PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 17-OCTOBER-2017
Topic: poverty and developmental issues.
Universal social security plan
In an attempt to improve the life of the
extremely poor people of India, the government has drafted a Rs 1.2 lakh crore
plan to provide universal social security coverage for the poorest people of the country.
About the scheme:
This broader programme envisages three
categories — the poorest 20%, who will get a
government payout; those who subscribe on their own and formal sector workers
who will need to set aside a fixed proportion of income toward the scheme.
The scheme will have two tiers. The first of these comprises mandatory
pension, insurance (both death and disability) and maternity coverage and the
second, optional medical, sickness and unemployment coverage.
Funds collected under the universal
social security scheme will
be divided into sub-schemes and be ringfenced, meaning the benefits and the
contribution will be commensurate.
Need for the scheme:
India’s total workforce currently stands at
450 million. Though the statistics make it sound that a large fraction of the
Indian population is employed, it is rather saddening that only a little over
10% are in the organised sector and get to enjoy the basic social security.
In fact, among the 10 million people who add
on to the workforce every year, most of them don’t receive the minimum wage and
lack any kind of social security coverage, the reason being that most them
belong to the unorganised sector.
Way ahead:
While funding the scheme will be a challenge
for the government, which has pledged to stick to the deficit target, it is seen
as one that will gain broad popular support. The new policy will be part of the
social security code, one of four codes that the labour ministry is finalising
and will subsume 17 existing items of legislation governing social security
coverage in the country.
Sources: et.
Paper 2:
Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections
of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these
schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the
protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
47.5 lakh domestic workers set to get
legal status and minimum wages
Ministry of labour and employment is
considering to formulate a national policy for domestic workers under which part-time, full-time and
live-in workers, employers, private placement agencies will be clearly defined.
§ With this, the ministry is set to give legal
status to domestic workers in the country by formulating a national policy that
will ensure minimum wages and equal remuneration for around 47.5 lakh domestic
workers in India including 30 lakh women.
Key facts:
The policy aims to promote right to fair terms of
employment relating to minimum wages, protection from abuse/harassment and
violence, access to social security benefits such as health insurance,
maternity benefits and old age pensions as provided by existing and upcoming
schemes of central and state government, which may include contribution from
employer/workers.
An institutional mechanism will be set up to provide for social
security cover, fair terms of employment, grievance redressal and dispute
resolution for domestic workers. Besides, the policy will seek to regulate
recruitment and placement agencies to avoid any harassment.
Placement agencies charge a certain proportion of domestic
workers’ salary every month, over and above one-time fees they charge from the
employer for providing such help. The new policy, though, is likely to make it
mandatory for placement agencies to charge a one-time 15-day salary from
domestic workers and in turn provide them with social security cover, including
medical and health insurance.
Sources: et.
Topic: Bilateral, regional and global
groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
NIIF gets first investor, Abu Dhabi
fund brings in $1 bn
The National Investment and Infrastructure
Fund (NIIF)
of India has signed an investment agreement worth $1 billion with a wholly
owned unit of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
§ As part of the partnership agreement, ADIA will become the first
institutional investor in
NIIF’s Master Fund and a shareholder in National Investment and Infrastructure
Ltd, NIIF’s investment management company.
§ This agreement marks the culmination of an
extensive process of collaboration with ADIA to develop an investment structure
that is attractive to international investors, while remaining closely aligned
with NIIF’s objectives.
About NIIF:
NIIF was set up in 2015 as an investment
vehicle for funding commercially viable greenfield, brownfield and stalled
projects in the infrastructure sector.
§ NIIF will invest in areas such as energy,
transportation, housing, water, waste management and other infrastructure-related
sectors in India.
§ The corpus of the fund is proposed to be
around Rs40,000 crore, with the government investing 49% and the rest to be
raised from third-party investors such as sovereign wealth funds, insurance and
pension funds, endowments etc.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: Important International institutions,
agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.
World Food Day
World Food Day is celebrated on October 16
every year to raise awareness on the issues of poverty and hunger. World Food
Day was established by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in November 1979 and since then the day
is celebrated worldwide by many organisations that are concerned with food
security.
Theme: “Change the future of migration. Invest
in food security.”
Significance of this event:
§ World Food Day is a chance to show our
commitment to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 – to
achieve Zero Hunger by 2030.
§ It’s also a day for us to celebrate the
progress we have already made towards reaching #ZeroHunger.
About FAO:
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nationsthat leads international efforts to defeat
hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral
forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate
policy.
FAO is also a source of knowledge and
information, and helps developing countries in transition modernize and improve
agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, ensuring good nutrition and food
security for all.
Sources: the hindu.
Paper 3:
Topic: Major crops cropping patterns in
various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation
systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and
related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
Boosting horticulture through remote
sensing
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh
has announced March 2018 as the deadline to complete the ambitious project of
developing the horticulture sector using remote sensing technology and
geo-informatics.
