have to return on the same day. Pic: https://d39gegkjaqduz9.cloudfront.net/TH/2018/11/23/DEL/Delhi/TH/5_01/88722918_2544650_101_mr.jpg Current status: Currently pilgrims from India have to take a bus to Lahore to get to Kartarpur, which is a 125 km journey although people on the Indian side of the border can physically see Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the Pakistani side. An elevated platform has also been constructed for the same on the Indian side, where people use binoculars to get a good view Concern: Under the agreement, Pakistan will charge a very nominal USD 20 from every Indian Sikh pilgrim for a single trip India continues to urge this issue with the Government of Pakistan to reconsider its insistence on levying the fee. Indian pilgrims who enter Pakistan through the Kartarpur corridor will not be allowed to visit other gurdwaras in the Punjab province of that country. They would have to go via the normal route, after applying for a visa, and paying the requisite fees. Concerns about the pilgrims being exposed to the propaganda of pro-Khalistan elements.   Pic: http://www.samacharnama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/kartarpur-corridor-map-1.png Why levy? Pakistan has spent about Rs 1,000 crore on the Kartarpur corridor infrastructure. It would be providing langar to the pilgrims who visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. It would also be providing e-rickshaws to ferry the pilgrims from Dera Baba Nanak on the Indian side. The fee has triggered a political controversy within India, and Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has called the fee a “jazia” tax on pilgrims. Gurdwara in Kartarpur The gurdwara in Kartarpur is located on the bank of river Ravi in Pakistan It is about four km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine, and about 120 km northeast of Lahore It was here that Guru Nanak assembled a Sikh community and lived for 18 years until his death in 1539 The shrine is visible from the Indian side, as Pakistani authorities generally trim the elephant grass that would otherwise obstruct the view Indian Sikhs gather in large numbers for darshan from the Indian side, and binoculars are installed at Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak The gurdwara was opened to pilgrims after repairs and restoration in 1999, and Sikh jathas have been visiting the shrine regularly ever since Sikh jathas from India travel to Pakistan on four occasions every year- for Baishakhi, the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev. Significance First proposed in 1999 by the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif, respectively, as part of the Delhi–Lahore Bus diplomacy Implemented as an integrated development project with Government of India funding. The development comes ahead of the 550th Prakash Purab or 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in 2019. Until now, most Indian devotees have had to contend with a darshan using binoculars installed at Dera Baba Nanak Sahib. This can be considered a big development since despite the India-Pakistan deadlock in talks, both India and Pakistan have been able to form a consensus on the issue. Way forward: India must work to secure its border from the threat even as it opens the gates for thousands of pilgrims to travel to Pakistan. National security must get priority there must be an effort by all stakeholders in India — the Centre, the State government and the leadership of the BJP, the Akalis and the Congress — to resist scoring political points against one another. Modalities and technical issues, such as on the numbers, eligibility and identity proof required for the trip to Kartarpur Sahib, should be ironed out by both governments. India must negotiate with the Government of Pakistan to reconsider its insistence on levying the fee. Conclusion: It will be unfortunate if Pakistan uses the Kartarpur Corridor to fish in troubled waters and cause instability for its political ends Connecting the dots: Security concerns are high-priority, but blocking work on the corridor is not right. Justify. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1)Uighur problem sometimes seen in the news is predominantly related to which of the following country? Afghanistan Iran Yemen China Q.2)Consider the following statements Wild poliovirus type 2 and type 3 has been eliminated world wide Wild Polio Virus Type 1 virus remains in circulation in just two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented. Which of the statements given above are correct? 1 and 2 1 and 3 2 and 3 1, 2 and 3 Q.3)Consider the following statements with reference to the National commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) It is a statutory body established under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. It defines a Child as a person in the 0 to 18 years age group. The commission works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development. Which of the statements given above are correct? 1 and 2 1 and 3 2 and 3 1, 2 and 3 Q.4)Consider the following statements about Doing Business report (DBR) It is released by International Monetary Fund The DBR ranks countries on the basis of Distance to Frontier (DTF), a score that shows the gap of an economy to the global best practice. The report assess improvement in ease of doing business environment in all Capital cities of States of India. Which of the statements given above are incorrect? 1 and 2 1 and 3 2 and 3 1, 2 and 3 MUST READ Good report card: On ease of doing business The Hindu Two elections and a dent to a jingoistic edifice The Hindu Putin takes centre stage in Syria The Hindu Legislation against mob lynching must be accompanied by effective policing Indian Express

