Current Affairs Summary-May 2017
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
NITI Aayog recently prepared a draft three year action agenda which is a part of the overall
National Development Agenda. Planning Commission was abolished in 2014 and thereby the
relevance of five year plans ended. Thereafter the Prime Minister Office advised NITI Aayog to prepare
a National Development Agenda comprising of Fifteen Year Vision, Seven Year Strategy and Three Year
Action Agenda. NITI Aayog has selected some key items for its draft 3 year action agenda. These are:
o Three year revenue and expenditure framework
o Energy
o Governance, Taxation and Regulation
o Doubling Farmers’ income by 2022
o Job creation in industry and services
o Urban Development
o Regional Strategies for regions like North East, Desert Areas, Coastal regions, Drought regions
and Himalayan region.
o Transport and Digital Connectivity – Facilitate PPPs by reorienting the role of the India
Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd. (IIFCL), introduce low cost debt instruments and operationalize the National Investment Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
o Science and Technology – Create national database of schemes, create National Science, Technology & Innovation Foundation
MUNICIPAL BONDS
- Recently, 94 cities across 14 states received credit ratings from agencies such as Crisil as part of
their preparations for issuing municipal bonds.
- It rated the cities covered under Smart city Mission and AMRUT mission.
- 55 of these cities got “investment grade” ratings, 39 received credit ratings below the investment grade (BBB-).
The committee on urban infrastructure headed by Isher Judge Ahluwalia (2011) had estimated that Indian
cities would need to invest around Rs 40 trillion at constant prices in the two decades to 2031.
- Municipal bond regulations were released by the SEBI in 2016.
o Municipal bonds in India shall enjoy tax-free status if they conform to certain rules and their interest
rates will be market-linked.
o Municipal Corporation needs to have investment grade credit rating and must contribute at least 20 per cent of the project cost.
o The corporation must not have defaulted on any loans in the last one year.
o The corporation is required to maintain full asset cover to repay the principal amount. Revenues from
the project for which bonds were raised are to be kept in a separate escrow account and banks or
financial institutions would monitor the account regularly.
- In 2017, NITI Aayog in its Three-year Action Agenda document also talks of utilizing Municipal Bond market.
Key provisions in new formulated rules Ban on sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets across the country. The cattle can now be purchased only for “agricultural purposes”. Specifying the term “Cattle” – “Cattle” in the notification includes bulls, bullocks, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers and calves, as well as camels. Introducing lot of paperwork – for both seller and buyer Regulating the animal market – Approval of District Animal Market Monitoring Committee (DAMMC) is required to run the market. Other provisions such as no sale of young and unfit animals, certification of veterinary inspector and separate facilities for sick animals in these markets are also included. Regulating Inter-state and Inter-national movements – No animal market can now be organised within 50 km of an international border and 25 km of a state border. Taking animals outside the state will require special approval of the state government nominee. Prohibiting cruel practices – like slaughter, painting of horns and cutting the ears of buffaloes. Also DAMMC is duty-bound to ensure that no animal is kept in a pen or cage unsuitable for its size.
Constitutional position This dispute has a history starting with founding of the Republic where the subject of cow slaughter was one of the most fraught and contentious topics of debate. On the call of prohibition of cow slaughter to be made part of the fundamental rights, the Constitution’s Drafting Committee agreed upon a compromise. It was included as a DPSP under Article 48 which says the state shall “organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter, of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle.”
INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON PROGRAM India is participating in the current phase of International Comparison Programme (ICP) with reference to 2017. ICP is a global statistical initiative led by World Bank under the auspices of the United Nations Statistical Commission. It supports inter-country comparisons of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its components, in terms of PPP (Purchasing Power Parity).
PREVENTIVE DETENTION Why in news? Recently Supreme Court held that Preventive detention of a person by a State after branding him a ‘goonda’ merely because the normal legal process is ineffective and time-consuming in ‘curbing the evil he spreads’ is illegal. About preventive detention Preventive detention, the most controversial of all fundamental rights, is detaining without trial to prevent possible commitment of crime on suspicion that some wrong actions may be done by the person concerned. The four grounds for Preventive detention are— security of state foreign affairs or security of India maintenance of public order maintenance of supplies and essential services and defence A detainee under preventive detention can have no right of personal liberty guaranteed by Article 19 or Article 21. The Article 22 (3) also provides that the protection against arrest and detention under Article 22 (1) and 22 (2) shall not be available, if a person is arrested or detained under a law providing for preventive detention,.
