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IASbaba PIB Weekly: Press Information Bureau - 8th Oct to 15th Oct, 2017 ARCHIVES GS-2 Launch of Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana (Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections) Primary objective: Coverage of all households in the identified Sampoorna Bima Gram village Under Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana: At least one village (having a minimum of 100 households) will be identified in each of the revenue districts of the country, wherein endeavour will be made to cover all households of that identified village with a minimum of one RPLI (Rural Postal Life Insurance) policy each. Note: Postal Life Insurance (PLI), introduced in 1884, is one of the oldest life insurance schemes for benefit of Government and semi-Government employees. Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI), introduced on March 24, 1995 on recommendations of Malhotra Committee, provides insurance cover to people residing in rural areas, especially weaker sections and women living in rural areas. Low Premium and High Bonus is the unique feature of PLI and RPLI schemes. India and Water (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) India supports 17 per cent of the global population – but has only four per cent of the world’s water resources. Currently, 80 per cent of water in India is used by agriculture and only 15 per cent by industry. In the coming years, this ratio will change. In urban India, 40 billion litres of waste water is produced every day (vital to adopt technology to reduce the toxic content of this water, and to deploy it for irrigation and other purposes. This has to be part of any urban planning programme.) In India, 54 per cent of people are dependent on farming for their livelihood. Yet, their share of national income is only 14 per cent. To make agriculture more remunerative and to improve the prosperity of farming communities, the government has introduced many new projects. These include: ‘Har Khet ko Paani’– Water for Every Farm: This requires enhancing the supply and availability of water ‘Per Drop, More Crop’: This requires using drip irrigation and related methods to improve farm productivity, while using the same volume of water ‘Doubling Farm Incomes by 2022’: To achieve this, the government is rapidly expanding the area under irrigation, and completing 99 long-pending irrigation projects. Sixty per cent of these projects are in drought-prone areas Mindmap Must Read: Link 1 + Link 2 + Link 3 + Link 4 + Link 5 + Link 6 + Link 7 + Link 8 + Link 9 Must Solve: Link 1 + Link 2 Cabinet approves – MoC between India and Japan on the "Technical Intern Training Program (TITP)": The Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) is an ambitious program to send Indian technical interns to Japan for on the job training for a period of three to five years. It is expected that the MoC will pave the way for bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the area of skill development. Signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between India and Japan on establishing a Liquid, Flexible and Global LNG Market: The MoC will promote bilateral relationship between India and Japan in the energy sector; will contribute to the diversification of gas supplies for India. This will strengthen our energy security and lead to more competitive prices for consumers. The MoC provides a framework to cooperate in facilitating flexibility in LNG contracts, abolition of Destination Restriction Clause and also explore possibilities of cooperation in establishing reliable LNG spot price indices reflecting true LNG demand and supply. Background: India and Japan are major consumers of energy in the world. In the LNG sector, Japan is the world's largest importer and India is the 4th largest importer. Under the Japan-India Energy Partnership Initiative signed in January 2016, the two sides had agreed to work together in promoting well-functioning energy markets and affirmed to promote a transparent and diversified Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) market through the relaxation of Destination Restriction Clause. MoU between Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Financial Services Commission (FSC), Gibraltar for mutual co-operation and technical assistance: The MoU is likely to promote further development of economic links and cooperation between the two regulators and aims at creating conditions for an effective development of securities markets in the two countries. It would also contribute towards strengthening the information sharing framework between the two signatories. MoU between India and Belarus for Cooperation in the field of Vocational Education and Training: This is for the first time MoU for cooperation in area of vocational education, training and skill development has been signed with Eurasian country. Belarus has a large concentration of industries, mainly into manufacturing and heavy industries, which draw their strength from available skilled manpower and a highly developed skill training system. The transfer of knowledge of their skilling methodology will immensely help in our initiatives like "Make in India" and "Skill India". This MoU would pave the way for systematic transfer of their expertise and knowhow in skilling the manpower especially in manufacturing sector. MoU by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) with Capital Markets Authority (CMA), Kuwait for mutual co-operation and technical assistance: The MoU is likely to promote further development of economic links and cooperation between the two regulators, and aims at creating conditions for an effective development of securities markets in the two countries. It would also contribute towards strengthening the information sharing framework between the two. MoU between India and Morocco on cooperation in the field of water resources: The MoU intends to enhance cooperation in the field of water resources development and management within the framework of their expertise and their respective legislations. The domains of bilateral cooperation under this MoU include Conception, realization and maintenance of the hydraulic infrastructure, notably big dams and water transfer projects; Integrated water resources management, i.e., conjunctive use of surface and ground water resources, enhancement of water use efficiency, resilience and adaptation to climate change, artificial recharge of aquifers, organisational, institutional and regulation aspects; Flood and drought management; Sustainable development and management of ground water resources including recharge augmentation; and Harvesting and valuation of rainfall water and resilience and adaptation to climate The cooperation also includes Exchange of visits and missions of experts; Exchange of information on programs, publications, expertise and results