PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 27-MARCH-2018
Paper 2:
Topic: Statutory, regulatory and various
quasi-judicial bodies.
“E-Tribes India”
Context: The government has launched “E-
Tribes”, TRIFED’s websites. It includes www.tribesindia.com, www.trifed.in and
Retail Inventory Software and M-commerce app.
Significance of this move:
Going Digital will lead to expansion of
tribal commerce and the availability of tribal products over large area,
reaping greater benefits for tribal artisans. Retail Trade of tribal products
would expand all over the country and the world.
About TRIFED:
TRIFED is an apex organisation at National
Level and functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
What it does?
TRIFED is serving the interests of Tribals,
who are engaged in collection of NTFP and making of Tribal Art & Handicraft
Products for their livelihood so as to ensure better remunerative price for
their products as well as for the socio-economic betterment through Self Help
Groups, Empanelled NGOs, State level Tribal Development Corporations, Forest
Development Corporations for undertaking marketing development of the tribal
products.
It also organizes exhibitions like National Tribal Craft Expo called
“Aadi Mahotsav” etc.
in which it promotes and markets tribal products.
What’s important?
§ For Prelims: E- Tribes India and TRIFED.
§ For Mains: Tribal development- challenges,
need and solutions.
Sources: pib.
Topic: Government policies and interventions for
development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and
implementation.
Enemy properties
Context: The government has initiated the
process of sale of more than 9,400 enemy properties by issuing guidelines and
directing the office of the custodian to submit the list of all such movable
and immovable assets within three months. The sale of enemy properties is
expected to fetch around Rs 1 lakh crore for the government exchequer.
The move comes after the amendment of the Enemy Property
(Amendment and Validation) Act 2017 and the Enemy Property (Amendment) Rules,
2018, which ensured that the heirs of those who
migrated to Pakistan and China during partition and afterwards will have no
claim over the properties left behind in India.
Background:
There are 9,280 properties left behind by
Pakistani nationals and 126 properties which belonged to Chinese nationals.
What are enemy properties?
When wars broke out between India and China
in 1962, and India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, the central government took
over properties of citizens of China and Pakistan in India under the Defence of
India Acts. These Acts defined an ‘enemy’ as a country that committed an act of
aggression against India, and its citizens.
The properties of enemies in India
were classified as enemy property. The
properties included land, buildings, shares held in companies, gold and
jewellery of the citizens of enemy countries. The responsibility of the
administration of enemy properties was handed over to the Custodian of Enemy
Property, an office under the central government.
Enemy properties Act:
§ After the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, the
Enemy Property Act was enacted in 1968, which regulates such properties and
lists the custodian’s powers.
§ The government amended the Act in the wake of
a claim laid by the heirs of Raja Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan, known as Raja of
Mahmudabad, on his properties spread across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
§ The government has vested these
properties in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, an office instituted under the Central
government.
What’s important?
For Prelims and Mains: What are enemy
properties and enemy properties act.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: Issues relating to development and
management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human
Resources.
National Conference on Down Syndrome
Context: National Conference on Down Syndrome
was recently inaugurated in New Delhi. The objective of this conference was to
provide excellent opportunities to the parents to obtain information about
latest development in education and skilling and inclusive living of persons
with Down Syndrome.
Key facts:
§ The Conference was organized by
National Trust for
the welfare of persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and
Multiple Disabilities under M/o SJ&E in collaboration with Muskaan, a
registered organisation of the National Trust.
§ On 19th December 2011, the United
Nations General Assembly declared to observe 21st March as World Down Syndrome
Day (WDSD) and
since then every year, this day is officially observed by UN to create
awareness about people with Down Syndrome.
About Down Syndrome:
Down Syndrome is a chromosomal condition associated
with intellectual and learning disabilities.
Causes: Persons with Down Syndrome have 47
chromosomes as compared to 46 in majority of people.
Impacts: This one Extra chromosome causes its
own impact and slows down learning process. It impacts neurological functioning
causing impairment of intellectual functions e.g. analytical thinking, complex
abstractions and judgement etc.
Treatment: Good schooling, loving family, learning
and work opportunities make them grow up to be responsible, loving and cheerful
persons. Their emotions and needs are like any other person of the same age.
Accepting and respecting family/community is a big support to their growth and
development.
About National Trust:
What is it? The National Trust is a Statutory Body
under Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan),
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. The National Trust was envisaged
with a core mission of providing opportunities for capacity development of
Persons with Disabilities and their families, fulfilling their rights,
facilitating and promoting the creation of an enabling environment and an
inclusive society.
Functions: The National Trust has been set up to
discharge two basic duties – legal and welfare. Legal duties are discharged
through Local Level Committee (LLC) set up at district level under the
chairmanship of the District Collector / District Magistrate and providing
legal guardianship. Welfare duty is discharged through the schemes and
activities. The schemes and activities of the National Trust inter-alia include
training, awareness and capacity building programmes and shelter, care giving
and empowerment.
Appointment: Chairperson and board members will be
appointed by the Central Government.
What’s important?
For Prelims and Mains: Down syndrome and
National Trust.
Sources: pib.
Topic: Important International institutions,
agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.
ISA and India sign the Host Country
Agreement
Context: The International Solar Alliance (ISA)
and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), have signed the Host Country
Agreement.