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All India Radio (AIR) IAS UPSC - Incentives to Boost Housing Sector

Incentives to Boost Housing Sector ARCHIVES Search 15th September 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. Housing is a fundamental requirement of human existence. The requirement of shelter is so basic that in common parlance in India, it is clubbed together with food and clothing as the troika of basic human needs of roti, kapda, and makaan. It is no wonder that housing is a key social demand, and a priority area for governments, both at the Centre and the states. Real estate developers are expected to deliver over 4.5 lakh affordable housing units in the coming 15 months, claims a research report by PropTiger.com. With the vision of providing housing for all by 2022, the new government has rolled out various measures to boost the sector in the last few months.  Notably, during the union budget announcement, the government increased the tax deduction limit on the interest paid on home loans by Rs.1.5 lakh to Rs.3.5 lakh annually, in cases where the unit price does not exceed Rs.45 lakh. To boost affordable housing in urban India, the Union budget earlier this year proposed a new model tenancy law - an attempt to handle the currently fragmented rental housing market. PMAY (U) envisages to be implemented during 2015-2022 through assistance from the Centre to urban local bodies or other state-level agencies. The execution is done through four verticals — rehabilitation of existing slum dwellers using land as a resource through private participation, credit-linked subsidy, affordable housing in partnership, and subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction or enhancement. Under PMAY (Gramin), the target number of houses to be constructed by the year 2021-22 is 2.95 crore. In the first phase, one crore houses were taken up for construction in three years between 2016 and 2019. In the second phase, 1.95 crore houses are targeted for construction between 2019 and 2022. The government provides Rs 1.5 lakh to each eligible beneficiary to construct a house under PMAY (G). [caption id="attachment_51769" align="aligncenter" width="523"] All India Radio (AIR) IAS UPSC - Incentives to Boost Housing Sector[/caption] How pricey is India’s urban rental market today, and how does affordability vary across major cities? A Mint analysis of rental housing data across India’s top six metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru) shows that Hyderabad has the cheapest rents on average ( ₹11,000) and Mumbai has the most expensive rents ( ₹38,200). These values are for a 650 sqft apartment, the rough size of a one bedroom-hall-kitchen (BHK) apartment. One reason why this has not become a major political issue yet is that tenants are still a minority across India’s largest cities. Across Delhi (including all districts of the city), Mumbai (including Mumbai and Mumbai Suburban districts), Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, 60% of residents live on properties they own, according to the 2011 census. What are the 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. Social Disconnect: Among the reasons mentioned above, it is observed from studies that the feel of disconnect and loss of social connections is a major reason for the beneficiaries to reject the housing provided by the government. Psychological Support: The relocation under housing schemes leads to a feeling of isolation. Social relations and community provides them a sense of support and comfort for the troubled days. Those residing in slums seek and provide a lot of psychological and material support from each other which the State cannot provide. Financial Comfort: Slum dwellers rely on each other for their borrowing needs in a regular manner. Moving to new areas also impacts their earning capacity and labour force participation. Socio-Economic Development: There is a greater need to understand what the individuals moving to a new place will gain or lose and what will be there response to the shift. This is because it is mentioned as a result of studies that benefits give the best results only if the people are made to relocate at an early age. Hence, a targeted approach is very important. What are the solutions? 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 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 Note: Land: State subject [caption id="attachment_51772" align="aligncenter" width="402"] All India Radio (AIR) IAS UPSC - Incentives to Boost Housing Sector[/caption] Refer: Mindmap Connecting the Dots: A house is a security that allows every individual to flourish under a sense of dignity. Elucidate. Also examine the significance of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in ensuring the social dignity of an individual. Providing affordable housing to all in India seems to be an ambitious target to achieved by 2022. Discuss the challenges and the way out. Government schemes do not only face implementation or structural challenges but are also subject to social challenges. Discuss. Suggest a strategy for overcoming social challenges in policy making and implementation. Is the PPP model in housing infrastructure viable option? Critically analyse.