Article 20(2) says that no person shall be prosecuted and punished for the same offence more than once.
ARTICLE 142 AND THE NEED FOR JUDICIAL RESTRAINT
There are criticisms on the frequent usage of Article 142 by the apex court in various cases such as highway liquor ban, ordering joint trial of the two Babri Masjid demolition cases. Article 142 states that “the Supreme Court in the exercise of its jurisdiction may pass such decree or make such order as is necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it. Article 142 is not a source of unlimited power and there should be self-restraint in using it that the orders under 142 does not amount to judicial overreach. in the apex court, 31 judges sit in thirteen divisions of two or three to decide the cases and each bench is independent of the other.
INDIA AND NETHERLANDS Why in news? Recently the foundation stone to mark the beginning of work on cleaning the Barapullah drain in New Delhi through Dutch collaboration was laid. About the project The project Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse (LOTUS HR) is an Indo- Netherlands joint project funded by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt of india and The Govt of Netherlands. The project has stakeholders from both Academia and Industry from India and Netherlands. Special attention will be paid to pathogen removal and removing conventional and emerging pollutants.
SOUTH ASIA SATELLITE First South Asian satellite (GSAT-9), funded entirely by India, has been launched recently by ISRO. With this, India has placed itself uniquely in space diplomacy by giving a boost to neighborhood first policy.
UN-HABITAT
India has been unanimously elected as the president of the UN-Habitat, an organ of the United Nations promoting sustainable human settlements across the globe. About UN Habitat The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat) is the United Nations agency for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1978 as an outcome of the First UN Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat I) held in Vancouver, Canada in 1976. UN-Habitat maintains its headquarters at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya. It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. It is a member of the United Nations Development Group. The mandate of UN-Habitat derives from the Habitat Agenda, adopted by the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996.
The 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) summit was held in Cancun, Mexico. The summit marked the first opportunity since 2015 to review global progress in the implementation of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030 which was adopted at the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in March, 2015 in Sendai, Japan.
What is Sendai Agreement? It is a 15-year non-binding agreement It says that state has the primary role to reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local government and the private sector. It is improved version of the existing Hyogo Framework. Sendai Framework’s seven global targets 1. Substantially reduce global disaster mortality by 2030, aiming to lower average per 100,000 global mortalities between 2020-2030 compared to 2005-2015; 2. Substantially reduce the number of affected people globally by 2030, aiming to lower the average global figure per 100,000 between 2020-2030 compared to 2005-2015; 3. Reduce direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product by 2030; 4. Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, among them health and educational facilities, including through developing their resilience by 2030; 5. Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020; 6. Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of the framework by 2030; 7. Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to the people by 2030.
ARCTIC COUNCIL Why in news? Meeting of Arctic council will be held in Alaska to discuss the concerns associated with USA’s decision to engage in drilling for oil in the region. About the council The Arctic Council is an advisory body that promotes cooperation among member nations and indigenous groups. It consists of the eight Arctic States: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
RECENT MILITARY EXERCISES SIMBEX – It is an annual bilateral naval exercise conducted by the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). India and Singapore conducted Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) in the contentious South China Sea. CORPAT – The Indonesian Navy and the Indian Navy have been participating in coordinated patrol (CORPAT) twice a year since 2002 to keep this vital part of the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping and international trade. The 29th series of India–Indonesia CORPAT has begun at Port Blair under the aegis of Andaman and Nicobar Command. Indo-Thailand/SIAM BHARAT – This is the second such exercise to be held between the Indian Air Force and the Royal Thailand Air Force. It was Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Table Top Exercise The aim of the bilateral exercise is to evolve SOPs for planning and executing relief missions during unforeseen natural calamities like Tsunami, earthquakes, cyclones, floods etc.
