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IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 11th Aug, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 11th Aug 2017 Archives ENVIRONMENT TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Introduction: A new regulatory regime for groundwater, that provides for equitable use, is urgently needed. The water crisis India faces is of such a magnitude that urgent measures are necessary to address it. Yet, while the crisis is often discussed, law and policy measures to address it remain insufficient. Issues: Water tables have been falling rapidly in many parts of the country, indicating that use generally exceeds replenishment. Over the past decade, the situation has become increasingly dire not only in States where water tables are falling but also in those that are less affected by quantity concerns. Indeed, the quality of the water pumped is increasingly becoming cause for concern; thus the worry is about accessing a sufficient amount of groundwater that is not harmful to health. One of the underlying reasons for excessive use of groundwater is the legal framework governing access to the resource. Access to a source of groundwater has progressively become a source of power and economic gain. The latter has become increasingly visible in recent decades with the propagation of mechanical pumps, which allows big landowners to sell water to others. The primary source of domestic water and irrigation is groundwater but the media and policymakers still and often focus on surface water. An inadequate framework: The present legal regime has clearly failed to address the growing multiple crises of groundwater. This has been officially recognised since at least the beginning of this decade, first in the Planning Commission and more recently by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation. Inadequacies: It focused on adding some State-level control over new, additional uses of groundwater but did not address the iniquitous regime giving landowners unlimited control over groundwater. This was only taken up by around a dozen States from the late 1990s onwards. The States that now have groundwater legislation based on the model Bill conceptualised in 1970 have on the whole failed to manage to address the problem of falling water tables due to increasing use. In addition, there is no provision in the existing legal regime to protect and conserve groundwater at the aquifer level. Further, since the legal regime fails to give gram sabhas and panchayats a prevailing say in the regulation of what is essentially a local resource, the present framework remains mostly top-down and is incapable of addressing local situations adequately. Proposed new regime: The Groundwater Bill, 2017: The Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Bill, 2017 is based on current understandings of groundwater and its links with surface water and on the legal framework as it has evolved since the 19th century. Key provisions: It proposes a different regulatory framework from the century-old, outdated, inequitable and environmentally unfriendly legal regime in place. It is based on the recognition of the unitary nature of water, the need for decentralised control over groundwater and the necessity to protect it at aquifer level. The Bill is also based on legal developments that have taken place in the past few decades. This includes the recognition that water is a public trust (in line with the oft-quoted statement that groundwater is a common pool resource), the recognition of the fundamental right to water and the introduction of protection principles, including the precautionary principle, that are currently absent from water legislation. The Bill also builds on the decentralisation mandate that is already enshrined in general legislation but has not been implemented effectively as far as groundwater is concerned and seeks to give regulatory control over groundwater to local users. Way forward: A new regulatory regime for the source of water that provides domestic water to around four-fifths of the population and the overwhelming majority of irrigation is urgently needed. Overall, the increasing crisis of groundwater and the failure of the existing legal regime make it imperative to entrust people directly dependent on the source of water the mandate to use it wisely and to protect it for their own benefit, as well as for future generations. Conclusion: For decades, policymakers behaved like the proverbial ostrich because the ‘invisibility’ of falling groundwater tables made it possible not to address the problem immediately. In many places, the situation is now so grave that regulatory action is unavoidable. The proposed new regime will benefit the resource, for instance through the introduction of groundwater security plans, and will benefit the overwhelming majority of people through local decision-making. Connecting the dots: The water crisis India faces is of such a magnitude that urgent measures are necessary to address it. Yet, while the crisis is often discussed, law and policy measures to address it remain insufficient. Discuss. Discuss the provisions under The Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Bill, 2017 and elaborate how the proposed regime is much better over the older framework which had many inadequacies. NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2 Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act. Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. In news: Democracy has metamorphosed into complex systems of representative politics. The basic norm for any democratic polity is the impartial and free exercise of “consent” or choice. The recent event in Gujarat raises significant questions in this respect. What happened? The Election Commission reently invalidated two votes cast against a congress candidate in Rajya Sabha. The controversy ensued when the two electors from the Congress cast their ballots for a BJP candidate and saw the same to Amit Shah. While the incident brings issues ranging from the scourge of horse-trading to the operation of the anti-defection law, the power and role of the EC, NOTA, secrecy of the ballot etc. We will be discussing the Rules: As per the Conduct of Election Rules 1961, the procedure laid down for the Rajya Sabha elections calls for a ballot-in-secret. Secrecy under Rule 39A mandates that the elector cannot declare his ballot to anyone; any deviation results in the invalidation of the ballot by the presiding officer. But Rule 39A seems to be amiss of the grundnorm of a secret ballot. Need to maintain secrecy: Secrecy aims to protect the vote as it affords the right to the voter to keep silent over the choice of candidate. All electoral polling, either for the presidency, vice-presidency, Parliament, or state assemblies, is in essence a secret ballot. Two means of executing secrecy: The rights-based measure- The rights-based measure provides the voter the right to keep his vote a secret. Such a right creates a correlative duty on the election authorities to afford voting facilities and procedures that do not disclose the vote. But the voter can choose to not opt for secrecy. The voter is given legal anonymity for the vote he casts, but he may choose to claim authorship over the same. The duty-based measure- On the other hand, the duty-based measure imposes secrecy as a statutory duty not only on the election authorities but also on the voter. The voter even by his consent cannot declare his choice; doing so would invalidate his vote. Rule 39A creates secrecy in the nature of a duty-based measure. Issue: A duty-based secrecy creates pragmatic absurdities that weaken electoral practice. An argument for the mandatory non-disclosure of the vote presses upon the need that the voter should not be given an option to declare his vote because the flexibility would allow others to pressure him informally into declaring his choice. Prima facie the argument lends credence, however Rule 39AA of the Conduct of Election Rules defeats this purpose. Curtailing voluntary declaration- Makes little sense: Rule 39AA mandates that an elector belonging to a political party must declare his vote to the party agent, if the political party has issued a whip regarding the