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IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 27th Sep, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 27th Sep 2017 Archives NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 1: Urbanization, their problems and their remedies. General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Waste Management for Soil Health Background: Keeping cities clean is essential for keeping their residents healthy. Our health depends not just on personal hygiene and nutrition, but critically also on how clean we keep our cities and their surroundings. The proliferation of dengue and chikungunya are intimately linked to the deteriorating state of public health conditions in our cities. If we do not rise to the occasion to manage the waste that we generate and fail to create clean and healthy cities, we will face many more man-made disasters such as we have seen in recent months in Deonar, Bellandur, and Ghazipur. On agenda: The good news is that waste management to keep cities clean is now getting attention through Swachh Bharat Mission. Issue: Much of the attention begins and stops with the brooms and the dustbins, extending at most to the collection and transportation of the mixed waste to some distant or not so distant place, preferably out of sight. The challenge of processing and treating the different streams of solid waste, and safe disposal of the residuals in scientific landfills, has received much less attention in municipal solid waste management than is warranted from a health perspective. Instead of focusing on waste management for health, we have got sidetracked into “waste for energy”. In the process, we are opting for financially and environmentally expensive solutions such as incineration plants which are highly capital-intensive. While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) does not allow incineration of mixed waste, nor of any compostables or recyclables, enforcement is a challenge, and the danger to health from toxic emissions looms large. An alternative to farmyard manure: City compost from biodegradable waste provides an alternative to farmyard manure (like cowdung) which has been valued from time immemorial for its rich microbial content that helps plants to take up soil nutrients. It provides an opportunity to simultaneously clean up our cities and help improve agricultural productivity and quality of the soil. Improving soil health: India’s Green Revolution rescued us from huge dependence on food imports during droughts by using high-yielding varieties of seeds and chemical fertilisers to boost the productivity of food grains. But over time, excessive and imbalanced use of chemical fertilisers has led to severe deterioration in the quality of soil. Organic manure or compost plays a very important role as a supplement to chemical fertilisers in replenishing the nutrient-depleted soils. City compost can be the new player in the field. Benefits of compost on the farm are well-known. The water holding capacity of the soil which uses compost helps with drought-proofing, and the requirement of less water per crop is a welcome feature for a water-stressed future. Because of good water retention, farmers do not need second or third sowing if rains fail. By making soil porous, use of compost also makes roots stronger and resistant to pests and decay. Farmers using compost therefore need less quantity of pesticides. There is also evidence to suggest that horticulture crops grown with compost have better flavour, size, colour and shelf-life. Weed-free unlike farmyard manure: City compost has the additional advantage of being weed-free unlike farmyard manure which brings with it the seeds of undigested grasses and requires a substantial additional labour cost for weeding as the crops grow. City compost is also rich in organic carbon, and our soils are short in this. Fortification of soil with organic carbon is an essential element of integrated plant nutrient management as it increases the productivity of other fertilisers. City compost can also be blended with rock phosphate to produce phosphate-rich organic manure. Chemical fertilisers when used by themselves pollute surface water with nitrogen runoff because only 20 per cent to 50 per cent of the nitrogen in urea is absorbed by plants. The rest runs off into streams and lakes. The addition of compost or organic manure reduces nitrogen wastage, as its humus absorbs the nitrogen and acts like a slow release sponge. Rules and regulations: SC directive- Recognising the importance of organic manure for the balanced nutrition of crops and restoring soil health, the Supreme Court had directed fertiliser companies in 2006 to co-market compost with chemical fertilisers. However, this direction went largely unheeded. The Solid Waste Management Rules 2016- It makes the co-marketing of compost mandatory. The MDA Scheme- To provide incentive for co-marketing to the fertiliser companies, in February 2016, the Government of India’s Department of Fertilisers notified a policy to promote the use of city compost by offering Market Development Assistance (MDA) of Rs 1,500 per tonne on the purchase and distribution of city compost through the rural outlets of these companies. In 2017, the MDA scheme was extended to compost manufacturers on bagged compost. Way ahead: The MDA scheme has not worked well because of its administrative complexity and it needs to be simplified. The high volume but low value nature of compost also makes it not so attractive for fertiliser marketing companies to promote its use. While compost manufacturers must meet the quality specifications laid down by the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO), it is equally important for fertiliser companies to make vigorous efforts to market city compost using their well-connected dealer channels and help develop this nascent sector. A possible solution in such a situation would be to find a way to make the payment of fertiliser subsidy to the fertiliser companies conditional on the co-marketing of compost. The state agricultural departments can also help facilitate the use of city compost through their widespread extension networks. The city waste needs to be composted before making it available to the farmers for applying to the soil, cities would be cleaned up and the fields around them would be much more productive. It would, however, require that delivery mechanisms be set up for the delivery of city compost to farmers. Conclusion: Assuming that urban India generates 70 million tonnes of municipal solid waste in a year, and assuming 15 per cent yield of compost, this would provide 10 million tonnes of city compost annually. Quite apart from cleaning up the cities of biodegradable waste, this would be a major and sustainable contribution to improving the health of our soil without further damage by excessive chemical inputs. That would surely be a marvelous transition from waste to health. Connecting the dots: Converting city waste into compost will not only help clean up cities of biodegradable waste, but would be a major and sustainable contribution to improving the health of our soil. Elaborate. INTERNATIONAL 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. Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate United Nation's Ineffectiveness Background: The picture of the UN’s ineffectiveness on each of the issues confronting the world today is grim. The Secretary General António Guterres in his speech listed the world’s seven biggest threats: nuclear peril, terrorism, unresolved conflicts and violations of international humanitarian law, climate change, growing inequality, cyber warfare and misuse of artificial intelligence, and human mobility, or refugees. Each of these issues saw little movement at the UNGA. Nuclear peril: The UN’s actions in response to North Korea’s missiles and nuclear tests just amounted to another round of sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime. Past history points to the slim chances of success of this tack. Since 1966, the UN Security Council has established 26 sanctions regimes, of which about half are still active. In some cases, the sanctions only squeezed the country’s poor, as in Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia) and DPRK itself, while not changing its belligerent positions. In most cases, the misery was heightened by international military interventions, from Yugoslavia to Libya and Yemen. The truth is that sanctions do not work on rogue states; they only help isolate their populations from the world, which in turn tightens the regime’s stranglehold on its people, and strengthens its resolve to disregard the UN. Lacking guarantees: Libya did relinquish nuclear weapons but still NATO destroyed Libya anyway. This is a disincentive. The UN failed to censure NATO on violating its mandate only to the responsibility to protect (R2P) and not for regime change in Libya in 2011. To other countries that may enter talks, as Iran did, the imminent threat from the U.S. of walking out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (P5+1 agreement) would make them question the efficacy of the UN in guaranteeing any deal struck. Other decisions of the Trump administration in the U.S., to walk out of the climate change agreement as well as threaten to cancel its funding contributions to the UN, have also seen little comment from the world body, which further reduces the respect it is viewed with. Lack of respect against sanctions: Nowhere is that lack of respect more obvious than regarding Myanmar, where the military junta faced sanctions for years. Despite inviting former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to prepare a report on Rakhine state, post-democracy Myanmar has been able to carry out one of the region’s most frightening massacres just days after the report was submitted. On the basis of satellite pictures, and eyewitness accounts, the UN Human Rights chief called military action a “textbook case of ethnic cleansing”, as half a million Rohingya fled for their lives from Rakhine villages that were then burnt down, with landmines laid along the border to Bangladesh to prevent their return. The Security Council is short on ideas and late on action, and restoring more than a million stateless refugees to their homes seems a daunting task, even for a world-body that was set up expressly to ensure that such a displacement would “never again” be allowed to occur. On issue of terrorism: A similar impotency has been imparted to the UN on the issue of terrorism. India’s grievances are a symptom of the UN’s powerlessness to enforce even the basic strictures against terrorists it sanctions, given that Hafiz Saeed and associates now plan to stand for public office in Pakistan, while others like Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, who received bail despite UN financial sanctions, have simply disappeared. Meanwhile India struggles to convince China to allow the Security Council to sanction Masood Azhar, whose release in exchange for hostages in 1999 should have been proof enough of his perfidy. On cyber-attacks: The world is seeing an increasing number of cyber-attacks, especially from non-state actors. The UN must at least do more to act on attacks carried out by states, especially those that are permanent members of the Security Council. Both Russia and the U.S. have been known to use cyber warfare, but equally the use of new-age warfare — drones, robotic soldiers and remote killings — must see more regulation from the international community. Conclusion: What UN’s first Secretary General, Trygve Lie said in 1952, “The United Nations will not work effectively if it is used merely as forum for destructive propaganda. Neither will it work if it is used only as a convenience when national interests are directly involved, and regarded with indifference, or bypassed or opposed, when the general world interest is paramount”, still hold true. Connecting the dots: The world is facing some of the biggest threats ranging from nuclear peril, terrorism, unresolved conflicts, climate change, growing inequality, cyber warfare, refugees etc. In this light it is the need of the hour that the United Nations brings changes in the way it governs. Critically analyze. MUST READ Of paramount interest The Hindu Power problem The Hindu Girl interrupted Indian Express The Rohingya threat Indian Express Ensuring women's safety at BHU and beyond Livemint Indian renewable sector at crossroads Livemint Why India must join hands with Japan Business Line Food for thought at WTO Business Line  

