upsc current affairs - iasipstnpsc.iniasipstnpsc.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/nov-16.pdf · odf...

NOVEMBER 16, 2018

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS

SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY

www.shanmugamiasacademy.in www.iasipstnpsc.in

Email : [email protected]

NOVEMBER 16 – CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018

1 SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran

Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in

1) RS 75 COMMEMORATIVE COIN

The Union Ministry of Finance has decided to release a Rs 75 commemorative

coin on the occasion of 75th anniversary of the hoisting of Tricolour for the

first time by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at Port Blair.

Features of Rs 75 commemorative coin

• The coin will bear the portrait of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose saluting the

flag on the background of cellular jail.

• A numeral 75th along with inscription “anniversary” will be depicted

below the portrait.

• There will be inscription in both Devanagari script and English saying

'First Flag Hoisting Day'.

• The 35-gram coin will be composed of 50 percent silver, 40 percent

copper and 5 percent each of nickel and zinc.

Hoisting of Tricolour:

• During his visit to Andaman in on December 30, 1943, Subhash Chandra

Bose hoisted the Tricolor for the first time at Cellular Jail of Port Blair,

much before India attained Independence declaring the island as the free

territory from the British rule.




• On the same occasion, he announced the freedom of Andaman & Nicobar

Islands, the first Indian Territory, from the British rule. The island at that

time was liberated from British rule by Japan which captured it during

the World War – II.

• Bose named Andaman Island as Shaheed and Nicobar Island as Swaraj

and appointed INA General AD Loganathan as the governor of the

Islands. Azad Hind Government was not merely a Government in Exile

anymore but had its own land, own currency, civil code and stamps.

2) UNGA DRAFT RESOLUTION ON USE OF DEATH PENALTY

India has voted against a United Nations General Assembly draft resolution on

the use of death penalty, saying it goes against the statutory law of the country

where an execution is carried out in the “rarest of rare” cases.

UN Against Death Penalty

• The draft resolution, taken up in the Third Committee (Social,

Humanitarian, Cultural) of the General Assembly was approved with a

recorded vote of 123 in favour, 36 against and 30 abstentions.

• India was among the countries that voted against the resolution, which

would have the Assembly call on all States to respect international standards

on the rights of those facing death penalty.

• The draft aimed to ensure that it is not applied on the basis of discriminatory

laws or as a result of discriminatory or arbitrary application of the law.

India’s Stance of Death Penalty

The resolution sought to promote a moratorium on executions with the aim of

abolishing death penalty. India has voted against the resolution as a whole, as it

goes against statutory law in India. The death penalty is exercised in ‘rarest of

rare’ cases, where the crime committed is so heinous that it shocks the conscience

of the society.




Indian law provides for all requisite procedural safeguards, including the right to a

fair trial by an independent Court, presumption of innocence, the minimum

guarantees for defence, and the right to review by a higher court. Indian

delegation has argued for the sovereign right to determine its own legal system and

appropriate legal penalties.

Singapore brings in Amendment

• Singapore’s delegate decried the draft resolution’s “one-size-fits-all”

approach to a delicate question, which seeks to impose a particular vision of

the world onto others.

• The representative of Singapore said the amendment aimed to ensure respect

for the diversity of views.

• The amendment is simple and neutral and it does not take a position on the

substance of the draft resolution, nor make judgments about State policies.

Voting for Sovereignty over Legal System

• The draft resolution’s passage followed an intense debate and Singapore

introduced an amendment on behalf of 34 countries that reaffirmed the

countries’ sovereign right to develop their own legal system.

• The Committee then approved this amendment by a recorded vote of 96

in favour to 73 against, with 14 abstentions.

• India voted in favour of this amendment.

• By its terms, the Assembly would reaffirm the sovereign right of all

countries to develop their own legal systems, including determining

appropriate legal penalties, in accordance with their international law

obligations.




3) YOUNG CHAMPIONS AWARDS

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission and UNICEF have announced Young

Champions Awards on occasion of Children’s Day.

The awards were presented to the top six most innovative solutions from across the

country, which were shortlisted through the Atal Tinkering Marathon.

Background:

On October 2 last year, AIM’s Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) had launched a six

month long nationwide challenge called the Atal Tinkering Marathon, across six

different thematic areas, namely, clean energy, water resources, waste

management, healthcare, smart mobility and agri-technology. The objective

was to encourage students to observe community problems and develop innovative

solutions.

