Today’s Important Articles for Geography (17-08-2023)
Today’s Important Articles for Sociology (17-08-2023)
Today’s Important Articles for Pub Ad (17-08-2023)
- Explained | Why is Bihar’s caste-based survey facing a challenge in the Supreme Court? READ MORE
- An Act to cement digital authoritarianism READ MORE
- New Bills and a principled course for criminal law reforms READ MORE
- Facilitating risk-sharing through self-help groups in Bihar READ MORE
- CAG audit findings: Need to probe irregularities in health scheme READ MORE
- Irregularities: CAG report points at lapses in Ayushman Bharat and expressway projects READ MORE
- The problem of one-party democracy, and its solution READ MORE
- Address problems in working of PM-JAY READ MORE
- Worldcoin vs data security: National data paramount in shaping a secure and privacy-first future READ MORE
WSDP Bulletin (17-08-2023)
(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)
Prelim and Main
- To remove gender stereotypes from the law, a new SC handbook READ MORE
- ‘Centre plans to sell stake in IRFC via OFS’ READ MORE
- The importance of the Sulina Channel to Ukraine grain trade READ MORE
- Centre and WHO to launch Global Initiative on Digital Health READ MORE
- ‘Vishwakarma scheme will aid 30 lakh artisan families’ READ MORE
- Understanding the MoEFCC’s U-turn READ MORE
- Chandrayaan-3 lander separates from propulsion module: What happens next? READ MORE
- Who was Madan Lal Dhingra? READ MORE
Main
GS Paper- 1
- A necessary brake: On altered weather patterns and infrastructure development READ MORE
- Indian govt still doesn’t know what a ‘forest’ is. FCA amendment takes us back to British era READ MORE
- Impact of climate change on tribals READ MORE
- The Complex Legacy of Muslim Modernism READ MORE
- Climate change and women in agriculture: Navigating challenges and fostering resilience READ MORE
GS Paper- 2
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
- Explained | Why is Bihar’s caste-based survey facing a challenge in the Supreme Court? READ MORE
- An Act to cement digital authoritarianism READ MORE
- New Bills and a principled course for criminal law reforms READ MORE
- Facilitating risk-sharing through self-help groups in Bihar READ MORE
- CAG audit findings: Need to probe irregularities in health scheme READ MORE
- Irregularities: CAG report points at lapses in Ayushman Bharat and expressway projects READ MORE
- The problem of one-party democracy, and its solution READ MORE
- Address problems in working of PM-JAY READ MORE
- Worldcoin vs data security: National data paramount in shaping a secure and privacy-first future READ MORE
SOCIAL ISSUES
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
GS Paper- 3
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
- Waste management can turn it into national asset READ MORE
- Rupees for UAE oil, but Russia prefers payment in hard currencies to fund its ongoing war in Ukraine READ MORE
- An economic strategy for India: Many bottlenecks and challenges that India faces require deeper integration across levels of govt READ MORE
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
- The future will not forgive the government READ MORE
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
- India can become high-tech leader with hardware READ MORE
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
- Redraft the disaster management law: India should drive a concerted regional effort towards climate-proofing and building resiliency READ MORE
GS Paper- 4
ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY
- Chemistry behind our moods and happiness READ MORE
- Are you ready? READ MORE
- India’s challenges: Peace and harmony vital for all-round growth READ MORE
- Matter of freedom READ MORE
Questions for the MAIN exam
- Abandoning the rule of law for ‘bulldozer justice’ is the first step towards an authoritarian society where ensuring a person’s safety, life and liberty will be at the whims and fancies of state officials. Examine.
- Morality is simply utilitarian as far as society is concerned, but for the individual, it is not a utility, it is his joy. Comment.
- Federalism creates a “dual manifestation of the public will” in which the priorities of the two sets of governments “are not just bound to be different, but are intended to be different”. Argue and justify with appropriate examples.
- Collegium proposed by a new bill to select the election commissioner will be more effective if its decisions are unanimous. Critically examine.
QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS
- Dictatorships are one-way streets. Democracy boasts two-way traffic.
- The idea of a roadmap for India’s social and economic progress is nothing new, of course, and has many previous incarnations.
