insights daily current events (paper – 3, upsc mains ... · insights insights daily current...

www.insightsonindia.com

Insights

www.insightsias.com

INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT EVENTS (PAPER – 3, UPSC MAINS)

November 2015

Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.

Seventh Pay Commission

The seventh Pay Commission, headed by Justice AK Mathur, has submitted its report to the union finance ministry.

• The recommendations, once cleared by the Cabinet, will lead to a substantial hike in salaries of central government employees and pensioners with effect from January 1, 2016.

Major recommendations:

• An overall increase of 23.55% in pay, allowances, and pension for government employees.

• The minimum pay in govt is recommended to be set at Rs 18,000 per month.

• Maximum pay is recommended as Rs 2,25,000 per month for Apex scale and Rs 2,50,000 per month for Cabinet Secretary and others at the same level.

• The rate of annual increment retained at 3%. • One Rank One Pension proposed for civilian government employees

on line of OROP for armed forces. • Military Service Pay (MSP), which is a compensation for the various

aspects of military service, will be admissible to the defence forces personnel only.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• Short service commissioned officers will be allowed to exit the armed forces at any point in time between 7 to 10 years of service.

• A status quo on the retirement age of Central government employees. Retirement age for staff of Central government is 60 years.

Implications, if these recommendations are implemented:

• An increase of 0.65% points in the ratio of expenditure on to GDP. • Financial impact will be Rs 1.02 lakh crore - Rs 73,650 crore to be

borne by Central Budget and Rs 28,450 crore by Railway Budget. • The salary hikes are expected to boost sales of affordable homes and

consumer durables, which in turn will drive demand in the economy. • Recommendations will impact 47 lakh serving govt employees, 52

lakh pensioners, including defence personnel.

However, it should be noted that the 16% hike in basic salary is much lower than the 35% hike employees got in the Sixth Pay Commission.

sources: bs, pib.

New FDI norms

The government has relaxed foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in 15 sectors, allowing 100% FDI in sectors such as completed construction projects, some plantation sectors, cable networks, direct-to-home (DTH) services and some air transport activities.

• Fifteen areas and 32 investment points will benefit from the liberalisation.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Highlights:

• Foreign direct investment up to 49% will now be allowed in the defence sector under the automatic route. Currently, FDI up to 49% is allowed in the defence sector but under the government approval route.

• The government has allowed 100% FDI in completed construction projects. It has also removed restrictions on minimum floor area or minimum capitalisation.

• In the broadcast sector, FDI limit in news channels has been hiked from 26% to 49%. In the non-news category, now FDI up to 100% has been allowed without the government's approval.

• The FDI limit in DTH (direct-to-home) and cable networks has been increased to 100%. Earlier, the limit was 74% in DTH services.

• The government has opened plantation activities in coffee, rubber, cardamom, palm oil tree and olive oil tree to 100% FDI. Right now, only tea plantations are open to foreign investment.

• Single-brand retail firms also have been allowed to sell products through e-commerce, subject to government approval.

• Manufacturers have been permitted to sell their products through wholesale/retail - including through e-commerce. Also, a single entity has also been allowed to carry out business in wholesale/cash & carry and single-brand retail.

• For private banks, the government has removed the distinction between different categories of foreign investment. Accordingly, foreign institutional investors, foreign portfolio investors and qualified foreign investors can now invest up to 74% in the sector.

• Regional air transport service (RSOP) will now be eligible for foreign investment up to 49% under automatic route. The FDI cap in non-scheduled air transport service and ground handling services has been increased to 100% from 74%.

• The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) can now clear proposals up to Rs 5,000 crore from the earlier limit of Rs 3,000 crore under single-window clearance.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

The crux of these reforms is to further ease, rationalize and simplify the process of foreign investments in the country and to put more and more FDI proposals on automatic route instead of government route where time and energy of the investors is wasted.

sources: pib, ndtv, the hindu.

PM unveils 3 gold schemes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently unveiled three gold-related schemes, namely the Gold Monetisation Scheme, Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme and Gold Coin and Bullion Scheme.

Important features of the Gold monetisation scheme:

• The scheme will replace the prevailing gold deposit scheme that started in 1999.

• Deposit limit: Under this scheme the minimum deposit at any one time shall be raw gold (bars, coins, jewellery excluding stones and other metals) equivalent to 30 grams of gold of 995 fineness. There is no maximum limit for deposit under the scheme.

• Time period: The designated banks will accept gold deposits under the short term (1-3 years) Bank Deposit (STBD) as well as medium (5-7 years) and long (12-15 years) term government deposit schemes.

• All scheduled commercial banks are allowed to implement this scheme and are also free to fix interest rates.

• Depositors can also make premature withdrawal of their deposits. It will be subject to a minimum lock-in period and penalty to be determined by individual banks.

• The existing deposits under the gold deposit scheme, 1999, will be allowed to run until maturity.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Gold sovereign bond scheme:

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will issue these bonds on behalf of the central government.

• The gold bonds will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of one gram while the minimum investment limit is two grams.

• The maximum subscription is 500 grams per person per fiscal (April-March) and for joint holders, the limit will be applied on the first holder.

• As per the scheme, the gold bonds will be sold only to resident Indian entities including individuals, Hindu undivided families, trusts, universities, and charitable institutions.

• The bond tenure will be eight years with exit option beginning the fifth year onwards. They will also be tradable in the bourses.

• Bonds can also be used as collateral for loans.

India gold coin and bullion scheme:

• The gold coin and gold bullion schemes are part of the gold monetisation programme.

• The coin will be the first ever national gold coin and will bear Ashok Chakra.

• Initially, the coins will be available in denominations of 5 and 10 grams. A 20 gram bullion bar will also be launched.

• As many as 15,000 coins of 5 gm, 20,000 coins of 10 gm and 3,750 bullion bars will be made available through Metals and Minerals Trading Corporations (MMTC) outlets.

sources: pib.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

In India, unemployment rate still high

An analysis of the official Census 2011 data by The Hindu, has yielded the following information on Unemployment in India.

• Of the 116 million Indians who were either seeking or available for work, 32 million were illiterate and 84 literate.

• Ten million Indians with graduate, post-graduate and technical degrees were looking for work as of 2011. That is, around 15% of all Indians with the highest levels of education were seeking job as of 2011.