What are ATLs?

With a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoteric

Innovators’, Atal Innovation Mission is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories

(ATLs) in schools across India.

Objective: The objective of this scheme is to foster curiosity, creativity and

imagination in young minds; and inculcate skills such as design mindset,

computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing etc.

Financial Support: AIM will provide grant-in-aid that includes a one-time

establishment cost of Rs. 10 lakh and operational expenses of Rs. 10 lakh for a

maximum period of 5 years to each ATL.

Eligibility: Schools (minimum Grade VI – X) managed by Government, local

body or private trusts/society can set up ATL.

Significance of ATLs:

• Atal Tinkering Labs have evolved as epicenters for imparting these ‘skills

of the future’ through practical applications based onself-learning.




• Bridging a crucial social divide, Atal Tinkering Labs provide equal

opportunity to all children across the spectrum by working at the grassroot

level, introducing children to the world of innovation and tinkering.

Need for such labs:

As the world grapples with evolving technologies, a new set of skills have gained

popular acceptance and have come to be in high demand. For India to contribute

significantly during this age of raid technological advancement, there is an urgent

need to empower our youth with these ‘skills of the future’.

Equipped with modern technologies to help navigate and impart crucial skills in

the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the ATLs are at the vanguard of the

promoting scientific temper and an entrepreneurial spirit in children today.

4) RURAL JHARKHAND DECLARED ODF




The rural Jharkhand was declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) on November

15, 2018 during a regional review meeting of the eastern states held in Kolkata,

West Bengal.

The workshop comprised discussions on sustaining Open Defecation Free (ODF)

status, Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM), and rural water supply.

It saw participation from teams belonging to West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and

Odisha.

Key Highlights

• The key aspects of sustainability such as geo-tagging, verification of ODF

villages, conversion of dysfunctional toilets, IEC expenditure,

Swachhagrahi engagement were reviewed during the workshop.

• The West Bengal Government, on the occasion, shared the state’s

commitment towards achieving open defecation free status by December

2018.

• West Bengal currently has a rural sanitation coverage of 97per cent and is

on track to becoming ODF much before the national target of October

2019.

• The review meeting was preceded by an early morning village visit during

which the Ministry officers and State Mission team visited villages in the

outskirts of Kolkata and interacted with villagers regarding their access to

and usage of household toilets.

All North East States to become ODF by December 2018

• All the north-eastern states on November 14, 2018 committed to

declaring themselves as Open Defecation Free (ODF) by December

2018. The decision was taken during the regional review meeting of the

north-eastern states held in Guwahati, Assam.

• The review meeting saw participation from teams belonging to Arunachal

Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura

and Sikkim. While the teams from the ODF States of the region spoke

about efforts to sustain their ODF status, the non-ODF states committed to

declaring themselves as ODF by December 2018.

• Sikkim highlighted the solid and liquid waste management initiatives being

undertaken in the first ODF state of the country. The state of Assam also




shared highlights of “Mission Sambhav”, under which more than one lakh

pit digging activities were initiated on a single day during the Swachhata

Hi Seva fortnight.

ODF states in North East

Sikkim: The state became India’s first Open Defecation Free State in 2008,

long before the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched, after the state

government and the local population collaborated to construct toilets using local

materials and together maintained a strict resilience against open defecation.

Arunachal Pradesh: The state became the second state in the Northeast to be

declared Open Defecation Free on December 31, 2017.

Meghalaya: The state achieved its ODF status in January 2018. The state now

aims to make all the 2,347 villages in 11 districts free from solid and liquid waste

in a year’s time.

Mizoram: The state declared itself as an open defecation-free state in July 2018,

after all eight of its districts were reported to have 100 per cent sanitation

coverage.

Nagaland: The state declared as the 22nd Open Defecation Free state (Rural) in

the country in October 2018, on the occasion of the 149th birth anniversary of

Mahatma Gandhi.

Manipur: The state’s Chief Minister N Biren Singh declared it as the 23rd state to

become Open Defecation Free (ODF) in India on October 2, 2018.