SAMPADA SCHEME Why in News? The government has given its approval for re-structuring the schemes of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) under new Central Sector Scheme – SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) for the period 2016-20. Need India ranks number one in total food production globally. Despite the large production of food products in India, post-harvest losses are of major concern. The government has allowed 100% FDI (automatic route) in trading including through e-commerce, in respect of food products manufactured and/or produced in India. The government has set up a Special Fund of Rs. 2000 crores in NABARD to give affordable credit at concessional rate of interest to designated food parks and agro processing units. Food and agro–based processing units and cold chain infrastructure have been brought under the ambit of Priority Sector Lending (PSL).
NATIONAL POLICY ON MARINE FISHERIES 2017 Why in News? National Policy on Marine Fisheries was launched recently by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries. Branches of fisheries 1. Marine Fisheries – It is that branch of fisheries which deals primarily with marine fishes and other sea products. ü E.g. Oil sardines, mackerels, Bombay ducks, tunas and the prawns, catfishes, polynomids , pomfrets, crabs, oysters, marine algae 2. Inland fisheries – Inland fisheries include both fresh water and brackish water fisheries. The commercially important fresh water fisher y resources are carps, mullets, chanos, and prawns. Some brackish water fisheries include shrimps. India is the second largest producer of fish in the world contributing to 5.43% of global fish production. India is also a major producer of fish through aquaculture and ranks second in the world after China. Marine Fisheries is the fastest growing food producing sector in the world with a great potential to meet the food, especially protein requirement of a large number of population. After 2015 report of B. Meenakumari on deep sea fishing, the government had decided to revise the existing Marine Fisheries policy of 2004. The aim of the policy is to ensure the health and ecological integrity of the marine living resources of India’s EEZ through sustainable harvests. The overall strategy would be based on seven pillars, namely sustainable development, socio-economic upliftment of fishers, principle of subsidiarity, partnership, inter-generational equity, gender justice and precautionary approach. The policy would be in line with the FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries on conservation, development and management of fisheries.
COMMERCIALISATION OF GM MUSTARD
Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) gave a positive recommendation for the commercial use of GM mustard for 4 years subject to certain field conditions. India, so far, has permitted only GM cotton, a non-food crop. NITI Aayog recently, in its three-year draft action plan had backed GM food crops also. India spends about $12 billion on imported edible oil which is bound to increase with the increase in population and per capita income. In 2010, the GEAC had also approved the commercialization of Bt brinjal. However, the then environment minister declined to sign off on the proposal due to strong protests. As of now, there is a case pending before the Supreme Court. GM mustard, unlike Monsanto’s Bt cotton, has been indigenously developed in the public sector by Delhi University-based Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants.
agriculture is a state subject.
CANOLA VILLAGES Why in News? Ludhiana-based Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is pushing farmers to adopt canola farming by developing “canola villages” in niche areas to produce and sell the oil. Canola villages would have production of canola crop along with extraction of canola oil through oil extraction units located within the village itself. Canola is the international trade name for mustard carrying lower levels of erucic acid — less than 2% — in oil and is considered as one of the healthiest options.
Yellow Revolution It is a phenomenon of exponential growth of oilseeds cultivation. India has been experiencing a Yellow Revolution implicitly because it has shifted from being a ‘net importer’ in the 1990s to a ‘net exporter’ of oilseeds as of now.
Basic facts on coir industry Coir is a fibrous mass extracted out from the coconut husk. It is an important cottage industry. Coir Industry in India consists of two distinct segments namely – o White fibre – It is smother and finer but weaker. It is obtained from immature green coconuts. It is used primarily for rope manufacture. o Brown fibre – It is obtained by harvesting fully mature brown coconuts. It is stronger and thus used to make objects like brushes, mats etc. Coir exports in 2015-16 amounted to about Rs 1900 crore. Main export destination of India is USA. This industry directly employs about 7 lakh people that are mostly from the rural areas. Women constitute about 70% of the workforce. India accounts for about 66% of the global production of coir and coir products. Kerala accounts for majority of coir industry in India. The geographical location of the coir industry is dependent on the availability of raw material (Coconut) available in states like Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
MASALA BONDS
The Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping launched the NHAI Masala Bond (National Highways Authority of India) issue at the London Stock Exchange. What are masala bonds? Masala bonds are rupee-denominated bonds issued by Indian entities in the overaseas market to raise funds. As of now, it is being traded only at the London Stock exchange. Masala bonds have been named so by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an investment arm of the World Bank which issued these bonds to raise money for infrastructure projects in India. They protect investors from exchange rate fluctuations as opposed to external commercial borrowing (ECB) that have to be raised and repaid in dollar.