• Among literates, unemployment rates were higher among the better qualified, highest of all among the 7.2 million people with a technical diploma or certificate other than a degree.

• At all levels of education, unemployment rates were higher in rural than in urban areas.

• At every level of education, especially at the higher levels, female unemployment exceeded male unemployment.

• Overall, India’s unemployment rate grew from 6.8% in 2001 to 9.6% in 2011.

• Unemployment grew faster for illiterates than for literates. • As of 2011, Kerala had India’s highest graduate unemployment rate at

over 30%.

The ‘unemployed’ included those who were not currently working but were seeking or available for work, as well as those in marginal employment — meaning that they worked for fewer than six months in the year preceding the Census — who were seeking or available for work.

sources: the hindu.

Bankruptcy comiittee


Insights

www.insightsias.com

The government-appointed Bankruptcy Law Committee recently submitted its report and its proposed Insolvency and Bankruptcy Bill to the government.

• The 15-member committee was headed by T K Vishwanathan, a former Lok Sabha secretary-general.

• The committee has observed that the enactment of the proposed Bill will provide greater clarity in the law and facilitate the application of consistent and coherent provisions to different stakeholders affected by business failure or inability to pay debt and will address the challenges being faced at present for swift and effective bankruptcy resolution.

Proposed draft bill:

• The draft Bill has consolidated the existing laws relating to insolvency of companies, limited liability entities, unlimited liability partnerships and individuals which are presently scattered in a number of legislations, into a single legislation.

• The Bill seeks to improve the handling of conflicts between creditors and debtors, avoid destruction of value, distinguish malfeasance vis-a-vis business failure and clearly allocate losses in macroeconomic downturns.

• The Bill suggests an insolvency regulator, for oversight over professionals in this regard. It also lays down a transition provision during which the central government will exercise all the powers of the regulator till the time one is set up.

• The Bill recommends the existing Debt Recovery Tribunals be the adjudicating authority for individuals and unlimited liability partnership firms. And, that the National Company Law Tribunal be the one for companies and limited liability entities. It also proposes setting up of information utilities, to collect and collate financial information from listed companies and their creditors.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Background:

• The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his Budget Speech 2015-16, had identified Bankruptcy Law Reform as a key priority for improving the ease of doing business and had announced that a comprehensive Bankruptcy Code, meeting global standards and providing necessary judicial capacity, will be brought in fiscal 2015-16.

• Accordingly, the Government had constituted the Bankruptcy Law Reform Committee to look into various Bankruptcy related issues and give its report along with a draft Bill on the subject to the Government.

The Government will shortly take a final decision on the Report and introduce the Bill in Parliament.

sources: pib, toi.

FinMin to ease transfer pricing rules

The finance ministry is streamlining safe harbour rules and advance agreements, two mechanisms to determine the price of services rendered by a multinational to its subsidiary in India.

What are safe harbour rules?

• They are directives on margins the tax authorities should accept for the transfer price declared by an assessee. India announced the safe harbour rules in 2013.

• These rules have drawn a tepid response since they were introduced. • The high margins of up to 25% on total operational profits have made

it unattractive for companies to use them.

There is also a huge backlog in advance pricing agreements (APAs) in India. India has the highest incidence of transfer pricing litigation worldwide. The


Insights

www.insightsias.com

number of cases scrutinised has quadrupled from 1,061 in 2005-06 to 4,290 in 2014-15.

To address the above issues, the centre is bringing in reforms. The steps will involve lowering the margins in safe harbour rules and definitions will be reworked to remove ambiguities. The move would also simplify the tax regime, reduce litigation and help improve the business environment, a finance ministry official said.

Implications:

• The lowering of safe harbour rates will ease the advance pricing agreement backlog. The government introduced the advance pricing scheme in 2012 and there are over 500 applications pending.

Advance Pricing:

An APA is essentially a contract between a taxpayer and the tax authorities that sets out beforehand the method for determining transfer pricing pertaining to transactions between a subsidiary and its foreign parent.

• Under the APA companies could enter into an agreement with tax authorities for the next five years.

sources: bs, wiki.

Global Financial Secrecy Index: Hong Kong, Singapore's ranks rise

The 2015 Global Financial Secrecy index was recently released. It was compiled by the Tax Justice Network (TJN).


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Details:

• China has secured second position, behind only Switzerland. • Hong Kong and Singapore have increased their ranking. Hong Kong

is placed third and Singapore's ranking moved to fourth from the fifth place.

• The US is ranked third for its refusal to take part in a global system for exchanging bank data created by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

• India has made significant progress in the past two years in financial transparency. India is ranked 45. In 2013 it was placed at 32.

Why India’s rank has improved?

• Indian government has taken several steps to crack down on black money and illicit wealth including stringent laws to blunt illegal wealth stashed overseas.

• It has also signed agreements with several foreign countries for exchange of information and is also bringing a legislation to tackle domestic black money.

The ranking takes into account the processes put in place to bring transparency and reduce the secrecy around financial dealings.

sources: bs, et.

Topic: indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Interceptor boat commissioned


Insights

www.insightsias.com

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned an interceptor boat into its fleet to enhance its vigil along the coast in Bay of Bengal. The boat is named ICGS C-422.

About the vessel:

• ICGS C-422 is among the 36 interceptor boats being built for the Coast Guard. It has been designed and built indigenously by M/s. Larsen and Toubro Ltd.

• The 27.80-m-long boat can achieve a maximum speed of 45 knots. It is equipped with two diesel engines and will have an endurance of 500 nautical miles. It is also fitted with state-of-the-art communication and navigational equipment.

• The interceptor boat is capable of undertaking multifarious tasks such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and coordinated operations with sea and air units, sources said.

sources: the hindu.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Anti-submarine corvette handed over to the Navy

Kadmatt , the second of the four indigenously built stealth Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) corvette, has been formally handed over to the Navy by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).

• The Corvette is named after an island in the Lakshwadeep archipelago.

About ASW corvette Kadmatt:

• It is indigenously developed with special grade high-tensile. • The hull of the ship has bulk of sensors and weapon system. • It has advanced stealth features and is likely to be commissioned with

the Navy in January. • It can accommodate 17 officers, 106 sailors and can carry a helicopter

onboard. It has a maximum speed of 25 Knots. • The ship's main role is to protect the nation's maritime interests

against possible submarine attacks and the ship is a potent platform for neutralising enemy submarines with an array of weapons like torpedoes, rocket launchers and helicopter.

