PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 26-JUNE-2018
Topic: Women
related issues.
‘Women in Prisons’ report
Context: The
Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has come up with its report
titled ‘Women in
Prisons’ which aims to build an understanding of
the various entitlements of women in prisons, the various issues faced by them
and possible methods for resolution of the same.
Highlights of the report- important recommendations:
Who is vulnerable? Women-
elderly, disabled, pregnant, mothers who have recently given birth but whose
children are not with them in prison, those who have miscarried, or those who
have recently undergone abortion.
Arrangements for women with care-giving responsibilities: Prior
to their imprisonment, women with care-giving responsibilities must be allowed
to make arrangements for their children, and a reasonable suspension of
detention may also be provided for this purpose. Provisions for extended and
frequent visits, and admission of children into Childcare institutions have
also been proposed.
Bail: Bail
should be granted to those under-trial women who have spent one-third of their
maximum possible sentence in detention, by making necessary changes in Section
436A of the CrPC which provides for release after half of the maximum sentence
has been served.
Special care for pregnant and lactating women: A
separate accommodation for mothers in post-natal stage to maintain hygiene and
protect the infant from contagion, for at least a year after childbirth has
been proposed. There are special provisions relating to health and nutrition be
made for women who have recently given birth outside prison, or who have
undergone abortion or miscarriage. Instruments of restraint, punishment by
close confinement or disciplinary segregation should never be used on pregnant
and lactating women. Pregnant women must be given information and access to
abortion during incarceration, to the extent permissible by law.
Legal aid: To
make legal aid more effective, legal consultations must be conducted in
confidentiality and without censorship. For persons with language barriers or
sensory disabilities, adequate arrangements must be made by the prison
administration to ensure that such persons do not face any disadvantage by
providing an independent interpreter.
Rehabilitation: A
comprehensive after-care programme to be put in place, covering employment,
financial support, regaining of child custody, shelter, counseling, continuity
of health care services etc. Counseling should also be provided to family
members and employers to adequately receive the woman after release.
Grievance redressal: Apart
from the prisoner herself, her legal adviser or family members should be
allowed to make complaints regarding her stay in prison. An inmate register can
also be placed at an accessible spot in the prison for submitting grievances.
All official visitors must hold special one-on-one interviews with prisoners
away from prison authorities during inspection visits.
Challenges faced by women in prisons:
§ Women in
prisons face greater
hardships than their male counterparts due
to many factors such as social stigma, financial dependence on their families
or husbands etc. These difficulties are further exacerbated when the woman has
children.
§ Women have
to face numerous problems in prisons owing to inadequacy of female staff which
often translates to the reality that male staff becomes responsible for female
inmates, which is undesirable.
§ Women are
not provided with meals that
are nutritious and according to their bodily
requirements.
§ Women are
at a most disadvantageous position when it comes to their reintegration in society after release. Many are
abandoned or harassed post-release, mainly due to the stigma attached with
incarceration, which is even more pronounced in cases of women.
§ Women also
tend to lose ties
with their children over the years, due to inadequate child
custody procedures. Also, a robust grievance redressal mechanism was required
to tackle cases of sexual harassment, violence and abuse against women in
jails.
Way ahead:
Reforms
are needed for improving the lives of women under incarceration including the
elderly and the disabled, addressing a wide range of issues pertaining to
pregnancy and childbirth in prison, mental health, legal aid, reintegration in
society and their caregiving responsibilities among others. In this regard,
changes in the National Model Prison Manual 2016 have also been suggested to
bring it in line with international standards and norms.
Stats:
§ As of
2015, there are 4,19,623 persons in jail in India, of which, 17,834 (about
4.3%) are women. Of these, 11,916 (66.8%) are undertrial prisoners.
§ There is
an increasing trend in the number of women prisoners – from 3.3% of all
prisoners in 2000 to 4.3% in 2015.
§ A majority
of female inmates are in the age group of 30-50 years (50.5%), followed by
18-30 years (31.3%).
§ Of the
total 1,401 prisons in India, only 18 are exclusive for women, housing 2,985
female prisoners. Thus, a majority of women inmates are housed in women’s
enclosures of general prisons.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: Who published “Women in Prisons” report?
§ For Mains:
Women in prisons- concerns, challenges, issues, need for reforms and
recommendations made.