WPI AND IIP BASE YEAR CHANGE
Why in news?
- The CSO and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has shifted to 2011-12 base year
from 2004-05 base year for Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and Wholesale Price Index (WPI) respectively. Inflation rate based on the new series of WPI declined to a four-month low of 3.85 per cent in April from 5.70 per cent in March, IIP grew 2.7 per cent in March as against 1.9 per cent a month ago.
WPI and IIP have been revised in line with the recommendations of the Saumitra Chaudhari Committee which submitted its report in March 2014.
Apart from the WPI base year, its basket of goods and their weightage have also been overhauled. 199 new items have been added and 146 items have been dropped in line with the changing demand in the country. Taxes have been left out of WPI in order to remove the impact of fiscal policy. The WPI will now be calculated based geometric mean rather than the earlier of arithmetic mean. CPI is calculated on geometric mean. 149 items have been added to the IIP and 124 deleted.
The change in base year has brought all macroeconomic indicators on the same base making comparison easier. The new base year will provide a more realistic picture.
- Change in WPI basket of goods and weightage has brought it closer to the CPI and to changing consumption pattern in the country.
- Removing indirect taxes from WPI will make it a compatible and appropriate deflator. It will also bring it closer to PPI (Production Price Index) and global practices.
SHARDA PRASAD COMMITTEE
Sharada Prasad Committee constituted to review, rationalize and optimize the functioning of Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), has recently submitted its report to the government of India.
Sector Skill Councils: Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) are industry led and industry governed bodies which have been mandated to ensure that skill development efforts being made by all the stake holders are in accordance with the actual needs of the industry. National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) (2008) It is a not-for-profit company set up by the Ministry of Finance, under Section 25 of the Companies Act. It has an equity base of Rs.10 crores, of which the Government of India holds 49%, while the private sector has the balance 51%. It works under the Ministry of Skill development and Entrepreneurship.
The committee says that SSCs are a ‘hotbed of crony capitalism’ that has tried to ‘extract maximum benefit from public funds.’ For Eg. A board member of a SSC also being a promoter of it. o It has therefore recommended the Centre to ü Scrap all existing skill councils, many of which have overlapping roles ü Introduce an oversight mechanism on the NSDC, preferably from the RBI, as it is registered as a non-banking finance company
GOLD EXCHANGE IN INDIA
Indian Government would be creating a local physical spot-gold exchange with the help of World Gold Council (WGC).
Despite being the second largest importer of gold in the world with a demand of nearly 1,000 tonnes, India lacks many key elements of the gold ecosystem. o Many jewellers and traders import gold in refined form from markets like Dubai and Singapore. o Gold market remains fragmented in India and price differences exists across the channels of gold buying and selling. A gold spot exchange in India could be a national channel to buy and sell standardized quality gold in India and to create a national pricing structure of gold. States and not the Centre has the responsibility for gold related matters in India. Recently India developed Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND4201) which is a gold bar, weighing 20 grams, to verify the purity of gold sold in India. Indian jewellers will no longer need to import gold bars to check the purity of ornaments. Also the gold bar would be 25% cheaper than the imported version, thus saving precious foreign exchange. The new bars are 99.99% pure with impurities of only 100 parts-per-million. The bar is also easily portable because it has the size of a small biscuit. Development of this reference material indigenously will add to the Make in India campaign.Gold reference standard has importance in government’s Gold Monetization Scheme. It will be useful for collection and purity testing centres (CPTC) under GMS.
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT ORDER 2017
The government has defined local goods and services as those where at least 50% of the value addition has been done in India. For procurement of goods of value less than Rs 50 lakhs by government, only local suppliers would be eligible. For procurement of goods of value more than Rs 50 lakhs by government – o Bids would be invited. If the lowest bid is of any local supplier then whole order would be awarded to it. o If the lowest bid is not by any local supplier, then the bidder would be given 50% of the order. o Thereafter the lowest bidder among the local supplier would be invited to match the bid, for the remaining 50% of the quantity, of the original bidder. o If the process fails, then the next higher local bidder would be allowed to match the bid and so on. o If out of the remaining 50% quantity some is left after exhausting all the options of local suppliers, then the remaining quantity would be given to the original lowest bidder. In the case of procurement of goods that are not divisible and for the procurement of services o If the lowest bid is by local supplier, then the contract would be given to it. o If the lowest bid is not by local supplier, then the lowest bid by any local supplier would be given a chance to match the lowest bid and if fail, then the next higher local supplier would be allowed to match the bid and so on. o If there is no match by any local supplier, then the contract would be awarded to the original local supplier. Procurement less than Rs 5 lakhs are exempted from this order.