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 51]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 51] Archives Q.1) Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site is located in Rio de Janeiro Valencia Florida Sylt Q.2) Consider the following statements A masala bond is a rupee-denominated bond issued in the overseas market Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) are permitted to invest in Government Securities with a minimum residual maturity of one year but have been prohibited from investing in T-Bills Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements about Wular Lake It is the largest fresh water lake of India It is fed by the Chenab River The Tulbul navigation project is located just below the exit of the Wular Lake Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.4) Graded Surveillance Measure (GSM) is introduced by Securities and Exchange Board of India Reserve Bank of India Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Q.5) Consider the following statements about Hyper spectral imaging It can be used to calculate the nutrients as well as other minerals in the soil and be used to gauge its health ISRO is going to launch the Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite or HySIS — using a critical chip it has developed Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 To Download the Solution - Click here All The Best  IASbaba

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 26th Sep, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 26th Sep 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. Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth. Framing of A New Industrial Policy Background: A new industrial policy is being framed by the government. Changed outlook: Until the 1980s, industrial policy was driven by the theory that the Government must closely manage the flow of investments into selected industrial sectors to nurture their development. Dissatisfaction with this approach, primarily because it stifled entrepreneurship, made the Government change its approach from the 1990s towards a free market approach with the expectation that market forces would cause industrial growth to accelerate. However, that did not happen. India’s manufacturing sector, which should have been a principal driver of industrial growth and creator of jobs, languished at 16 per cent of the economy. While the services sector grew, overall job growth did not keep pace with the growth of the population. The underlying approach to industrial growth in India until the 1990s was top-down planning, of attempting to manage the inputs-outputs of the economy through licenses to produce and allocations of resources. After the reforms of the 1990s, the paradigm shifted to the other extreme, of ‘leaving it to the market’, and hoping that freedoms to invest and produce would result in the growth of more jobs and livelihoods. However, the bureaucracy continued to tie up enterprises in knots. Comparison with China: By 2009, Chinese capital goods’ production capacity was about 50 times as large as India’s and India was importing machinery, power generation equipment, and other capital goods in increasing quantities from China. India’s industrial sector had become much smaller than China’s and lost its depth too. Process of industrialization: The process of a country’s industrialization is a process of enterprises in that country acquiring capabilities to produce more complex products that they could not produce before. Workers learn skills they did not have before. Managers of enterprises learn to apply technologies and manage processes that they could not before. Government policymakers and implementers learn how to create conditions for industrialization. Framing of new industrial policy: What needs to be done? The development of enterprises and the development of skills of workers cannot be put into separate, disconnected policy silos. Case study- The skills provided to people must fit the jobs they do. Therefore, successful programmes to develop skills cannot be managed within a ministry dedicated to labour or skills. This approach, wherein industrial training institutes were under the labour ministry (and may now be moved to the skills ministry) resulted in the mismatch between the output of the skills programmes and requirements of industry, and trainees finding that they could not get jobs. Less than 20 per cent of the millions trained by this government’s (and the previous one’s) drive to skill millions have found jobs. On the other hand, enterprises complain to the industrial development department that they cannot grow because they do not have people with the requisite skills. Therefore, policies for developing skills must mesh with policies to stimulate growth of enterprises. A ‘systems view’ is required to connect many parts of the system and many policies — for investment promotion, trade regulation, enterprise regulation, labour policies, etc — to enable the economy to deliver the results citizens want from growth, namely better jobs and livelihoods. Case study- Improvements to one part of the system can have unintended consequences on other parts. Making it easier for one sector to produce by reducing duties on its inputs creates inverted duty structures which can hurt the growth of the input sector. This has resulted in the weakening of India’s machinery sector, for example, and weakened the country’s industrial base. The effects of policies that may be good for one part of the system on other parts must be understood before they are implemented. A ‘whole of government’ approach is required for coordinated implementation — at the Centre, in the States, and on the ground — to make it easier to do business in India. Click here for enlarge Industry’s inadequate expenditure on research and development: Huawei’s R&D expenditure (around $6.5 billion) is about the same or more than that of Indian industry, while Microsoft spends (around $12 billion) about the same as the Indian government. If India has to realize its ambition of increasing its share of manufacturing in GDP (gross domestic product) to around 25% from 17% currently, industry will have to significantly step up its R&D expenditure. Currently, R&D spending amounts to around 0.9% of GDP. The private sector in India accounts for around 35% of the country’s total R&D spending, compared to many advanced economies as well as China, where the corresponding number is around 70%. This will need to be addressed by the new industrial policy, else it risks remaining a structural headwind that will continue to weigh on India’s productivity growth going forward. The new industrial policy should aim to push for technological deepening in sectors where Indian companies are globally competitive and also provide a road map to enable industry to diversify across sectors. Healthcare is one sector where there is significant potential to increase both public and private R&D expenditure. Focusing on healthcare equipment and services for example, where India has no R&D presence, would assist in technological deepening within the healthcare sector—and also in providing affordable and accessible healthcare through “frugal” medical devices. Conclusion: Making of the industrial policy should be a consultative process and it should be well coordinated across various ministries and backed by strong research. The framing of the new industrial policy should be seen as an opportunity to chart a meaningful path for industry’s role in India’s development. Connecting the dots: The new industrial policy being framed must focus on a holistic approach towards handling the issues being faced by manufacturing sector in India. Discuss. DEFENCE/SECURITY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism. Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security. General Studies 2: India and its neighbourhood- relations. Maintaining regional stability Background: It has been one year since the special forces of the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes to destroy terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 29, 2016. It is important to take stock at this point on how India-Pakistan bilateral relations and the regional security situation have evolved over the past year since the strikes. Turn of events: Being critical at international forums- Showing no appetite for a bilateral rapprochement, the two acrimonious neighbors have limited their interactions to firing across the borders in Jammu and Kashmir and calling each other names in global forums. At the United Nations General Assembly a few days ago, for instance, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj termed Pakistan a “pre-eminent exporter of terror” — to which Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, responded: “India is the mother of terrorism” in South Asia. Future of SAARC in jeopardy- The future direction of the foremost regional forum, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), remains unclear after India dropped out of the 2016 Islamabad summit in the wake of the Uri terror attack. (The summit was eventually postponed.) Embattled regional stability- The regional security situation remains embattled, because of confused American policies in South Asia, continuing turmoil in Afghanistan, heightening India-China rivalry, and the India-Pakistan hostility. Regional stability- Challenges: There are two sets of challenges that are more apparent today, one year after the surgical strikes. One, the India-Pakistan escalation ladder has become far more precarious today it has ever been in the past one and a half decades, i.e. since the ceasefire was agreed to in 2003. The recurrent, and almost daily, occurrence of border battles between the two militaries in Jammu and Kashmir today have a worrying potential for escalation to higher levels. The border stand-offs often lead to, as is evident from the data from the past 15 years, military, political and diplomatic escalation as well as contribute to escalating an ongoing crisis. The September 2016 operation has made ceasefire violations more worrisome in at least two ways: Pakistan has been retaliating ever since the surgical strikes by increasing the pressure on the frontlines; and Surgical strikes have reduced the critical distance between ceasefire violations and conventional escalation. The perils of preventive strikes are unpredictable. Preventive strikes in hyper-nationalist bilateral settings could defy our expectations and go out of control, with disastrous implications. Have the surgical strikes helped the country’s overall national security environment? The Central government argues that surgical strikes have been a spectacular success. Has surgical strikes improved our national security in plain practical terms. The first obvious question to ask is whether the strategy of punishment has worked vis-à-vis Pakistan. There are two reasons why the strategy of punishment may not have worked. For one, A strategy of punishment requires consistency and commitment. The momentum achieved by the surgical strikes was not followed up (despite several attacks thereafter), nor was the government committed to its declared determination to respond firmly to terror strikes, thereby lacking in both consistency and commitment. Pakistan’s responses thereafter of supporting insurgency in Kashmir, aiding infiltration across the border, and allegedly supporting attacks on the Indian army convoys and bases continued without much reaction from New Delhi This has led to a visible lack of credibility on New Delhi’s part which makes one wonder whether, bereft of domestic political uses, there was any strategic planning behind the September operation. National security in peril: By all accounts, India’s national security environment is fraught today. Terror attacks in Kashmir continue to break the calm. Launch pads and terrorist camps have increased since last year. Since the surgical strikes, at least 178 militants and 69 Army personnel have been killed. Forty-four army personnel were killed between January and September this year, compared to 38 last year between January and September (including those killed in the Uri Army base attack). Surgical strikes may have been a tactical victory for New Delhi, but its strategic value is far from settled. Conclusion: With two hostile neighbours on either side, terror attacks against India on the rise, and the South Asian neighbourhood unsure of India’s leadership any more, New Delhi has a lot to be concerned about the continuation of its pivotal position in the region and the nature of its future engagement with it. The events since September last year have further contributed to South Asia’s regional ‘insecurity complex’. For a country that has traditionally been the regional stabiliser, New Delhi must avoid aggression and self-imposed regional exclusion. Connecting the dots: ·         A year after the surgical strikes across the Line of Control, India must recover its role as a regional stabiliser. Critically analyze. MUST READ Waiting for a signal The Hindu Solving food challenges with more research The Hindu A new foray into the great game Indian Express Case for a fiscal push Indian Express In defence of manufacturing Livemint A crisis is building up in India's real estate sector Business Line  