vote. Refusing to do so is a violation of the election procedure and the vote stands invalidated. Essentially, all non-independent electors would have to disclose their choice in a secret ballot. Rule 39AA creates a party hegemony that assails the democratic consent of the elector. This allows for internal voter intimidation by parties. In such a case, it makes little sense to curtail the voluntary declaration outside the immediate party affiliation; rather it can be argued that a universal declaration eases political pressure that an elector might face. Rule 39A applies only while the election process is underway. There is nothing in the Conduct of Election Rules or the Representation of People’s Act which prohibits a voter from declaring his vote after the process is completed. This scheme lacks procedural merit because it cannot control the behaviour of the elector outside the ballot box. Therefore, the scheme of duty-based secrecy fails. Conclusion: Ballot secrecy should be guided by the principle of “consent” or choice; the means to adopt should be the rights-based measure. We may continue to apply the statutes and rules. But law is also a process which evolves with democratic values and electoral practicality. Connecting the dots: Recent incident in Gujarat Rajya Sabha has raise question over rules on secrecy ballot in the Rajya Sabha. Discuss the issues and the way forward. MUST READ It's time to focus on the toxic air we breathe The Hindu Towards a clean-up The Hindu Failing India's children The Hindu A strange hybrid Indian Express Do not touch Indian Express Scientific distemper Indian Express Taking stock of 25 yrs of economic reforms Livemint Does India need bullet trains? Business Line  

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 10th Aug, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 10th Aug 2017 Archives NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes Preventing sexual harassment of women ant workplace Background: Former Uber chief executive officer Travis Kalanick’s recent fall from grace has brought the issue of workplace sexual harassment to the fore. It is an important issue that deserves more than the intermittent attention it receives when high-profile cases are in the news. In Indian context: Currently, the state’s response to workplace sexual harassment in India rests on two pillars. The first is guidelines issued by the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in 2012. These guidelines mandate that listed companies must file a Business Responsibility Report annually that lists details of the sexual harassment complaints the company has received. The second is the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. The Supreme Court-issued Vishaka Guidelines in 1997 that outlined procedural guidelines to be followed by establishments where a case of sexual harassment had occurred. In December 2013, Vishakha was superseded by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, which kept the essence of the Guidelines and added more provisions. Rise in number of harassment cases: In 2012-13, there were 63 complaints. By 2014-15, this had climbed to 450. 2015-16 saw 525 complaints—and the latest figures for 2016-17 from top companies like Infosys and Wipro show that the number of complaints has risen yet again. The sharp rise in the number of complaints indicates that cases that would have been overlooked earlier are now being reported. Issues: With the Act: The Act does not satisfactorily address accountability. Notably, it does not specify who is in charge of ensuring that workplaces comply with the Act, and who can be held responsible if its provisions are not followed. The Act mandates that employers must constitute a four-member internal complaint committee (ICC) in any branch or office that employs more than 10 people of any gender. However, 36% of Indian companies and 25% of multinational companies had not yet constituted their ICCs as per a recent study. The ICC must include a member of a non-governmental organization working for women’s cause. It may not always be easy due to a paucity of such organizations and individuals. The Act also lays the onus for sensitizing employees to sexual harassment issues, and creating awareness of redressal mechanisms, on employers. By all accounts, this has been observed more in the breach. The failure is exacerbated by the fact that the hierarchies and power differentials inherent in any workplace make it important that employers go out of their way to create a framework wherein employees are able to lodge complaints against senior employees. A survey by the Indian National Bar Association conducted earlier this year shows that there is a long way to go. Of the 6,047 participants, 38% said they had faced harassment; 69% of them did not lodge a complaint. The Act’s provision that complainants dissatisfied with the ICC’s recommendations can approach the courts, for instance, is of little practical use in light of the sclerotic nature of the judicial process and the harassment women continue to face at the hands of the police in filing such complaints. The law imposes a penalty of upto Rs 50,000 on employers who do not implement the Act in the workplace or even fail to constitute an ICC. But, the number of employers who do not fully comply with the law indicates that there is little monitoring of their redressal machinery. With SEBI guidelines: The SEBI guidelines might work to an extent when it comes to listed companies. But those are a minuscule fraction of the employers in India. When it comes to implementation and accountability, the preponderance of small and medium enterprises—not to mention the size of the informal sector—creates a conundrum. Sexual harassment of female shop-floor workers in the garment industry is endemic, for instance. Domestic and construction workers are also often targeted. They have little recourse to institutionalized redressal mechanisms. Way ahead: State governments should take on the responsibility of enforcing implementation of the anti-sexual harassment act. Fundamental shifts in the economy and the functioning of the state is called for. The single-best solution to harassment is greater gender diversity at the workplace—an area where India lags conspicuously. Conclusion: Tackling workplace sexual harassment is an ethical imperative; such harassment infringes on an individual’s right to freedom of profession and occupation and undercuts the ideals of a modern democracy. And it is an economic imperative; getting and retaining more women, who are disproportionately targets of harassment, in the workforce has the potential to be a major growth driver. Connecting the dots: The issue of workplace sexual harassment has emerged into the global fore with recent stepdown of former Uber CEO. Discuss the rules for dealing with the issue in India. Is our regulatory system robust enough to ensure women are not target disproportionately. Analyze. 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 Reforming Indian Railways In news: The CAG report on the Indian Railways’ catering services has claimed that food items “unsuitable for human consumption” — adulterated food, packaged eatables and bottled products, and unsanctioned brands of bottled water were being sold at stations The audit report also noted that the Indian Railways had failed to take measures to provide the required infrastructure such as base kitchens, automatic vending machines, static catering units, etc. Moreover, it also found that the eatables being sold at railway stations were priced much higher than their open market rates. The media splashed reports thereafter of a dead lizard being found in the veg biriyani served to a passenger. The CAG also found the blankets supplied to passengers in AC compartments were filthy and the Railways were levying a surcharge for journey on “superfast” trains when these often ran late. Issues: The number of air passengers has been growing in double digits in the last five years. During financial 2016, the number of air passengers grew by 15 per cent, whereas the number of passengers in the four rail upper classes actually declined. The finding of an internal study shows that after losing passengers on short haul to bus services and long haul to