- Proper use of plastic waste could take India to new heights. But do not forget that there are many Brahmapurams all over India which could cause irreparable damage to the population and natural resources including air and water. There is enough “gold” to be made out of these Wastelands.
- In a democracy, transparency, accountability and effective governance are the cornerstones of a thriving society.
- A society created by false morality is called a civilisation. A society consisting of men who have attained to real life is called a culture. This is the difference between civilisation and culture.
- Civilisation is based on utility; culture is based on inner joy and harmony.
- The governance and welfare of society to rise above their self-interest, bring justice to the wronged, and act in the interest of the common good, are signs of decadent times; these call for enlightened and righteous action for societal regeneration.
- The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential legislation envisaged under Article 21A, means that every child has a right to full-time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards.
- Federalism creates a “dual manifestation of the public will” in which the priorities of the two sets of governments “are not just bound to be different, but are intended to be different”.
- Collegium proposed by a new bill to select the election commissioner will be more effective if its decisions are unanimous.
- The demolition of homes as a form of frontier justice (as a response to political violence) has become a standard feature of administration.
ESSAY TOPIC
- Civilisation is based on utility; culture is based on inner joy and harmony.
50-WORD TALK
- The dialling-down of China-India tensions suggests President Xi Jinping and PM Narendra Modi are looking to move beyond the military impasse on the LAC. Agreement on the sprawling Depsang Plains in Ladakh, though, has eluded military negotiators. The two leaders will now need to give the process a political push.
- It’s about time that the courts updated themselves and did away with outdated, sexist, and charged words from their lexicon. The Supreme Court’s ‘Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes’ is a good first step in a longer process. Now, they should carry the spirit of these changes to the judgments too.
- Prime Minister Modi might have been correct if he’d said India’s inflation was “imported” last year when oil was above $100 a barrel. This year, data indubitably shows, domestic vegetable prices are driving inflation. It might be politically expedient to externalise the cause, but government policy needs a fact-based approach.
Things to Remember:
- For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
- Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
- For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
- For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED. Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.
Day-479 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
[WpProQuiz 526]
Day-478 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | HISTORY
[WpProQuiz 525]
TOP 5 TAKKAR NEWS OF THE DAY (16th AUGUST 2023)
1. ARBITRAGE FUNDS
TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY
THE CONTEXT: Investors are back to arbitrage funds, pouring in as much as Rs 10,074 crore in July, with cumulative flows rising to Rs 23,800 crore this financial year.
EXPLANATION:
- The inflows reflect high returns and better taxation treatment these funds offer compared to debt plans.
- Over the last year, data from value research show arbitrage funds generated 6.25% returns. This is higher than 2.7-3% that big banks pay for parking money savings accounts.
What is an arbitrage fund? How does it generate returns?
- An arbitrage fund seeks to generate returns on the price differential in the cash and futures market.
- In such a scheme, the fund manager simultaneously buys a company in the cash market and sells an equivalent quantity in the futures segment as long as the futures trade at a reasonable premium.The spread between the two generates the return for the scheme.
- The fund does not take any naked exposure to any individual security or an index as each buy transaction in the cash market has a corresponding sell transaction in the futures
- While 65% of the corpus is allocated to arbitrage products the fund manager is free to choose the balance of 35% between arbitrage or debt products, depending on his view on the market.
Why is it gaining popularity with investors?
- High returns compared with savings accounts and better taxation are driving investors to arbitrage funds.
- Rich investors also prefer these funds as they are treated as equity funds for taxation, which significantly increases post tax returns.
- Investors holding for less than a year pay 15% capital gains tax, while if they sell after a year they pay only 10% long term capital gains tax for gains above Rs 1 lakh. Compared to this in a debt fund, rich investors have to pay short term capital gains tax at 30%.
What are the risks of investing in this scheme?
- Arbitrage funds rank high on safety. The scheme always has a market neutral position by buying in the cash market and simultaneously selling the same security in the futures market.
- Compared to debt funds where there could be some credit risk, there is no such risk here.
What is Futures Market?
- A futures market is an auction market in which participants buy and sell commodity and futures contracts for delivery on a specified future date.