AIR

All India Radio (AIR) : India Russia Defence Relations

India Russia Defence Relations ARCHIVES Search 25th June 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 Recently, Indian PM and Russian President decided to “upgrade and intensify” defence ties through joint manufacture and co-production of key military hardware, during the annual summit. Soon after that, Defence Minister of India co-chaired 17th meeting of the India-Russia Inter Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation with Russian counterpart. A military cooperation roadmap during the meet wherein the roadmap is to become the basic document in planning bilateral contacts. Russia has been one of India’s key major suppliers of arms and ammunition. However, it has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time affecting maintenance of military systems procured from that country. Thus, it is critical that Russia adopts a liberal approach in sharing technology for components of major defence platforms to keep them in operational readiness as most of India’s weapon systems are of Russian-origin. Nature of India- Russia relations It is an old relation between these countries, from the time when USSR was in existence and soon after India’s independence. The relationship between both countries is called special and privileged strategic partnership. It is a privileged relationship as it is distinctively bilateral. Strategic relationship- from the late 60s when the relationship between both these countries is reviewed, today it is strategic in terms of military capability that India has been able to obtain from USSR/Russia. It also has a politico-diplomatic connotation in a strategic sense. In UNSC, USSR would stand by India on some of issues which could have caused India a politic-diplomatically difficult situation in international arena. The present meeting was looked to give a fillip to bilateral relationship particularly in defence sector, which seem to have gone into slight degree of dormancy. Let us look at present military relation with Russia India is taking four Grigorovich frigates from Russia. Grigorovic has association with India’s talwar class. The agreement is interesting because at the last BRICS meeting, Russia had a peculiar problem which is that the frigates were made from Ukraine engines. Due to political and military conflict with Ukraine, they had built ships but did not have engines. The way out was that India would buy these frigates and have a separate bilateral with Ukraine for engines. Along with that there is another agreement in principle that there can be lease of another Akula class multi-purpose nuclear submarine which would enable India to acquire greater levels of training. In addition, there is significant agreement for Kamov helicopter which envisages 60 helicopters delivered in fly away condition and rest 140 be made in India. This would be first time India would be entering into significant helicopter programme as far as Build In India is concerned. If there is a technology transfer, it would enable aerospace manufacturing and designing capability in India. These are some kind of positive steps being taken. Indian Airforce military requirements The IAF is in a critical situation as far as gaps are concerned. There is a talk of inducting 126 aircrafts for more than 10 years and no tangible decision has been taken so far. The reason is there are expensive commitments that would have to be made for a very long time. Once the decision is taken and financial commitment is made, there cannot be change of course midway. Thus, government of India is taking its time. The purchase of aircraft means lifecycle, spare parts, maintenance of 25-30 years. Thus India was hoping of getting into a kind of arrangement that would have all aspects covered in an appropriate manner. The fact that India is not proceeding at expected pace with Russia shows that India is looking at other options which are Europe as possible long term partner, USA (one of the private entities of India as a part of strategic programme would be identified where USA is a partner to provide technology and knowhow so that India starts manufacturing modern fighter aircraft in India). The 5th gen fighter aircraft is one of the key components of long-term air force planning. India needs 42 squadrons which is currently at 32. The single engine fighter jet talked about for 5 years now is yet to come up. The 5th gen aircraft seemed like a possible option however now it being on back burner so there is need to infuse traction into other sectors and platforms which are identified above. These are serious inventory issues and India has to look at its airpower holistically. Former USSR/Russian support In the evolution of India’s composite military capability, missile is one area. Brahmos is good example where India has been able to benefit from close cooperation with former USSR and now Russia. Other significant aspect is Arihant- India’s nuclear propelled SSB. The early stages of India’s programme as far as nuclear submarine design and building is concerned, at time cold war, first INS chakra was given on lease to India by USSR in 1988. No navy can move into nuclear propulsion in a hasty and unprepared manner. So it was one of the greatest contribution of Russia made in India’s strategic capability was to enable India’s entry into nuclear propulsion and sea. If India’s maritime aspirations are to be met, nuclear propulsions is kind of technology that needs to be acquired. Conclusion Around 67% of supplies come from Russia. For next 25 years, Russia is going to be dominating platform in India. And in near future, USA is going to become a significant supplier. But for now, both India and Russia feel that they need to take the level of cooperation in defence sector to a higher plane. Both sides have benefited looking in long term. Soon after end of cold war, there was considerable disarray in Russia which removed India from focus. By that time, India was already looking for other options. Russia’s ability to meet India’s expectations was below the median. This is in relation to timelines of supply of Gorshkov. The cost of platform and the timelines agreed upon were repeatedly extended. The Russian ability to provide spare maintenance and other kind of technical support that India was seeking was not as per expectations. The decision now to "upgrade and intensify" bilateral defence cooperation through joint manufacture, co-production and co-development of key military hardware and equipment will be serving a crucial phase in relationship between both countries. Connecting the dots: India and Russia have been strategic partners even before cold war era. Critically analyse the defence relation between two countries and what can be possible way forward.

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 50]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 50] Archives Q.1) The recently launched Saubhagya scheme is associated with Rural and Urban Electrification Primary Education Skill Development Micro-loans Q.2) Swiss Challenge is concerned with Black Money European Union Social Impact Assessment A process of giving contracts Q.3) Consider the following statements about Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) It was negotiated during the Doha Development Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade All domestic support measures considered to distort production and trade (with some exceptions) fall into the Amber Box Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following statements about G-33 countries. It is an Informal coalition seeking to significantly reduce fisheries subsidies It also seeks more disciplines on the use of anti-dumping measures Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Consider the following statements about ‘Kaushal Panjee’ It is connected to the Social Economic Caste Census (SECC 2011) It aims to be citizen centric end-to-end solution to aid mobilization of candidates for Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETI) and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 To Download the Solution - Solution will be uploaded tomorrow  All The Best  IASbaba