of research in the field of water resources; Develop projects in domains mentioned above, in Morocco and India: develop partnership mechanism with the socio-economic actors in the two countries; Ensure reciprocal participation of experts to the water related events and projects; Promote cooperation between Hydraulic Basin Agencies of the two countries with an aim to share the expertise on the implementation of the principles of integrated water resource management in the Hydraulic Basins. SANKALP & STRIVE Schemes to boost Skill India Mission: Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) and Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) – Outcome focused schemes marking shift in government's implementation strategy in vocational education and training from inputs to results. It will create a national architecture for promoting convergence, ensuring effective governance and regulation of skill training and catalysing industry efforts in vocational training space. The architecture shall help, for the first time in the history of vocational education in India, to converge the efforts of various central, state and private sector institutions thereby avoiding duplication of activities and bringing about uniformity in vocational training thus, creating better impact. SANKALP envisages setting up of Trainers and Assessors academies with self-sustainable models. SANKALP aims at enhancement of inclusion of marginalized communities including women. GS-3 Implementation of Value Engineering Programme in Highways Projects (Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.) Why: To promote the use of new technologies, materials, and equipment in highways projects executed either under PPP mode or public funding mode Objective: To use innovative technology, materials and equipment to reduce the cost of projects and make them more environment friendly, while simultaneously ensuring that the roads or bridges and other assets get constructed much faster, are structurally stronger and more durable. The Value Engineering Programme is expected to Increase speed of construction, Reduce construction cost, Increase asset durability and Improve aesthetics and safety. Please Note: ImTeCHO - an innovative mobile phone application to improve performance of ASHAs Mission Indradhanush: Link 1 Vayoshreshtha Samman – a scheme of National Awards for senior citizens The population of senior citizens in our country was approximately 10.5 crore, which was about 8.5% of our total population. The average life expectancy has increased in recent decades due to improvement in health services and other reasons. It is estimated that by the year 2050, the number of senior citizens will be approximately 19% of our total population. Must Read: Link 1 + Link 2 + Link 3 PM Ujjwala Yojana: In the last 15 months, we have already provided LPG connections to over 30 million households. Secondly, we have set the target to electrify 40 million un-electrified households in the next 15 months. – Refer: Mind map; Must Read & Solve: Link 1 + Link 2 + Link 3 Paul H. Appleby Awards: For distinguished services to IIPA and the field of Public Administration in India India’s first Sewage Treatment Plant under Hybrid Annuity Mode to come up in: Haridwar and Varanasi MITRA SHAKTI 2017: The fifth India-Sri Lanka Joint Training Exercise based on Counter Terrorist Operations and an Infantry company from both the countries is participating in the same. Ayurveda Day: 17th October; The First ever All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), set up as an apex institute under the Ministry of AYUSH, will be dedicated to the nation. AIIA will bring synergy between the traditional wisdom of Ayurveda and modern diagnostic tools and technology. Nation’s first Rail coach manufacturing Company: Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), a Public Sector Company under the Ministry of Defence and the premier manufacturer of rail products. It is the only Indian Company manufacturing State-of-the-Art Metro Cars and holds the Market share of about 50% in Metro segment competing with Global Players and is the sole supplier to Bangalore and Jaipur Metro Corporations World Post Day: Celebrated each year on 9th October with the purpose to create awareness of the role of the postal sector in people’s and businesses’ everyday lives and its contribution to the social and economic development of countries. Launch of International Tracked Packet service: Has been designed specially to meet the cross border requirements of e-Commerce sector in Asia-Pacific Region. At the beginning, the service will be available to 12 countries and gradually the whole world will be covered. This new service has many special features like Affordable price Track & trace Volume discounts Pick up facility Compensation for loss or damage and, therefore, high value for money Revise HELP policy: Link 1 + Link 2 + Link 3 + Link 4
UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 63] Archives Q.1) Consider the following statements about Amrabad Tiger Reserve It was part of 'Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger reserve' It is located in Telangana Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) Mahanadi river basin extends over Odisha Chhattisgarh Jharkhand Madhya Pradesh Select the correct statements 1, 2 and 3 1, 2 and 4 2, 3 and 4 All of the above Q.3) Consider the following statements about Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana Under the scheme, at least one village (having a minimum of 100 households) will be identified in each districts and provide with a minimum of one RPLI (Rural Postal Life Insurance) policy for each households. All villages under the SaansadAdarsh Gram Yojana will be brought under its ambit. Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following Mudaliar Committee Kartar Singh Committee The above committees are concerned with Health Railways Sino-India Border Security Economic Reforms Q.5) Which of the following statements is/are correct? Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) was introduced on recommendations of Malhotra Committee Postal Life Insurance (PLI) covers employees of Central and state governments only Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Nether 1 nor 2 To Download the Solution - Click here All The Best IASbaba