SHAKTI POLICY
Cabinet recently approved a coal linkage policy called Scheme to Harness and Allocate Koyla Transparently in
India (SHAKTI). It aims to auction long term coal linkages to power companies. Due to increased demand for electricity, the dependence on coal is also rising. Because of the supply-demand mismatch of the coal, the power companies are forced to import coal from abroad. Therefore a rise in the coal production and a coal linkage policy to link power producers to the coal producers is the need of the hour. Coal linkages would be awarded to designated stateowned power distribution companies (DISCOMs). DISCOMs would assign linkages to state or central power generation companies via allocation, and through auction to private units. Coal linkages would be awarded to designated state owned power distribution companies (DISCOMs). DISCOMs would assign linkages to state or central power generation companies via allocation, and through auction to private units. The independent power producers (IPPs) having Power
purchase agreements (PPAs) will participate in the auction and will bid for discounts on the existing tariff. This would be adjusted from the gross coal bills.
DOMESTICALLY MANUFACTURED IRON AND STEEL PRODUCTS POLICY
The government recently approved the policy for providing preference to domestically manufactured iron & steel products on Government procurement.
FISCAL CONSOLIDATION OF STATES
For the first time in 11 years, in 2015-16 the combined fiscal deficit of India’s 29 States as a proportion of the size of their economies breached the 3% threshold recommended by successive Finance Commissions. The key trigger of the default at the time of 1991 economic liberalization was irrational public spending on borrowed money in the late-1980s. FRBM law (2003) was enacted to limit the government’s borrowing authority under Article 268.
Central government has projected a fiscal deficit of 3.2% of GDP for this year whereas States are expected to bring their fiscal deficit to 2.6%. The government has set a fiscal deficit target of
3.2% of GDP in 2017-18. Recently, N.K. Singh panel on fiscal consolidation has recommended a focus on overall government debt along with fiscal deficit and a 20% debt-to-GDP ratio for States
by 2022-23.
The reason of the sudden increase in the States’ debt is because of the UDAY restructuring exercise of the
DISCOMs.
- Also, the private investments are drying up because of the crowding out phenomenon and the State
governments have become one of the major contributors of the capital expenditure like transport, irrigation,
power etc.
Government of India recently invited comments for the proposed ‘Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2017’ which aims to deter economic offenders from fleeing the country by attaching and confiscating properties owned by them in India.
Till now India has various types of civil provisions dealing with issues of non-repayment of debt. While
effective in serving this purpose, they make no special provisions to deal with – High-value offenders.
Those who might have absconded from India when any criminal case is pending.
In case of such absconders, the general provision pertaining to “proclaimed offenders” under Section 82 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 only is used.
The Bill makes provisions for a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to declare a person a ‘Fugitive Economic Offender’. A Fugitive Economic Offender has been defined under the bill as a person who has an arrest warrant issued in respect of a scheduled offence and who leaves or has left India to avoid criminal prosecution, or refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution. The onus is on authorities to prove that an individual is a fugitive economic offender.
BANK AUTHORIZATION POLICY
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently relaxed the branch authorization policy. It aims to bring all branches and fixed business correspondent outlets under the definition of banking outlets and removing restrictions on opening branches in Tier 1 centres.
DHOLA SADIYA BRIDGE Why in News? Prime Minister inaugurated the country’s longest bridge recently over the Lohit River in Assam. Features of the Bridge It is India’s longest bridge measuring 9.15 km. It has been named after famous lyricist-singer Bhupen Hazarika. It is longer than the previous longest bridge in India i.e. Bandra-Worli sea link.