- Futures contracts are derivatives contracts to buy or sell specific quantities of a commodity or financial instrument at a specified price with delivery set at a specified time in the future.
- Futures market provide physical or electronic trading venues, details of standardized contracts, market and price data, clearing houses, exchange self-regulations, margin mechanisms, settlement procedures, delivery times, delivery procedures and other services to foster trading in futures contracts.
- Futures market can be organized as non-profit member-owned organizations or as for-profit organizations.
- Futures markets can be integrated under the same brand name or organization with other types of exchanges, such as stock markets, options markets, and bond markets.
2. THE BHARATIYA SAKSHYA BILL, 2023
TAG: GS 2: GOVERNANCE
THE CONTEXT: Recently, Union Home Minister introduced the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill in Lok Sabha that would repeal the current Indian Evidence Act of 1872.
EXPLANATION:
- The new Bharatiya Sakshya Bill has 167 sections. Of these, 23 sections sourced from the Evidence Act have been amended, 1 section is entirely new, and 5 sections have been removed.
Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023 definition:
- As per the Bill, it aims to ‘consolidate and to provide for general rules and principles of evidence for fair trial’.
- Citing the reason for bringing this Bill, the government said that the existing Indian Evidence Act has not kept up with the technological advancements and societal changes of the past decades.
- Adding on, the government says the new Bill aims to align the laws with the contemporary needs and aspirations of the people.
Key provisions of the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill:
- The Bill makes electronic or digital records admissible as evidence, thereby they will have the same legal effect as paper documents.
- It repeals five existing provisions of the Evidence Act, modifies 23 provisions, and adds one new provision.
- Also, the Bill proposes amendments to 23 Sections and contains 170 Sections in total.
- In the Bill, the scope of expansion for secondary evidence to include copies made from the original by mechanical processes, counterparts of documents, and oral accounts of document contents has been done.
- Through the Bill, the government is aiming to introduce precise and uniform rules for dealing with evidence during the trial of cases.
Indian Evidence Act, 1872
- The Indian Evidence Act, originally passed in India by the Imperial Legislative Council in 1872, during the British Raj, contains a set of rules and allied issues governing admissibility of evidence in the Indian courts of law
- It consolidates, defines, and amends the law of evidence in India. It extends to the whole of India. It introduced a standard set of law applicable to all Indians. It has eleven chapters and 167 sections,
- The Act applies to all judicial proceedings in or before any Court in India, including Courts-martial (except those convened under the Army Act, the Naval Discipline Act, or the Indian Navy Discipline Act, 1934, or the Air Force Act).
- It does not apply to affidavits presented to any Court or officer, or proceedings before an arbitrator.
- The enactment and adoption of the Indian Evidence Act was a path-breaking judicial measure introduced in India, which changed the entire system of concepts pertaining to admissibility of evidences in the Indian courts of law.
- Until then, the rules of evidences were based on the traditional legal systems of different social groups and communities of India and were different for different people depending on caste, community, faith and social position.
- The law is mainly based upon the firm work by Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, who could be called the founding father of this comprehensive piece of legislation.
- When India gained independence on 15 August 1947, the Act continued to be in force throughout the Republic of India. After 1947, the Act continues in force in India.
- However, it was repealed in Pakistan in 1984 by the Evidence Order 1984 (also known as the “Qanun-e-Shahadat”).
This Act is divided into three parts and there are 11 chapters in total under this Act.
Part 1: Part 1 deals with relevancy of the facts. There are two chapters under this part: the first chapter is a preliminary chapter which introduces to the Evidence Act and the second chapter specifically deals with the relevancy of the facts.
Part 2: Part 2 consists of chapters from 3 to 6. Chapter 3 deals with facts which need not be proved, chapter 4 deals with oral evidence, chapter 5 deals with documentary evidence and chapter 6 deals with circumstances when documentary evidence has been given preference over the oral evidence.
Part 3: The last part, that is part 3, consists of chapter 7 to chapter 11. Chapter 7 talks about the burden of proof. Chapter 8 talks about estoppel, chapter 9 talks about witnesses, chapter 10 talks about examination of witnesses, and last chapter which is chapter 11 talks about improper admission and rejection of evidence.