About the framework agreement:
§ The Agreement will give ISA a juridical
personality and gives it power to contract, to acquire and dispose off movable
and immovable properties, to institute and defend legal proceedings.
§ Under this agreement, ISA shall enjoy such
privileges, applicable tax concessions and immunities as are necessary for
ISA’s Headquarter to independently discharge its function and programmes.
§ ISA shall be deriving its status, privileges
and immunities as per Article 10 of Framework Agreement.
About ISA:
The Paris Declaration establishes ISA
as an alliance dedicated to the promotion of solar energy among its member countries.
Objectives: The ISA’s major objectives include
global deployment of over 1,000GW of solar generation capacity and mobilisation
of investment of over US$ 1000 billion into solar energy by 2030.
What it does? As an action-oriented organisation, the
ISA brings together countries with rich solar potential to aggregate global
demand, thereby reducing prices through bulk purchase, facilitating the
deployment of existing solar technologies at scale, and promoting collaborative
solar R&D and capacity building.
When it entered into force? When the ISA Framework Agreement
entered into force on December 6th, 2017, ISA formally became a de-jure treaty
based International Intergovernmental Organization, headquartered at Gurugram,
India.
Way ahead:
The ISA is not only expected to spur
innovation in the RE space but also help make India a technological hub with
independent manufacturing capabilities of RE equipment like solar panels,
rather than being dependent on imports, through initiatives like ‘Make in
India’. India’s Ministry of External Affairs is expected to play a role in
“marrying Indian tech and finance capabilities with specific projects around
the world”.
India announced a goal of obtaining 40% of
its electricity from non-fossil fuels by 2030 at the Paris climate change
summit. It is close to achieving 20 GW grid connected solar power generation
capacity this fiscal year (2018), in pursuit of achieving its target of 100 GW
by 2022.
What’s important?
§ For Prelims: ISA.
§ For Mains: Renewable energy and its
significance, India’s leadership in the sector.
Sources: pib.
Paper 3:
Topic: awareness in space.
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
(TESS)
Context: NASA and SpaceX joining hands for their
all-new combined mission known as Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)
mission. The mission will be launched in April this year.
About TESS mission:
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
(TESS) is an upcoming NASA mission that will look for planets
orbiting the brightest stars in Earth’s sky. Its launch vehicle will be a Falcon 9
rocket from SpaceX.
Mission: The mission will monitor at least
200,000 stars for signs of exoplanets, ranging from Earth-sized rocky worlds to
huge gas giant planets. TESS, however, will focus on stars that are 30 to 100
times brighter than those Kepler examined. This will help astronomers better
understand the structure of solar systems outside of our Earth, and provide
insights into how our own solar system formed.
Orbit: TESS will occupy a never-before-used
orbit high above Earth. The elliptical orbit, called P/2, is exactly half of
the moon’s orbital period; this means that TESS will orbit Earth every 13.7
days. Its closest point to Earth (67,000 miles or 108,000 kilometers) is about
triple the distance of geosynchronous orbit, where most communications
satellites operate.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: IPR.
Basmati GI tag
Context: Madhya Pradesh has filed a writ
petition in the Madras High Court challenging an order passed by Assistant
Registrar of Geographical Indications (GI) on March 15 excluding the State from
being granted the GI tag for basmati rice.
What’s the issue?
In May 2010, GI status was given to basmati
grown only in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and parts of
western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Madhya Pradesh moved a statutory
opposition demanding that its 13 districts be recognised as traditional Basmati
growing regions.
However, GI registry had rejected Madhya
Pradesh’s claim as being the original and unique basmati growing region. It had
observed that the documents and evidence filed by Madhya Pradesh show the
importance, special characters of rice cultivated in Madhya Pradesh but not the
basmati cultivation in the traditional growing area.
What’s the concern now?
Madhya Pradesh says non-inclusion of the
state in the basmati growing areas would have an adverse effect on the lives of
farmers who mainly depend upon basmati cultivation and it will also affect the
export potential, which will indirectly reduce the country’s turnover from the
export of basmati.
About GI tag:
What is it?
A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or
a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a
definite geographical territory.
Significance of a GI tag:
Typically, such a name conveys an assurance
of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place
of its origin.
Security:
Once the GI protection is granted, no other
producer can misuse the name to market similar products. It also provides
comfort to customers about the authenticity of that product.
Sources: the hindu.
Facts for Prelims:
Smart India Hackathon 2018:
Context: All India Council for Technical Education
(AICTE) under
the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is organizing Smart India Hackathon
2018.
Key facts:
§ Smart India Hackathon 2018 is a non-stop
digital product development competition, where problems are posed to technology
students for innovative solutions. It will harnesses creativity & expertise
of students and sparks institute-level hackathons.
§ It builds funnel for ‘Startup India’ campaign
and crowdsources solutions for improving governance and quality of life. It
also provides opportunity to citizens to provide innovative solutions to
India’s daunting problems
§ Smart India Hackathon 2018 would be the second
massive scale hackathon initiative in India following Smart India Hackathon
2017.
§ Winners stand to get cash prizes and a chance
to be part of the NASSCOM’s 10,000 Startups program.
Surat becomes first district to have
100% solar powered health centres:
Context: Surat has become the first district
in the country to have 100% solar powered Primary Health Centers (PHC). There
are a total of 52 PHCs in the district and all of them are now powered by solar
system.
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