INTEGRATED THEATRE COMMAND Why in News? A committee appointed by the Defence Ministry, headed by Lt General D B Shekatkar (retd.) has submitted it report to MoD. Recommendations It recommended creating 3 integrated theatre commands: Northern command for the China border, Western command for the Pakistan border and Southern command for the maritime borders. As the Northern and Western commands have land borders, Army General could head it owing to their expertise. The southern command could be headed by a Navy Admiral.
The Indian armed forces currently have 17 commands. There are 7 commands each of the Army [Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western, Central, South-western and Army Training Command (ARTRAC)]. Air Force has [Western, Eastern, Southern, South-western, Central, Training and Maintenance]. Navy has 3 commands [Western, Eastern and Southern]. Each command is headed by a 4-star rank military officer. In addition, there are 2 tri-service commands [Strategic Forces Command (SFC)] and Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC)], which is headed by rotation by officers from the 3 Services. ANC is an integrated theatre command. The other tri-service command, SFC, looks after the delivery and operational control of the country’s nuclear assets. Since it has no specific geographic responsibility and a designated role, it is an integrated functional command, not a theatre command.
BONN CLIMATE MEET Why in news The Bonn Climate Change Conference, organized by UNFCCC begin in Bonn, Germany to further implementation of Paris Agreement. At Bonn, Parties would continue their work on formulating the rule book for implementation of the provisions of Paris Agreement, the deadline of which is agreed to be 2018. About UNFCCC In 1992, countries joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as a framework for international cooperation to combat climate change by limiting average global temperature increases. Paris Agreement At the Paris climate conference (COP21) in December 2015, 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal. The agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C.
MANDAL DAM Why in news? The National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) is planning to give clearance to the Mandal Dam in Latehar district after it studies the dam’s potential impact on the Palamu Tiger Reserve’s (PTR) ecosystem. About Mandal dam The Mandal dam was envisaged in Kutku and Mandal villages of Latehar as a part of North Koel river irrigation project in the 1970s.
PAMPA RIVER CONSERVATION
Recently, Mahatma Gandhi University has chalked out a seven-point action plan for conservation of the river. About the river Pampa River is located at bottom of the Ratnagiri hill on which Sri Satyanarayana Swamy Temple is situated. The Pampa is the first river system from Kerala to be included in the NRCP.
BUSTARD BREEDING CENTER Why in news? The Rajasthan government will set up a captive breeding centre for the great Indian bustard. Background This will be the first such facility in the country aimed at saving the bird, which is the State bird of Rajasthan. Rajasthan accounts for 95% of the total world population of Great Indian bustard.
About Great Indian bustard A large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs giving it an ostrich like appearance This bird is among the heaviest of the flying birds. Found in central India, western India and eastern Pakistan Habitat: Arid and semi-arid grasslands, open country with thorn scrub, tall grass interspersed with cultivation. It avoids irrigated areas.
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) or Bonn convention It is an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme
INDIAN WILD DOGS (DHOLES) Why in news? The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP), running a conservation breeding centre for dholes plans to reintroduce a pack of 16 into the forests. About dholes Dholes occur in several regions of India such as the Western Ghats, central Indian forests, Eastern Ghats, northeastern states and Terai region in north India. In the Himalayan region, they are found in Sikkim and Ladakh Protected under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 Listed as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
BLACK NECKED CRANE Why in news? The cranes are facing huge threats especially in Arunachal Pradesh. About the crane Migratory bird most commonly found in China. It is legally protected in Bhutan and India and is considered sacred to certain Buddhist traditions. IUCN status – Vulnerable Listed in India’s Wildlife Act as a Schedule 1 species It is locally known as Dhung Dhung Karma. Also it is the only high altitude crane amongst the 15 species found in the world. These birds build their nests in vast open environments, making them vulnerable to a host of predators.