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 25th Sep, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 25th Sep 2017 Archives NATIONAL TOPIC General Studies 3: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. 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; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections Strengthening the agricultural sector Background: Last month, the NITI Aayog released the Three-Year Action Agenda (TYAA) for the government, a roadmap for reforming the various sectors of the economy. Its agenda for the agriculture sector, and how best it can rescue the sector has been discussed in this article. The TYAA: It talks of action pertaining to- Increasing productivity of land and water. Reforming agri-markets on the lines of e-NAM, Reforming tenancy laws. Relief measures during natural disasters. The recommendations are good and have been suggested by earlier committees like the High Level Committee (HLC) on Management of Foodgrains and Restructuring FCI (headed by Shanta Kumar), the Task Force on Agriculture headed by the Vice-Chairman of the NITI Aayog (May 2016), the four volumes (out of 14) of the Committee on Doubling of Farmers’ Income etc. The government, thus, has ample reference points for reforming the food and agriculture sector. Issue: The TYAA, however, does not prioritise policy actions, nor does it talk about the role of trade policy in agriculture, or reforming the massive system of food and fertiliser subsidies. 5-Point action plan based on priority: First, the government needs to improve the profitability of cultivation by “getting markets right”. Second, it needs to invest in water to fulfil its slogan of “har khet ko pani” and “more crop per drop”. Third, should be providing Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of food and fertiliser subsidies to the accounts of targeted beneficiaries, which can release resources for investments. Fourth it should ensure that the new Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) delivers compensation to farmers in time. Finally, it should free up land lease markets. Let us elaborate on these points a bit. Ensuring profitability of cultivation: Issue: The policy of minimum support prices (MSPs) has not improved profitability of cultivation. In fact, farmers’ returns have gone down in the case of most crops. The situation is worse for producers of basic vegetables like potatoes, onions and tomatoes. Prices of these crops during harvest time plunged to about Rs 2 per kg in the last season while the consumers were still paying Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg. Attempts to reform the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) markets on the lines of the model act of 2003, and now through the Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Act, 2017, have not achieved much success. AMUL model: India has shown in the case of milk, through Operation Flood — a la the AMUL model — that farmers can get 70-80 per cent of the price paid by consumers. We can have “Operation Veggies” on similar lines. A beginning can be made with at least onions, potatoes and tomatoes. That would require buying directly from farmers’ groups (FPOs), setting up logistics from grading, storage to movement, and linking them to organised retail (including e-retail), large processors and exporters. The government must commit enough resources as it did for Operation Flood and also change certain laws, including the Essential Commodities Act (ECA). Issue: The e-NAM scheme, which is supposed to create an all India market, in order to ensure better prices to farmers, has not succeeded in its endeavour so far. Software is still being installed in mandis to enable them to switch auctions from the shouting platform to the electronic ones. Inter-mandi and inter-state transactions are very rare. Solution: An easier way to improve farmers’ profitability is to open up exports of all agri-products, without any restrictions, and allowing private trade to build global value chains, keeping the ECA in abeyance. This would require a change from the current pro-consumer approach to one that is focussed on farmers. Issue of investments: Especially in water. The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana is mandated to complete 99 irrigation projects by 2019, which will bring 76 lakh ha additional area under irrigation. NABARD, with Rs 40,000 crore as Long-Term Irrigation Fund, is to help states in completing these projects. It would be a commendable achievement for the government if it can complete these projects as planned. But open canal systems with flood irrigation don’t give high water-use efficiency. Solution: According higher priority to micro-irrigation (drip and sprinklers) to achieve the objective of “more crop per drop”. Israel and the US could be good examples to follow: Israel has the highest proportion (99 per cent) of its irrigated area under micro-irrigation while the US has largest absolute area (15 m ha) under micro-irrigation. Pic credits: A sketchy roadmap http://images.indianexpress.com/2017/09/chart-roadmap-759.jpg Providing DBT of food and fertiliser subsidies. A report estimates that Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 crores can be saved each year, which can be invested in water resources and upgrading marketing infrastructure. Ensuring that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) delivers. Currently, several states don’t pay premium in time, don’t conduct crop cutting experiments, and as a result, farmers suffer long delays in getting any compensation. These lacunae can be fixed through modern technology and better governance, provided there is a champion in the government to deliver. Free up land lease markets for long periods. China allows land lease for 30 years so that corporate bodies can work with farmers, bringing in their best expertise, inputs and investments. Connecting the dots: For reforming agricultural sector, India needs an action plan based on priority. Ensuring profitability of cultivation should be at utmost priority. Discuss. 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. Structural reforms and not fiscal stimulus is what Indian economy requires Background: The government of India is working on a plan to revive the economy after growth slipped to a modest rate of 5.7% in the first quarter of the current fiscal compared with 7.9% in the same quarter last year. Media reports suggest that it is mulling a fiscal stimulus to boost growth, which could increase the fiscal deficit. The idea is that in the absence of sufficient investment demand from the private sector, higher government expenditure will help boost gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Providing fiscal stimulus- Not a good option: There are sound economic reasons why the government should adhere to its fiscal commitments. The deceleration in growth is partly being explained by the lingering impact of demonetisation and destocking before the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST). The impact will peter out and output affected by these events doesn’t need fiscal support. Opening the fiscal tap at the moment would mean that crucial reforms in areas such as improving the ease of doing business might get postponed. There is no guarantee that expanding the deficit will take India to a higher sustainable growth path. In fact, the economy already has a fair amount of fiscal support with the combined fiscal deficit running in excess of 6% of GDP. Expanding the deficit by another half a percentage point, for instance, is unlikely to change things materially on the ground. Furthermore, the government has exhausted over 90% of the estimated fiscal deficit for the year in the first four months, but it has not resulted in the desired level of growth. All this shows that increasing government spending may not be sufficient to boost growth in a sustainable manner. Expanding the deficit can complicate policy choices for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It can affect RBI’s target of keeping inflation around 4% on a durable basis. If the government decides to expand the deficit in the current year, a reversal will be unlikely in the next fiscal, as it will end close to the general election. This means that the deficit will remain elevated for a considerable period and would affect investor sentiment. It is in India’s own interest to keep its house in order and minimize risk from external shocks. Interventions that go beyond stimulus are required: Economic growth has slowed considerably and the economy needs policy intervention that goes beyond running a bigger deficit. What the economy needs is deeper and broader structural reforms that will help attain sustainable higher growth in the medium to long run. Proper implementation of big-ticket reforms like GST and the bankruptcy code. Factor markets such as for land and labour, and public sector banks need immediate attention. On the fiscal front, government should address all the issues in the functioning of GST. If revenue gets affected because of operational issues, fiscal management will become extremely difficult. Higher tax revenue from GST will help push public expenditure. The government should also aggressively pursue disinvestment and privatization, which will help augment resources. Conclusion: Irrespective of the slowdown, the Indian economy needs higher public investment, but it need not come at the cost of fiscal discipline. Connecting the dots: The India economy is not performing well as suggested by GDP growth data. In this light the government is planning to provide fiscal stimulus. Discuss the rationale behind. Also, critically analyze how the need of the hour is structural reforms and not fiscal stimulus. MUST READ Turn the economic ship around The Hindu A fight against prejudice The Hindu Afghan overture The Hindu Recognizing alzheimers The Hindu A blinkered justice Indian Express Be with Warren Buffet not against him Livemint Making the most of industrial policy Livemint Banks need a stiff dose of competition Business Line  

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 49]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 49] Archives Q.1) OSIRIS-Rex is a NASA study and sample return mission of which of the following asteroid? Florence Bennu Ceres Phobos & Deimos Q.2) Consider the following statements about Meitei script Meitei language belongs to the Tibeto-Burmese branch of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages It is currently classified as a vulnerable language by UNESCO It is also called as Manipuri script Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.3) Consider the following statements about Kattunayakka’ They are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) They are inhabitants of the Western Ghats They are also called as Cholanaickan and Pathinaickans Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.4) ‘Neela Kurinji’ is found in Tropical montane forests of Western Ghats Andaman Islands Tropical rain forests of northeast Maikal Hills Q.5) Which one of the following books of ancient India has the love story of the son of the founder of Sunga dynasty? Swapnavasavadatta Malavikagnimitra Meghadoota Ratnavati To Download the Solution - Click Here All The Best  IASbaba