Source of Suffering: The root cause of suffering is ignorance. Lack of a clear understanding of what you are doing; where you are going; and who you are, is the single biggest reason for suffering. Knowledge is the light that illuminates everything. The more wider and deeper is your knowledge and understanding of life, the less pain and suffering you experience. Ignorance brings such deep suffering with it, that it penetrates every single aspect of your life. Not knowing your job, brings suffering at work; not knowing your friends, brings suffering in relationships; not knowing your family, brings suffering at home; not knowing your purpose, brings suffering to action; not knowing who you are; brings suffering to life. Everybody is suffering just one thing; it is ‘Not Knowing’. An ignorant man has never been able to find joy and happiness. Ignorance is the dark shadow of life; it plunges the soul into deep unknown dungeons of suffering. Suffering is an absolutely natural state for an ignorant mind. The only respite for an ignorant mind is the momentary joy that comes, when one ignorance triumphs another. The only resting place for an ignorant mind is that single moment when it is suspended in midair while jumping from one ignorance to another. The moment you say, Ah! I am happy now; you land yourself in another misery of ignorance. You go on hopping and skipping from one ignorance to another, momentarily laughing and living. The way out of misery is acquiring knowledge. A seeker of knowledge discards a little bit of his ignorance every day. He grows in understanding and wisdom. He learns his way out of misery. He conquers his dark demons of ignorance using his light of understanding. The seeker of knowledge brings understanding to life, work, relationships, self and the world. He moves beyond ignorance and basks in the glow of knowing. Acquire enough knowledge about how to do something; you will eventually become good at it. Acquire enough knowledge about running your business; you will become a successful businessman. Acquire enough knowledge about your friends and family; you will become successful in handling relationships. Acquire enough knowledge about the world; you will become successful in living. And acquire enough knowledge about yourself; you will become happy and peaceful. The most important thing to remember is, acquiring knowledge is not just gathering words. For most, acquiring knowledge simply means reading books. Reading is just one type of knowledge; it illuminates the intellectual dimension of life. There are other streams of knowledge one has to pursue to understand life fully. Acquiring knowledge through observing, travelling, failing, dreaming, meditating, playing, laughing, crying, all contribute to the reservoir of your knowledge. Keep learning and one day you will go beyond all suffering. “The articles are a copyright of The Ahamo Movement and IASBABA.”
IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 14th Oct 2017 Archives ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Creating Jobs Background: For three demographic groups there is anurgent need of jobs: A growing number of better educated youth; Uneducated agricultural workers who wish to leave agricultural distress behind; and Young women, who too are better educated than ever before. India is indeed the fastest growing large economy in the world; yet with investment low, credit offtake low, capacity utilisation in industry low, agricultural growth low, plant load factor low, the job growth is low as well. What can policy-makers do to revive job growth? Industrial, trade policy: An industrial and trade policy is needed. For 20 years after economic reforms began in 1991 there was no National Manufacturing Policy, and the Policy, when it came in 2011, was not even implemented. While the DIPP is preparing the industrial policy document, it is essential that trade policy is consistent with such an industrial policy. Otherwise the two may work at cross purposes and undermine each other’s objectives. This is precisely what has happened over many years. Excessive imports have been decimating Indian manufacturing. An inverted duty structure has the following features: higher duty on intermediate goods compared to final finished goods, with the latter often enjoying concessional customs duty. As a result, domestic manufacturers face high tariffs since the last 12-15 years, leading to higher raw material cost at home, emanating from the unfavourable inverted duty structure. This has prevented many manufacturing sectors from growing since economic reforms began. This must be corrected. The automobiles sector in India faced no inverted duty structure, and has thrived. India has become in the last decade one of the largest producers of vehicles of several kinds in the world now. Electronics faced an inverted duty structure, but the Finance Minister has made changes, and slowly electronics manufacturing has grown. Special packages are needed for labour-intensive industries to create jobs. There are a number of labour intensive manufacturing sectors in India such as food processing, leather and footwear, wood manufacturers and furniture, textiles and apparel and garments. The apparel and garments sector received a package from the Government of India last year. The other labour intensive sectors have been ignored. The nature of the package will need to be individually designed for each sector. Cluster development: There should be cluster development to support job creation in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Most of the unorganised sector employment is in MSMEs, which tend to be concentrated in specific geographic locations. There are 1,350 modern industry clusters in India and an additional 4,000 traditional product manufacturing clusters, like handloom, handicraft and other traditional single product group clusters. There is a cluster development programme of the Ministry of MSMEs, which is poorly funded and could be better designed as well. But the Ministry’s total annual budget for all programmes, including cluster development, is grossly inadequate. Spread over 6,000 clusters, it becomes even more inadequate to transform MSMEs located in clusters. Aligning urban development with manufacturing clusters to create jobs. The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has a programme called AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) aimed at improving infrastructure for small towns. Infrastructure investment by the government always creates many jobs. But the programme does not take into account whether the infrastructure investment under it is taking place in towns which have clusters of unorganised sector economic activities. Hence an engagement between the Urban Development and MSME Ministries is necessary to ensure that this is happening. It will attract more investment to industrial clusters, which is where most non-agricultural jobs are. Focus on women: Girls are losing out in jobs, or those with increasing education can’t find them, despite having gotten higher levels of education in the last 10 years. Secondary enrolment in the country rose from 58% to 85% in a matter of five years (2010-2015), with gender parity. Skilling close to clusters (rather than standalone vocational training providers), which is where the jobs are, is likely to be more successful. The availability of jobs close to where the skilling is conducted will also enhance the demand for skilling. Public investments in