Background:
In a bid to develop India’s horticulture
sector and help states identify suitable areas and crop types, the agriculture
ministry is already working on a project which uses satellites and remote
sensing technology. The project is known as CHAMAN.
About CHAMAN:
CHAMAN, or Coordinated Horticulture
Assessment and Management using geoinformatics, is being implemented by the
Delhi-based Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre and is likely to be
completed by March.
§ Under the project, the ministry will use
remote sensing and geoinformatics data to integrate information on weather,
soil, land-use, and crop mapping to prepare horticulture development plans. The
idea is to use space technology to identify crops suitable to different areas
and raise production of horticulture crops.
§ The project will help states develop
horticulture clusters and related infrastructure like cold chains. It project
will also help in accurate forecasting of area and production of seven major
crops in about 185 districts across India. These crops are banana, mango,
citrus, potato, onion, tomato and chilli.
Need for special focus:
Driven by consumer demand, farmers across
India have rapidly adopted horticulture crops which ensure a quicker cash flow
and can be grown in very small plots. In 2016-17, production of horticulture
crops like fruits, vegetables and spices touched a record high of 300 million
tonnes, outstripping production of foodgrains for the fifth year in a row.
Currently, India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the
world, and a top producer of crops like banana, mango and lemons.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: indigenization of technology and developing
new technology.
INS kiltan
INS Kiltan (P30), third Anti-Submarine
Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes built under Project 28 (Kamorta Class) was
recently commissioned into the Indian Navy.
Key facts:
§ The ship gets her name from old INS Kiltan
(P79), a Petya class ASW ship that served the nation for 18 years before being
decommissioned in June 1987. It is named after the coral island belonging to
the Lakshadweep group of islands.
§ Regarded as a very prestigious acquisition,
INS Kiltan is one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in
India.
§ More than 80 % of the ship is indigenous with
state of the art equipment & systems to fight in Nuclear, Biological and
Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions. INS Kiltan is the first major warship with
superstructure entirely of composite material.
Main features:
§ The sleek and magnificent ship is propelled
by ‘Combination of Diesel and Diesel (CODAD)’ propulsion system of four diesel
engines to achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots and has an endurance of around
3,500 Nautical Miles.
§ The ship has enhanced stealth features
resulting in a reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS) achieved by X-form of hull and
superstructure along with optimally sloped surfaces.
§ The very low under water acoustic signature
makes it a ‘silent killer on the prowl’. The ship’s advanced stealth features
make her less susceptible to detection by the enemy and help in effective
employment of soft kill measure like the Chaff.
Sources: pib.
Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution
and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Graded plan to combat air pollution
The Graded Response Action Plan, Delhi-NCR’s
answer to combat air pollution that assumes apocalyptic proportions during this
time of the year, will come into force for the first time from October 17th.
How it will be implemented?
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
will monitor air quality from various stations located across Delhi-NCR. Daily
reports will be sent to the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA), the
implementing authority of the plan, which will take a decision on the future
course of action.
§ If data of any station shows a sudden spike
in pollution level, a team will rush to the spot and try to analyse the reason.
Accordingly, action would be taken and instructions issued.
§ The CPCB has directed all state pollution
control boards of NCR states to form teams that will fan out and flag
violations. The CPCB has formed around 40 teams that are visiting various parts
of Delhi alone.
§ The chief secretaries of NCR states have been
designated as nodal officers. We will direct them to take immediate action if
any particular area shows a spike in air pollution.
Background:
As per a Supreme Court order, the Graded
Response Action Plan for the NCR involves stringent measures against burning of
waste, industrial pollution and transport sector emissions. Notified by the
Union Ministry of Environment and Forest in January.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: Security challenges and their management in
border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism.
‘Free movement’ along Myanmar border
The Centre is putting in measures to
facilitate free movement of Indian and Myanmarese citizens within 16 km along
the Myanmar border. In this regard, the Home Ministry recently held
consultations with four States — Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal
Pradesh — on the Free Movement Regime (FMR).
§ The move comes in the wake of large-scale
displacement of Rohingya people from Rakhine State in Myanmar.
Background:
In June, the Ministry had constituted a
committee to examine various methods to curb the misuse of free movement along
the Myanmar border, a friendly country, with which it shares unfenced borders
and unhindered movement of people across the border.
Free movement regime:
India has a 1,643-km border with Myanmar and
it is unique in many ways as it has a visa-free movement regime for people
living within 16 km on either side of the border. “Free movement regime” is a
bilateral agreement with Myanmar that allows free movement of Indian and
Myanmarese citizens within 16 km of the border
§ They can stay up to 72 hours with effective
and valid permits issued by the designated authorities on either side. This
regime has been in place keeping in view the traditional social relations among
the border people. It helps genuine people living in close proximity of the
border.
§ This regime has been in place keeping in view
the traditional social relations among the border people. It helps genuine
people living in close proximity of the border. However, it is misused by
militants and criminals who smuggle weapons, narcotics, contraband goods and
Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN).
Sources: the hindu.
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