air services, the railway's share of medium-haul intercity passenger traffic is also under threat. Last year, for the first time the Railways not only missed their freight carrying target, total tonnage carried actually went down, compared to the previous year. The carrier is not able to control costs and offer quality services in a competitive market. Weaknesses: The weakness of the Railways’ freight business is its over reliance on bulk commodities. At a time of industrial slowdown, shipment of bulk commodities will be sluggish. The Railways is particularly vulnerable because around half of the freight traffic comes from carrying coal and India has stopped conceiving new coal-fired power projects to addresses global warming concerns over burning of fossil fuels. What is most disturbing is the inadequacy of the administrative culture or governance. When the passenger who was served the biriyani with the lizard complained to the railway staff on board he did not get a proper response. Then when he tweeted the railway minister, several senior railways staff were waiting for him at the next big station to shower all possible attention. If this is the state of the passenger business, which is in any case loss making, how is the real revenue earner, freight traffic, faring? If anything, worse. Way ahead: Carrying coal is not an option: As pointed out by Mr. Prabhu there is no long-term future in carrying coal, the Railways should focus on things such as white goods and cars. Further, smaller cargoes have to be targeted and door to door delivery, maybe by tying up with logistics companies, undertaken. Dedicated freight corridors: The Railways hope for a turnaround pivots on a key factor — the dedicated freight corridors. These will simultaneously address both the needs of freight and passenger traffic. The freight corridors will greatly speed up the movement of freight traffic, challenging the competitiveness of road haulage. Also, with freight trains being taken off, today’s main traffic arteries will get unclogged and allow long-distance passenger trains in particular to travel much faster. The dedicated freight corridors represent moving in the right direction in terms of seeking the right kind of business and therefore ensuring future revenue flows. Slow progress: Till now only two DFCs have been sanctioned (eastern and western), four are planned (east-west, north-south, east coast and south-west) and one (Chennai-Goa) proposed. Only the first two are under construction and about a third of the total stretch will be ready by election year 2019. But the internal study says, by 2019-20, airlines will carry more passengers than upper class rail travel! Controlling costs: Political considerations have prevented timely raising of passenger fares, resulting in a loss in the passenger services which has had to be made up by raising freight rates. The loss on passengers is seen as part of the social service obligations of the Railways. A regulator has been created to recommend fare rises and thus take the politics out of pricing decisions. A study led by Bibek Debroy of NITI Aayog points out that exclusive focus on social service obligations ignores issues such as “inefficiencies in cost structures, impact of competition”. “In a competitive market where demand for transport is elastic, IR will have a limitation increasing fares.” The Railways will swim or sink depending on how well they can control costs and survive in a competitive market. Acting sensitively and tapping inherent benefits: To address the issue of poor quality food, they are making food optional so passengers can bring their own food and get a discount. On blankets, a pilot has been launched to raise minimum temperatures under air conditioning and stop supplying blankets. An appropriate reaction would have been to improve the product and thus offer greater value for money. Railway stations are mostly right in the heart of a city. A comfortable night journey with a wholesome dinner (hence no need to carry food) will enable a business traveller to save on both a hotel night and airport-city transfer. What is needed is to be able to use a clean bathroom (say at the nearby Rail Yatri Nivas) so that you can be at your first appointment in the morning rested and freshened. Such a product will be able to snatch back from airlines some long distance travellers who are happy to avoid getting up at an unearthly hour to catch an early morning flight. Conclusion: It is time the above suggested corrective actions are taken before it is too late. Indian Railways has been taking a hit on its revenues on the one hand and on the other it has been losing out to both air travel and road transport. If lax standards are not addressed urgently, the Indian Railways will soon lose all it has. Connecting the dots: Indian railways face severe challenges ranging from loss of freight traffic due to reducing need of transporting coal to the poor quality of services being provided as per the CAG report. Discuss. Also elaborate on what should be the way forward so as to revamp the transportation system. MUST READ The march from yesterday The Hindu Working on the app based model The Hindu The goods exchange The Hindu Castels in the air The Hindu Public service and the Pravasi Indian Express And the winner is Election Commission Indian Express Tryst with inequality Indian Express Technology and spatial development Livemint US wakes up to Pak sponsored terrorism Business Line  

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 22]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 22] Archives Q.1) Which of the following rivers flows through Nepal to India? Ghaghara Sharda Gandak Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above  Q.2) Consider the following statements about Treaty of Sugauli It established the boundary line of Nepal The treaty called for territorial concessions in which some of the territories controlled by Nepal would be given to British India Select the correct statements Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Sardar Sarovar Dam is a gravity dam on which of the following rivers Brahmaputra Narmada Tapti Yamuna  Q.4) Consider the following statements about Guam It is located in the Atlantic Ocean It is a sovereign Japanese territory Select the correct statements Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Consider the following statements about Securities Appellate Tribunal It is a statutory body established under Banking Regulation Act, 1949 It has only one bench that sits at Mumbai and has jurisdiction over all of India It is not be bound by the procedure laid down by the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Download The Solutions - Click here All The Best IASbaba

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 21]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 21] Archives Q.1) e-Shakti or Digitisation of SHGs is an initiative of Ministry of Women and Child Development Ministry of Science and Technology Ministry of Rural Development None of the above Q.2) Which one of the following is not a Biosphere Reserve? Agasthyamalai Nallamalai Nilgiri Panchmarhi Q.3) Consider the following statements about Logistics Data Bank (LDB) project. It is being implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle called AURIC Every container in the port facility is attached to a RFID and then tracked through RFID readers Select the correct statements Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Global Retirement Index (GRI) is published by Boston Consulting Groups Bain and Company Ernst & Young None of the above Q.5) Whcih of the following statements are the provisions of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) once it is in force? To arrest without a warrant anyone who has committed cognizable offences To enter and search any premise in order to make such arrests, or to recover any person wrongfully restrained. After giving such due warning, Fire upon or use other kinds of force even if it causes death, against the person who is acting against law. Select the code from below: 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Download The Solutions - Click here All The Best IASbaba

RSTV Video

RSTV- The Big Picture : Should India Recalibrate its China Policy?