PIB

IASbaba PIB Weekly : Press Information Bureau - 17th Sep to 23rd Sep, 2017

IASbaba PIB Weekly: Press Information Bureau - 17th Sep to 23rd Sep, 2017 ARCHIVES GS-2 Pension Adalat (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) Objective: Bringing on a common table the aggrieved pensioner, the concerned department, the bank or CGHS representative, wherever relevant, so that such cases can be settled across the table within the framework of extant rules Awarded the Pensioners for their outstanding contribution towards ‘Anubhav’ – a platform for retiring employees for sharing their experience of working with Government Moving ahead from e-governance to m-governance, a Mobile App has been created to avail the services of Pensioners’ Portal First National Conference on Mission Mode to address Under-Nutrition (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) Goal: “Malnutrition Free India-2022” Organized by: Ministry of Women & Child Development in collaboration with Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Aim: Bringing convergence at District/Block levels of the three key Departments (Health & Family Welfare, ICDS/Social Welfare and Drinking Water and Sanitation) wherein a roadmap would be drawn to evolve an appropriate strategy in tackling the problem of stunting, under-nutrition and wasting comprehensively and conclusively Ministry of Women and Child Development has identified 113 districts across the States/UTs based on the composite index of NITI Ayong and prevelance of stunting from NFHS-4 data. At least one district has been selected from each State/UTs so that the action taken in the selected district can be emulated in the other districts The District Magistrates/District Collectors/Deputy Commissioners in these 113 high burden districts, through a dashboard, will regularly monitor and review the schemes covering the aspects of nutrition across the line departments within their jurisdiction at least once in a three month period. Such a review and monitoring at district level would be done in an exclusive and dedicated manner (between 1st to 10th of January, April, July and October every year) to address implementation of schemes having a direct bearing on nutrition and Health. States being awarded for showing good progress in the area of reduction in stunting as measured between NFHS-3 and NFHS-4 – Chattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat Important steps taken by the WCD Ministry for a multipronged strategy to manage malnutrition – Training ICDS functionaries Developing a curriculum for ECCE Food fortification guidelines Development of a world class software ‘ICDS-CAS’ for real time monitoring of nutrition related parameters in 8 States – this system is one of its kind in the world and 60,000 Anganwadis have already been given tablets to report growth parameters on a daily basis with the help of this system Malnutrition: The problem of malnutrition is inter-generational and is dependent on multiple factors which inter-alia, include – Proper Infant & Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices Immunization Institutional Delivery Early Childhood Development Food Fortification Deworming Access to safe drinking water & proper sanitation (WASH) Dietary diversification Full ANC checkup Early initiation of breast feeding ICT enabled real time monitoring and implementation of Anganwadi Services Improving infrastructure of Anganwadi Centres along with training of Anganwadi workers and other related factors Revamped Khelo India Programme (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) Marks a watershed moment in the history of Indian sports, as the Programme aims at mainstreaming sport as a tool for individual development, community development, economic development and national development The revamped Khelo India Programme would impact the entire sports ecosystem, including infrastructure, community sports, talent identification, coaching for excellence, competition structure and sports economy Salient features: An unprecedented Pan Indian Sports Scholarship scheme, which would cover 1,000 most talented young athletes each year across select sports disciplines. Each athlete selected under the scheme shall receive an annual scholarship worth Rs. 5.00 lakh for 8 consecutive years. This is the first time ever that a long-term athlete development pathway would be made available to gifted and talented youngsters to excel in competitive sports and will create a pool of highly competitive athletes who can compete to win at the world stage. The Programme aims to promote 20 universities across the country as hubs of sporting excellence, which would enable talented sports persons to pursue the dual pathway of education and competitive sports. The Programme also aims at creating an active population with healthy life-style. The Programme would cover about 200 million children in the age group of 10-18 under a massive national physical fitness drive, which will not only measure the physical fitness of all children in the age group, but also support their fitness related activities. Impact: The power of sport in promoting gender equity and social inclusiveness is also fully recognized and special measures are provided for to achieve these objectives. The programme also aims at engaging youth living in disturbed and deprived areas, in sporting activities, to wean them away from unproductive and disruptive activities and mainstream them in the nation-building process. The programme strives to raise the standards of competition, both at school and college level, to have maximum access to organized sports competitions. It also includes the use of latest user-friendly technology in all aspects of sports promotion such as, use of mobile apps for dissemination of sports training; National Sports Talent Search portal for talent identification; interactive website for indigenous sports; GIS based information system for locating and using sports infrastructure, etc. This programme strives to promote “Sports for All” as well as “Sports for Excellence.” GS-3 New PPP Policy to promote private investments in affordable housing (Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment) New Policy Allows extending central assistance of up to Rs.2.50 lakh per each house to be built by private builders even on private lands besides opening up immense potential for private investments in affordable housing projects on government lands in urban areas Gives eight PPP (Public Private Partnership) options for private sector to invest in affordable housing segment Seeks to assign risks among the government, developers and financial institutions, to those who can manage them the best besides leveraging under-utilized and un-utilized private and public lands towards meeting the Housing for All target by 2022 The six models using government lands are: DBT Model: Under this option, private builders can design, build and transfer houses built on government lands to public authorities. Government land is to be allocated based on the least cost of construction. Payments to builders will be made by the public authority based on progress of project as per agreed upon milestones and buyers will pay to the Government. Mixed Development Cross –subsidized Housing: Government land to be allotted based on number of affordable houses to be built on the plot offered to private builders, cross subsidizing this segment from revenues from high end house building or commercial development. Annuity Based Subsidized Housing: Builders will invest against deferred annuity payments by the Government. Land allocation to builders is based on unit cost of construction. Annuity-cum-Capital Grant Based Affordable Housing: Besides annuity payments, builders could be paid a share of project cost as upfront payment. Direct Relationship Ownership Housing: As against government mediated payments to builders and transfer of houses to beneficiaries in the above four models, under this option, promoters will directly deal with buyers and recover costs. Allocation of public land is based on unit cost of construction. Direct Relationship Rental Housing:  Recovery of the costs by builders is through rental incomes from the houses built on government lands. Under these six Government land based PPP models, beneficiaries can avail central assistance of Rs.1.00 to Rs.2.50 lakh per house as provisioned under different components of PMAY (Urban). Beneficiaries will be identified as per the norms of PMAY (Urban). NITI Aayog and IRF Geneva signs Statement of Intent (SoI) to cooperate in the field