• The ship is also equipped with total atmospheric control ventilation system making it fully capable to fight in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare environments.

The first ship of the series INS Kamorta was inducted into the Navy in August 2014. Two remaining corvettes of the series Kiltan and Kavaratti will be delivered to the Navy in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

sources: the hindu.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

India successfully test-fires N-capable Prithvi II missile

Indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile was successfully test fired recently by the army. The missile test was carried out from a mobile launcher from launch complex of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur.

About the missile:

• Prithvi-II is indigenously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surface missile with a strike range of 350 km.

• The missile is thrusted by liquid propulsion twine engines. • It uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvering

trajectory. • It is the first missile to be developed by DRDO under India’s

prestigious IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program).

• The missile is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads. • It was inducted into India’s armed forces in 2003.

sources: pib.

India successfully test fires nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile

The nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile was recently test fired from a naval ship off the Odisha coast.

• It was test fired from INS Subhadra.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

About Dhanush:

• It is a surface-to-surface missile. • It is a naval variant of India’s indigenously-developed Prithvi missile. • It is a single-stage, liquid-propelled missile. • Range: 350 km.

It has already been inducted into the armed forces and is one of the five missiles developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).

sources: pib.

Upgraded interceptor missile successfully hits virtual target

India recently test-fired it’s indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

About the missile:

• The interceptor, known as Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile is capable of destroying any incoming ballistic missile.

• It was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

• It is a 7.5-meter long single stage solid rocket propelled guided missile equipped with a navigation system, a hi—tech computer and an electro—mechanical activator.

• The missile also has its own mobile launcher.

sources: the hindu.

Next generation missile to be test-fired

The Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM), which can intercept incoming targets at a range of 80 km, is all set to be test-fired from a naval warship this month.

• LR-SAM, also known as Barak NG (next generation), is being co-developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from India and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) of Israel.

• The missile has been successfully test-fired against a flying target in Israel in November 2014.

• The project was approved in 2005 with an initial funding of Rs. 2,606 crore and was to be inducted in 2011 but has been delayed due to technical difficulties.

sources: the hindu.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Navy gets indigenous system to decoy under water attack on ships

The Advanced Torpedo Defence System (ATDS), christened as Mareech was recently handed over by defence minister Manohar Parrikar to the Navy.

About Mareech:

• Maareech is a joint project of Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi and NSTL, Visakhapatnam.

• It is a state-of-the-art indigenous system for torpedo detection and countermeasures.

• This system offers a complete solution to detect and locate the incoming torpedo and to apply countermeasures to protect naval platform against torpedo attack.

How the system operates?

• The system first detects and then confuses and diverts the torpedo attacks on ships from under the water.

• By diverting the torpedoes' original course, it forces it to lose its energy thus preventing it from being effective on target.

Torpedoes are self propelled weapon with a warhead and can be used under or on the water surface. They are one of the mainstay of sea-warfare attack systems.

The minister also dedicated to the nation the Seakeeping and Maneuvering Basin (SMB)-


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• It is a one of its kind platform in the country, set up as a joint effort of DRDO and Indian Navy.

• The facility puts India among the few nations in the world having the capability to undertake comprehensive hydrodynamic model testing of naval platforms and weapon systems.

• SMB would help to design and build state of the art naval combatants such as submarines, ships, torpedoes.

sources: pib.

Agni-IV successfully test-fired

India’s strategic missile, Agni-IV, was successfully test-fired from Abdul Kalam Island, formerly known as Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast recently.

• The launch was spearheaded by India's missile woman Ms. Tessy Thomas.

• This was the fifth trial of the Agni IV missile.

About the Missile:

• Agni-IV is a surface-to-surface missile equipped with modern and compact avionics to provide high level of reliability.

• It is capable of hitting a target at a distance of 4,000 km. • The missile is about 20 metres tall and weighs 17 tons. • It is equipped with 5th generation onboard computer and distributed

architecture. • It has the latest features to correct and guide itself for in-flight

disturbances. The most accurate ring laser gyro-based inertial navigation system (RINS) and supported by highly reliable redundant


Insights

www.insightsias.com

micro navigation system (MINGS), ensures the vehicle reaches the target within two-digit accuracy.

• The re-entry heat shield can withstand temperatures in the range of 4,000 degrees centigrade and makes sure the avionics function normally with inside temperature remaining less than 50 degrees centigrade.

sources: the hindu, wiki.

Defence Minister Launches Army Cloud, Data Centre & Digi-Locker for the Indian Army

The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar recently inaugurated the Central Data Centre, Army Cloud and Digi-Locker for the Indian Army.

• Such initiatives can be of great use for faster documentation, information and speedy delivery of services.

Army Cloud:

• The facility under the Army Cloud includes a Central Data Centre, a Near Line Data Centre, both in Delhi and a Disaster Recovery site for replication of its critical data along with virtualised servers and storage in an environmentally controlled complex.

• This is similar to the Meghraj; the Cloud of National Informatics Centre (NIC).

• It will provide all Information Technology Infrastructure including servers for computing, storage, network and network security equipment centrally, for automation of Indian Army.

Digi-Locker:


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• Digi-Locker will provide a secure and exclusive data storage space to all the units and formation headquarters of the Army over its dedicated data network.

• It is similar to e-Locker of Digital India program and has all the advanced features like digital signatures and watermarking.

• This is an important step towards implementation of cyber security as it precludes carriage of soft copies of data on CDs/DVDs and removable media. Users can store, share and access the data from anywhere any time on the Army Data Network.

sources: pib.

BrahMos test-fired from new warship

India’s supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was recently test-fired from the country's newest stealth-destroyer INS Kochi off the west coast.

• Launch of BrahMos was part of an acceptance testing-firing during a Naval drill being conducted on the west coast.

INS Kochi:

• INS Kochi is a 7,500-tonne indigenously developed warship which has new design concepts for survivability, stealth and manoeuvrability.

• It was inducted into the Navy in September 2015. • It can carry 16 BrahMos missiles in two eight-cell vertical launch

systems besides other modern weapons and sensors.

Brahmos:

• It is a two stage missile, jointly developed by India and Russia.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• The missile can fly at a supersonic speed of 2.8 Mach and at a height of ten metres during the final stages of its flight.