INDIAN STAR TORTOISES Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) has successfully rehabilitated Indian star tortoises, making it the only rehabilitation centre for star tortoises in the country. About Indian star tortoise. This species naturally inhabits scrub forests, grasslands, and some coastal scrublands of arid and semi-arid regions. It is found in northwestern India (Gujarat, Rajasthan) and adjoining southeastern Pakistan; eastern and southern areas from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and eastern Karnataka to Odisha and throughout Sri Lanka Threats to this species survival include illegal collection and habitat loss. Included in Appendix II of the CITES IUCN status: vulnerable Placed under Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 About Chinnar wildlife sanctuary Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is a unique protected area located in the rain shadow region in the eastern slope of Western Ghats in Idukki in Kerala. The area is diverse in eco systems and rich in ethnic cultural heritage. It is a well-known repository of medicinal plants. It supports a population of grizzled giant squirrel, star tortoise, tufted grey langur, gaur, spotted deer, slender loris, wild elephant, crocodile, tiger, leopard and many a birds, insects and plants.
AMUR FALCON Amur Falcon were spotted at Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary near Nagpur. About Amur Falcon Amur Falcons are the migratory bird that stay every year at Doyang lake Nagaland during their flight from Mongolia to South Africa. Pangti village in Nagaland is considered as the world’s Amur Falcon capital. Centre will soon develop the Doyang Lake area as an eco-tourism spot for bird-watchers across the world. Until recently, Amur falcons were hunted by Naga tribesmen for meat. Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary: It is situated in Maharashtra and is 60 km from Nagpur. Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary is declared as the satellite core of Bor Tiger Reserve by national tiger conservation authority. It is the first sanctuary in Maharashtra to be declared as ‘satellite core’, which means a sub-protected area supporting another protected area.
KENDU LEAVES Recently there was a demand from Kalahandi district of Odisha to deregulate the trade in kendu leaves. At present the Kendu leaves are a nationalised forest produce in Odisha, thus its trade monopoly lies with authorised state agencies. Gram Sabhas are contesting that they have the “right of ownership, access to collect, use, and dispose of minor forest produce” under Forest Rights Act and kendu leaves are a minor forest produce. Further deregulation of trade in kendu leaves is in force in certain districts of Odisha and Maharashtra.
Kendu leaves It is also known as East Indian ebony. It is native to India and Sri Lanka and has a hard, dry bark. Its common name derives from Coromandel, the coast of southeastern India. Locally it is known as temburini or by its Hindi name tendu. In Odisha and Jharkhand it is known as kendu. The leaves can be wrapped around tobacco to create the Indian beedi.
COMBUSTIBLE ICE Why in news? Recently Japan and China successfully extracted the combustible ice from the sea floor off their coastlines.
Combustible ice is a frozen mixture of water and concentrated natural gas. Technically known as methane hydrate, it can be lit on fire in its frozen state and is believed to comprise one of the world’s most abundant fossil fuels. Methane hydrate has been found beneath seafloors and buried inside Arctic permafrost and beneath Antarctic ice.
TARANG SANCHAR PORTAL Why in News? The Telecom Department launched a portal – Tarang Sanchar Portal that will allow people to track radiation emitted from mobile towers within a locality. The portal will empower consumers to know about the towers working in a particular area and whether they are compliant to the Electromagnetic field (EMF) emission norms defined by the government. Background launch coincides with the recent SC order on deactivation of a mobile tower in Gwalior on the plea of a cancer patient. The order intensified the debate on health impact of radiation from mobile towers. The government said that the mobile tower emissions rules in India are ten times more stringent than the global norms.
HOME GROWN VACCINE FOR LEPROSY: MYCOBACTERIUM INDICUS PRANII Why in News? National Institute of Immunology has developed Mycobacterium Indicus Pranii (MIP), an indigenous vaccine for leprosy.
NASA’S NEW FRONTIERS PROGRAMME RECEIVES 12 MISSION PROPOSALS Why in news? NASA’s New Frontiers program, which organises robotic solar system missions of discovery costing up to $1 billion, has received 12 proposals for missions to a variety of destinations. The New Frontiers Programme The New Frontiers strategy is to explore the solar system with frequent, medium-class spacecraft missions that conduct high-quality, focused scientific investigations designed to enhance our understanding of the solar system. This would be the fourth mission in the New Frontiers portfolio. Its predecessors are the New Horizons mission to Pluto, the Juno mission to Jupiter, and OSIRIS-Rex.