ODF States/ UTs in India

S.no States/UTs Month/ Year

1. Sikkim 2008




2. Himachal Pradesh October 2016

3. Kerala November 2016

4. Uttarakhand June 2017

5. Haryana June 2017

6. Chhattisgarh October 2017

7. Maharashtra October 2017

8. Madhya Pradesh October 2017

9. Arunachal Pradesh December 2017

10. Meghalaya January 2018

11. Gujarat February 2018

12. Rajasthan March 2018

13. Andhra Pradesh June 2018




14. Mizoram July 2018

15. Jammu and Kashmir September 2018

16. Tamil Nadu October 2018

17. Punjab October 2018

18. Nagaland October 2018

19. Manipur October 2018

20. Chandigarh September 2017

21. Daman and Diu December 2017

22. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 2018

23. Andaman& Nicobar

Islands

May 2018

24. Lakshadweep 2018

25. Puducherry October 2018




Following are the states, which will soon be declared as ODF:

1. West Bengal

2. Uttar Pradesh

3. Assam

4. Tripura

5. Karnataka

Open Defecation in India

What is Open Defecation?

Open defecation relates to the human practice of defecating outside in the open

environment and not in a designated toilet. People in this case may choose

fields, bushes, forests, ditches, streets, canals or other open space for defecation.

What is the main cause of Open Defecation?

• The practice was widely prevalent across various regions in India due to the

shortage or inaccessibility of proper toilets and public utilities.

• The practice was common where sanitation infrastructure and services are

not available.

• Further, even if toilets were available, behaviour change efforts were

required to promote the use of toilets.

Impact of Open Defecation

• Open defecation causes public health problems in areas where people

defecate in fields, urban parks, rivers, and open trenches in close proximity

to the living space of others. The practice also pollutes the environment.

• High levels of open defecation in a country are usually linked with high

child mortality, as well as high levels of undernutrition, high levels of

poverty and large disparities between rich and poor.

• About one billion people around the globe practice open defecation. India

has the highest number of people practicing open defecation (around 190

million people).




• The other countries with the highest number of people openly defecating are

Indonesia (54 million), followed by Pakistan (41 million), Nigeria (39

million), Ethiopia (34 million), and Sudan (17 million).

What does ODF mean?

The term 'open defecation free' is used to describe communities that have shifted to

using toilets instead of open defecation.

The Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation defined ODF as "the

termination of fecal-oral transmission with no visible faeces found in the

environment or village and every household as well as public/community

institutions using safe technology option for disposal of feces."

How to achieve ODF status?

The ODF status can be achieved through proper implementation of sanitation

programmes with deep involvement from the community.

Background

The Union Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the target of

making India an open defecation-free (ODF) country by October 2, 2019, when

Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary will be celebrated.




5) HIMALAYAN STATE REGIONAL COUNCIL

NITI Aayog on November 15, 2018 constituted the ‘Himalayan State Regional

Council’ to ensure sustainable development of the Indian Himalayan region.

Chairman and Members

• The Himalayan State Regional Council will be chaired by the Dr VK

Saraswat, Member of NITI Aayog.

• It will consist of the Chief Secretaries of the Himalayan States as well as

the Secretaries of key Central Ministries, senior officers of NITI Aayog

as well as special invitees.

• The Council was constituted with an aim to review and implement identified

action points based on the Reports of five Working Groups, which were

established along thematic areas to prepare a roadmap for action.

Note

Earlier in June 2017, the NITI Aayog had set up 5 Working Groups to prepare a

roadmap for actions in 5 thematic areas that are quite significant for the Himalayas.

These areas were:

• Inventory and Revival of Springs in Himalayas for Water Security




• Sustainable Tourism in Indian Himalayan Region

• Transformative Approach to Shifting Cultivation

• Strengthening Skill & Entrepreneurship Landscape in Himalayas

• Data/Information for Informed Decision Making

These working groups were constituted after the NITI Aayog recognised that

mountains require specific solutions for resilience building that address socio-

economic and environmental challenges in the mountain setting.

The five thematic reports were released by the NITI Aayog in August 2018 to

frame the action points for the Terms of Reference of the Council constituted.

Terms of Reference of the Himalayan States Regional Council

• The Himalayan States Regional Council will be the nodal agency for the

Sustainable development in the Himalayan Region.

• It will monitor the implementation of action points for Central Ministries,

Institutions and 12 Himalayan State Governments in Indian Himalayan

Region.