of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) (Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.) Objective of the SoI: Create a national platform, involving all relevant Government of India stakeholders, Indian and foreign companies active in the sector, and relevant technical experts for the purpose of developing a National ITS Policy covering: Traffic Management, Parking Management, Electronic Enforcement of Traffic Rules and Regulations, Fleet Management and Monitoring, Innovation in the field of ITS, and Education in the field of ITS Objectives of this national ITS Policy: Contribute to reducing urban traffic congestion Improving the situation around parking of vehicles in cities, improving road safety, and improving the security of passenger and goods traffic DBT announces three High-investment, High Outcome Thrusts for the North East Region (Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights) The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under the Ministry of Science & Technology,  has taken many steps to brings about a paradigm shift in biotechnology in the country’s North-East Region (NER). Eyeing an inclusive growth, DBT has announced a series of new programs and missions to turn this into a reality. DBT has established a dedicated ‘North Eastern Region Biotechnology Programme Management Cell (NER-BPMC)’, with an annual investment of Rs. 180 crores, to evolve, implement and foster biotechnology research in the north east states. Phyto-Pharma Plant Mission: Aimed at conservation and cultivation of endangered and threatened endemic medicinal plants Discovery of new botanical drugs for unmet medical needs using the rich traditional ethno-botanical knowledge and biodiversity of these states Improve availability of authentic and quality botanical raw material on sustainable basis for a boom in the phyto-pharmaceutical industry Enable farmers from NE states and phyto-pharmaceutical industry to become global leaders in production and export of some quality botanical drugs for unmet medical needs. Brahmaputra Biodiversity and Biology Boat (B4) Location: On the Brahmaputra River, a major ecology hotspot, in NER Establish a large barge on the river with a well-equipped laboratory for analysis of all components of the entire ecosystem of the river and surroundings and link to all the local research institutions along the river, as well as national and international laboratories. B4 will have capability to analyse soil, water, environment, plant and animal life, human health and agriculture and an  equal component that involves local citizens in the experimental process of science in data generation and management. B4 will also have a teaching laboratory for school/college children, and have mobile satellite boat labs which will run along the tributaries of Brahmaputra to feed in data to the main B4. Read more: Link   India to conduct the First ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise- 2017 (Topic: Disaster and disaster management) The First ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise- 2017’ (BIMSTEC DMEx-2017) will be conducted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as the lead agency from October 10-13, 2017 in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). Objectives: Testing the region’s preparedness and resilience towards effective activation of inter-Governmental interaction/dialogue/agreements for immediate deployment of regional resources for disaster response Create synergy and synchronize efforts to institutionalize regional cooperation among the member countries Strengthen the effective utilization of the Search & Rescue Teams for Disaster Relief & Emergency Response, including Emergency Rapid Assessment Teams and Management of mass casualties especially in situations involving breakdown of infrastructure and communication. ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC) –Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand Home to around 1.5 billion people Constitutes around 22% of the global population with a combined GDP of US $2.7 trillion economy Majority of the BIMSTEC countries are situated in the South Asian Region (SAR), prone to natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes, avalanches and drought. New Intelligence Set-up of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) (Topic: Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism) SSB – Declared as the Lead Intelligence Agency (LIA) for both the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders Well-knit intelligence network of the highest capabilities: Prime requirement of comprehensive Border Management as the operations of SSB have to be Intelligence based so as to prevent criminals and smugglers from taking advantage of the friendly borders with Nepal and Bhutan. Please Note: Badminton Player P.V. Sindhu won Korea Open Super Series title. In Gujarat – Sardar Sarovar Dam Statue of Unity, an iconic structure dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, at Sadhu Bet National Tribal Freedom Fighters' Museum (upcoming) "Izzat Ghar" – Initiative of naming the toilet to mark its importance Sweet Revolution – Denotes honey production First woman to head any CAPF – Smt. Archana Ramasundaram The highest battlefield in the world – Siachen Operation Sadbhavana – The Sadbhavana tour is organised by the 109 Infantry Brigade of the Indian Army with an aim to develop trust among and reignite the minds of youth towards national integration. Project Yash Vidya: The University will award Diploma in Self-Empowerment and a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts or Commerce under the project enabling the soldier with academic qualifications for better future. Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Gram Sankul Pariyojana: Will experiment and endeavor to formulate and implement appropriate S&T Interventions for Sustainable Development through cluster approach in Uttarakhand Kazakhstan – Strategically located between Europe and Asia Rich in mineral resources, such as uranium, oil and natural gas Largest partner of India in the region – one of the first countries with which India launched civil nuclear cooperation through a uranium purchase contract India-Kazakhstan Inter-governmental Commission established in 1993 is the apex bilateral institutional mechanism for developing trade, economic, scientific, technical, industrial and cultural cooperation between the two countries Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi First musician to be awarded Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour First Indian musician to have performed at the United Nations General Assembly First Indian musician to be conferred with the Ramon Magsaysay award for public service She was called the ‘Nightingale of India’ by Sarojini Naidu and “Tapaswini” by Lata Mangeshkar She performed at the Edinburg International Festival and for Queen Elizabeth-II at the Royal Albert Hall, London Deendayal Hastkala Sankul: The Finance Minister in the Budget 2014-15 had announced setting up of a Trade Facilitation Centre and a Crafts Museum to develop and promote handlooms, handicrafts and silk products of Varanasi and to provide necessary help to weavers, artisans and entrepreneurs of Varanasi in strengthening their marketing activities in domestic as well as international markets and in carrying forward the rich tradition of handlooms at Varanasi. (Link: https://twitter.com/smritiirani/status/911205768879149056/photo/1) TRIFED – Promotes tribal art and craft for the benefit of tribal artisans of the country under the scheme “Institutional Support for Development & Marketing of tribal products/produce” – The tribal population of the country, as per 2011 census, is around 10.43 crore, constituting 8.6% of the total population, 89.97% of them live in rural areas and 10.03% in urban areas. Thus, there exists a vast potential for harnessing the supply of tribal handicraft products from the 705 Scheduled Tribes ethnic groups of 30 States/UTs in 590 districts across the country. SATH- Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital – Joint initiative of Government of Assam and NITI Aayog, which aims to provide structured support to Assam in identifying key health priorities and implement the solutions towards transforming the health and improving the well-being of people of Assam. Revise – Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana Soil Health Card scheme Neem Coated Urea e- NAM National Food Security Mission (NSFM) National Horticulture Mission (NHM) Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) Special Industry Initiative for J&K (Sll J&K)- Udaan