VAJRA Why in news? According to the Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, more than 1000 Indian scientists working abroad have returned to India in the last 2-3 years. Background The govt. of India recently launched VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research) faculty scheme to enable NRI and overseas scientists community to participate and carry out R&D in the country. The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of the Department will implement the Scheme. International Faculty / scientists/technologists including Non-resident Indians (NRI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) / Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) are offered adjunct / visiting faculty positions in Indian Institutions / Universities for a period of 1-3 months under this scheme. The faculty can also undertake the role of teaching /mentoring apart from R&D. Public funded institutions and national laboratories are allowed to host the VAJRA faculty.
MISSION INDRADHANUSH Why in news? PMO (Prime Minister Office) had advance the deadline of Mission Indradhanush from 2020 to 2018. PMO will review the mission through multi-modal platform PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) platform.
PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) It is an integrating and interactive platform aimed at addressing common man’s grievances, and simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes. It uses Digital data management, video-conferencing and geo-spatial technology. It is a three-tier system – PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States.
Mission Indradhanush It is a strategic endeavour under Universal Immunisation Programme 1985. It targets to immunize all children below two years of age either unvaccinated, or are partially vaccinated as well as all pregnant women. Immunisation against seven vaccine preventable diseases namely; Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Childhood Tuberculosis, Polio, Hepatitis B and Measles. Moreover, Vaccines for Japanese Encephalitis, Haemophilus influenza type B, inactivated polio vaccine, Rotavirus vaccine and Measles Rubella vaccine are also being provided in selected states. Mission is technically supported by WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and other donor partners.
Universal Immunisation Programme 1985 The UIP provides free of cost vaccines to all children during the first year of life. To protect them against 12 life threatening diseases: tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, Hepatitis B, Diarrhoea, Japanese Encephalitis, rubella, Rotavirus and Pneumonia (added in May 2017). Pneumonia vaccine India accounts for nearly 20% of global pneumonia deaths. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) will give protection against 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria.
SWACHH SURVEKSHAN 2017: INDORE CLEANEST CITY May 4 2017, Ministry of Urban Development has released the finding of Swachh Survekshan 2017. Highlights it was conducted by Quality Council of India in 434 cities and towns to monitor the progress of the Swachh Bharat Mission. Indore has been declared the cleanest city in India and Bhopal ranked second. Gujarat has the highest number with 12 of its cities among the top 50 clean cities followed by Madhya Pradesh with 11 cities.
Quality Council of India It was set up jointly by the Government of India and ASSOCHAM, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and FICCI Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, is the nodal ministry for QCI. Provide right and unbiased information on quality related standards Represent India’s Interest in International forums. Swachh Survekshan – 2017 – Aimed at capturing the outcomes of efforts towards: Open Defecation Free Door-to-door collection of garbage Processing and disposal of Municipal Solid Waste.
BANGANAPALLE MANGO Why in news? Registrar of Geographical Indications Registry (RGIR) granted the Banganapalle Mango and Bandar Laddu the geographical indication (GI) tag, both belonging to Andhra Pradesh.
YAKSHAGANA DANCE FORM Yakshagana It is a folk dance of Karnataka. It is a fusion of dance and drama. Stories are depicted from the epics of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Purana are performed on stage. A narrator narrates the story along with musicians playing traditional instruments while actors enact the story.
CAPF
The CAPF includes jawans from the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
SAARC DISASTER MANAGEMENT CENTRE Why in news? Recently the Chief Minister of Gujarat inaugurated the SAARC Disaster Management Centre at the Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management (GIDM), Gandhinagar About the Centre The Centre’s Interim Unit would harness world-class infrastructure at GIDM and an entire ecosystem of research institutions in the vicinity to conduct programmes on a regular basis to strengthen various dimensions of disaster management cooperation among South Asian countries. A programme on “Application of space technology in monitoring and managing risks” was also launched with participation of technical experts from the region on this occasion. The setup of the SAARC Disaster Management Centre consolidates India’s role as first responders in crises and furthers ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ policy in external environment especially in the neighbourhood.
INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE (ISA) FRAMEWORK Why in news? The world’s smallest republic, the tiny island nation of Nauru — has become the sixth country to ratify the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework pact. International solar alliance The International Solar Alliance is a common platform for cooperation among sun-rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn who are seeking to massively ramp up solar energy, thereby helping to bend the global greenhouse emissions curve whilst providing clean and cheap energy. The initiative was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris at the end of 2015 by the President of France and the Prime Minister of India.