Sources:
pib.
Paper 2:
Topic: Welfare
schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and
the performance of these schemes.
Van Dhan Vikas Kendras
Context: Government
proposes to set up 3000 Van Dhan Kendras involving 30,000 SHGs across the
country.
About Van Dhan Vikas Kendras initiative:
The
initiative aims to
promote MFPs-centric livelihood development of tribal gatherers and artisans. It
mainstreams the tribal community by promoting primary level value addition to
MFP at grassroots level. Through this initiative, the share of tribals in the
value chain of Non-Timber Forest Produce is expected to rise from the present
20% to around 60%.
Implementation:
§ The scheme
will be implemented
through Ministry of Tribal Affairs as Nodal Departmentat the
Central Level and TRIFED as
Nodal Agency at the National Level.
§ At State
level, the State
Nodal Agency for MFPs and the District collectors are
envisaged to play a pivot role in scheme implementation at grassroot level.
§ Locally
the Kendras are proposed to be managed by a Managing Committee (an SHG)consisting
of representatives of Van Dhan SHGs in the cluster.
§ Composition: As
per the plan, TRIFED will facilitate establishment of MFP-led multi-purpose Van
Dhan Vikas Kendras, a cluster of 10 SHGs comprising of 30 tribal MFP gatherers
each, in the tribal areas.
Significance of MFP:
§ Minor
Forest Produce (MFP) is a major source of livelihood for tribals living in
forest areas. The importance of MFPs for this section of the society can be
gauged from the fact that around 100 million forest dwellers depend on MFPs for
food, shelter, medicines and cash income.
§ It
provides them critical subsistence during the lean seasons, particularly for
primitive tribal groups such as hunter gatherers, and the landless. Tribals
derive 20-40% of their annual income from MFP on which they spend major portion
of their time.
§ This
activity has strong linkage to women’s financial empowerment as most of the
MFPs are collected and used/sold by women. MFP sector has the potential to
create about 10 million workdays annually in the country.
What’s important?
§ For Prelims:
Van Dhan Vikas Kendras.
§ For Mains:
MFP and its significance.
Sources:
pib.
Topic: Welfare
schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and
the performance of these schemes.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Urban)
Context: The
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has approved construction of another
3,18,900 affordable houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Urban) with an
investment of Rs 8,692 crore. With this, 51 Lakh Houses have been sanctioned
under the scheme in three years of implementation.
About PMAY-Urban:
The
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Programme launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty
Alleviation (MoHUPA), in Mission mode envisions provision of
Housing for All by 2022, when the Nation completes 75 years of its
Independence.
The Mission seeks to address the housing requirement of
urban poor including slum dwellers through following programme verticals:
§ Slum
rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers with participation of private developers using
land as a resource.
§ Promotion
of Affordable Housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy.
§ Affordable
Housing in Partnership with Public & Private sectors.
§ Subsidy
for beneficiary-led individual house construction /enhancement.
Key facts:
§ The
beneficiaries are poor and people living under EWS and LIG categories in the
country.
§ The scheme
is divided into three phases. In the first phase, a total of 100 cities will be
covered from April 2015 to March 2017. In phase two, 200 cities will be covered
from April 2017 to March 2019. In the third phase, the leftover cities will be
covered from April 2019 to March 2022.
§ The
government is providing an interest subsidy of 6.5% on housing loans which can
be availed by beneficiaries for 15 years from start of loan date.
§ The
government will grant Rs 1 lakh to all the beneficiaries of the scheme. In
addition, Rs 1.5 lakh will be given to all eligible urban poor who want to
construct their houses in urban areas or plan to go for renovation in their
existing houses. One can also avail loans under this scheme to build toilets in
existing houses.
What’s important?
For
Prelims and Mains: PMAY- key features and significance.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential.
Software to help strengthen the implementation of Poshan
Abhiyan
Context: ICDS-CAS
(Common Application Software)- It is a Specially designed software to help in
strengthening service delivery and improving nutrition outcomes through
Effective monitoring and Timely interventions in POSHAN Abhiyaan.