Should India Recalibrate its China Policy? Archives TOPIC: General Studies 2 India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests Defence Minister of India’s recent retort on Chinese bullying on Doklam standoff and response from China reflects the new reality in India-China relations. The minister said that India was no longer the nation of 1962 to which China replied that it was also not the China of 1962. Bilateral and global context has completely changed from 1962 for both countries. China may be a bigger economic and military power than India but it can hardly afford a military conflict today. During the past few years, Chinese president has initiated a grand propaganda for an image makeover. China doesn’t want to be perceived as bigger, richer and more powerful North Korea. Building up of stress In 1988, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s visited China where it was decided that whatever difficult issues were there, it wouldn’t stop the development of relationship where cooperation is possible. That’s how China became India’s largest trading partner and there were common interest too like WTO and climate change. The 1988 arrangement is no longer an ‘effective tool’ with the changed situation between India and China. The stress is visible on the issues such as Masood Azhar designation as terrorists, the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) entry, Doklam dispute. The balance of power in the Asia Pacific is changing and with China’s ever increasing economic supremacy ambitions, India has to recalibrate its policy with China. Present situation The rhetoric has been high where the tensions at border of Sikkim is concerned. The level of confrontation is at the media level from the Chinese side. On the other side, India has not that much articulated its response. The Indian response has been matured and measured. This shows that Chinese are raising the ante. However, the troops mobilization on both sides has been fairly high than what was seen in 2013 and 2015. The area where the scuffle has happened has seen such kind of an incident for the first time. This place is tactically important as it virtually leads to the Indian Territory. From India’s point of view, yielding an upper hand to Chinese in that area could be catastrophic. The time has come where diplomatic maneuvers and high level talks should be held otherwise such incidents can often spiral out of control. One wrong step anywhere can lead to aggravation of situation. Earlier, all the incidents were directly related to India and China- depsang, chumban. This is the first time that there is an involvement of third party- Bhutan. The Chinese are questioning that how India is in a territory which Bhutan says is disputed and Chinese claims it as theirs. All of a sudden, Bhutan is never mentioned in the issue despite its complaint against China for building roads in disputed region and the entire issue has been made India-China issue. India wants the status quo which existed before 16th june needs to be restored where Chinese are not constructing their roads and Indian troops are not there. However the Chinese has said that India should withdraw unilaterally as it is their territory to which India has taken no action. It is all about economic supremacy Further escalation of problems or tension between two countries is the last thing both nations need from an economic point of view. Why is China escalating it? It doesn’t want its presence in Bhutan but it is trying to establish the supremacy of their economic power. China is deep into OBOR and India having said no to it has been a bruising development. So China is going upto India’s neighbours- Nepal, Bhutan and telling them to abandon India and come into their area of influence. So China is looking at who is going to hold the right of economic hegemony in Asia and correspondingly across the world. Simultaneously, India’s reaction to what is happening with China’s developments should be with what subsequent steps they are going to take. None of these developments are provocation and then quick response but a thought out one. So India has to see to what level China is willing to escalate such issue. Though China is a greater economy, India’s essentials are not dependent on it as the imports are not of critical nature. This means that if India stops its imports from China, only the price of imports may increase but not affect the Indian economy much. However, China’s economy is fully globalized. So if it loses out a big market, it can hurts its economy the most. Recalibrating China policy China wants to be a big player in South Asia along with other regions of Asia. On sovereignty, energy and economic issues, they would like to have more say in it. With regards to this, India would have to recalibrate its foreign policy by actively engaging with all the regions of Asia-Central Asia, South East Asia, West Asia and East Asia. China never wanted India to be a part of multi-lateral alliance which is perceived to be anti-China. Today, India has good relations with USA, Japan and Australia to which China sees them as a future threat in terms of establishing its global hegemony. To counter India’s relations with these countries, China has increased its presence in IOR by deploying a submarine in SL and also battleships in IOR in order to increase their influence against India. However, apart from Pakistan, no other country in the region would like to take side if tensions increase. The diktats of geography is that for Nepal, China can never be substitute of India and nor for Bhutan or Bangladesh or SL. Conclusion Rapport between two Asian leaders is very important. During times of tensions, it is important to have strategic consensus evolved between two leaders for stability of bilateral relations. China sees India as the biggest rising developing power that in the longer run could pose challenges. In the near term, China worries most about India’s cooperation with other countries, forging coalitions with other countries like Japan, Australia, and the US. There is a whole new set of issues on the trade side, world economy side in terms of RCEP and other trade agreements. Dealing with energy security and climate change together requires more creative solutions to work in future because these are the challenges for the government as these have major repercussions. Connecting the dots: India and China have observed a volatility in relations in past few years. Examine the areas of concern for India with a brief background the countries share.

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 8th Aug, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 8th Aug 2017 Archives NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes General Studies 3 Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers. Agricultural Education in India: It's time to revamp ICAR Background: As the 71st year of Independence dawns, farmers are still committing suicide by the thousands- a consequence of decades of short-sightedness, while economists and scientists are still equating food sufficiency to farmer sustainability. The occasion merits introspection on the core issues of farmers’ distress one of which is poor extension services and lack of technical education to farmers. State of Agricultural education in India: The deterioration in agriculture education is deplorable. Some state agriculture universities (SAU) are even conducting courses in fashion design. More appalling is the over 1,000 unregulated private agriculture colleges which have sprouted across the nation churning out degrees like street food. Many are without proper labs, infrastructure or farm land. As agriculture is a state subject ICAR/Central government jurisdiction doesn’t apply to these proliferating private profiteers. They thrive because states haven’t enacted a regulatory framework. The Punjab government has notified a regulatory act; other states must follow. ICAR and the states exercise authority and jointly fund SAU activities. Around 700 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) funded by the ICAR are designated for capacity building and technology refinement and transfer but are neither fully staffed nor equipped. As the Economic Survey 2015 notes, even in states where agriculture is relatively more important (as measured by their share of agriculture in state GDP), agriculture education is especially weak if measured by the number of students enrolled in agricultural universities. Issues with ICAR: The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) mandate is agriculture education, research and farm extension. It contributed during the most challenging years of food scarcity. Though that success came at an environmental cost we didn’t understand that when we were succeeding. The Green Revolution and a few small triumphs aren’t enough to justify the status quo. Far from being an autonomous body, ICAR has become an extension of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. ICAR has historically evolved with a strong bias in favour of crop sciences at the cost of animal husbandry. Yields for irrigated crops like rice and wheat are comparable with the best in the world, but research on rain-fed farms, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables lags considerably. Technology transfer or farm extension is one of the biggest disappointment. Since India became a cereal secure nation, complacency set in and public extension collapsed. The abdication by the state public extension system has allowed the private shopkeepers to usurp the role of farm advisories to disastrous consequences for farmers, human health and the ecology. Practically, state governments barely manage to fund the SAUs. To offset the constant paucity of funds, SAUs are forced to augment their resources by seeking research grants irrespective of the state’s priorities. For example, a particular state may want to focus on diversification