PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 28-JUNE-2018
Topic: Women
related issues.
Women Entrepreneurs Platform (WEP)
Context: NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurs Platform (WEP) has
signed five separate Statement of Intent (SoIs) with Financial Institutions
& Social Organisations. These SOIs will provide financial assistance to
women entrepreneurs and address the finance related challenges faced by them
through WEP.
About the Women Entrepreneurship Platform:
Aim: The
initiative is aimed at building an ecosystem for women across India to realize
their entrepreneurial aspirations, scale-up innovative initiatives and
chalk-out sustainable, long-term strategies for their businesses. This will be
done through an enabling network of industry collaborations, partnerships,
mentors and peer-to-peer connect.
What it does? From
providing unique services such as credit evaluation of women-led startups by
CRISIL and potential equity investments through an INR 10 crore fund established
by DICE Districts, the WEP opens up avenues of growth and opportunity for women
entrepreneurs.
Need for economic empowerment of women:
Economically
empowered women are major catalysts for development. There is greater
recognition of the positive relationship between increased economic activity by
women and improved social outcomes. Women often tend to reinvest their income
in their children’s education, health and nutrition. This has a positive impact
on the potential for economic growth.
Challenges:
India
presents lower opportunities for women to assume leadership roles,
participation in the workforce or engagement in entrepreneurial activities.
Lack of education, technological know-how and cultural bias coupled with
stringent business and government regulations are some key impediments that
happen to undermine women’s ability to rise to positions of leadership and take
advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities in India.
Way ahead:
Women
entrepreneurs have been carving out a niche for them across the globe,
including India especially in niche and unconventional businesses. However,
there is significant potential to harness the untapped potential of women’s
entrepreneurship in India.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: Women Entrepreneurship Platform.
§ For Mains:
Women entrepreneurs- need, significance, challenges and solutions.
Sources:
pib.
Paper 2:
Topic:
Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
Export Credit Guarantee Corporation
Context: Cabinet
has approved the capital infusion of Rs.2000 crore for strengthening of Export
Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC).
Benefits:
§ The
infusion would enhance insurance coverage to MSME exports and strengthen
India’s exports to emerging and challenging markets like Africa, CIS and Latin
American countries.
§ With
enhanced capital, ECGC’s underwriting capacity and risk to capital ratio will
improve considerably.
§ With a
stronger underwriting capacity, ECGC will be in a better position to support
Indian exporters to tap new and unexplored markets.
§ Increased
capital infusion will help ECGC to diversify its product portfolio and provide
cost effective credit insurance helping exporters to gain a stronger foothold in
the difficult markets.
About Export Credit Guarantee Corporation:
§ ECGC is a
premier export credit agency of the Government of India to provide Export
Credit Insurance Services to facilitate exports from the country.
§ The ECGC
offers credit insurance schemes to exporters to protect them against losses due
to non-payment of export dues by overseas buyers due to political and / or
commercial risks.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: ECGC – roles and functions.
§ For Mains:
Export promotion- need, challenges and initiatives by government.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
Higher Education Commission of India
Context: A
Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission
Act) Bill 2018 which seeks to repeal UGC Act and provides for setting up of
Higher Education Commission of India has been prepared by the Ministry of HRD.
Roles and functions of Higher Education Commission of
India:
§ The focus
of the Commission will be on improving academic standards and quality of higher
education, specifying norms for learning outcomes, lay down standards of teaching/research
etc.
§ It will
provide a roadmap for mentoring of institutions found failing in maintaining
the required academic standards.
§ The
Commission will encourage higher education institutions to formulate a Code of
Good Practices covering promotion of research, teaching and learning.
§ The
Commission will also specify norms and processes for fixing of fee chargeable
by higher education institutions and advice the Central Government or the State
Governments, as the case may be, regarding steps to be taken for making
education affordable to all.
§ The
Commission will monitor, through a national data base, all matters covering the
development of emerging fields of knowledge and balanced growth of higher
education institutions in all spheres and specially in promotion of academic
quality in higher education.
Composition:
The
proposed commission will have 12 members appointed by the central government,
apart from the chairperson and vice-chairperson.
Powers:
§ It shall
have the power to enforce its decisions through legal provisions in the Act.
§ It shall
have the power to grant authorization for starting of academic operations on
the basis of their compliance with norms of academic quality.
§ It will
also have the powers to revoke authorization granting to a higher education
institution where there is a case of wilful or continuous default in compliance
with the norms / regulations.