health, education, police and judiciary can create many government jobs. Public investment in the health sector has remained even in the last three years at 1.15% of GDP, despite the creation of the national health policy at the beginning of 2017. The policy indicates that expenditure on health will rise to 2.5% of GDP only by 2025. Preventive and public health have always been in all countries the responsibility of government. More government expenditure in health means more jobs in government and better health outcomes. Revitalise schools- Government schools also have such poor quality. The number of teachers required, at secondary and higher secondary levels, is very high, particularly in science and mathematics. Many new government jobs can be provided if more young people could be trained specially to become teachers for science and mathematics at the secondary and higher secondary levels. The same applies to the police and the judiciary. While the number of paramilitary personnel continues to grow, State governments are not filling even sanctioned posts in the policy and in the judiciary (at all levels there are vacancies). More police and a larger judiciary can both reduce crime as well as speed up the process of justice for the ordinary citizen. Conclusion: · Thus, in order to create jobs, it is crucial to align policy across sectors and upgrade the country’s social infrastructure. Above recommended steps can go a long way in boosting job growth in the country. Connecting the dots: In order to createjobs,it is crucial to align policy across sectors and upgrade the country’s social infrastructure. Analyze. ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth. Recalibrating Industrial Policy Background: A recent report by Deloitte LLP pointed out that India’s young population will drive its economic growth to overtake China and other Asian tigers in the next few decades. The potential workforce in India is set to increase from 885 million to 1.08 billion in the next 20 years and hold above the billion mark for 50 years. This potential can only be achieved if enabling conditions for growth are created and sustained. In this context, the discussion paper on Industrial Policy 2017, released recently by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), becomes relevant. The government’s initiative on starting a discussion on a future-ready industrial policy is timely and welcome. Issues with the discussion paper: Piecemeal approach While the stated objective of the new policy is to provide “an overarching umbrella policy framework”, the document considers FDI, exports, domestic value addition, technology development, employment, etc, in a piecemeal manner. While the focus in the DP is on increasing “global strategic linkages” and there is a noteworthy call for undertaking an FDI policy review, there is no mention of the ongoing industrial slowdown and growing import dependence of Indian industry after 25 years of liberalisation of trade and FDI policies. A new industrial policy for India must necessarily discuss ideas for creating jobs for and in Unfortunately, the DIPP discussion paper does not delve into this issue. Perhaps this is the result of a conventional approach which confines the scope of industrial policy to “manufacturing enterprises”, distinct from and unrelated to agriculture (including rural non-farm sectors) and the services sectors. Any design of industrial policy must appreciate its linkages and interaction with agriculture and services policies at a granular level, and with trade, competition and sector-specific policies at a broader level. This will not be possible without a systems’ view informed by a whole-of-government approach. The policy suggests incentives to select sunrise sectors, and possibly enterprises, which could potentially disincentivize competition and innovation, and curb the growth of other sectors. Such a straitjacket sector-specific approach might result in policies soon becoming out of sync with dynamic economic developments and with our World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations. While sectoral policies can be a valuable supplement to an industrial policy, an effective industrial policy cannot be merely a collection of sectoral policies. Moreover, despite the evidence that the credit needs of MSMEs are unmet by private commercial banking and financial entities, the DP has recommended other market-based financing instruments such as peer-to-peer lending and crowd sourcing. Experiences from other countries including Brazil and China show that long-term financing needs of SMEs can be effectively supported publicly. Purely market-based mechanisms suggested by the DP may play only complementary roles. Despite the evidence that the credit needs of MSMEs are unmet by private commercial banking and financial entities, the DP has recommended other market-based financing instruments such as peer-to-peer lending and crowd sourcing. Experiences from other countries including Brazil and China show that long-term financing needs of SMEs can be effectively supported publicly. Purely market-based mechanisms suggested by the DP may play only complementary roles. trade liberalisation in most sectors has also not been aligned with development needs. This has been exacerbated by signing free trade agreements (FTAs) on the basis of an argument that participation in FTAs will enable Indian firms to become part of global value chains (GVCs) and improve their export capabilities. This has been especially reflected in the kind of tariff liberalisation that India undertook in its FTAs with Asean, Japan and South Korea, whereby the country has reduced or eliminated tariffs across the board. In the absence of active industrial policies to upgrade the domestic manufacturing and technological base, such tariff liberalisation has led to these partners achieving greater market penetration in India than what India could achieve in their markets. In light of such evidence, the DP should have recommended that more FTAs should not be signed before evaluating the existing agreements. Way ahead: Focusing on poorer hinterlands: In relation to the rising workforce, the Economic Survey 2016-17 pointed out that the richer peninsular states in India will initially witness a sharp increase in working age populations, followed by a sharp decline. In contrast, the poorer hinterland states will remain young and dynamic, characterized by a rising working age population for some time, plateauing towards the middle of the century. The poorer states in the hinterland are characterized by a substantial rural, informal economy where agriculture and allied non-farm activities are the principal sources of livelihood. For India to realize its economic potential, it is this population which needs to be tapped and provided opportunities. We need to recalibrate not just FDI policy, but equally crucially, trade policy. Simultaneously, the