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Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 24th October 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 24th October 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Rabi crop MSP to be hiked Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II and III – Government policies; Economy; Farmer’s welfare; Agriculture In news: Union Cabinet decides to hike the minimum support price (MSP) for rabi crops (for 2020-21 marketing season) Considered to be one of the important and progressive steps towards doubling farmers’ income by 2022 and improving farmers’ welfare. What aspirants need to know for exam? What is MSP? Who announces MSPs? MSP List (i.e. crops covered under MSP)   Basics: Minimum Support Price (MSP) It is a market intervention by the Government to insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices. MSPs are announced by the Government of India on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). Major objective – Support the farmers from distress sales To procure food grains for public distribution Crops covered Government announces MSPs for 22 mandated crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane. The mandated crops are 14 crops of the kharif season, 6 rabi crops and two other commercial crops. 14 kharif crops 6 rabi crops 2 commercial crops 1.      paddy 1. wheat 1. jute 2.      jowar 2. barley 2. copra 3.      bajra 3. gram 4.      maize 4. masur(lentil) 5.      ragi 5. rapeseed/mustard 6.      arhar 6. safflower 7.      moong 8.      urad 9.      groundnut-in-shell 10.  soyabean 11.  sunflower 12.  sesamum 13.  nigerseed 14.  cotton Air Quality Index (AQI), Ambient Air Quality Standards and SAFAR Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II and III – Government schemes and policies; Environment and Biodiversity; Pollution   National Air Quality Index’ (AQI) Was launched in 2014 to disseminate information on air quality Initiative under Swachh Bharat Mission The measurement of air quality is based on eight pollutants AQI has six categories of air quality. These are: Good, Satisfactory, Moderately Polluted, Poor, Very Poor and Severe. AQI is considered as ‘One Number- One Colour-One Description’ for the common man to judge the air quality within his vicinity. 8 pollutants measured by AQI Particulate Matter (size less than 10 µm) or (PM10), Particulate Matter (size less than 2.5 µm) or (PM2.5), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Ammonia (NH3), and Lead (Pb) 6 categories of air quality Pic: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-09/aqiguidepm.png   National Ambient Air Quality Standards National Ambient Air Quality Standards are the standards for ambient air quality set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) The CPCB has been conferred this power by the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. Ambient Air Quality Standards contains 12 pollutants (8 pollutants contained in AQI and 4 others given below) Benzene Benzo(a)Pyrene (BaP) Arsenic Nickel   System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) Initiative introduced by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) to measure the air quality of a metropolitan city Indigenously developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune and is operationalized by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). It gives out real-time air quality index on a 24x7 basis with color-coding (along with 72 hours advance forecast). SAFAR is an integral part of India’s first Air Quality Early Warning System operational in Delhi. Objective: increase awareness among the general public regarding the air quality in their city helps the policy-makers to develop appropriate mitigation measures and systematic actions Pollutants monitored by SAFAR 5 PM10 Ozone Carbon Monoxide (CO) Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Benzene Toluene Xylene Mercury ISRO’s PSLV missions Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Economy; Science and Technology; Space; India’s achievement in Science and Technology In news: ISRO bags orders from four international customers 3 PSLV missions - C47, C48 and C49 - scheduled to launch in November and December 2019 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre Pic: https://d39gegkjaqduz9.cloudfront.net/TH/2019/10/24/DEL/Delhi/TH/5_09/1fede5a5_3279878_101_mr.jpg Benefits from Launching of Foreign Satellites Reduces the cost of launching Indian satellites along with other foreign satellites. Helps in growth of space sector. Employment generation. Has led to New Space start-ups. Do you know? India took a step into space business with National Space India Limited, which will be the new commercial arm of the department of space. The NSIL will help boost commercialization of India's space research. Value Additions Differences between GSLV and PSLV Both PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) and GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) are the satellite-launch vehicles (rockets) developed by