3. LUNA -25: RUSSIAN LUNAR MISSION
TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: Russia has once again shown its interest into lunar exploration with the much-anticipated launch of the Luna-25 recently. If successful, this will be the first lunar mission by Russia to touch down on the moon’s surface in 47 years since 1976.
EXPLANATION:
- The launch comes nearly a month after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sent its own moon lander, Chandrayaan-3, which is supposed to land on August 23, 2023.
- The US, China and the erstwhile USSR are the only three countries that have managed to successfully execute a soft-landing on the moon.
What is the Luna-25 mission?
- The Luna 25 mission’s main objective is to execute a pinpoint landing near the moon’s south pole, due to its potential for revealing critical insights into the moon’s geological composition.
- The mission aims to collect geological samples which will give scientists the opportunity to study this unexplored region of the moon.
- Furthermore, scientists also hope that the mission is successful in finding water or at least its building blocks which could aid in establishing human colonies in the near future.
- The landing craft was launched in a Souyz-2 Fregat rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome and is expected to stay on the moon for a year.
- In the meantime, it will collect samples using its robotic arm, collect data from its spectrometers, use the imaging systems to take pictures and beam all the information back to Earth.
Why is this mission important for Russia?
- Russia’s Luna-25 mission is also called as Luna-Glob-Lander which is seen as a bid to reclaim some of its prestige back as one of the leaders in space exploration.
- The last successful lunar mission was the Luna-24 probe launched by the Soviet space programme in 1976. This mission returned with geographical samples which showed the presence of water on the moon.
- Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has tried to launch two landing missions to Mars–Mars-96 in 1996 and the Phobos Grunt in 2011. Both missions ended with the spacecrafts crash-landing into the Pacific Ocean.
- Russia’s space programme has been hampered due to the multiple sanctions imposed on the country since 2014 and the latest sanctions imposed in 2022 due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
- The restriction of access to equipment and expertise from western countries have impeded on the success of the Russian space programme.
Luna-25 mission and Chandrayaan-3:
- According to Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, the landing of Luna-25 will not have any impact on Chandrayaan-3 as the landing region of the spacecrafts is different and “there is enough space on the moon for everyone.”
- Moreover, the Luna-25 landing craft is stationary while Chandrayaan-3 comes with a landing craft and a rover.
- Also, the Chandrayaan-3 mission is supposed to last for two weeks though both missions have similar objectives–find traces of water on Earth’s only natural satellite while collecting scientific data.
4. VISHWAKARMA SCHEME
TAG: GS 2: SOCIAL JUSTICE
THE CONTEXT: Prime Minister announced Vishwakarma scheme, which will allocate between 13,000 and 15,000 crores for people with traditional skills.
EXPLANATION:
- On the occasion of India’s 77th Independence Day, the Prime Minister addressed the nation from the Red Fort’s ramparts and unveiled several programmes for the urban poor, women’s self-help groups, and skilled professionals.
- The Vishwakarma scheme, which is for skilled workers like barbers, goldsmiths, washing men, etc., is one of the programmes.
- On the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti (on 17th September), the programme will be unveiled.
Vishwakarma Scheme
- Prime Minister Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS) scheme has been announced for traditional artisans and craftsmen in the budget 2023-24.
- The components of the scheme will include access to
- Financial support
- Access to advanced skill training to increase the calibre.
- Knowledge of modern digital techniques and efficient green technologies
- Brand promotion
- Linkage with local and global markets
- Digital payments
- Social security
- The Vishwakarma Scheme strives to raise the quality, scope, scale, and accessibility of the goods and services provided by artisans and craftspeople.
- It seeks to incorporate them into both the national and international value chains.
- These workers will become more economically empowered, particularly those from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Communities, women etc.
5. BIRD SURVEY AT CORBETT TIGER RESERVE
TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
THE CONTEXT: Recently, a bird survey was conducted in Corbett Reserve in Nainital, Uttarakhand.
EXPLANATION:
- The Corbett Tiger Reserve in Nainital conducted a bird study that resulted in a count of about 275 bird species.