country requires active interventions to build and upgrade domestic entrepreneurial and technological capabilities. It would be timely for a new industrial policy document to dissociate both state support for industrial development and public-sector firms from the legacy of the excesses that were part of import-substitution industrialisation and grant them their rightful place in financing long-term investment and technological change. To ensure this, financing mechanisms must be designed in ways that preclude political leverage to avoid rent-seeking behaviour and inefficiency. Moreover, any government support must be time-bound and periodically modified based on performance monitoring. This was one of the factors that distinguished the successful industrial policy regimes of South Korea and Taiwan. Conclusion: A new forward-looking industrial policy for India must have Bharat as its soul. It must prioritize the creation of livelihoods in rural and semi-urban areas, and should recognize the importance of growth in the rural non-farm and agriculture-allied economy for industrial development. It needs to take a more holistic view on FDI, technology development and trade. Connecting the dots: A new forward-looking industrial policy for India must have Bharat as its soul. It must prioritize the creation of livelihoods in rural and semi-urban areas, and should recognize the importance of growth in the rural non-farm and agriculture-allied economy for industrial development. Discuss. MUST READ Crimea and punishment The Hindu The legal message The Hindu Looking for honesty in the wrong places Indian Express The EC disappoints Indian Express Clearing the air Indian Express
IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 13th Oct 2017 Archives NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: Separation of powers between various organs , dispute redressal mechanisms and institution Structure, organization and functioning of Executive and Judiciary. General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation Ban on sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR In news: The Supreme Court has banned the sale of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) till November 1 to assess the impact on air quality and curb pollution. This means that firecrackers won’t be legally sold in Delhi and its surrounding areas during and after Diwali. The period of the ban—till 31 October—covers the festival of Diwali, which is celebrated with elaborate fireworks. Reason behind ban: The bursting of firecrackers releases a heavy dose of carcinogens in the atmosphere, presenting a public health challenge for the entire city. This is similar to smoking at public places—a regulated activity—but different from consumption of liquor, which harms the individual. A regulation is thus required as it is clear that bursting of firecrackers by one person presents a health challenge to another. Concerns raised: The decision behind ban requires weighing trade-offs, which would depend on numerous inputs from scientific organizations, regulatory institutions, public policy experts and civil society. Since a court of law does not have in-house expertise in these domains, it should leave such matters to the executive. The Supreme Court delivered its arguments in the broader framework of the “right to breathe clean air” and the “right to health.” It would hurt the right to livelihoods of thousands who depend heavily on the sale of firecrackers during Diwali. Bans are rarely effective. It is difficult to imagine that no firecracker sale will happen in the entire territory of Delhi and NCR as a result of the Supreme Court order. A Supreme Court ban which cannot be implemented in spirit would have the unfortunate effect of undermining the authority of the apex court in the eyes of the people. Given that it came just about 10 days before the festival, it will be tough to impose the ban on an industry that has already produced stocks to order. It offers too piecemeal a solution, akin to the even-odd licence number scheme of the Delhi government in 2015. Besides, while the court has admitted that other factors like stubble burning contribute to the disastrous air quality of Delhi, the focus on fireworks makes its response seem unequal. Way ahead: North India needs a more holistic solution to the toxic air that residents breathe at the onset of winter. The major sources of pollution in the NCR have been clear enough to drive policy changes. While their relative contributions are still indeterminate, these include construction dust, vehicular pollution, waste burning, generators and crop residue burning in the Indo-Gangetic plains. To tackle each of these will take decisive and persistent policy actions, not panic-driven and ill-considered bans. The elected government is in the best position to elicit scientific and economic inputs and take a call, even if it involves expending political capital. The governments at the Centre and the states should involve different agencies like the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation and the pollution control boards and invest in setting regulatory standards for the medium to long term. Conclusion: In the absence of more feasible solutions, it is unlikely a firecracker sale ban will avert the kind of health emergency that struck Delhi last year. Matters of policy and implementation are ideally left to the legislature and executive. The court has a moral obligation to step in if they are in complete dereliction of their duty to the people. Instead, the Supreme Court could have urged government to intensify its efforts to influence the public will, and the process could have played out under its cautionary eye. That would have been a better solution than to impose a ban which may be observed more in the breach. Connecting the dots: The ban on fire-cracker sale by Supreme Court in the month of November is a welcome step but falls short of providing a holistic solution to environmental problem of the capital Discuss. NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc Indian Railways- Analyzing Debroy committee's recommendations Introduction: Derailments on the tracks of Indian Railways have always been a big technical and management challenge. In recent years, there have been a spate of “derailments”. On August 19, there was an unusually bad case of the derailment of Uttaranchal Express at Khatauli. In the absence of a permitted block by the traffic department, the track repairing staff took the unacceptable risk of going ahead with the track repair instead of putting a restriction on the movement of trains in the interest of safety of passengers. The responsibility was rightly fixed on the civil engineering department staff and officials. Background: Over 90,000 km of railway track in India is, perhaps, the most sensitive asset of the railway network. Hundreds of trains hurtle across, carrying