§ It will
also have the power to recommend closure of institutions which fail to adhere
to minimum standards without affecting students’ interest.
Brief history of UGC:
§ Previously,
UGC was formed in 1946 to oversee the work of the three Central Universities of
Aligarh, Banaras and, Delhi. In 1947, a Committee was entrusted with the
responsibility of dealing with all the then existing Universities.
§ After
independence, the University
Education Commission was set up in 1948 under the Chairmanship of S.
Radhakrishnan and it recommended that the UGC be
reconstituted on the general model of the University Grants Commission of the
United Kingdom.
§ The UGC
was however, formally established in November 1956, by an Act of Parliament as
a statutory body of the Government of India.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: HECI- composition, powers and functions.
§ For Mains:
UGC related issues and the need for HECI.
Sources:
pib.
Topic: Government
policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues
arising out of their design and implementation.
Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) Programme
Context: The
Union Cabinet has approved establishment of additional 6.5 Million Metric Tonne
(MMT) Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facilities at two locations, i.e.
Chandikhol in Odisha and Padur in Karnataka, including construction of
dedicated SPMs (Single Point Mooring) for the two SPRs. The SPR facilities at
Chandikhol and Padur will be underground rockcaverns and will have capacities
of 4 MMT and 2.5 MMT respectively.
About SPR programme:
To ensure
energy security, the Government of India had decided to set up 5 million metric
tons (MMT) of strategic crude oil storages at three locations namely, Visakhapatnam, Mangalore and
Padur (near Udupi). These strategic storages would be in
addition to the existing storages of crude oil and petroleum products with the
oil companies and would serve as a cushion during any external supply
disruptions.
§ In the
2017-18 budget, it was announced that two more such caverns will be set up
Chandikhole in Jajpur district of Odisha and Bikaner in Rajasthan as part of
the second phase.
§ The construction of the Strategic Crude Oil Storage
facilities is being managed by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited
(ISPRL), a Special Purpose Vehicle, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil
Industry Development Board (OIDB) under
the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
Need for strategic oil reserves:
§ In 1990,
as the Gulf war engulfed West Asia, India was in the throes of a major energy
crisis. By all accounts India’s oil reserves at the time were adequate for only
three days. While India managed to avert the crisis then, the threat of energy
disruption continues to present a real danger even today.
§ It is
unlikely that India’s energy needs will dramatically move away from fossil
fuels in the near future. Over 80% of these fuels come from imports, a majority
of which is sourced from West Asia. This is a major strategic risk and poses a
massive financial drain for an embattled economy and its growing current
account deficit.
§ To address
energy insecurity, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government mooted the concept of
strategic petroleum reserves in 1998. Today, with India consuming upwards of
four million barrels of crude every day (January 2015 figures), the case for
creating such reserves grows stronger.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: India’s strategic oil reserves- locations, ISPRL.
§ For Mains:
Energy security, need for SPR.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and
issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme
Context: Cabinet
approves Mechanism for procurement of ethanol by Public Sector Oil Marketing
Companies (OMCs) to carry out the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme-
Revision of ethanol price for supply to Public Sector OMCs.
Significance:
§ Remunerative
price to ethanol suppliers will help in reduction of cane farmer’s arrears, in
the process contributing to minimizing difficulty of sugarcane farmers.
§ Ethanol
availability for EBP Programme is expected to increase significantly due to
higher price for C heavy molasses based ethanol and enabling procurement of
ethanol from B heavy molasses and sugarcane juice for first time.
Benefits of ethanol blending:
Increased
ethanol blending in petrol has many benefits including reduction in import
dependency, support to agricultural sector, more environmental friendly fuel,
lesser pollution and additional income to farmers.
Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme:
§ It was
launched by the Government in 2003 on pilot basis which has been subsequently
extended to the Notified 21 States and 4 Union Territories to promote the use
of alternative and environmental friendly fuels.
§ It aims at
blending ethanol with petrol, thereby bringing it under the category of
biofuels and saving millions of dollars by cutting fuel imports.
§ Ethanol
Blended Petrol Programme is being implemented by the Ministry or Oil Marketing
Companies (OMCs).
§ This
intervention also seeks to reduce import dependency for energy requirements and
give boost to agriculture sector.
Demand:
§ India is
the third largest consumer of energy in the world after China and the US.