• It carries conventional warheads. • It can be launched from ships, land and submarines.

sources: the hindu, et.

Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

A feather in capital airport’s cap

The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport has been adjudged the best-maintained international airport in the country by the AQS survey.

• The Airport Quality Survey was conducted by the global body Airport Council International (ACI).

• ASQ surveys are based on key service parameters and identified services. A questionnaire containing 34 questions on different facilities and parameters of the airport is used for the survey by the ACI.

Details:

• Of the 11 international airports managed by the Airports Authority of India in the country, Thiruvananthapuram International Airport topped the list with a rating of 4.89 on a 5-point scale.

• Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and Lucknow came second with a rating of 4.76 and Goa International Airport came third with 4.72.

• Incheon Airport in Seoul has emerged first in the Asia-Pacific region for the last quarter with 4.99 points.

• The global average of Airports Service Quality (ASQ) ratings is 4.12.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

sources: the hindu.

Kayakalp meeting

In its 4th Meeting held recently, under the Chairmanship of Ratan Tata, Kayakalp (Innovation Council of Indian Railways) discussed safety issues and attempted to identify the causes for accidents on account of manual failures.

• The Council looked at approaches towards achieving greater hygiene and cleanliness on railway facilities such as stations.

• The Council also examined customer focus of the Indian Railways at present and ways to make the organization more customer friendly.

• All Members also agreed on Railways’ need to address customer needs in a more visible and effective manner.

Kayakalp:

• It is an innovation council which was set up for the purpose of business re-engineering and introducing a spirit of innovation in Railways.

• The purpose of the Council is to recommend innovative methods and processes for the improvement, betterment and transformation of the Indian Railways.

• This Council would be a standing body and would interact with all stakeholders and other interested parties.

sources: pib.

Cabinet clears financial ‘reform’ package for discoms


Insights

www.insightsias.com

The Union Cabinet has approved a ‘reform’ package for loss-making electricity utilities. The scheme is named Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY).

• The scheme is aimed at providing financial turnaround and revival of Power Distribution companies (DISCOMs). It also ensures a sustainable permanent solution to the problem.

• The scheme assures the rise of vibrant and efficient DISCOMs through a permanent resolution of past as well as potential future issues of the sector.

The scheme empowers DISCOMs with the opportunity to break even in the next 2-3 years through the following four initiatives:

(i) Improving operational efficiencies of DISCOMs. (ii) Reduction of cost of power. (iii) Reduction in interest cost of DISCOMs. (iv) Enforcing financial discipline on DISCOMs through alignment

with State finances.

Salient features of the scheme:

• The scheme allows DISCOMS in few selected states to convert their debt into state bonds. According to the scheme, states will take over 75% of DISCOM debt as on 30 September 2015 over two years - 50% of DISCOM debt will be taken over in 2015-16 and 25% in 2016-17.

• States will issue non-SLR including SDL bonds in the market or directly to the respective banks / Financial Institutions (FIs) holding the DISCOM debt to the appropriate extent.

• Government of India will not include the debt taken over by the States as per the scheme in the calculation of fiscal deficit of respective States in the financial years 2015-16 and 2016-17.

• DISCOM debt not taken over by the State shall be converted by the Banks / FIs into loans or bonds with interest rate not more than the bank’s base rate plus 0.1%.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• States accepting UDAY and performing as per operational milestones will be given additional / priority funding through Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY),Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), Power Sector Development Fund (PSDF) or other such schemes of Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

• States not meeting the operational milestones will be liable to forfeit their claim on IPDS and DDUGJY grants.

• UDAY is optional for all States. However, States are encouraged to take the benefit at the earliest as benefits are dependent on the performance.

sources: pib.

Railways launches ‘Vikalp’ for waitlisted passengers to get confirmed berth

Railways has launched a new scheme, called Vikalp, under which waitlisted passengers can get confirmed accommodation in next alternative train if they opt for the option while booking their tickets online.

Details:

• The scheme, also known as alternative train accommodation scheme, will take off in trains running on Delhi-Lucknow and Delhi-Jammu sectors from November 1, on a pilot basis.

• Initially, Vikalp scheme will be available only for the tickets booked through internet for six months and option will be limited to mail and express trains on the two selected routes.

• As per the scheme, waitlisted passengers of a train would be given option of getting confirmed accommodation in the next train running on the route.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• Passenger, if opts for the Vikalp scheme while booking tickets online, will get SMS alert on their mobile phone about getting confirmed accommodation in alternative train.

• As per the scheme, there would be no extra charges taken from the passenger or any refund provided for the difference of fare.

• The name of passenger who has been provided accommodation in the alternative train will not figure in the waitlisted charts of their original train. A separate list of passengers transferred in alternative train will be pasted along with the confirmed and waitlist charts.

Through this scheme Railway aims to achieve the twin objectives of providing confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers and ensure optimal utilisation of available accommodation.

sources: the hindu, pib.

Topic: Biodiversity.

New species of tree frog discovered

Researchers have discovered a new species of tree frog in Kadalar in the high ranges of Idukki distrct.

• The new species is named Ghatixalus magnus after its large size making it the biggest known tree frog from the Western Ghats.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Along with the new species, researchers have also rediscovered a bush frog, named Raorchestes flaviventris that had been evading for the past many decades.

• This bush frog was first discovered by George Albert Boulenger in 1882.

Importance of these findings:

• Kadalar in the high ranges of Idukki distrct of Kerala has yielded several new species of amphibians in the past, indicating the need to focus conservation efforts.

• The discovery of a new species of tree frog despite its large size stresses the need for further explorations even in areas which seem to be well studied, which is necessary to focus conservation efforts.

sources: the hindu.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Pelicans face disappointment

With the poor monsoon this year failing to replenish the Kolleru lake, Pelican birds will find the sanctuary less welcome than last year.

• Thousands of pelicans visit Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary every year for the annual breeding season.

• In a bid to help these birds, forest officials are pumping water from the Polraj drain to the lake to raise water levels up to 1 m as against the required average level of 3-4 m.

• On the other hand, the fish population in the pond is down to near zero. Most of the fish in the pond were caught in the summer when the water dried up completely. This will also directly impact the breeding of the pelicans.

Kolleru Lake:

• Kolleru lake is one of the largest fresh water lakes in the country. It is located between Krishna and Godavari delta.