millions of passengers. The “braking distance” is no more than about two-thirds of a kilometre (against only about 200 ft on the highways). Every inch of this track is to be watched meticulously. The traffic load on the Indian Railways is ever increasing and the saturation level on its important routes is unduly high, leaving little cushion for maintenance. Furthermore, the track is under greater pressure after the increase, in 2005, of the permissible loading capacity of each wagon based on wagon axle loads. Large projects to relieve the pressure, like the construction of dedicated freight corridors, will take time. The question, at this stage is: In which direction should safety measures head? Recommendations of Debroy committee: In 2014, the government set up the Debroy Committee, whose primary terms of reference appeared to be to suggest measures to reduce the alleged phenomenon in the Indian Railway management system of “thinking in silos”. In its report of 2015, wholesale structural changes were suggested, introducing what may be called “management generalism”. Issues: The recommendations, if accepted, will remove “professionalism” from the top management level of the Indian Railways. On the other hand, this is their unique strength as this enables the views of the railway ministry to be articulated effectively by the chairman and railway board members based on their specialised experience. Incidentally, fixing of accountability, as in the case of the Khatauli accident, would not have been possible in the new system, as in that there may not be any chief civil engineer, chief operating manager or even a member civil engineering or member traffic etc available for fixing accountability and responsibility. They would be replaced by “generalists” or “quasi generalists”. Specialists versus generalists: The present “professional oriented” system for the Indian Railways was adopted from the very outset because of the size of its operations and its unique role in the economy of the country. Sometimes, there have been problems. But the question is whether these have been because of the system or despite it. A theory often propounded is that professionals are likely to have less vision. This is repudiated by various examples in science and technology management structures. The theory that specialist organisations like the Indian Railways lead to “managerial inbreeding” is also fallacious. As is well known, inbreeding — biological or managerial — takes place in small groups of similar people. The Indian Railways are a huge group of dissimilar persons in nearly 20 disciplines interacting with each other. Reducing departmentalism: The answer to the issue of departmentalism does not lie in merger of services and de-professionalisation of the Ministry of Railways. Departments must not be gagged or demolished. They must be allowed to flourish and have their say for they may be giving expression to a genuinely valid factor, which may clash with equally valid points of view of other departments. It is for the DRM, GM or the Railway Board to arrive at what may be called the “Balance of Advantage Position” (BAP), which will be in the best overall interest of the organisation. What is required is that major efforts be made towards improving the machinery for arriving at a BAP, including the use of new techniques for assessing aptitudes, capabilities etc. Connecting the dots: One of the recommendations of Debroy committee has been to remove departmentalism and introduce generalism. The idea is to solve the problem of 'thinking in silos' in Indian railways. Discuss the issue with the recommendation and why we need to encourage professionalism instead. MUST READ Will India get over its obsession with Godmen The Hindu A nobel collaboration The Hindu Saving child brides The Hindu Averting disaster The Hindu Missing a nobel chance Indian Express Willing death Indian Express Behavior tips for Swachh Bharat Indian Express Hanging intent Business Line
UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 62] Archives Q.1) Consider the following statements about ‘Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons’. It bans the use, threatened use, and production, development, stationing, and testing of nuclear weapons India has signed the treaty but not ratified It requires the provision of assistance to victims and remediation of polluted land from nuclear weapon use and testing Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All off the above Q.2) Consider the following statements about Global Hunger Index (GHI) It is jointly published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and World Health Organisation (WHO). According to the recent index, India has a child-wasting prevalence over 20%. Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Recently, SC has put in place a new system by introducing a permanent committee and secretariat for evaluation of lawyers, who will also have to face interviews now. Consider the following statements This will be implemented in the apex court as well as in 24 High Courts in the country The permanent committee will be headed by the Chief Justice of India Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Rafah Crossing Point is the crossing point between Egypt and Gaza Strip Jordan and Syria Kuwait and Iraq Lebanon and Israel Q.5) This dance form has characters named Satvika, Rajasika and Tamasika. Identify the dance form: Bharatanatyam Kathakali Lai Haraoba Chhau To Download the Solution - Click here All The Best IASbaba
Bilateral Agreements between India and Israel ARCHIVES Search 6th July 2017 http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2 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. India recognised Israel and established diplomatic ties in 1992. So these countries are now celebrating 25 years of diplomatic relations. India and Israel are known for their defence cooperation aspect. Defence relations are now a decade old. 10 billion dollars’ worth of equipment are already purchased. Now the focus is shifting on make with India and make in India. Here, to form partnerships between Israel companies and Indian companies manufacturers will take some time. National interest first PM modi’s visit is standalone to Israel. This means that India has de-hyphenated the relationship between India and Palestine. India’s foreign policy is evolving. Most of the countries have good relations with India, even if those countries may bilaterally have difficulties. Hence the policy directive is to move for India’s national interest. India stands by two-state solution. Seven pacts signed Photo credit: http://images.financialexpress.com/2017/07/modi-netanyahu-seven-deals.jpg A new innovative partnership goal has been 40 million dollar India Israel Research Fund. If we look at India’s development story then innovation has been missing and evolution in space, R&D does not have industrial application. They have huge number of startups despite small population. They have 13 Nobel laureates and India doesn’t have one. There is something lacking for which such partnership is required. So India has to tap Israel’s experience and R&D with industrial application. India Israel industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) will be used for cooperation in the fields of science and technology by extending support to joint projects for innovative or technology-driven new or improved products, services or processes. This is expected to foster and strengthen the eco-system of innovation and techno-entrepreneurship in India and will contribute directly to the Start-up India programme. Water management This time an important aspect of relationship is water conservation and management and the agriculture sector. This is decided to be called as strategic partnership because of impact of such collaboration. Israel is known to convert its desert into gardens. 