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 23rd Sep, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 23rd Sep 2017 Archives ENVIRONMENT TOPIC: General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Keeping our planet safe for future Background: The population of vertebrate species on Earth in the wild saw a dramatic fall of about 30% between 1970 and 2006, with the worst effects being in the tropics and in freshwater ecosystems. Destruction of species’ habitats by pollutants and land-use change are obliterating flora and fauna at unprecedented rates. The ecological footprint of humanity — the natural habitats, such as water and land, transformed or destroyed as a result of human activity — far exceeds the biological capacity of the earth. Planetary boundaries: In an attempt to understand the natural world, its relationships with human societies and limits, in 2009, Johan Rockström and others from the Stockholm Environment Institute described elements of the biophysical world that link us together. Often regarded as a “safe operating space for humanity”, these planetary boundaries include loss of biodiversity, land-use change, changes to nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, ocean acidification, atmospheric aerosols loading, ozone depletion, chemical production, freshwater use and, of course, climate change. In the course of 12,000 or so years after the last ice age, the Holocene epoch has offered a stable climate, a period of grace for humanity to grow and to flourish, with settlements, agriculture and, more recently, economic and population expansion. This epoch has since given way to the Anthropocene, the exact beginnings of which are debated, but which has led to over-reliance on fossil fuels, industrial agriculture, pollution in water, soils and air, loss of species and so on, which are devastating for many life forms and connected ecosystems throughout the planet. Biophysical considerations: Many of these conditions respond in a non-linear manner to changes. This means, for instance, that ecosystems that are stressed by their exposure to pollutants may not recover once the pollutants are removed. Or, some systems may collapse precipitously under conditions referred to as thresholds. What does crossing ecological threshold mean? When ecological thresholds or tipping points are crossed, significant large-scale changes may occur, such as breakdown of glaciers in Greenland and the Antarctica, the dieback of rainforests in the Amazon, or failure of the Indian monsoons. Since these boundaries interact with one another and cause changes across scales, crossing a threshold in one domain can speed up or undermine processes in another subsystem. For instance, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increase ocean acidification, land-use change often increases GHG emissions, and increasing nitrogen and phosphorus deplete species biodiversity and freshwater resources and increase warming from climate change. Boundaries and limits: We are already at critical levels of concern for climate change, fresh water, species biodiversity and changes to nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, which are reaching tipping points. For example, GHG emissions have led to average atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations being about 410 ppm. This is well above the 350 ppm level considered a ‘safe’ limit, and the earth is already about a degree Celsius warmer than average pre-industrial temperatures. "Carrying capacity" and "limits to growth": One may regard planetary boundaries as support systems for life on Earth or view them as expressing “carrying capacity” and defining “limits to growth”. The  thesis was published nearly half a century ago by the Club of Rome as a book in 1972. It described the situation we would find ourselves in with exponential population and economic growth. Tthe “limits to growth” argument provided a lens through which to view the changing world of the 21st century. It also offered the idea of thinking about a system as a whole — systems thinking — not just as separate parts and feedback mechanisms as valuable processes in considering long-term change. The idea of sustainability: The idea of sustainability has been embedded in the human imagination for a very long time and is expressed through our ideas of nature, society, economy, environment and future generations. It became formally a part of international agreements and discourse when it was recognised at the Earth Summit of 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. This system view and the recognition of interlinkages among the social, environmental, and economic pillars of sustainability, and between biophysical planetary boundaries and social conditions, are essential to have a chance of keeping the world safe for future generations. Conclusion: In thinking about the planetary limits, researchers and policymakers should reflect on multiple systems and the linkages among them. Step-by-step or transformative changes must be considered to keep the planet safe for the future. Connecting the dots: The ecological footprint of humanity far exceeds the biological capacity of the earth. Discuss. Also define the terms ecological footprint and biological capacity of earth. What changes are required to keep our planet safe for the future. NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 3: Infrastructure: Energy Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Meeting the target of power for all by 2022 requires innovative solutions Background: Two years ago, in his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to provide electricity to the 18,500 villages, which did not have electricity then, in 1,000 days. This Independence Day he highlighted that more than 14,000 have been electrified since then. While 99.5 per cent of our villages are deemed electrified, a fifth of the country’s population still awaits an electricity connection and many more suffer due to poor power supply. Hence, the government has moved beyond village electrification to 24×7 power for all by 2022. Issue: The central government has set out this ambitious goal by focusing on household electrification and reliable power supply. As per the Ministry of Power statistics, 43 million Indian households are yet to be electrified. India will take nearly 20 years to electrify the existing unelectrified households if it continues with the current rate of household electrification, about 2 lakh households per month. In order to achieve the target by 2022, we need to increase the rate of household electrification by at least four times. However, even if we manage to achieve the feat, providing 24×7 electricity will remain a problem. ACCESS Survey: In 2015, the Council on Energy, Environment and Water in collaboration with Columbia University conducted the largest energy access survey of its kind in India, ACCESS, covering 714 villages in six major rural electrification deprived states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. The study showed that an electricity connection does not guarantee electricity access. Fifty per cent of the electrified rural households across these six states did not receive even 12 hours of supply in a day. The situation was much worse in UP, Bihar and Jharkhand, with three-quarters of electrified households receiving less than 12 hours of supply in a day. Similarly, during evening hours, particularly important for basic lighting needs, half of the electrified households received less than three hours of supply. A third of electrified households in these states still rely on kerosene as their primary source of lighting. Reliability and voltage instability are also major challenges. Reason behind: A majority of above mentioned challenges pertain to the operations and performance of state electricity distribution companies. Challenges in infrastructure planning, deployment, as well as maintenance lead to unreliable and poor supply at the local level. Thirty per cent of the rural electrified households in the six states did not have electricity supply for 24 hours on more than four days a month. This indicates a frequent breakdown of the infrastructure as well as delays in repairing them. Only about half the electrified households in the six states had a metered connection, with the situation much worse in UP that had only 15 per cent metered connections. Unmetered connections with flat fees provide no incentive for households to be judicious about energy consumption, discouraging distribution companies to supply reliable power. DISCOMs in these states often struggle with limited or non-performing staff to effectively operate and maintain services in rural areas. A fourth of the metered households either received either a fixed bill or no bill at all, indicating that DISCOMs did not have the capacity to read meters and generate bills regularly. Electricity theft and payment defaults pose further challenges for the DISCOMs. Innovative solutions: We need innovative solutions to address the electricity access challenges posed by rural India. Village-level entrepreneurs could be contracted to operate and maintain the local distribution while generating bills and collecting revenues from the customers. Banking on community relationships, these entrepreneurs could improve compliance on payments as well as curb stealing of power. Recruiting and training local youth could help address maintenance issues. This will also help in creating more skilled jobs and entrepreneurs in rural areas. Pre-paid and smart metering systems are other ways to encourage payments. Such solutions need to be piloted and tested. Conclusion: As the government races to meet the 2022 target, it must also focus on designing robust and innovative tools to measure and monitor the progress on a multi-dimensional level, rather than just counting the number of connections. A new India should also embrace a new electricity system, built on the smart technologies and decentralised approaches offering resilience, flexibility, and above all, inclusiveness. Connecting the dots: The Power for all by 2022 target would require robust and innovative tools to measure and monitor the progress on a multi-dimensional level, rather than just counting the number of connections. Discuss. MUST READ Hopes and fears The Hindu From ocean to ozone The Hindu Tax trauma The Hindu A few sacks of rice Indian Express  

Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – Enlightened Living – Inspirational & Educative Articles

Enlightened Living: Most of us have hardly scratched the surface of life. The immense possibility of life is yet to be explored. We are still very primitive in our understanding of life. This is being proven again and again when we come up with new inventions and discoveries every 10 years or so. Picture this. How different has the last 5 years been compared to the rest of your life? How much you had to change and adapt to what is happening around you? How much of learning, unlearning and relearning you had to go through in the last five years just to be in tune with what is happening around you. Life is changing. Well, it is no secret. The whole game of life is change. If it isn’t changing, it isn’t life. There is a beautiful and wonderful understanding that can help us to handle this constant change of life. There is a way to explore and experience life to the fullest. There is a path that leads to an enlightened way of life. There is knowledge, wisdom and understanding that has stood the test of time and has remained unchanged. A human being is like an ocean. All our troubles and disturbances are only on the surface. The moment we learn to move into the depths of our being. We can experience a sense of calmness and peace like no other. Learning to live is really learning how to get to the center of our being. Enlightened living is all about making a conscious effort to learn and understand life. When we decide to observe our lives from within we begin to see life from a completely different perspective. We begin to acquire intelligence and intuition that can effortlessly guide us along the path of life. First you have to really believe that such a life illuminating knowledge exists. Maybe, you have been too busy and pre-occupied with life to search for it. You have been so busy trying to make a living; you have completely missed this stream of knowledge that has been transforming lives since the beginning of time. Enlightened Living is about being. Learning the art of being is the most important skill we need now. Everybody out there is teaching us how to become. What we really need is how to be. If we can learn how to be, then we can learn how to live. The whole essence of life is in being. If we cannot learn to be, we cannot learn to become. Enlightened Living is a way of life filled with conscious choices and actions. When we start practicing how to be here and now, we begin to acquire the necessary wisdom and strength to handle daily challenges of life. When we fill each and every moment of our lives with conscious action, we begin our journey on a path of enlightened living. “The articles are a copyright of The Ahamo Movement and IASBABA.”  

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