• It was declared as a wildlife sanctury in 1999. • It is a Ramsar site. • It is also listed as an Important Bird Area. • Important avifauna of the lake include a variety of water fowls, ducks,

teals, storks, egrets, herons, ibises, bitterns, cormorants and a number of waders. As many as 224 species of birds have been from in and around the lake.

Grey Pelicans in the area:

• The lake is known to amateur birdwatchers and professional ornithologists as a Pelicanery — a location were the Grey Pelicans, a large magnificent bird, nest and breed.

• Grey pelicans had vanished from the lake in 1973 for nearly 35 years and returned to it to nest again in December 2006. The Grey Pelican


Insights

www.insightsias.com

also called the Spot Billed Pelican is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act and in the Red Data Book. It is also considered a “globally threatened species” under the “vulnerable” category.

• The Grey Pelican returned to the lake only after Operation Kolleru, in which the fish tanks were destroyed implementing a Supreme Court order.

sources: the hindu, wiki.

Topic: Security challenges and their management in border areas.

Impose AFSPA in Garo Hills, says High Court

The Meghalaya High Court has asked the Centre to consider enforcing AFSPA in the militancy-hit Garo Hills region in Manipur.

Why?

• To control the situation in the aid of civil and police authorities, till life becomes normal and the incidents of rampant kidnapping and killing stopped.

The court has also made it clear that deployment of armed forces would be only for the purpose of enabling the civil authorities in the state to deal with the situation effectively so that there is a regime of rule of law.

Was it necessary?


Insights

www.insightsias.com

There is a rise in number of militancy incidents in the state, especially in the garo hills region, including abduction of government officials and threats to judges. Even the police and civil authorities have not been able to control the incidents of kidnapping for ransom and killings. The native population is totally exposed to militancy. Hence, AFSPA appears necessary.

Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act:

It is an Act empowering armed forces to deal effectively in ‘Disturbed Areas’. Any area which is declared ‘Disturbed’ under the disturbed areas act enables armed forces to resort to the provisions of AFSPA.

Who declares an area as disturbed?

The choice of declaring any area as ‘disturbed’ vests both with state and central government.

The government can declare AFSPA in the following conditions:

• When the local administration fails to deal with local issues and the police proves inefficient to cope with them.

• When the scale of unrest or instability in the state is too large for the police to handle.

Legal provisions of AFSPA:

In an area declared, “disturbed” an army officer is legally free to carry out following operations:

• Fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death, against any person who is acting in contravention of any law” against “assembly of five or more persons” or possession of deadly weapons.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• Destroy any shelter (private or govt.) from which armed attacks are made or likely to be made or attempted to be made.

• Arrest any person without warrant who has committed a cognizable offence or against whom a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed or is about to commit a cognizable offence.

• Enter and search, without warrant, any premises for purpose of arrest or to recover any person, arms, explosives.

• Search and seize any vehicle suspected to be carrying an offender or any person against whom any reasonable suspicion exists that he has or is about to commit an offence.

sources: the hindu, pib.

Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

Extension of Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems Project

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval to the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs for a major revamp of the Crime and Criminals Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) Project and has decided to implement Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) by integrating CCTNS with E-Courts.

• This will ensure quick data transfer among different pillars of criminal justice system, which will not only enhance transparency but also reduce processing time.

• Police-Citizen interface will undergo a major shift with the implementation of this project, as a number of services will be enabled through citizen portal.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• The Government has decided to fast track the implementation and complete the implementation of the CCTNS project by March 2017 including implementation of ICJS.

About CCTNS project:

• Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) is a project initiated in June 2009 which aims at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of policing at the Police Station level.

• This will be done through adoption of principles of e-Governance, and creation of a nationwide networked infrastructure for evolution of IT-enabled state-of-the-art tracking system around “investigation of crime and detection of criminals”.

• CCTNS is a Mission Mode Project (MMP) under the National e-Governance Plan of Govt. of India.

• It will not only automate Police functions at Police station and higher levels but will also create facilities and mechanism to provide public services like registration of online complaints, ascertaining the status of case registered at the police station, verification of persons etc.

• The Project will interconnect about 15000 Police Stations and additional 5000 offices of supervisory police officers across the country and digitize data related to FIR registration, investigation and charge sheets in all Police Stations.

• This would lead to development of a national database of crimes and criminals.

• The Full implementation of the Project with all the new components would lead to a Central citizen portal having linkages with State level citizen portals that will provide a number of citizen friendly services like Police Verification for various purposes including passport verification, reporting a crime including cyber-crime and online tracking of the case progress etc.

• The project will enable National level crime analytics to be published at increased frequency, which will help the policy makers as well as


Insights

www.insightsias.com

lawmakers in taking appropriate and timely action, it will also enable Pan-India criminal/accused name search in the regional language for improved inter-state tracking of criminal movement.

sources: pib.

China's Tianhe-2 remains world's most powerful supercomputer

China's Tianhe-2 supercomputer has maintained its position as the world's most powerful system for the sixth consecutive time, according to a biannual Top500 list of supercomputers. It has held the title since June 2013.

• Tianhe-2 or Milky Way 2, with a performance of 33.86 petaflops per second (Pflop/s), was developed by China's National University of Defence Technology.

• The Chinese system is almost twice as fast as the Titan of the US Department of Energy, which has a performance of 17. 59 Pflop/s. Titan holds the second position in the list.

The Top500 list is considered one of the most authoritative rankings of the world's supercomputers. It is compiled on the basis of the machines' performance on the Linpack benchmark by experts from the US and Germany.

sources: et.

Aditya mission


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Isro chairman A S Kiran Kumar recently said that India's first solar mission, Aditya-1, is slated for lift-off in 2018-2019. He said that the spacecraft will be positioned 1.5 million kms from the earth at a point called Lagranian-1 and will make a detailed study of the sun 24x7.

About Aditya-1:

• It is India’s first solar mission. It will study the sun’s outer most layers, the corona and the chromospheres and collect data about coronal mass ejection, which will also yield information for space weather prediction.

• The project costs approximately Rs 400 crores and is a joint venture between ISRO and physicists from Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru; Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune; Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, and other institutes.

• The data from Aditya mission will be immensely helpful in discriminating between different models for the origin of solar storms and also for constraining how the storms evolve and what path they take through the interplanetary space from the Sun to the Earth.

sources: toi.