- A 62-member team consisting of ornithologists, conservationists, volunteers from World Wide Fund (WWF) India, Tiger Conservation Foundation, and Village Volunteer Protection Force conducted the survey between June 20 and June 23.
- It covered overall 540 km of 135 forest trails provided insights into the diverse bird species inhabiting at Corbett Tiger Reserve.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT
- The report is compiled by Oriental Trials, an NGO working for conservation of wildlife.
- The data included both non-resident species that seek shelter during their hard treks and resident species, who call the reserve their year-round home.
- The survey documented two species that are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of critically endangered.
- Red-headed vulture
- White-rumped vulture
- It covered the vast range of landscape in the reserve, including grassland, dense forest, rivers, and hilly terrains.
- The researchers included two endangered species in their survey:
- Egyptian vulture
- Pallas’s fish-eagle.
- The scientific names of Pallas’s fish-eagle and Egyptian vulture are halieetus leucoryphus and neophron percnopterus respectively.
- Four threatened bird species were also counted in the survey:
- Great hornbill
- Great slaty woodpecker
- Grey-crowned prinia
- River tern.
- The reserve is home to about 10 near-threatened bird species:
- Alexandrine parakeet
- River lapwing
- Red-breasted parakeet
- Oriental darter
- Lesser fish-eagle
- Himalayan griffon
- Great thick-knee
- Gray-headed fish-eagle
- Black-necked stork
- Asian woolley-necked stork.
- The IUCN classifies around 256 of the species found in the survey as being of least concern.
Corbett Tiger Reserve
- Corbett tiger reserve is located in Ramnager in Nainital district.
- The distinctive features of the park are:
- It has sub-Himalayan belts.
- It is the best eco-tourism destination.
- It has 488 different species of plants.
- Rich fauna
- The climate is sub-tropical.
- It has Dhikala, Bijrani, Jhirna, Durgadevi and Sitavani zones.
- Ramganga, Sonanadi, Mandal, Palain and Kosi are the major rivers are the most significant hydrological resource flowing through the Corbett.
- It shelters lots of endangered species includes 50 mammal species, 549 bird species, and 26 reptile species.
- Corbett Tiger Reserve which covers 1288.31 sq. kms spreading over three districts of Uttarakhand viz., Pauri, Nainital and Almora comprising of Sonanadi wildlife sanctuary & reserve forest area, Corbett National Park of 521sq km forms.
TOP 5 TAKKAR NEWS OF THE DAY (14th AUGUST 2023)
1. CAG AUDITS NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (NSAP)
TAG: GS 1: SOCIETY; GS 2: GOVERNANCE
THE CONTEXT: The CAG report found several irregularities in National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP).
EXPLANATION:
- The CAG report found several irregularities in beneficiary payments, the most glaring being that all states, except for Haryana and Kerala, did not maintain a database of eligible beneficiaries.
- This led to several eligible beneficiaries being left out of the scheme while payments worth several crores were made to ineligible persons.
- Around Rs 79 crore has been transferred to ineligible beneficiaries under the Ministry of Rural Development’s National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) between 2017 and 2021. Of this, Rs two crore was paid to beneficiaries even after their deaths.
- At the same time, many eligible beneficiaries were likely to have been excluded from the welfare programme either due to non-maintenance of Below Poverty Line (BPL) lists or due to states not carrying out periodic surveys to identify eligible beneficiaries.
- Additionally, ineligible payments of Rs 15.11 crore under IGNDPS as disability pension was paid to 21,322 people in 16 states / UTs. In these cases, the percentage of disability was either below 80 per cent or could not be ascertained.
- Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Ladakh are among the States that made the highest numbers of ineligible payments.
- The beneficiaries were to be selected from the BPL list until the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) was finalised. Though the governments are mandated to identify beneficiaries using SECC once it is finalised, they continued to use BPL lists that were not regularly updated.
- In the absence of proactive identification and non-maintenance of database of eligible beneficiaries as intended, the scheme was being implemented in a demand-driven mode where benefits were provided to only those beneficiaries who applied for pensions/benefits under NSAP themselves.