85% of water is recycled. In India there is no shortage of total precipitation but there are floods and droughts, water conservation is not there, preservation and water harvesting is not there. There is great shortage of water. Thus, it is a good direction to go ahead with Israel in this rea. Micro irrigation, drip irrigation and how to use water to maximum effect and how to have good produce with less use of water, targeted use of micro can be few areas to begin with. Government wants that farmers income should double in 5 years. There is going to be new products, olives, floriculture, tea.So the direction is clear. Israel has lot of experience which they are willing to share. Security Security and defence collaboration two governments have been going strong. Israel has over time acquired lot of time and technology in dealing with real time terrorist situation. With collaboration between anti-terror forces, there will be lot of learning. Terrorism is major area of collaboration. The declaration includes terrorism, network supply, financial help should be tackled as they don’t want that terrorists get their hands on WMD technology. People to people contact The civilizational aspect of relationship between both countries has come forward. The synergies that have been existing have been highlighted. India is one of the few countries where the Jews were never persecuted. Among people of India, there is great admiration for people of Israel that in a hostile geography they survived and have been able to make it a democratic country. Indians have sacrificed themselves for preservation of Israel. In 1918, Indian soldiers fought the World War I alongside British forces. The British were in war with the then Ottoman Empire, who controlled a large part of West Asia. Haifa was part of the Turkish empire. While soldiers from Jodhpur and Mysore took field in the actual war, those from Hyderabad were employed in maintaining communication channels and serving the injured. About 900 Indian soldiers died fighting on the soil of Israel during World War I. In their memory, Haifa memorial is present in Israel. India-Israel CEO forum Synergies in businesses, globally the trend is make in china, make in US. Now Israel has their own technology. So they will be more open to share their technology to bring manufacturing in India and make with India. However, the trade is very low, at just 5 billion dollars. This needs to be boosted along with strategic interest. India and Israel have elevated their ties to the “strategic partnership” level with a vow to do “much more together”. Implementation in these sectors is a necessity for growth of relationship between two nations. Connecting the dots: India and Israel are celebrating 25 years of diplomatic relations. Highlight the relations between two nations with areas needing more focus and improvement. Also read: RSTV- The Big Picture: Curtain Raiser on PM’s Israel Visit
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IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 12th Oct 2017 Archives GOVERNANCE AND INTERNAL SECURITY TOPIC: General Studies 2: Issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability and institutional and other measures. General Studies 3: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate ‘Modernisation of Police Forces’ scheme: A step towards police reforms In news: The Union Cabinet recently approved a Rs. 25,000 crore outlay for upgrading the internal security apparatus in States. An umbrella scheme, ‘Modernisation of Police Forces’, has been cleared, with the government projecting this as “one of the biggest moves towards police modernisation in India”. Features of the scheme: The Centre’s contribution will be of about 75%, with the promise that gaps in police transport, weaponry, communications, and forensic support among others will be met. The funds are to be rolled out over the next three years, with the Centre contributing Rs. 18,636 crore and States Rs. 6,424 crore along the lines of the established police “modernisation” model. Under the scheme, Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeastern States and those affected by Maoist violence are to receive special focus. Issues: Will it help deal with the issue of maoism? With reference to Naxalism, the annual report of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), 2016-17 notes that there has been a reduction in violent incidents and violence-related deaths since 2013. But, a Central paramilitary force, not the State police, is at the forefront against Naxal groups. Further militarising of police could only increase violence. Instead we need to consider alternative strategies not solely reliant on coercive force. Issue of rising encounters sidelined: The issue of encounters as a legitimate crime-fighting strategy, irrespective of the strictures of the Supreme Court, hasn't been raised. Governments and the police have become glaringly opaque in their responsibility to account for deaths caused due to police action. The state needs to be reminded that it is bound to register a First Information Report and initiate a criminal investigation into any encounter killing by the police. Unaccounted deaths at the hands of the police are violations of the right to life. Poor capacity to utilize the funds: The underutilisation of existing funds in the broader context of state capacity to absorb such a significant tranche is an issue. The 2013-14 MHA guidelines on modernisation funds mandate that every State and the Centre furnish a utilisation certificate for the full amount of modernisation funds released yearly. The Finance Ministry stresses that unless the certificates account for the full amount of funds sanctioned, no new funds will be released. Considering that only 14% of modernisation funds were spent in 2015-16, one would advise a tempering of the excitement around this infusion of funds until the previous year’s accounting is done. Not