ISRO. PSLV is designed mainly to deliver the “earth-observation” or “remote-sensing” satellites with lift-off mass of up to about 1750 Kg to Sun-Synchronous circular polar orbits of 600-900 Km altitude. The GSLV is designed mainly to deliver the communication-satellites to the highly elliptical (typically 250 x 36000 Km) Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The satellite in GTO is further raised to its final destination, viz., Geo-synchronous Earth orbit (GEO) of about 36000 Km altitude (and zero deg inclination on equatorial plane) by firing its in-built on-board engines. Peritoneal dialysis under Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Program (PMNDP) Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Government schemes and programmes; Health issue; Social/Welfare issue In news: Government to provide kidney dialysis at home under PMNDP. In other words, the Centre plans to establish peritoneal dialysis services across states to provide door-step dialysis services for kidney patients. Aim: With home-based peritoneal dialysis service, the Centre seeks to – bring down the overall cost of treatment achieve equity in patient access bring in consistency of practice develop a clinically-safe and effective programme Do you know? Every year about 2.2 Lakh new patients of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) get added in India resulting in additional demand for 3.4 Crore dialysis every year. ESRD continues to be a result of existing and emerging burden of non-communicable disease. The burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) has been alarmingly increasing and was flagged in the special UN convention for Health. What aspirants need to know for exam? What is Peritoneal dialysis? About PMNDP scheme   Peritoneal dialysis Peritoneal dialysis is a process to remove excess fluid, correct electrolyte problems and remove toxins using the lining of the abdomen, or peritoneum, in patients suffering from renal failure. About Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Program It was rolled out in 2016 as part of the National Health Mission(NHM) for provision of free dialysis services to the poor. 19th Non Aligned Movement (NAM) summit Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – India and the World; International Relations In news: 19th Non Aligned Movement (NAM) summit to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. PM Modi skips NAM summit again (for 2nd time) PM’s absence indicates a decisive move away from past practice at the 60-year-old organisation that India was a founding member of. Do you know? Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu will represent India at the 19th NAM summit. 18th NAM Summit (which was held in Venezuela) was represented by then Vice-President Hamid Ansari. Since NAM was inaugurated in 1961, the Indian Prime Minister has always attended the NAM summit, except in 1979, when Chaudhury Charan Singh was the caretaker PM and hence missed it, and in 2016. What aspirants need to know for exam? NAM- past and present Five principles of NAM NAM: Policies and ideology   NAM: Background The Non-Aligned Movement is a Movement of 115 members representing the interests and priorities of developing countries and against blindly following any power block during the cold war era. NAM was a result of the war between the two blocks during the cold war. The movement began with the “Bandung Process” in 1956 by India, Indonesia, former Yugoslavia, Egypt and other countries. First meeting of the NAM was held in Belgrade in 1961 by Yugoslavia. Five principles of NAM Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Mutual non-aggression. Mutual non-interference in domestic affairs. Equality and mutual benefit. Peaceful co-existence. Policies and ideology: The Non-Aligned Movement is unified by its declared commitment to world peace and security. The Non-Aligned Movement espouses policies and practices of cooperation, especially those that are multilateral and provide mutual benefit to all those involved. The Non-Aligned Movement has played a major role in various ideological conflicts throughout its existence, including extreme opposition to apartheid governments and support of guerrilla movements in various locations, including Rhodesia and South Africa. The Non-Aligned Movement has become a voice of support for issues facing developing nations and it still contains ideals that are legitimate within this context.  