India's GSAT-15 Communication Satellite Launched Successfully

GSAT-15, India’s latest communications satellite, was recently launched successfully by the European Ariane 5 VA-227 launch Vehicle.

GSAT 15:

• GSAT-15 was launched from Kourou in French Guiana (in South America).


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• It carries communication transponders in Ku-band as well as a GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands.

• The satellite cost and the launch fee are around Rs. 860 crore. • GSAT-15 was flown along with Saudi Arabia’s Arabsat-6B/Badr-7. • The satellite will be stationed over India at a slot at 93.5 degrees East

longitude. • GSAT 15 will also replace two older spacecraft-INSAT 3A and 4B- that

will likely expire in the coming months.

sources: pib.

GSAT-15 set to replace dying INSAT-3A and 4B

GSAT-15, which will be put in space shortly, will replace two older spacecraft-INSAT 3A and 4B- that will likely expire in the coming months.

• According to the ISRO, the transponders of GSAT are solely in the Ku band and will cater to DTH (direct-to-home) television needs, besides supporting the thousands of VSAT operators who provide broadband services and DSNG (digital satellite news gathering) for TV news channels.

• ISRO is also focusing on bridging the Ku-band shortage in the country. Currently, Indian D2H broadcasters are heavily dependent on external transponders.

GSAT 15:

• GSAT-15, weighing 3,164 kg, will be launched in on November 11 from Kourou in French Guiana (in South America) on the European Arianespace’s Ariane-5 launcher.

• The satellite cost and the launch fee are around Rs. 860 crore.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• GSAT-15 will be flown along with Saudi Arabia’s Arabsat-6B/Badr-7. • It will be stationed over India at a slot at 93.5 degrees East longitude. • GSAT will also carry the third GAGAN satellite navigation

transponder as a back-up for airlines and other users of augmented GPS-based systems.

Why can’t we use Indian launch vehicles?

The two Indian rockets -- PSLV and GSLV -- cannot pitch the weight of GSAT-15 to its slot 36,000 km high.

INSAT 3A and 4B:

INSAT-3A, launched in April 2003, has completed its 12-year life. INSAT-4B, flown in March 2007, got reduced to half its functions in 2010 after one of its two power-generating solar panels developed a snag.

sources: the hindu, isro.

Topic: 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; Technology missions;

NITI Panel Proposes Agri Reforms to Curb Price Rise

NITI Aayog's task force on agriculture has recommended big bang reforms to address the politically sensitive issue of frequent spurt in crop prices.

• The report talks about the need for reforms in the agriculture sector in a big way to address issues of bad weather, fluctuation in crop prices, and demand and supply problems in the long term.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• The report has been finalized after collating the views of a similar task force of states.

Important recommendations made:

• Guaranteed prices for at least half the key crops. • Setting up of a unified national agriculture market. • Changing land lease laws. • Creating a mechanism to facilitate easy exit for farmers who want to

move out of agriculture.

sources: toi.

Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

NHAI approves pilot project for developing greenbelts along highways

NHAI has approved a pilot project submitted by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur for undertaking scientific studies on designing greenbelts along national highways.

Details:

• The project will be implemented on a 5 km stretch on NH-7 between Jam and Hinganghat in Nagpur region at an estimated cost of Rs 11.80 crore.

• Around 20,000 trees of scientifically chosen species have been proposed to be planted on both sides of the stretch in multiple rows.

• The work activities have been delineated considering two major factors -- highway requirement and objectives as well as plant characteristics to fit in the site requirement.

• The project will run for five years and during this period various experiments will be conducted in NEERI laboratory to record the impact of greenbelt development.

• Besides developing greenbelt, the project will also assist in developing relevant research infrastructure that may be used for similar studies in future.

sources: et.

2015 set to be 'hottest year on record', says UN

The U.N. weather agency has said that 2015 will be the hottest year on record and 2016 could be even hotter.

Why?


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• Due to a combination of a strong El Nino and human-induced global warming.

The El Nino weather pattern, marked by warming sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, also causes extremes such as scorching weather and flooding. Meteorologists expect El Nino to peak between October and January and to be one of the strongest on record.

Other notable observations made:

• Global average surface temperatures in 2015 are likely to reach the symbolic and significant milestone of 1° Celsius above the pre-industrial era. A preliminary estimate based on data from January to October showed that the global average surface temperature for 2015 was around 0.73 °C above the 1961-1990 average of 14.0°C, and approximately 1°C above the pre-industrial 1880-1899 period.

• The years 2011-2015 have also been the hottest five year period on record, with temperatures about 0.57 °C (1.01 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1961-1990 reference period. Global ocean temperatures were unprecedented during the period, and several land areas -- including the continental United States, Australia, Europe, South America and Russia -- broke previous temperature records by large margins.

• Next year may yet be even warmer, since levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have risen to a new record every year for the past 30 years, and the El Niũo phenomenon is likely to continue into 2016.

sources: the hindu.

Uttar Pradesh in Guinness Book of World Records for Plantation Drive


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Uttar Pradesh has earned itself a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the state government's green drive.

About the green drive:

• Under this drive 10 lakh saplings were planted in one day within a span of eight hours.

• As part of the campaign, the programme was executed through coordinated efforts of forest, irrigation departments, Noida and Greater Noida authority.

• Under the drive plants such as sheesham, kanji, pakar, neem, arjun, aonla, chilbil, imli, bargad and peepal were being planted by women, teachers, students, armymen, villagers and others, at pre-decided spots.

• To ensure survival of plants, arrangement of internal departmental audit has also been made.

sources: et.

Doyang lake:

The Centre has decided to develop the Doyang lake in Nagaland as an eco-tourism spot for bird-watchers.

• The lake is famous as a roosting site for longest travelling raptors Amur Falcons.

• Amur falcons are the longest travelling raptors in the world and come to Doyang every year in millions.

• Amur falcons, weigh just 150 grams and cover 5,600 kms, flying non-stop in five days from Mongolia to arrive in Nagaland.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Until recently, Naga tribesmen used to hunt thousands of Amur falcons for meat. But last year, after a vigorous campaign by wildlife activists, they pledged to protect the bird and since then, not a single bird has been hunted in the area.

sources: toi.