only are modernisation funds underspent, on average, but also only about 3% of Central and State Budgets are spent on policing. Technical reforms rather than accountability reforms being stressed: “Reform” geared towards technical and infrastructural advancement is being made, but reform which demands greater checks and balances is resisted and violated. Less than 10 States provide security of tenure to their police chief and key field officers. Only five States provide for independent shortlisting of candidates in the process of appointing police chiefs; everywhere else, directors general of police are handpicked by Chief Ministers. Serving police and government officers are adjudicating members on police complaints bodies even though these are supposed to be independent from the police department. Supreme Court Guidelines: The directives issued by the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh Vs. Union of India case, 2006 includes: Constitution of a State Security Commission (SSC) to check the political interference and review the performance of the police. Transparency in the process of appointment of the DGP. Separation of the law and order and investigative functions Establishment of a complaints authority are the more important among them. Ensure that police officers are provided with a minimum tenure security. Set up a Police Establishment Board (PEB) to decide transfers, postings, promotions and other service related matters of police officers. Conclusion: The police reform to aspire for is to move beyond armour plating to accountability and the upholding of the law as measures of police effectiveness. The SC directives in this regard needs to implemented in true spirit by the states, and the centre must facilitate such transformation. Connecting the dots: An umbrella scheme, ‘Modernisation of Police Forces’ has been launched by the central government. Discuss its provisions. While the scheme will surely bring in technical and infrastructural reforms, the much-needed police reforms regarding ensuring checks and balance stays sidelined. Critically analyze. NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 1: Social Issues General Studies 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections. Striking down of Section 375(2) of the IPC In news: A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court in Independent Thought v. Union of India, WP (C) 382 of 2013, has struck down a clause in Section 375 when it ruled that sexual intercourse with a minor wife is rape and a case can be registered against the husband on her complaint. Background: In the aftermath of the December 16, 2012 Delhi gang-rape, India’s laws on sexual assault were overhauled. The legal reform, however, left one area untouched: Marital rape. Exception 2 to Section 375 of the IPC, says if a girl child between 15 and 18 years of age is married, her husband can have non-consensual sexual intercourse with her, without being penalised under the IPC. In 2013, the Criminal Law Amendment Act raised the age of consent for sexual intercourse for girls, from 16 to 18 years. However, the exception clause retained the age of consent for married girls as 15 years, depriving married girls between the ages of 15 to 18 of legal protection against forced sexual intercourse. Conflict between Section 375(2) and other laws: These include the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (18 years), Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (18 years), Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 (18 years). The clause was against the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act which considers sex with children — those below 18 — as rape. The discrepancies have created an unnecessary and artificial distinction between a married girl child and an unmarried girl child. The government's stand: The government had argued that the exception clause was necessary to “protect the institution of marriage”. “Otherwise, the children from such marriages will suffer,” claiming that the country’s socio-economic realities cannot be ignored. "Economic and educational development in the country is still uneven and child marriages are still taking place. It has been therefore decided to retain the age of 15 years under Exception 2 so as to give protection to husband and wife against criminalising the sexual activity between them. It is also estimated that there are 23 million child brides in the country. Hence, criminalising the consummation of a marriage with such a serious offence such as rape would not be appropriate and practical," the Centre had said. SC verdict: The apex court held that the exception clause will henceforth be “meaningfully” read as: “Sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under 18 years of age, is not rape.” It found that the age of consent being 15 years for a married female, was inconsistent with existing laws as well as arbitrary, unfair, and violative of the right to life of the minor under Article 21 of the Constitution. The court held that the exception clause to rape took away the right of a girl child to bodily integrity and reproductive choice. It had even the effect of turning a blind eye to trafficking of the minor girl children in the guise of marriage. The court slammed the government for trying to “somehow legitimise” the exception clause. Instead of attempting to effectively implement and enforce the anti-child marriage law, the government diluted it by creating artificial distinctions. The government had urged the court not to tinker with the exception clause as it was introduced keeping in view the age-old traditions and evolving social norms. Significance of the verdict: The court ended the decades-old disparity between Exception 2 to Section 375 IPC and other child protection laws. Focusing on the right of health and choice of young girls (between 15 to 18) the Court has corrected a legislative gap which had nullified Parliament’s 1978 move to protect young girls by making the age of consent to marry 18 years. Issue of marital rape- Still not resolved: The Supreme Court was categorical that its verdict does not pertain to the other contentious aspect of the exception clause: Marital rape of women above 18 years. The Court did not address the issue of marital rape. It restricted itself to reading the second exception to Section 375, IPC. Conclusion: The judgment must be seen as landmark one as it strikes a blow in favour of the rights of an adolescent and sends the welcome message of equality across the various contradictory laws on this subject. It is high time a similar progressive step is taken to solve the issue of marital rapes. Connecting the dots: By striking down Section 375(2) of the IPC, the Supreme Court has ended the decades-old disparity between Exception 2 to Section 375 IPC and other child protection laws. Discuss. 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