• The action points include river basin development and regional cooperation,

spring mapping and revival across Himalayas for water security; develop,

implement and monitor tourism sector standards, strengthen skill and

entrepreneurship, among other action points.

12 States of Himalayan Region

Himalayan Region consists of 12 States, namely, Jammu and Kashmir,

Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya,

Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, two districts of Assam namely Dima

Hasao and Karbi Anglong; and Darjeeling & Kalimpong in West Bengal.




6) HIMA DAS AS INDIA’S FIRST EVER YOUTH AMBASSADOR

The United Nations Children's Fund-India (UNICEF) on November 14, 2018

appointed Asian Games gold-medalist sprinter Hima Das as India’s first ever

Youth Ambassador. UNICEF India works along with the Central Government to

ensure that children born in India get the best start in life, thrive and develop to his

or her full potential.

Recently, Hima clinched a Gold medal in Women's 4x400 metre relay event at the

2018 Asian Games, held from August 18 to September 2, 2018 at Jakarta,

Indonesian. She also won Silver in the Women's 400m Race event with a clock

timing of 50.59 seconds.

About Hima Das

• Hailing from Nagaon district of Assam, Hima Das took up serious running

in 2017.

• In July 2018, Hima scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman

athlete to win a gold medal in the women's 400m final race at the IAAF

World Under-20 Athletics Championships in Tampere, Finland.

• With the win at IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championship, Das

became the first Indian woman, be it junior or senior, to win a gold medal at

any level in a World Championship.

• She is also the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at any athletics meet

at the world level.

• Das had earlier clocked an Indian U-20 record of 51.32 seconds to finish

sixth in the Commonwealth Games 400m final in Gold Coast in April 2018.

• Nicknamed the 'Dhing Express', Hima was among the 20 sportspersons to be

recommended for the Arjuna Award.

• In October 2018, Hima joined Indian Oil Corporation as a Grade ‘A’ HR

Officer.

About UNICEF

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund was created by

the United Nations General Assembly on the 11th of December 1946, to

provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been

devastated by World War II.




The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF ) is a United Nations (UN)

programme headquartered in New York City that provides humanitarian and

developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.

It is a member of the United Nations Development Group

UNICEF Annual report

Annual report outlines our efforts to realize the rights of every child and break the

cycle of poverty and inequity around the world.

UNICEF National Committees

There are national committees in 34 [industrialized] countries, each established

as an independent local non-governmental organization. The national committees

raise funds from the private sector.

Funding

• UNICEF is funded entirely by voluntary contributions, and the National

Committees collectively raise around one-third of UNICEF’s annual

income.

• This comes through contributions from corporations, civil society

organizations around six million individual donors worldwide.

• UNICEF works to improve the policies and services that protect all children.

We aim to make the world a safe and inclusive place for children to grow.

• Child safety through protection and inclusion

• Explore our education initiatives

• Helping children to survive and thrive

• Child mortality has decreased globally. UNICEF works to make sure

solutions reach all children, everywhere.

UNICEF and India

The organisation began its work in India in 1949 with three staff members and

established an office in Delhi three years later. Currently, it advocates for the rights

of India’s children in 16 states.




In September 2000, 189 countries including India signed the United Nations

Millennium Declaration, committing to eradicating extreme poverty in all its forms

by 2015.

The Millennium Development Goals for 2015

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

• Achieve universal primary education

• Promote gender equality and empower women

• Reduce child mortality

• Improve maternal health

• Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

• Ensure environmental sustainability

• Develop a global partnership for development

7) YUVA SAHAKAR SCHEME

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh on

November 14, 2018 launched the ‘Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise

Support and Innovation Scheme’ of the National Cooperative Development

Corporation (NCDC).

The NCDC has come up with this youth-friendly scheme for attracting youth to

cooperative business ventures. It has created a dedicated fund with liberal features

enabling youth to avail the scheme.

Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme

• The scheme will be linked to Rs 1000 crore ‘Cooperative Start-up and

Innovation Fund (CSIF)’ created by the NCDC.

• It would have more incentives for cooperatives of North Eastern region,

Aspirational Districts and cooperatives with women or SC or ST or PwD

members.




• The funding for the project will be up to 80 percent of the project cost for

these special categories against 70 percent for others.

• The scheme envisages 2 percent less than the applicable rate of interest

on term loan for the project cost up to Rs 3 crore including 2 years

moratorium on payment of principal.