- The eligible beneficiaries who were unaware/lack resources to apply for the benefits were left out of ambit of NSAP,” the report revealed.
- Further, funds of Rs 57.45 crore earmarked for NSAP were diverted for other schemes and purposes in six states/UTs, while funds amounting to Rs 18.78 crore were lying idle for a period ranging from one to five years in eight states/UTs.
NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (NSAP)
- NSAP was launched on 15th August, 1995 to provide social security to the destitute population living below the poverty line and vulnerable groups in 1995.
- The programme includes five sub-schemes, of which three Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS) are pension schemes.
- The other two sub-schemes are the National Family Benefit Scheme which provides one-time assistance to the bereaved family in the event of death of the breadwinner and the Annapurna scheme, which ensures food security to eligible old age persons who are not covered under IGNOAPS.
- The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) represents a significant step towards the fulfillment of the Directive Principles in Article 41 and 42 of the Constitution recognizing the concurrent responsibility of the Central and the State Governments in the matter.
Objective of NSAP
- It is a social security and welfare programme to provide support to aged persons, widows, disabled persons and bereaved families on death of primary bread winner, belonging to below poverty line households.
Components of NSAP
The NSAP at its inception in 1995 had three components namely
- National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS,
- National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) and
- National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS). The National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS) was subsequently transferred on 1st April, 2001 from the Ministry of Rural development to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Presently NSAP comprises of five schemes, namely –
- Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS),
- Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS),
- Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS),
- National Family Benefit Scheme NFBS) and
Eligibility and scale of assistance
- For getting benefits under NSAP the applicant must belong to a Below Poverty Line (BPL) family according to the criteria prescribed by the Govt. of India.
- The other eligibility criteria and the scale of central assistance under the sub – schemes of NSAP are as follows. Besides the central assistance, states / UT contribute an equal amount as their share.
2. PRADHAN MANTRI UCHCHATAR SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (PM-USHA)
TAG: GS 1: SOCIETY; GS 2: SOCIAL JUSTICE
THE CONTEXT: 14 States as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are yet to join Centre’s flagship education scheme which mandates the implementation of the National Education Policy. It is important in order to avail funds worth almost ₹13,000 crore for the next three years, under the Centre’s flagship scheme for State-run higher education.
EXPLANATION:
- A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre mandates National Education Policy implementation.
- However, some Opposition-ruled States are against MoU, given that PM-USHA scheme has 60:40 funding split between Centre and States, with no extra money for NEP reforms.
- The Centre says it holding discussions to iron out differences with dissenting States.
- The MoU is to show the willingness of States and UTs to participate in the PM-USHA scheme and it will help in the better implementation of the scheme.
NEP reforms need more funds:
- The MoU which makes it mandatory for States to undertake the administrative, academic, accreditation, and governance reforms detailed in the NEP, including an academic credit bank, entry and exit flexibility, and the Samarth e-governance platform has irked some State governments.
- Opposition states remarked that this MoU does not say anything about finding funds for changes envisaged under the NEP.
- Centre however, said that multiple consultations had been undertaken before finalising the structure of PM-USHA. The MoU contains clauses regarding proper planning, implementation and monitoring of the scheme.
- Commitment on planning and drafting the proposals by the State by aligning it with NEP will lead to integration between NEP and PM-USHA.
- The Centre points that PM-USHA reduces the fragmentation of resources by streamlining the number of scheme components to six.
- More flexibility has been given to States/UTs to undertake activities as per felt needs. Unit costs of some components have been rationalised for tangible outcomes.
- States and UTs have also been given the flexibility to identify their focus districts on the basis of various indicators, such as low gross enrolment ratio, gender parity, population proportion of Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
- These districts will be prioritised under the scheme to address the diverse needs of each State or UT.
Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA).
- In the light of the National Education Policy, RUSA scheme has been launched as Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA).
- PM-USHA is the new name for the Ministry’s scheme to improve the quality of higher education in State Universities through curricular and programme changes, teacher training, physical and digital infrastructure, accreditation, and enhancing employability while ensuring equity, access, and inclusion.
- It provides an outlay of ₹12,926.10 crore between 2023-24 and 2025-26.
- The first phase of the scheme was launched in 2013 and the second phase was launched in 2018.