NAM: Present scenario India, which clung to non-alignment as its international identity sinceimage Independence, slowly deviated from it after the big LPG reforms, 1991. Since the end of the Cold War and the formal end of colonialism, the Non-Aligned Movement has been forced to redefine itself and reinvent its purpose in the current world system. India no longer wants to be isolated from the western power blocs. India wants its voice to be heard at the global level. However, India still maintains that “It remains committed to the principles and objectives of the Non Aligned Movement”. Miscellaneous: 'Sycamore,' Google's Quantum Computer Part of: GS Prelims – Science and Technology In news: Scientists have finally claimed to reach quantum supremacy, a landmark in an industry that could change the world. A team of experts working on Google’s Sycamore machine said their quantum system had executed a calculation in 200 seconds that would have taken a classic computer 10,000 years to complete. India plans first-ever snow leopard survey Part of: GS Prelims – Animal Conservation; Environment and Biodiversity In news: India to commission it’s first-ever survey to estimate the population and geographical range of the snow leopard. About Snow Leopard: The snow leopard is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. Snow leopards inhabit alpine and subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m (9,800 to 14,800 ft). The snow leopard is found along the upper reaches of the Himalayan range and, in India, it is reported to have a presence in Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Do you know? The snow leopard is found in 12 countries — India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. IUCN Status: Vulnerable Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) programme is being organised by Union Environment Ministry. (MAINS FOCUS) CLIMATE CHANGE TOPIC: General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment A ray of hope for the ozone layer Context: During September and October, the ozone hole over the Antarctic has been the smallest observed since 1982, NASA and US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists have reported. The annual ozone hole reached its peak extent of 16. 4 million sq km on September 8, then shrank to less than 10 million sq km for the remainder of September and October, satellite measurements show. NASA has described it as great news for the Southern Hemisphere. Pic: https://media.nature.com/w800/magazine-assets/d41586-019-02837-5/d41586-019-02837-5_17295302.png Background: In 1985, Joe Farman, Brian Gardiner and Jonathan Shanklin reported unanticipated and large decreases in stratospheric ozone levels over the Antarctic. ozone levels began dropping in the austral spring months around the late 1970s . By 1984, the stratospheric ozone layer over Halley in October was only about two-thirds as thick as that seen in earlier decades — a phenomenon that became known as the Antarctic ozone hole. Farman suggested a link to human use of compounds called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), often used in aerosol cans and cooling devices such as fridges. Their findings transformed the fields of atmospheric science and chemical kinetics, and led to global changes in environmental policy. Concern: Ozone depletion has generated worldwide concern over increased cancer risks and other negative effects. The ozone layer prevents most harmful UV wavelengths of ultraviolet light (UV light) from passing through the Earth's atmosphere. These wavelengths cause skin cancer, sunburn and cataracts, which were projected to increase dramatically as a result of thinning ozone, as well as harming plants and animals. These concerns led to the adoption of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which bans the production of CFCs, halons and other ozone-depleting chemicals.(amend Kaigili 2016 added HFC) Effect of Policy: The ban came into effect in 1989. Ozone levels stabilized by the mid-1990s and began to recover in the 2000s. The ozone hole is expected to reach pre-1980 levels by around 2075. The Montreal Protocol is considered the most successful international environmental agreement to date Science behind ozone formation: Three forms (or allotropes) of oxygen are involved in the ozone-oxygen cycle: oxygen atoms (O or atomic oxygen), oxygen gas (O2 or diatomic oxygen), and ozone gas (O3 or triatomic oxygen). Ozone is formed in the stratosphere when oxygen molecules photo dissociate after absorbing ultraviolet photons. This converts a single O2 into two atomic oxygen radicals. The atomic oxygen radicals then combine with separate O2 molecules to create two O3 These ozone molecules absorb ultraviolet (UV) light, following which ozone splits into a molecule of O2 and an oxygen atom. The oxygen atom then joins up with an oxygen molecule to regenerate ozone. This is a continuing process that terminates when an oxygen atom recombines with an ozone molecule to make two O2 The total amount of ozone in the stratosphere is determined by a balance between photochemical production and recombination. OZONE depletion: Ozone can be destroyed by a number of free radical catalysts; the most important are the hydroxyl radical (OH·), nitric oxide radical (NO·), chlorine radical (Cl·) and bromine radical (Br·). especially chlorofluorocarbons, which can travel to the stratosphere without being destroyed in the troposphere due to their low reactivity. Once in the stratosphere, the Cl and Br atoms are released from the parent compounds by the action of ultraviolet light. Ozone is a highly reactive molecule that easily reduces to the more stable oxygen form with the assistance