Green Climate Fund faces uncertainty

At a recently concluded meeting of the Green Climate Fund’s board in Zambia, developed countries including the US have refused to commit to a deadline by which the rest of the money ($4.37 billion) would be deposited with the Fund. At present, Green Climate Fund has only $5.83 billion in its kitty.

• The US informed that it would not be able to provide the pledged $3 billion by December 2015 to the Green Climate Fund. The EU finance ministers have also concluded their meeting without committing to a clear road-map for delivery of their fair share towards the annual $100 billion corpus target, which is to be delivered by 2020.

Green Climate Fund (GCF):

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund within the framework of the UNFCCC founded as a mechanism to redistribute money from the developed to the developing world, in order to assist the developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.

Why it was founded?


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• It was founded as a mechanism to redistribute money from the developed to the developing world, in order to assist the developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.

• It was also founded to make a significant and ambitious contribution to the global efforts towards attaining the goals set by the international community to combat climate change.

How it helps?

• The Green Climate Fund will support projects, programmes, policies and other activities in developing country Parties using thematic funding windows.

• It is intended to be the centrepiece of efforts to raise Climate Finance of $100 billion a year by 2020.

• It will promote the paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways by providing support to developing countries to limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change, taking into account the needs of those developing countries particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

Who will govern the Fund?

• The fund is governed by a Board of 24 members and was initially supported by an Interim Secretariat.

• The Board will have full responsibility for funding decisions and receives the guidance of the COP.

• The Fund is accountable to, and functions under the guidance of, the COP.

sources: bs, unfcc.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

NGT directs collection of ‘green tax’

In a bid to curb health hazards originating from bursting of firecrackers, the Pune Bench of the National Green Tribunal has directed civic bodies to levy Rs. 3,000 as ‘green tax’ from sellers.

• The corpus collected from the tax will be used to clean solid waste generated from firecrackers at public places.

• Part of the money will be used exclusively for environmental activities such as planting trees and constructing toilets for women.

The tribunal has ordered strict action against defaulters, recommending that agencies which do not pay the tax should be blacklisted and their licences cancelled. The tribunal has also suggested that bursting of crackers at public places should be restricted to certain hours.

Background:

The decision came based on a petition which sought a ban on bursting of firecrackers. The petition contended that the industry employed child labour which led to several injuries and deaths among minors.

sources: the hindu.

NGT orders states to check crop burning

Upset over a spurt in pollution in the national capital on account of crop burning by farmers in Delhi and northern states, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked states to notify steps to check the menace and imposed fines on farmers indulging in such activities.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• NGT has asked the governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi to issue notifications in this regard.

• It has asked district magistrates of the respective areas to constitute a taskforce to stop crop burning. The bureaucrats have been asked to send the report to the respective state pollution boards.

Background:

• The court's observation came after the counsel for the petitioner argued that the website of Delhi Pollution Control Committee recently showed particulate matter (PM) in Delhi to be at 460 mg per cubic metre, as against a maximum permissible limit of 60 mg.

• An image taken on October 30 from a space satellite by America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration shows red outlines indicating fires burning across large swathes of Punjab and Haryana.

Straw burning:

• The NGT has observed that straw burning is a serious issue which contributes to global warming and environmental pollution.

• Farmers burn paddy to help prepare the soil for the next crop because the practice releases nutrients back into the ground and helps with pest control. But, some experts dispute this. According to them, this causes pollution, soil erosion and reduction in nitrogen content in the soil.

• This practice emits carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.

What can be done?


Insights

www.insightsias.com

The Punjab government had recently proposed to set up bio – ethanol refineries aimed at tackling the menace of wheat and paddy straw burning in the state. Such practices can help reduce the pollution.

sources: bs.

Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements of Indians in science & technology;

Trai Asks Operators to Add Towers to Address Call Drop Issue

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has asked the telecom operators to add more towers to address call drop issues.

What has TRAI suggested?

• TRAI has suggested that measures such as Dynamic Channel Allocation, multiple call routing and optimised resource management can be employed by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), besides usage of mobile signal boosters at the users' buildings or premises.

• TRAI has also asked the authorities to adequately address problems like removal of towers from certain areas.

Recent studies have shown that call drops are more evident in urban areas. With the increase in the usage of 3G networks, the growth rate of mobile towers supporting 2G networks has reduced.

What is a call drop?


Insights

www.insightsias.com

A call drop has been defined as "a voice call, which after being successfully established, is interrupted prior to its normal completion (and) the cause of early termination is within the network of the service provider".

About TRAI:

• It is the independent regulator of the telecommunications business in India.

• It was established in 1997 by an Act of Parliament to regulate telecom services and tariffs in India.

• In January 2000, TRAI act was amended to establish the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to take over the adjudicatory functions of the TRAI.

• The TDSAT was set up to resolve any dispute between a licencor and a licensee, between two or more service providers, between a service provider and a group of consumers. In addition, any direction, TRAI orders or decisions can be challenged by appealing to TDSAT.

sources: the hindu, trai.

President to launch IIT-IISc joint initiative on research

President Pranab Mukherjee is all set to launch an initiative to develop a road map for research and pave the way for solutions to major engineering and technology challenges.

About the initiative:

The initiative, ‘IMPRINT India’, is a pan-IIT and IISc joint collaboration to develop a blueprint for research of immediate relevance to society requiring innovation, direct scientific research into identified areas, ensure higher funding support for research into these areas and


Insights

www.insightsias.com

measure outcomes of the research efforts with reference to the impact on the standard of living in rural/urban areas.

• It will focus on 10 themes and each theme will be coordinated by one IIT/IISc. For instance, IIT-Kharagpur will work on the themes of health care, computer science and information and communication technology, while IIT-Kanpur will work on advance material, water resources and river systems.

• The 10 coordinating institutions have done extensive consultations and arrived at specific themes in each area of research that has immediate social relevance.

sources: pib, the hindu.

Topic: Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.

New Agency to Give Teeth to A|c Fraud Probes

The government is planning to establish a robust mechanism for faster inquiries into scams such as the one at Satyam Computer Services, which overstated earnings for several years under a previous management.

• In this regard, the government will soon set up a specialised agency to investigate large corporate accounting frauds.

Details:

• The agency was first suggested in the aftermath of the Satyam fraud.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• The threshold of accounting frauds to be probed by the upcoming agency is likely to be 500 crore and above.