- PM USHA covers government and government-aided institutions of the States and UTs. As the demand for higher education is increasing continuously over the years, there has been an unprecedented expansion in the number of institutions, universities, and volume of students in the country.
Focus Areas:
- a) Equity Access and inclusion in higher education
- b) Developing Quality Teaching & Learning processes
- c) Accreditation of Non Accredited Institutions and improving accreditation
- d) ICT – based Digital Infrastructure
- e) Enhancing Employability through Multidisciplinary.
Institutional Structure of PM USHA:
1)Central Level
- National Mission Authority : Chaired by Minister of Education.
- PAB : Chaired by Secretary Higher Education , GoI
- National Project Directorate
- Technical Support Group
2)State Level
- State Higher Education Council (SHEC)
- State Project Directorate
- State Technical Support Group
3)Institution Level
- Board of Governors
- Project Monitoring Unit
Scope of PM- USHA : 1) Focus Districts and 2) Challenge method selection of institutions
1) Focus Districts :
Maximum 50% District of the State will be considered as focus District
• Lack of access to government colleges
• Low GER,
• Population proportion for females, transgender, SC, ST,OBCs
• Aspirational /Boarder Area, left wing extremism prone area
• Gender parity
2) Challenge method selection of institutions:
- Institutions will be short listed by the state by giving priority to the focus areas.
- On the basis of pre defined criteria weightages will be given to different institutions for
proposal submission. - The proposal bill be submitted and it will be evaluated by MoE and approval will be done by PAB at central level.
3. ADITYA L1: INDIA’S FIRST MISSION TO STUDY THE SUN
TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: The Aditya L1 spacecraft, assembled and integrated at the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru, has arrived at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
EXPLANATION:
- Aditya L1’s payloads are expected to provide crucial information for understanding the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics etc.
- The Aditya L1 mission will be launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which also launched Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and the Mars Orbiter spacecraft in 2013.
- The launch is likely to take place in August-end or September.
Aditya L1
- Aditya L1 shall be the first space based Indian mission to study the Sun. The spacecraft shall be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth.
- A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses.
- This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time.
- The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle and magnetic field detectors.
- Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the Sun and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1.
- It will provide important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium.
- The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide most crucial informations to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particle and fields etc.
The major science objectives of Aditya-L1 mission are:
- Study of Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics.
- Study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionized plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares
- Observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment providing data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun.
- Physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism.
- Diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma: Temperature, velocity and density.
- Development, dynamics and origin of CMEs.
- Identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events.
- Magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona .
- Drivers for space weather (origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind .
Aditya-L1 Payloads:
- The instruments of Aditya-L1 are tuned to observe the solar atmosphere mainly the chromosphere and corona.
- In-situ instruments will observe the local environment at L1. There are total seven payloads on-board with four of them carrying out remote sensing of the Sun and three of them carrying in-situ observation.
4. ENGINEERING OF ACINETOBACTER BAYLYI BACTERIA TO DETECT CANCER
TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: Researchers at the University of California have engineered a specific species of bacteria that can detect cancer in its early stages by incorporating tumour DNA into its system.
EXPLANATION:
- According to a study that was published in the journal Science, an engineered bacteria may one day be able to detect cancer wherever it may be hiding in the human body’s intestines.
- The goal of the research is to turn these bacteria into a probiotic sensor in the gut that can carefully examine, identify, and report any intestinal disorders.
- This discovery is significant since colon cancer rates are growing and early identification in persons under 50 is critical.
- Acinetobacter baylyi, a kind of bacterium, has been effectively manipulated by a team at the University of California.
ACINETOBACTER BAYLYI BACTERIA
- These bacteria are normally non-pathogenic.
- They are naturally competent to take up DNA by horizontal gene transfer.
- These bacteria become resistant to a specific drug only when they took up DNA containing a cancer-associated mutation in a specific oncogene.
- These species are gram-negative aerobic bacteria that are coccobacillary in shape. (Cocci are sphere-shaped bacteria, while bacilli are rod-shaped bacteria. Bacteria that fall between these two shapes are called coccobacilli).