• All types of cooperatives in operation for at least one year are eligible to

avail of the scheme.

• It would encourage cooperatives to venture into new and innovative areas.

• The scheme is expected to meet the needs of youth.

Eligibility

• It would have more incentives for cooperatives of North Eastern region,

Aspirational Districts and cooperatives with women or SC or ST or

PwD members.

• All types of cooperatives in operation for at least one year are eligible.

Sahakar 22

The NCDC, being the most preferred financial institution in the world of

cooperatives, has embarked on Sahakar 22, a Mission for Doubling Farmers’

Income by 2022.

To achieve the Mission of New India by 2022 in Cooperatives, through Doubling

The Farmers Income, NCDC would launch a new Mission Mode activity,

SAHKAR 22 would include:

• FOCUS 222: Converge NCDC assistance for Cooperatives in 222 Districts

• PACS HUB: Transform PACS and other Coops as APNA KISAN Resource

Centres

• AENEC: ACT East and North East Coops

• CEMtC: Centres of Excellence to Market through Coops

• SAHAKAR PRAGYA: Laxmanrao Inamdar National Academy for

Cooperative Research & Development as Capacity Development base for

SAHKAR 22




National Cooperative Development Corporation

• The NCDC has the unique distinction of being the sole statutory

organisation functioning as an apex financial and developmental

institution exclusively devoted to cooperative sector.

• It supports cooperatives in diverse fields apart from agriculture and allied

sectors.

• It is an ISO 9001:2015 compliant organisation and has a distinctive edge

of competitive financing.

• It has extended financial assistance of Rs 63702.61 crore during 2014-2018

(as on November 13, 2018), which is 220 percent more than Rs 19850.6

during 2010-14.

• Being the most preferred financial institution in the world of cooperatives, it

has also initiated Sahakar 22, a Mission for Doubling Farmers’ Income by

2022.

8)CANCER RESEARCH UK SIGN MOU FOR INDIA-UK CANCER

RESEARCH INITIATIVE

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of India and Cancer Research UK on

November 14, 2018 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the

India-UK India-UK Cancer Research Initiative.

The India-UK Cancer Research Initiative is a collaborative 5-year bilateral

research initiative by the Department of Biotechnology under Union Ministry

of Science and Technology and Cancer Research UK (CRUK). The Initiative

was launched at the Inaugural Researchers’ Summit, which was held in New

Delhi from November 14 to November 16, 2018.

Note

The signing of MoU comes as a follow up of the joint statement issued by the

Prime Ministers of India and United Kingdom during the visit of Prime Minister

Narendra Modi to UK on April 18, 2018.




At that time, India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Cancer Research

UK proposed to launch a 10 million pounds bilateral research initiative which will

focus on low cost approaches to cancer treatment.

India-UK Cancer Research Initiative

• The India-UK Cancer Research Initiative will focus on affordable

approaches to cancer. Both CRUK and DBT will invest 5 million pounds

each in this pilot project and will seek further investment from other

potential funding partners.

• The initiative will identify a core set of research challenges that address

issues of affordability, prevention and care of cancer by bringing together

leading Indian and UK experts.

• The initiative will provide funding to develop new research alliances and

undertake impactful research to enable significant progress against cancer

outcomes.

• The India-UK Cancer Research Initiative will provide a catalysing

platform for scientists and researchers in the UK and India to co-create

solutions for affordable cancer care that improve cancer outcomes around

the globe.

Chair and Co-chair of the India-UK Cancer Research Initiative

Professor David Hunter of the University of Oxford and Dr CS Pramesh of the

Tata Memorial Hospital will serve respectively as Chair and Co-chair of the

India-UK Cancer Research Initiative’s Advisory Panel.

The research phases of the India-UK Cancer Research Initiative will be overseen

by a board of advisors comprising five cancer experts each from India and UK.

Significance

• The India-UK Cancer Research Initiative provides an opportunity to tackle

the global epidemic of cancer by opening new pathways for international

knowledge exchange and research base.

• The research outcomes of this initiative will aid cancer prevention, control

and management in the long term.




• This initiative is a testament to the emerging consensus that solutions to

affordable cancer care lie in building strategic and evidence-based research

partnerships that benefit the global cancer community.