• The agency will have an overarching role to regulate chartered accountants as well as set standards. It will have forensic auditors on its panel as well.

• The agency will also be solely in charge of setting up and revising accounting standards and will have professionals from industry and several government bodies on its panel.

• At present, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has authority to investigate and take disciplinary action in cases in which an auditor is involved. Any fraud below the threshold set by the government could still be investigated by the professional association.

The proposed agency is expected to perform the following functions:

• Examine accounting frauds of certain classes of listed companies. • Investigate auditing and accounting frauds, either suo moto or on

referral by the Centre. • Ensure swift probes. • Penalise audit firms in case they are found guilty of misconduct.

Penalty could also include the disbarment of such audit firms. • Monitor and enforce compliance and oversee quality of service of

professionals in the industry. • Make recommendations on formulation and laying down of

accounting and auditing standards for companies.

A recent study by Assocham and Grant Thornton India said there was a 45% increase in Indian corporate fraud in the past two years.

sources: toi.

7 South Asian nations team up to tackle black money


Insights

www.insightsias.com

Seven countries in the South-Asian region have decided to come together to set up a regional intelligence and coordination centre — to be called South Asian Regional Intelligence and Coordination Centre (SARICC) — to tackle the menace of money laundering and illicit financial flows.

• This is the first time an attempt is being made to establish such a centre in South Asia.

• India is spearheading this initiative so as to have a coordinated action against money laundering and illicit financial flows.

• Besides India, the countries that are part of the initiative of setting up of the South Asian Regional Intelligence and Coordination Centre (SARICC) are Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

sources: pib.

Asia’s foremost Information Security Conference: Ground Zero Summit, 2015

The Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh recently inaugurated the Asia’s foremost Information Security Conference: Ground Zero Summit 2015.

Theme: The theme for the Summit is Digital India – ‘Securing Digital India’.

Aim of the summit: The summit is being organized to deliberate upon various issues related to cyber security challenges emerging due to the latest technological developments.

Details:


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• The summit is being organized by the Indian Infosec Consortium (ICC), a not-for-profit organization formed by leading cyber security professionals of the country.

• With the events like Ground Zero Summit and formation of National Cyber Registry, ICC wants to consolidate the cyber security resources in the country and protect its cyberspace.

• The summit is the collaborative platform in Asia for cyber security experts and researchers to address emerging cyber security challenges and demonstrate cutting-edge technologies.

• It is a platform in the region providing opportunities to establish and strengthen relationships between the cyber security community and corporate, PSUs, Government and its defense establishments.

• The summit will showcase indigenous cyber security products and technologies and Make in India Exhibition of Indian cyber security start-ups.

• Discussions on various cyber crime case studies, trends and investigation challenges from the Law Enforcement perspective in India, will also be held.

sources: pib.

Topic: Food processing and related industries in India- location and significance.

Mega food park in Telangana

Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal recently laid the foundation stone of the first Mega Food Park in Telangana.

• The park is promoted by Smart Agro Food Park Pvt. Ltd. at Village Lakkampally and Chimrajpally in Telangana.

• This is the first Mega Food Park in Telangana and will be set up with the project cost of Rs. 108.95 crore in an area of 78 acres.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• The Mega Food Park will have strong backward linkage and three Primary Processing Centres (PPCs) will be set up at Medchal, Medak and Nalgonda.

• The Park is expected to provide direct and indirect employment to about 6000 people and benefit about 30,000 farmers in its catchment area.

• Ministry of Food Processing Industries has sanctioned two more Mega Food Parks to be set up in Khammam & Mahboobnagar districts in the State.

Mega Food Parks Scheme:

The Scheme of Mega Food Park aims at providing a mechanism to link agricultural production to the market by bringing together farmers, processors and retailers so as to ensure maximizing value addition, minimizing wastages, increasing farmers’ income and creating employment opportunities particularly in rural sector.

Aim of the Scheme: The Scheme is aimed at providing modern infrastructure facilities along the value chain from farm gate to the market with strong backward and forward linkages.

Details:

• They facilitate the efforts to increase the level of processing of agricultural and horticultural produce, with particular focus on perishables, in the country and thereby to check the wastage.

• The Scheme has a cluster based approach based on a hub and spokes model. It includes creation of infrastructure for primary processing and storage near the farm in the form of Primary Processing Centres (PPCs) and Collection Centres (CCs) and common facilities and enabling infrastructure at Central Processing Centre (CPC).


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• The PPCs are meant for functioning as a link between the producers and processors for supply of raw material to the Central Processing Centres.

• CPC has need based core processing facilities and basic enabling infrastructure to be used by the food processing units setup at the CPC. The minimum area required for a CPC is 50 acres.

• The scheme is demand-driven and would facilitate food processing units to meet environmental, safety and social standards.

Implementation and financial assistance:

• Mega Food Park project is implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which is a Body Corporate registered under the Companies Act. State Government/State Government entities/Cooperatives applying for setting up a project under the scheme are not required to form a separate SPV.

• The financial assistance for Mega Food Park is provided in the form of grant-in-aid at 50% of eligible project cost in general areas and at 75% of eligible project cost in NE Region and difficult areas (Hilly States and ITDP areas) subject to maximum of Rs. 50 crore per project.

What benefits these food parks provide?

• Reducing post harvest losses. • Maintainance of the supply chain in sustainable manner. • Additional income generation for the farmers. • Shifting the farmers to more market driven and profitable farming

activities. • It will be a one stop shop where everything will be available at a single

location. • As per experts, it will directly employ 10,000 people. • This integrated food park will help reduce supply chain costs.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

• It will also reduce wastage across the food value chain in India and improve quality and hygiene to create food products in the country.

sources: pib.

Topic: Disaster Management.

South Asian disaster management exercise

The first "South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise" (SAADMEx) – 2015 was recently inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju.

• The exercise provides a platform for strengthening regional disaster response mechanism amongst the Saarc countries.

• The exercise with the participation of delegations and rescuers from each of the eight Saarc Nations - India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka is being conducted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

• The key focus of SAADMEx-2015 is to test coordination efforts, create synergy and synchronize efforts to institutionalise regional cooperation on disaster response among the member countries.

sources: pib.


Insights

www.insightsias.com

insights daily current events (paper – 3, upsc mains ... · insights insights daily current...

Documents