HOW DOES THIS BACTERIA DETECT CANCER?
- Acinetobacter baylyi bacteria is known for its ability to absorb DNA from their surroundings.
- It has been programmed to seek specific DNA sequences common in colorectal cancers.
- When it incorporates tumour DNA into its system, an antibiotic-resistance gene gets activated.
- This gene enables the growth of the bacteria on feces-derived antibiotic-containing agar plates.
- It demonstrates the presence of cancer cells.
WAY FORWARD TO ITS USE
- It might take some time before the approach is approved for use in clinical trials because the research is still in its early stages.
- The effectiveness and safety of the engineered bacteria still need to be meticulously tested.
- The bacteria are being engineered to recognise KRAS mutations (The KRAS gene belongs to a class of genes known as oncogenes), which are present in roughly 40% of colorectal malignancies, some lung cancers, and the majority of pancreatic tumours.
- For it to be genuinely effective in humans, researchers need to show that Acinetobacter baylyi is safe for oral ingestion and that it consistently yields accurate results when identifying cancer cells in faecal samples.
- The level of effectiveness of this bacterial biosensor in comparison to colonoscopy, a more invasive diagnostic procedure, needs to be examined as well.
- This discovery is significant since colon cancer rates are growing and early identification in persons under 50 is critical.
SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/engineered-bacteria-cancer-dna-8888930/
5. INTEGRATION OF NATIONAL PENSION SYSTEM (NPS) STATEMENT OF TRANSACTION WITH CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT STATEMENT (CAS)
TAG: GS 2: POLITY; GS 3: ECONOMY
THE CONTEXT: The PFRDA has integrated the NPS Statement of Transaction with CAS is in line with the Centre’s goal to establish a comprehensive record of each person’s financial assets.
EXPLANATION:
- The National Pension System (NPS) subscribers now have access to a consolidated view of their personal assets in the securities market because of the updated mark-to-market values provided by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and SEBI.
- It includes the investors’ Demat account holdings as well as their mutual fund holdings.
- This will benefit over 1.35 crore NPS subscribers.
- It is expected to provide a simplified and secured way to stay informed on NPS investments through CAS.
PENSION FUND REGULATORY AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (PFRDA)
- It is a statutory regulatory body set up under PFRDA Act enacted in 2014.
- It is under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance for overall supervision and regulation of pension in India.
- Its objective is to promote old age income security and protect the interests of NPS subscribers.
- It is ensuring the orderly growth and development of pension market.
- COMPOSITION OF THE AUTHORITY:
- The Authority shall consist of a Chairperson and not more than six members, of whom at least three shall be Whole-Time Members, to be appointed by the Central Government.
NATIONAL PENSION SYSTEM (NPS)
- The Central Government has introduced the National Pension System (NPS) with effect from 2004 (except for armed forces).
- PFRDA the regulatory body for NPS, has appointed Protean eGov Technologies Limited as Central Recordkeeping Agency (CRA) for National Pension System.
- CRA is the first of its kind venture in India which will carry out the functions of Record Keeping, Administration and Customer Service for all subscribers under NPS.
- National Pension System (NPS) is an important milestone in the development of a sustainable and efficient voluntary defined contribution pension system in India.
- It has the following broad objectives:
- Provide old age income.
- Reasonable market-based returns over the long term.
- Extending old age security coverage to all citizens.
- NPS is structured into two tiers:
- Tier-I account:
- This is the non-withdrawable permanent retirement account into which the accumulations are deposited and invested as per the option of the subscriber.
- Tier-II account:
- This is a voluntary withdrawable account which is allowed only when there is an active Tier I account in the name of the subscriber.
- The withdrawals are permitted from this account as per the needs of the subscriber as and when claimed.
CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT STATEMENT (CAS)
- It is a single/combined account statement which shows the details of financial transactions made by an investor during a month across all Mutual Funds and also other securities held in Demat mode.
- CAS is issued for those accounts wherein a financial transaction has been made during a month and wherein unit holders are identical, identified by Income Tax Permanent Account (PAN).
- CAS is generated on a monthly basis in respect of the PANs common to the RTAs and the Depositories.