9) UNSC LIFTS ASSET FREEZE, TRAVEL BAN

The United Nations Security Council in a unanimous vote on November 14, 2018

agreed to lift the sanctions imposed against Eritrea, after nine years.

The Security Council had imposed an arms embargo, asset freeze and a travel ban

on Eritrea, amidst claims that the northeast African nation, supported al-Shabab

militants in Somalia. However, Eritrea has always denied the accusations.

Key Highlights

• The 15-member UNSC adopted a UK-drafted Resolution 2444, calling

for an end to the nine-year-old embargo on the impoverished country as it




rebuilds relations with its neighbouring nation Ethiopia following almost

decades of animosity, conflict and standoff.

• Eritrea and Ethiopia had both agreed to sign a peace deal in July 2018,

ending a long stalemate resulting from the war between the two from 1998

to 2000 that had led to the killing of an estimated 100,000 people.

• The United Nations had first imposed restrictions on Eritrea in 2009

after the nation was accused of supporting armed terrorist groups,

including Somalia's al-Shabab.

• Eritrea had also been criticised for human rights abuses and mandatory

national service conscription, which had led tens of thousands of young

Eritreans to flee the country for Europe.

• The Eritrean government had criticised the designation as baseless. UN

investigators also said that there is no evidence that Eritrea has supported

terrorism in the past five years.

• Hence, in a relief move, UNSC lifted the embargo, travel bans and asset

freezes imposed on the nation with immediate effect. The Security Council

also renewed its arms embargo against Somalia.

• The draft resolution adopted by the council also urged Eritrea and another

African nation Djibouti to work towards normalising ties and settling a

decade-old border dispute, the progress of which will have to be reported

back to the council by February 15, 2018 and then every six months.

Significance

• The nine-year-long asset freeze and travel ban affected not only individuals

and businesses in Eritrea but also the Eritrean leadership.

• Hence, the removal of sanctions could help Eritrea and its population of 3.2

million participate more actively in the global banking system and could

attract foreign investment.

• In recent years, Eritrea has been a major source of migrants escaping to

Europe and neighboring countries.

Background

• The African nations of Eritrea and Djibouti had agreed in September 2018

to work on reconciling with each other.




• Deadly clashes had broken out between the two Horn of Africa countries in

June 2008 after Djibouti accused Eritrea of moving troops across the border.

• The development occurred after Eritrea and Ethiopia declared an end to their

state of war in July 2018 and agreed to open embassies, develop ports and

resume flights between the two countries after decades of hostilities.

• The Security Council had welcomed the renewed ties in a statement at the

time, but it had stopped short of pledging that it could review sanctions after

the United States, China, Britain, France and Ivory Coast raised concerns

about linking the development. Both the United States and China have

military bases in Djibouti.

• A November 2017 Security Council resolution had said that the peaceful

settlement of the border dispute would be a factor in any review of sanctions

on Eritrea.

10) GLOBAL HUNGER INDEX




Hunger growing in India

Despite being one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India has been

ranked at 103 out of 119 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2018. The

hunger levels have been categorised as “serious”

Children suffering from malnutrition

• India’s child malnourishment level is not only the highest in the world

but varies considerably across States

• Growing prosperity has hardly made any significant dent in chronic

malnutrition of children

• India is home to over 53.3 million stunted, 49.6 million underweight and

29.2 million wasted (low weight for height) children under five

• As per the National Family Health Survey-2016, the proportion of stunted

(low height for age) children under five is significantly higher (38.4%) than

global (22.9%) averages

• The underweight (low weight for age) children rate (35.7%) is a lot higher

than the global average (13.5%) too

Growth-oriented development not a solution

• The problem lies with the current thinking of growth-oriented development

• Although the low income and Empowered-Action-Group (EAG) States

face major challenges to improve malnutrition, two EAG States,

Chhattisgarh and Odisha, have performed better on this front compared to

Gujarat and Maharashtra where per capita income is almost double

• The development path prevalent in Gujarat is more about growth and

investment, which, however, has not been able to translate as better

nutritional status in the State

• Odisha, which is a low-income State, has a better network of Integrated

Child Development Services (ICDS), public health facility/workforce per

lakh population and educational attainment among women, which have

translated into a better nutritional status when compared with Gujarat

• Tribals, rural, poor and illiterate mothers’ children are worse off in so-called

developed States of Haryana, Gujarat and Punjab




• Around two-thirds of stunted/underweight children are from 200 districts of

both less developed and developed States

The link between agricultural growth and nutrition

There is a contradiction between agrarian plenty and malnutrition. Malnutrition

continues to be high in agricultural surplus States like Haryana (34% stunting

and 29.5% underweight)