from paddy in the kharif season, while much of the coordinated research is for the Rabi season crops. This happens because centre and state objectives differ. At ICAR, recruitments are manipulated, inbreeding and nepotism are rampant. Salary structures based on government promotion rules of time-bound promotion do not recognise research output and talent is ignored. Most farmhands are women, but women are not even recruited in equal numbers. Inter-departmental coordination is lacking within the 71 agriculture universities and the whopping 101 institutes across India. I Research is routinely stolen from ICAR institutes by private companies. Thus, IPR registrations and internal resource generation like that in the developed world universities is improbable. Way ahead: ICAR should be transformed into a truly autonomous body reporting directly to the prime minister like the Atomic Energy Commission. Its functions should be restricted to farm research, education and oversight of non-ICAR agriculture institutes. Farm extension services should be completely delegated to the state governments. Evolving consumer preferences, changing the narrative from farm to food, environmental impact, climate resilient agriculture require a reorientation of priorities and mindsets. The capacities for market intelligence and forecasting models have not been cultivated. Convergence between ICAR and state agriculture agencies has failed. If the PMO accepted the responsibility of agriculture research and education, SAU salaries would fall into the Central government basket and the KVKs could be transferred to the states. That would free up resources for states to focus exclusively on farm extension. Budget allocations for agriculture R&D must be pegged as 2 per cent of the GDP from the less than 1 per cent at present. A metric to audit outcomes and establish accountability is needed to resolve the crisis. The grounded experience of the practitioner must be given preference over the theoretical knowledge of policymakers when the decisions are made. Conclusion: In order to save the future of our farmers and permanently cure the ills of Indian agriculture, major policy interventions have to be made at the earliest. And one of the most important area which requires overhaul is the agricultural education segment. Connecting the dots: India's agricultural research systems and education system needs an overhaul on the urgent basis. The ICAR must be revamped. Discuss NATIONAL 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 Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security 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 Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate. Issues relating to poverty and hunger. Inequities in the Agreement on Agriculture at WTO In news: Unfair rules need to be challenged even if they seemingly have been democratically framed. This is exactly what India and China have done with their latest paper at the WTO on elimination of the so-called trade distorting subsidies. The countries have demanded that the developed world should give up their huge disproportionate entitlements to such sops before discussing further reforms. The India-China study report: The paper, ‘Elimination of AMS to reduce distortions in global agricultural trade’, reveals that developed countries cornered the right to a lion’s share in the total trade distorting subsidies allowed for agriculture (or amber box subsidies at the WTO), also called aggregate measure of support, worldwide. This amounts to 90 per cent of the total entitlement for such subsidies. The study shows that developed members including the US, the EU and Canada have, using the flexibility, subsidised a large number of items heavily at some point of time over the past two decades. In the US, the product-specific support was 10 per cent or more of the value of production for 30 products in at least one year during 1995-2014. The study further shows that even the latest figures of 2014 reveal that product-specific support for items such as sugar and sesame in the US was over 50 per cent, while for items such as peanuts, millet and cotton, it was 14-16 per cent. For the EU, in respect of 43 products, the product-specific support was 10 per cent or more of the value of production in at least one year during 2000-13. Canada provided product-specific support at 10 per cent of the value of production, or more, to seven products in at least one year during the period 1995-2013. Issues: Developed countries dole out several times higher subsidies to their farmers than the rest of the world. They label most of the sops as non-trade distorting (green-box subsidy at the WTO) which, supposedly, have minimal effect on world trade. Most developing countries, on the other hand, cannot risk increasing the amber box subsidies to more than the de minimis (ceiling) of 10 per cent of total production value of a specific commodity as they could then be penalised. High entitlements for AMS actually result in developed countries giving high levels of subsidies. The product-specific subsidies apply largely to the developing world, whereas the developed world, by having an overall ceiling for all farm products, can manipulate the subsidies for individual products. In effect, the developed world can give as much as $160 billions of trade-distorting subsidies that affect prices and production every year without attracting penalties. It could go up to 300 per cent or more for certain items in some countries. Compared to such high product-specific subsidies in the developed world, it seems a bit bizarre that India is consistently warned by countries like the US, Australia, the EU and Japan about its rising MSP support to food grains and cereals like rice, wheat and pulses when they are actually all well below the de minimis limit of 10 per cent at the moment. Equally unfair is the fact that even with low over-all subsidies, India has to worry about breaching the 10 per cent ceiling for rice once the food subsidy programme is fully implemented as it could then get into trouble. How can subsidies given by developing countries to support their poor be open to challenge when they barely cross 10 per cent, while many rich countries are entitled to trade distorting sops several times the de minimis ceiling? This exposes the hypocrisy of the rich nations which routinely reprimand countries such as India and China for their minimum support price programmes for poor farmers. Unfair rules: While developing countries face the 10 per cent ceiling of the production value for their product-specific AMS, the same for developed countries, or some of them, stands at just 5 per cent. Developed countries exercised an option of either accepting a product specific ceiling of 5 per cent, or an overall cap. For instance, if a country’s overall AMS limit is $10 billion, it could concentrate the entire amount on one crop. On the other hand, developing countries such as India are stuck with product-specific de minimis limits of 10 per cent. This means that for no crop can the AMS limit be higher than 10 per cent of its value of production. Taking advantage: This outrageously unfair arrangement came about because at the time when the Uruguay Round was negotiated, very few countries, including India, understood its implications. Back in the 1990s, they did not have either the technical prowess or the human resource to negotiate well, and allowed developed countries and a handful of developing countries get away with high AMS limits. Way ahead: China and India have rightly challenged and should continue to in more such revealing reports. The joint paper with China on AMS could well be the first step in this direction. It needs to keep up the momentum and adopt a more offensive posture by laying bare more such inequities in the Agreement on Agriculture that is habitually brushed under the carpet by the powerful. Conclusion: India can hope to get its long-standing grievances in the area of food security and inadequate safeguards against import surges seriously discussed, deliberated upon and possibly redressed at the forthcoming WTO ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires only if it manages to have developed countries on the defensive. Connecting the dots: Recently, India and China together released a study paper titled ‘Elimination of AMS to reduce distortions in global agricultural trade’. Critically analyze the report. The WTO rules related with Agreement on Agriculture are unfair to developing countries like India while the developed ones dole out several times higher subsidies to their farmers than the rest of the world. Discuss. MUST READ Why Nehru matters more than ever? The Hindu A gathering crisis The Hindu Privacy in digital age The Hindu Pursued by danger The Hindu ASEAN 50-years ago The Hindu Doklams unintended consequence Indian Express Beyond Jamia Indian Express Partners in deceit Indian Express What Nawaz Sharif ouster as Pakistan PM means for India? Livemint  

PIB

IASbaba PIB Weekly: Press Information Bureau - 31st July to 5th Aug , 2017