of a catalyst. Cl and Br atoms destroy ozone molecules through a variety of catalytic cycles. In the simplest example of such a cycle, a chlorine atom reacts with an ozone molecule (O3), taking an oxygen atom to form chlorine monoxide (ClO) and leaving an oxygen molecule (O2). The ClO can react with a second molecule of ozone, releasing the chlorine atom and yielding two molecules of oxygen. A single chlorine atom would continuously destroy ozone (thus a catalyst) for up to two years (the time scale for transport back down to the troposphere) were it not for reactions that remove them from this cycle by forming reservoir species such as hydrogen chloride (HCl) and chlorine nitrate Pic: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Ozone_cycle.svg/800px-Ozone_cycle.svg.png Why it’s small this year? There have been abnormal weather patterns in the atmosphere over Antarctica. In warmer temperatures like this year, fewer polar stratospheric clouds form and they don’t persist as long, limiting the ozone-depletion process. While it is good news, NASA has cautioned it is important to recognise that what we are seeing this year is not a sign that atmospheric ozone is suddenly on a fast track to recovery. Conclusion: We must ensure that our development goals are sustainable and do not hinder this movement. Our future depends on it. Connecting the dots: The beauty of treaties such as Montreal is that the onus of compliance remains on the country while the environmental effects remain global, pushing countries to do their best .Justify. Efforts to replace chemicals with less harmful ones like hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have begun to pay off. Substantiate. POLITY TOPIC: General Studies 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. Issues relating to poverty and hunger. Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures. 25 years of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) Background: The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India. International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) is nodal agency. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) {United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) support} First  National Family Health Survey (NFHS-1): Conducted in 1992-93. Survey collected extensive information on population, health, and nutrition, with an emphasis on women and young children. The Second National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2) Conducted in 1998-99 added features on the quality of health and family planning services, domestic violence, reproductive health, anemia, the nutrition of women, and the status of women. The Third National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) carried out in 2005-2006. The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) and the National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) are providing technical assistance for the HIV component. The Fourth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) was carried out in 2014-2015. The first of the NFHS series that collects data in each of India’s 29 States and all 7 Union Territories. Also, NFHS-4, for the first time, will provide estimates of most indicators at the district level Salient findings of NFHS-4: Fewer children are dying in infancy and early childhood – (51 deaths per 1,000 live births) Infant mortality rates range from a low of 10 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to a high of 51 deaths per 1000 live births in Madhya Pradesh. (variability) Better care for women during pregnancy and childbirth contributes to reduction of maternal deaths and improved child survival Almost all mothers have received antenatal care for their most recent pregnancy More and more women now give birth in health care facilities and rates have more than doubled in some States in the last decade. (9 in 10 in some states) The total fertility rates, or the average number of children per woman, range from 1.2 in Sikkim to 3.4 in Bihar. Full immunization coverage among children age 12-23 months varies widely (At least 6 out of 10 children have received full immunization in 12 of the 15 States / Union Territories). There has been an increase in the use of modern family planning methods only in the States of Meghalaya, Haryana, and West Bengal. The decline is highest in Goa followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Fewer children under five years of age are now found to be stunted(previous survey, it is found that in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya more than 40% of children are stunted) Wasting is still very high by international standards in all of the States/Union Territories. Anaemia has also declined, but still remains widespread. Over-nutrition continues to be a health issue for adults. Over two-thirds of households in every State/Union Territory have access to an improved source of drinking water, and more than 90% of households have access to an improved source of drinking water More than 50% of households have access to improved