Recently, Madhya Pradesh has registered double-digit growth in food grain

production making it one of the wheat granaries of India, but acute

malnutrition is still critical in most of its districts with a high proportion of

underweight (42.8%) and stunted children (41.9%)

Diversity in food intake required

• With the increase in diversity in food intake, measured through Food

Intake Index using 19 food items in all 640 districts, malnutrition

(stunted/underweight) status declines

• Only 12% of children are likely to be stunted and underweight in areas

where diversity in food intake is high, while around 50% children are

stunted if they consume less than three food items

• A majority of children across districts in Tamil Nadu consume a reasonably

highly diversified food, leading to lower percentage of stunted/underweight

children across districts

• The diversified food intake is very low in a majority of Indian districts; just

28% of children consumed over five items of the total 19 food items

Steps that can be taken

• An inclusive and holistic approach, including controlling/regulating food

price, strengthening the public distribution system (PDS) and income

support policies for making food cheaper are important steps

• The ICDS was a high impact nutrition intervention, but its universal

availability and quality are questionable due to poor functioning

• The government must broaden the ICDS programme by ensuring diversity in

food items in worst-hit districts




Way forward

Faster economic growth has enormous benefits, but it is by no means sufficient and

sustainable if millions of children remain undernourished, as it not only impacts

early childhood health and imposes disease burden but also affects education,

wages and productivity when they grow up, which will impact India’s growth

The launch of the National Nutrition Mission as a strategy to fight maternal and

child malnutrition is a welcome step towards achieving the targets of underweight

and stunted children under five years from 35.7% to 20.7% and from 38.4% to

25% respectively by 2022

11) PPP MODEL, HYBRID ANNUITY MODEL

Growth of PPP sector in India

• Developing road networks in a timely and cost-effective fashion plays an

important role in economic development




• In recent years, the government has extensively adopted the public-private

partnership (PPP) approach in road development

• India has the distinction of having the largest PPP programme globally in the

roads sector

Types of PPP projects

• PPP road projects broadly fall in one of the two categories of toll or

annuity, though many recent projects are being implemented under a

hybrid annuity model

• Toll and annuity projects vary mainly in the way the developers recoup their

investment

• In the former, the road developer collects a toll from the users, whereas in

the case of the latter, the developer receives predefined annuity payments

from the government

• While the private developer assumes the demand risk in toll projects, it is

not the case with annuity projects

• A basic difference between the toll and annuity projects is in the risk-reward

equation

• In the case of annuity projects, the developer does not assume any demand

risk, but the upside is capped

• However, in toll projects, the private developer assumes the demand risk,

but would also benefit if the traffic growth is more than what is assumed

More profits for developers

• While PPP in roads has multiple objectives, the fundamental reason for

going for the PPP route in India is that it helps to attract private sector

capital

• Private developers will consider bidding for toll-based PPPs if they see a

sensible risk-reward balance because the private sector by its very nature

will pursue the path of higher returns rather than settle for modest returns

• Toll projects, in general, are characterized by longer stretches, and therefore

higher project costs

• They also have more structures as compared to annuity projects, indicating

that they could have a higher degree of complexity




• But the estimated unit project costs are lower, indicating that developers are

able to achieve economies of scale associated with longer stretches

Lukewarm response in recent years

• In the last few years, the response from developers to new projects has been

poor

• The estimated project costs have significantly escalated in the case of toll

projects, hitting the project economics

• There is also a gap between the actual and projected traffic estimations

made by the developers

• The toll projects are not as investment ready at the time of project award as

compared to that of annuity projects

• The private sector also needs to do the task of handling much of the pre-

development phase risks—such as clearances, land acquisition, and so on,

leading to increases in cost overruns

Way forward

It is important to understand the reasons behind the cost escalations. The

government should focus on making the project development ready at the time of

award to attract more private sector interest, rather than changing the concession

model. That would lead to sustainable results, else the euphoria of the hybrid

annuity model will be short-lived too

upsc current affairs - iasipstnpsc.iniasipstnpsc.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/nov-16.pdf · odf...

Documents