Common Application Software (ICDS-CAS):
The POSHAN
Abhiyaan empowers the frontline functionaries i.e. Anganwadi Workers and Lady
Supervisors by providing them with Smartphones. The Common Application Software
(ICDS-CAS) especially developed for this purpose enables data capture, ensures
assigned service delivery and prompts for interventions wherever required. This
data is then available in near real time to the supervisory staff from Sector,
Block, District, State to National level through a Dashboard, for monitoring.
POSHAN Abhiyaan:
POSHAN
Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission) was launched by the Hon’ble Prime
Minister on 8thMarch, 2018 in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.
The
programme through use of technology, targeted approach and convergence strives
to reduce the level of Stunting, Under-nutrition, Anemia and Low Birth Weight
in Children, as also, focus on Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women & Lactating
Mothers, thus holistically addressing malnutrition.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: POSHAN Abhiyaan and ICDS-CAS – features and significance.
§ For Mains:
Healthcare reforms in India- need, challenges and initiatives by government.
Sources:
pib.
Paper 3:
Topic:
Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
UN MSME Day 2018
Context: UN
MSME Day is celebrated on June 27th across
the world.
Background:
The
General Assembly, in 2017, recognizing the need to improve small business
access to microfinance and credit, decided to designate 27 June as Micro-,
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day. The goal is to encourage member states
to facilitate observance of the day by increasing awareness and actions to
support small business.
The
resolution was introduced by the delegation of Argentina, co-sponsored by 54
member states and adopted without a vote by the 193-member General Assembly on
6 April 2017.
What is a micro-, small, or medium-sized enterprise?
The
criteria for defining the size of a business differ from country to country. As
a reference, the European Commission’s definition of micro-, small and
medium-sized enterprises is established according to the number of employees
and the annual turnover or balance sheet:
§ Micro-enterprise: fewer
than 10 employees and an annual turnover (the amount of money taken in a
particular period) or balance sheet (a statement of a company’s assets and
liabilities) below €2 million.
§ Small enterprise: fewer
than 50 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet below €10 million.
§ Medium-sized enterprise: fewer
than 250 employees and annual turnover below €50 million or balance sheet below
€43 million.
The choice
of MSME definition could depend on many factors, such as business culture, the
size of the country’s population, industry and the level of international
economic integration.
Significance of MSMEs:
§ Micro-,
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are the backbone of most economies worldwide
and play a key role in developing countries.
§ According
to the data provided by the International Council for Small Business (ICSB),
formal and informal Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) make up
over 90% of all firms and account on average for 60-70% of total employment and
50% of GDP.
§ These
types of enterprises are responsible for significant employment and income
generation opportunities across the world and have been identified as a major
driver of poverty alleviation and development.
§ MSMEs tend
to employ a larger share of the vulnerable sectors of the workforce, such as
women, youth, and people from poorer households. MSMEs can even sometimes be
the only source of employment in rural areas. As such, MSMEs as a group are the
main income provider for the income distribution at the “base of the pyramid”.
How they contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable
Development Goals?
§ Micro-,
small and medium sized enterprises are vital in achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals, in particular in promoting innovation, creativity and decent
work for all.
§ Efforts to
enhance access to finance for SMEs across key sectors of national economies are
an important element of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). SDG targets 8.3 and 9.3 call for enhancing the access of SMEs to
financial services. In addition, SMEs are an important element in the
implementation of SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 9 (industry,
innovation and infrastructure).
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: UN MSME Day 2018.
§ For Mains:
MSME- significance, challenges they are facing and government support.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Infrastructure- energy.
Global solar bank
Context: ISA
is planning global solar bank to finance $150 billion of power projects.
World Solar Bank:
The
International Solar Alliance (ISA) plans to approach multilateral development
banks (MDBs) such as Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to create a
special purpose vehicle (SPV) to specifically finance solar projects. This SPV
aimed at financing $150 billion would become a World Solar Bank.
Background:
The
proposal for a World Solar Bank comes against the backdrop of ISA’s mission to
undertake joint efforts required to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of
technology. It needs to mobilize more than $1,000 billion of investments by
2030 for massive deployment of solar energy and pave the way for future
technologies.
About ISA:
The Paris Declaration establishes
ISA as an alliance dedicated to the promotion of solar energy among its member
countries.
§ Objectives: The
ISA’s major objectives include global deployment of over 1,000GW of solar
generation capacity and mobilisation of investment of over US$ 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 and the
proposed World Solar Bank and its significance.
Sources:
livemint.
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