sanitation facilities Use of clean cooking fuel, which reduces the risk of respiratory illness and pollution, varies widely among (18% of households in Bihar to more than 70% of households in Tamil Nadu and more than 80% of households in Puducherry and Goa) Lack of HIV awareness in Indian adults - Nearly 82 % women and nearly 70 % men in the 13 States lacked comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS and safe sex practices. Tobacco use among men has fallen from 50 per cent in 2005-06 to 47 per cent in 2015. Alcohol consumption among men has fallen from 38 per cent to 34 per cent. Concern: Difficulties in obtaining reliable, high quality data Solution: Set realistic goals and use creative strategies. Adapt to changing institutional and technological environment for data collection. Conclusion: This is the data that guides the policies affecting millions of Indians and must be faithfully collected. Unless we pay systematic attention to the data infrastructure, we are likely to have the national discourse hijacked by poor quality data as has happened in the past with a measurement of poverty or inconsistent data on GDP. Also read: Link 1 : https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/minding-the-gaps-in-indias-data-infrastructure/article29779725.ece Connecting the dots: Can India’s existing data infrastructure support high quality data collection or whether deteriorating data quality will lead evidence-based policy development astray? Examine. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) MSP is form of agricultural market intervention undertaken by Central Government in order to insure agricultural producers are protected against any sharp fall in farm prices. Which of the following statements are correct regarding MSP? It is announced for all the crops by Central Government prior to sowing season. Its purpose is to incentivize cultivators to adopt modern technology and raise productivity and overall production in line with the emerging demand pattern in the country. The Prices are decided by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). Select the code from following: 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.2) Which of the following are the objectives of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)? To stabilize agricultural prices. To ensure meaningful real income levels to the farmers. To protect the interest of the consumers by providing essential agricultural commodities at reasonable rates through public distribution system. Choose the correct option: 1, 2 and 3 1 and 2 only 1 and 3 only 3 only Q.3) Assertion (A):  The market price of a crop does not fall below its minimum support price (MSP). Reason (R): Minimum support price (MSP) is the price at which the government guarantees to buy unlimited quantity of an agricultural commodity. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A A is true but R is false A is false but R is true Q.4) Which of the following are Rabi crops? Rice Maize Wheat Barley Select the correct code: 1, 2 and 3 3 and 4 2 and 3 1 and 4 Q.5) Which of the following statement [s] is/are correct with reference to India’s Air Quality Index (AQI)? The index is launched under Swacch Bharat Abhiyan PM10 , PM 2.5 and Lead are considered in calculating the value of Air Quality Index Both Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution Control Board administer National Air Monitoring Program Choose the appropriate code 2 only 1 and 2 only 1, 2 and 3 None of the above Q.6) Which among the following atmospheric gases are normally considered in calculating the value of Air Quality Index in India? Carbon dioxide Carbon monoxide Nitrogen dioxide Sulfur dioxide Methane Select the correct answer using the code given below. 1, 2 and 3 only 2, 3 and 4 only 1, 4 and 5 only 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Q.7) Government of India has introduced SAFAR system in important metropolitan cities of India for Forecasting the condition of roads in different weather Providing precise Indian navigation system Providing location specific information on air quality in near real time Providing details of tourist places and hotels in and near the cities Q.8) Consider the following statements about The Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) It is world’s first joint initiative that aims to conserve the snow leopard. All 12 snow leopard range countries are a part of this initiative. The initiative aims to secure at least 20 snow leopard landscapes by 2020. Which of the statements given above are correct? 1 and 2 1 and 3 2 and 3 1,2 and 3 Q.9) Consider the following statements about ‘Snow Leopard’ It is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Brazzaville declaration deals with the Conservation of the Snow Leopard It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 3 Only MUST READ Need for balance: On web content regulation The Hindu A case against judicial recusal The Hindu  Treading cautiously on the final Naga peace agreement  The Hindu

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