IASbaba PIB Weekly: Press Information Bureau - 31st July to 5th Aug , 2017 ARCHIVES GS-1 Centenary Anniversary of Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 (Topic: The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country) The first intersection of peasant unrest and the national movement; and the first political action that Gandhi led in India, for a deeply oppressed peasantry in a remote part of the country By the time Gandhi arrived, the indigo farmers were in the grip of the pernicious tinkathia system whereby they were forced to dedicate three out of 20 parts of their land to the cultivation of indigo. Not only did the peasants get poor remuneration, they were also subject to almost 40 different kinds of bizarre, illegal cesses called abwabs. Result of Gandhi’s intervention: Government appointed a committee and included Gandhi as one of the member. Abolished tinkhatia system and paid compensation to the farmers Note: Neel Darpan – Bandhu Mitra (coercion exercised by European planters on peasants to raise indigo and sell it cheaply to them) Poverty and Un-British Rule in India – By Dadabhoy Naoroji Two-volume Economic History of India under British Rule – By R.C. Dutt Hind Swaraj – Mahatma Gandhi (originally written in Gujarati) Must Read: Celebrating the Champaran Satyagraha, a Hundred Years On Solve: Question GS-2 Trade Related Entrepreneurship Development Assistance Scheme (TREAD) women entrepreneurship programme (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) Focus of the scheme: To promote self-employment and income generation activities for women mostly from SHG groups in non-farm sector. Non-farming activities taken up by women: Tailoring, Handicrafts, Embroidery, Toy making, Readymade garments, Candle making, Agarbatti making, paper cup and plate making, Masala powder making, Saree weaving, Coir mat making, Pickles making, Readymade garments, basketry and brooms making, Jute bag making etc. Also Read: Missing women in India’s labour force   MAA-Mother’s Absolute Affection (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) Aim: To bring undiluted focus on promotion of breastfeeding and provision of services towards supporting breastfeeding Awareness generation Promotion of breastfeeding & inter personal counselling at community level Skilled support for breastfeeding at delivery points Monitoring and Award/ recognition of health facility. Under this programme – ASHA has been incentivized for reaching out to pregnant and lactating mothers and provide information on benefits and techniques of successful breastfeeding during interpersonal communication. ANMs at all sub-centres and health personnel at all delivery points are being trained for providing skilled support to mothers referred with issues related to breastfeeding. Importance of Breastfeeding An important efficient and cost-effective intervention promoting child survival and health. Breastfeeding within an hour of birth could prevent 20% of the newborn deaths. Infants who are not breastfed are 15 times more likely to die from pneumonia and 11 times more likely to die from diarrhea than children who are exclusively breastfed, which are two leading causes of death in children under-five years of age. In addition, children who were not breastfed are at increased risk for diabetes, obesity, allergies, asthma, childhood leukemia, sudden infant death syndrome etc. Apart from mortality and morbidity benefits, breastfeeding also has tremendous impact on improved IQ. National Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE) Policy (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) Objectives: Facilitate comprehensive childcare supports, infrastructure and services aimed at holistic well-being of children and responsive to their developmental needs along the continuum of care from conception to age of six years. Universalise and reinforce ECCE and ensure adaptive strategies for inclusion of all children with specific attention to vulnerable children. Engage capable human resources and build their capacity to enhance and develop quality services for children and their families. Set out the quality standards and curriculum framework for ECCE provisions and ensure their application and practice through advocacy and enforcement through appropriate institutional arrangements. Raise awareness and create common understanding about the significance of ECCE and promote strong partnerships with communities and families in order to improve the quality of life of young children through institutional and programmatic means and appropriate use of technology as required. Recognise diversity of contexts, develop and promote culturally appropriate strategies and materials and work within the framework of decentralized governance using participating and locally responsive approaches. Enactment of Unorganized Workers Social Security Act, 2008 (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) Purpose: To provide for the welfare of unorganized workers including those in the domestic and small business establishments on matters relating to life and disability cover, health and maternity benefit; old age protection and any other benefit as may be determined. The National Platform for domestic workers has requested for formulation of a central law for protecting the interests of domestic workers – Wages for domestic workers as per the Minimum Wages Act The right to work and live with dignity The right to decent work with fixed working hours and defined periods of rest/leave and overtimes The right to organize and form unions/associations for collective bargaining Setting up a mechanism for redressal of grievance of workers and right to avail judicial remedy Inclusion of domestic workers in all existing labour laws Must read: Domestic workers need a law to safeguard their rights Minimum Wage and labour issues ZED Scheme for MSMEs (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) Purpose: Promotion of Zero Defect and Zero Effect (ZED) manufacturing amongst micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and ZED Assessment for their certification so as to: Develop an Ecosystem for Zero Defects Manufacturing in MSMEs Promote adaptation of Quality tools/systems and Energy Efficient manufacturing Enable MSMEs for manufacturing of quality products Encourage MSMEs to constantly upgrade their quality standards in products and processes Drive manufacturing with adoption of Zero Defect production processes and without impacting the environment Support ‘Make in India’ campaign Develop professionals in the area of ZED manufacturing and certification Also Read: Link Intensified Mission Indradhanush (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) Aim: To accelerate the full immunization coverage and provide greater focus on urban areas and other pockets of low immunization coverage Targets: Full immunization coverage by 2018 Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) of India: Prevents mortality and morbidity in children and pregnant women against 12 vaccine preventable diseases Greater focus is being given on convergence with other ministries/departments especially women and child development, Panchayati raj, urban development, youth affairs, NCC etc. Convergence of ground level workers of various departments like ASHA, ANMs, Anganwadi workers, Zila preraks under NULM, self-help groups will be crucial for successful implementation of Intensified Mission Indradhanush. Facilities to Farmers (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms – ATMA Scheme Setting up of autonomous institutions at the State/District/Block level Encouraging multi-agency and broad-based extension strategies adopting group approach to extension Facilitating convergence of programmes in planning, executing and implementation Kisan Suvidha Mobile App: Provides information to the farmers on Weather report, Plant Protection, Input Dealers, Agro-Advisory and Marketing Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs): On-farm trials, front-line demonstrations, creation of awareness on improved agricultural technologies, etc. Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI): To address the constraints limiting the productivity of “rice based cropping systems”  in eastern India comprising seven (7) States namely; Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Eastern Uttar Pradesh (Purvanchal) and West Bengal – now a sub-scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana Crop Diversification Programme (CDP): A sub scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY), is being implemented in the Original Green Revolution States of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh from 2013-14 to diversify area from water guzzling crop like paddy to alternate crops like maize, pulses, oilseeds, cotton & agro-forestry plantation National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP): Transfer of Technology (ToT) component, assistance is provided to States for conducting Farmers Training and Trainers Training Programme, in which training is provided to the farmers and extension workers educating the farmers to avail the benefits of the programme. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) – ‘Per Drop More Crop’; mainly focuses on water use efficiency at farm level through precision/micro irrigation (Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation). Integrated Pest Management (IPM): To keep pest population below economic thresholds level by employing available alternate pest control strategies and techniques viz. preventive measures, cultural, mechanical and biological control with greater emphasis on usage of bio-pesticides and pesticides of plant-origin like Neem formulation, etc. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) envisages production and productivity improvement of horticulture crops like fruits (including apple) and vegetables through various interventions.  Capacity building of farmers and technicians are also provided for adopting improved technologies.  Scheme also envisages creation of infrastructure for Post-Harvest Management (PHM) and marketing for better price realization of produce. National Agriculture Market (e-NAM): facilitate farmers to on-line trade their agricultural produce in any market integrated to the portal and to the buyer registered Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) provides a comprehensive insurance cover against failure of insured crops due to non-preventable natural risks, thus providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/ damage arising out of unforeseen events; stabilizing the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming; and encouraging them to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices. Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2015 (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) India: Accounts for 15% of the total global maternal deaths Urgent Need: Government needs to take steps to address the issue of poor health, anaemia and deficient medical facilities – Operationalization of Sub-Centers, Primary Health Centers, Community Health Centers and District Hospitals for providing 24x7 basic and comprehensive obstetric care. Mother and Child Health wings (MCH wings): To overcome the shortage of maternity beds so that quality care can be given to pregnant women and neonates Operationalization of Safe Abortion Services and Reproductive Tract Infections and Sexually Transmitted Infections (RTI/STI) at health facilities with a focus on “Delivery Points”. Capacity building of health care providers in basic and comprehensive obstetric care with a strategic initiative “Dakshata” to enable service providers in providing high quality services during childbirth at the institutions. Augmenting the availability of skilled manpower at health facilities for providing basic comprehensive & emergency obstetric care, different skill-based trainings such as Skilled Birth Attendance for Auxiliary Nurse Midwives/Staff Nurses/Lady Health Visitors; training of MBBS Doctors in Life Saving Anaesthetic Skills, Emergency Obstetric Care including Caesarean Section. Universal screening of pregnant women for anaemia: A part of ante-natal care and all pregnant women are to be provided iron and folic acid tablets during their ante-natal and post-natal visits. Must Read: Time to sustain renewed focus on Maternal and Child care Janani Suraksha Yojana Test and Treat Policy for HIV patients (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) What: all people living with HIV (PLHIV) are to be treated with Antiretro Viral Therapy regardless of CD4 count, clinical stage, age or population. Objectives: Accelerating HIV prevention in key population and ‘at risk group’ Expanding quality assured HIV testing with universal access to comprehensive HIV care Elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV and syphilis Addressing the critical enablers in HIV programming Restructuring the strategic information system to be efficient and patient-centric. Must Read: HIV Bill India’s Increased Policy Commitment towards HIV/AIDS Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in India (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) IMR has reduced by 58% in India during the period of 1990-2015 which is more than the global decline of 49% during the same period. Steps being taken by the government to further combat infant mortality and increase vaccine coverage under the National Health Mission: Promotion of Institutional deliveries through cash incentive under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) which entitles all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to absolutely free ante-natal check-ups, delivery including Caesarean section, post-natal care and treatment of sick infants till one year of age. Strengthening of delivery points for providing comprehensive and quality Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) Services, ensuring essential newborn care at all delivery points, establishment of Special Newborn Care Units (SNCU), Newborn Stabilization Units (NBSU) and Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) units for care of sick and small babies Home Based Newborn Care (HBNC) is being provided by ASHAs to improve child rearing practices India Newborn Action Plan (INAP) was launched in 2014 to make concerted efforts towards attainment of the goals of “Single Digit Neonatal Mortality Rate” and “Single Digit Stillbirth Rate”, by 2030. Early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding for first six months and appropriate Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are promoted in convergence with Ministry of Women and Child Development. Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) are observed for provision of maternal and child health services and creating awareness on maternal and child care including health and nutrition education. MAA-Mothers’ Absolute Affection programme was launched for improving breastfeeding practices (Initial Breastfeeding within one hour, Exclusive Breastfeeding up to six months and complementary Breastfeeding up to two years) through mass media and capacity building of health care providers in health facilities as well as in communities. Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is being supported to provide vaccination to children against many life threatening diseases such as Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Polio, Tetanus, Hepatitis B and Measles. Pentavalent vaccine has been introduced all across the country and “Mission Indradhanush” has been launched to fully immunize children who are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated; those that have not been covered during the rounds of routine immunization for various reasons. Measles Rubella Campaign is being undertaken in select States for children from 9 months to 15 years of age with the aim of eliminating Measles by 2020. Name based tracking of mothers and children till two years of age (Mother and Child Tracking System) is done to ensure complete antenatal, intranatal, postnatal care and complete immunization as per schedule. Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) for health screening, early detection of birth defects, diseases, deficiencies, development delays including disability and early intervention services has been Operationalized to provide comprehensive care to all the children in the age group of 0-18 years in the community. Iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation for the prevention of anaemia among the vulnerable age groups, home visits by ASHAs to promote exclusive breast feeding and promote use of ORS and Zinc for management of diarrhoea in children. Capacity building of health care providers: Various trainings are being conducted under National Health Mission (NHM) to build and upgrade the skills of health care providers in basic and comprehensive obstetric care of mother during pregnancy, delivery and essential newborn care. Low performing districts have been identified as High Priority Districts (HPDs) which entitles them to receive high per capita funding, relaxed norms, enhanced monitoring and focused supportive supervisions and encouragement to adopt innovative approaches to address their peculiar health challenges. Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit between India and Bhutan (Topic: India and its neighborhood- relations) The bilateral trade relations between India and Bhutan are governed by the Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit between the Government of India and Bhutan. The Agreement provides for A free trade regime between the territories of India and Bhutan Duty free transit of Bhutanese merchandise for trade with third countries Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) (Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests) RCEP— Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is an ASEAN-centred proposal for a regional free trade area. Between: 10 ASEAN states: (Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) CLIMBB-PSTV + Six states with which ASEAN has existing FTAs (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand) JACSIN Launched in: November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia Viewed as: Alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement Stats: The 16 RCEP participating countries account for almost half of the world’s population, almost 30 per cent of global GDP and over a quarter of world exports. Why RCEP? Purpose: ASEAN+6 RECP—aimed at transforming the region by higher economic growth through more cross-border trade and investment. Objective: To achieve a modern, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement that will cover trade in goods, trade in services, investment, economic and technical co-operation, intellectual property, competition, dispute settlement and other issues. Open up trade in goods and services Liberalize and encourage cross border investment Integrate markets and provide improved access to markets Promote regional economic and technical cooperation Global economic growth and development Counter to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Mindmap: http://iasbaba.com/2016/06/iasbabas-daily-current-affairs-6th-june-2016/rcep-iasbaba/ Challenges Lack of reciprocity from China: All nations are concerned about agreeing to give greater market access to Chinese goods without gaining similarly in return. Complete tariff elimination: Elimination of tariffs altogether will majorly help China. Dumping by China: Fears of China dumping its excess capacity in items such as steel and other highly subsidised items. This move could also harm the local industry in the importing countries and lead to trade distortion. Goods and service imbalance: The progress in talks to liberalise services trade is much slower than talks on liberalising goods trade. India’s interest in service sector: Greater market access in services is of interest to India as it is a leading services supplier. ASEAN countries led by Singapore have opposed India’s push for greater thrust on services whether relating to cross border trade, consumption abroad, commercial presence of a service supplier and temporary movement of skilled workers overseas for work. Automatic investment approval: Negotiating members have expressed concerns over New Zealand’s refusal to provide automatic approval in the future for investments up to NZD 100 million, which is the current ceiling there for clearance without government approval. GS-3 Steps undertaken by the Government for development of cattle population in the country (Topic: Economics of animal-rearing) Rashtriya Gokul Mission: Development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds to enhance milk production and productivity through – Induction of high genetic merit bulls for semen production Field performance recording Strengthening of bulls mother farms Setting up of Gokul Grams etc. National Programme for Bovine Breeding: To enhance productivity of milch animals through extension of Artificial Insemination (AI) coverage. National Mission on Bovine Productivity: To enhance milk production and productivity and thereby making dairying more remunerative to the farmers National Kamdhenu Breeding Centres are being established - One in the State of Andhra Pradesh for southern region and other in Madhya Pradesh for northern region of the country with the aim of development and conservation of indigenous breeds in a scientific manner and thereby enhancing milk production and productivity. National Dairy Plan-I: A World Bank assisted project being implemented in 18 major dairy States with aim of enhancing milk production and productivity in order to meet demand of milk in the country through - Strengthening of semen stations Bull production programme (progeny testing and pedigree selection) Ration balancing programme, etc. Sustainable and Inclusive Development of Natural Rubber Sector (Topic: Major crops and cropping patterns in various parts of the country) Current status: Consumption of Natural Rubber (NR) has increased from 994,415 tonne in 2015-16 to 1044,075 tonne in 2016-17 mainly due to rise in the demand of auto tyre sector. India is the third largest natural rubber producing country of the world, next to Thailand and Indonesia, producing about 9 per cent of the global output. India – Kerala > Tamil Nadu Consumption of rubber is almost always higher than the production and the production- consumption gap is likely to widen as the rate of consumption is faster than that of production. Scheme: In order to increase production of Natural Rubber in the country, support is provided for – Plantation development and extension Strengthening research Technology upgradation and market development Human resource development Conditions of Growth: Requires hot and humid climate with temperature of 25°-35°C and annual rainfall of over 200 cm. The rainfall should be well distributed throughout the year. Daily rainfall followed by strong sun   Ocean Observation Systems (Topic: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology) The ocean observation system has been designed to Acquire real-time, time series data on surface meteorological and upper oceanographic parameters from the seas around India including from the Indian Ocean Region To cater research and a wide range of operational services including issue of issue of early warning to tsunami and storm surges, as well as useful for ocean-atmospheric modelling purposes and validation of satellite data The ocean observing systems are primarily deployed, operated and maintained by four organizations – National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad Survey of India, Dehradun   National Biopharma Mission (Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights) An Industry-Academia mission to accelerate biopharmaceutical development in India Objectives: Development of products from leads that are at advanced stages in the product development lifecycle and relevant to the public health. Strengthening and establishing shared infrastructure facilities for both product discovery validation and manufacturing. Developing human capital by providing specific training to address the critical skills gaps in researchers, nascent biotech companies across the product development value chain, including in business plan development and market penetration. Creating and enhancing technology transfer and intellectual property management capacities and capabilities in public and private sector. Export Oriented Production, Export Development & Promotion of Spices Scheme (Topic: Transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints) Assistance is provided to spices farmers – Development of infrastructure for common processing facilities in Spice Parks Adaptation of upgraded technology in spice processing Setting up of quality evaluation labs for sampling and testing of the export consignments for meeting quality specifications of consuming countries Assistance to farmers on post-harvest quality improvement Imparting training to farmers in Good Agricultural Practices etc.   Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) (Topic: Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management) Focus is on the development of horticulture including post-harvest management Assistance is provided for development of all relevant infrastructure including pack house, pre-cooling units, staging cold room, cold storages, controlled atmosphere (CA) storage, reefer vans, primary/mobile processing units and setting up of ripening chambers etc. to promote logistic integration with the aim to reduce losses across total supply chain and enable farmers to access markets to get remunerative prices for their produce. Must Read: A silent horticulture ‘revolution’   Please Note: The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme provides for setting up of residential upper primary schools for girls from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class and Minority communities. SWAYAM, an indigenous MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) Platform is for providing best quality education to anyone, anytime and anywhere using the IT System SWAYAM Prabha, the 32 Direct-to-Home Channels for transmitting high quality educational content on 24X7 basis direct to every home, without any charge The National Academic Depository (NAD), a digital depository which authenticates all the certificates issued by Institutions as per the need of the users. Public Health and hospitals are State subject. Mahila Coir Yojana(MCY) - Exclusively for empowering women (100% women oriented programme) in the country by giving training and distribution of coir processing equipment; intended to provide self-employment to the rural women artisans in coir producing regions. Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) is a credit-linked subsidy programme aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector by helping traditional artisans and unemployed youth. The only GM crop permitted for cultivation in the country by the Central Government is Bt cotton. FAME -India [Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India]: To support the hybrid / electric   vehicles market   development and its manufacturing eco-system to achieve self-sustenance Automotive Mission Plan 2026 is aimed at bringing the Indian Automotive Industry among the top three of the world in engineering, manufacture and exports of vehicles & components; growing in value to over 12% of India GDP during the next decade. Mission XI Million is a joint programme, of this Ministry, All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) to popularise football across the country. As per the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy of the Government, FDI is not permitted in nuclear power sector. Thus, foreign companies cannot invest in nuclear power. Foreign companies can however, invest in the supply chain for nuclear power projects. The Handloom Marketing Assistance component of the National Handloom Development Programme has been facilitating the handloom weavers to sell their products directly to the customers by eliminating the middlemen, by way of participation in domestic and overseas marketing events funded under this component. Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2017: Provides for progressive agricultural marketing reforms, including setting up markets in private sector, direct marketing, farmer-consumer markets, de-regulation of fruits and vegetables, e-trading, single point levy of market fee, issue of unified single trading license in the State, declaring warehouses/silos/cold storage as market sub-yards and Market Yards of National Importance (MNI) so that more markets are available for farmers to sell their produce for better prices. Preservation and hygienization of food and agri-products by radiation – Advantages include Significant increase in shelf life for many products including fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses, spices, sea foods and meat products. Effective elimination of harmful bacteria, viruses and insects/pests. Cold & clean process (No temperature raise or residue); and treatment done after final packaging (no repacking necessary) Swadesh Darshan - Integrated Development of Theme-Based Tourist Circuits Focus: Development of theme based tourist circuits in the country in a planned and prioritized manner on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness, sustainability, enriching tourist experience and to enhance employment opportunities Thirteen thematic circuits have been identified for development: North-East India Circuit Buddhist Circuit Himalayan Circuit Coastal Circuit Krishna Circuit Desert Circuit Tribal Circuit Eco Circuit Wildlife Circuit Rural Circuit Spiritual Circuit Ramayana Circuit Heritage Circuit PRASAD- Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive A total number of sites identified at present are 25 viz., Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) Amritsar (Punjab) Ajmer (Rajasthan) Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) Badrinath (Uttarakhand) Belur (West Bengal) Dwarka (Gujarat) Deoghar (Jharkhand) Gaya (Bihar) Guruvayoor (Kerala) Hazratbal (Jammu & Kashmir) Kamakhya (Assam) Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu) Katra (Jammu & Kashmir) Kedarnath (Uttarakhand) Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh) Patna (Bihar) Puri (Odisha) Somnath (Gujarat) Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra) Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) Vellankani (Tamil Nadu)

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