Currently, the country is dependent on imports for about 82.1% of its crude oil
requirement and to the extent of about 44.4% in case of natural gas.
§ India is
expected to need 10 billion litres of ethanol annually to meet the 20% blending
target in 2030 if petrol consumption continues to grow at the current pace. At
present, the capacity stands at 1.55 billion litres a year.
Concerns and challenges:
There has
been a consistent shortfall in supply of ethanol in the past, mainly on account
of the cyclical nature of the sugarcane harvests in the country. There is “lack
of an integrated approach in the EBP across its value chain.”
Way ahead:
The
National Policy on Bio-fuels has set a target of 20% blending of biofuels, both
for bio-diesel and bio-ethanol. This will require an integrated approach in the
Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP). The time is ripe for a cogent and consistent
policy and administrative framework in the program implementation for the
success of EBP.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: Ethanol blended petrol programme, National Policy on Bio- fuels.
§ For Mains:
Ethanol blending- significance, potential, challenges and solutions.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure,
mandate.
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Context: India
has announced it will increase for the next four years the money it pays to the
Global Environment Facility (GEF), a mechanism to provide grants for
environment projects. India will increase its commitments from $12 million to
$15 million to the GEF’s new four-year investment cycle, known as GEF-7.
About GEF:
§ The Global
Environment Facility was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to
help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems.
§ It
is an
international partnership of 183 countries, international institutions, civil
society organizations and the private sector that
addresses global environmental issues.
§ GEF funds
are available to
developing countries and countries with economies in transition to
meet the objectives of the international environmental conventions and
agreements.
§ The World Bank serves as the GEF Trustee,
administering the GEF Trust Fund.
It is a FINANCIAL MECHANISM for five major international
environmental conventions: the
Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs), the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
(UNCBD), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Sources:
the hindu.
Paper 3:
Topic:
Employment.
Solar Charkha Mission
Context: President
Ram Nath Kovind recently launched the Solar Charkha Mission covering artisans
in 50 identified clusters.
About Solar Charkha Mission:
§ The Solar
Charkha Mission will generate employment in rural areas and contribute to the
green economy. The mission will entail a subsidy of Rs 550 crore in the initial
two years for 50 clusters and every cluster will employ 400 to 2000 artisans.
§ The scheme
also aims at linking five crore women across the country to the initiative. The
mission is expected to create one lakh jobs during the first two years.
Significance of MSMEs:
§ MSME
account for around 60% employment in India.
§ MSME have
registered over 10% growth in recent times which is much more compared to large
enterprises.
§ This is
one sector where people not only exhibit their entrepreneurial skills, become
part of large value chains but also become job creators in the process.
What’s important?
For
Prelims and Mains: Features and significance of the mission.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Infrastructure- waterways.
Sagarmala
Context: The
Ministry of Shipping’s flagship programme for port-led-prosperity ‘Sagarmala’
received the ‘Gold Award’ in infrastructure sector in the recently concluded
52nd Skoch Summit 2018. The Sagarmala Programme also received the ‘Order of
Merit’ at the Summit.
About Sagarmala:
What is it?
The
Sagarmala project seeks to develop a string of ports around India’s coast. The
objective of this initiative is to promote “Port-led development” along India’s
7500 km long coastline.
§ It aims to
develop access to new development regions with intermodal solutions and
promotion of the optimum modal split, enhanced connectivity with main economic
centres and beyond through expansion of rail, inland water, coastal and road
services.
§ Nodal ministry: The
Union Ministry of Shipping has been appointed as the nodal ministry for this
initiative.
The Sagarmala initiative will address challenges by
focusing on three pillars of development, namely:
§ Supporting
and enabling Port-led Development through appropriate policy and institutional
interventions and providing for an institutional framework for ensuring
inter-agency and ministries/departments/states’ collaboration for integrated
development.
§ Port
Infrastructure Enhancement, including modernization and setting up of new
ports.
§ Efficient
Evacuation to and from hinterland.
Facts for Prelims:
§ The Skoch
Awards celebrate human excellence and agents of change in Indian society. They
are the highest independently instituted civilian honours in India.
§ Only
end-user departments and domain ministries may apply including State
undertakings.
§ The Skoch
Awards have become the only independent benchmark of best practices in India in
the fields of governance, finance, banking, technology, corporate citizenship,
economics and inclusive growth.
§ Skoch
Consultancy Services is a think tank dealing with socio-economic issues with a
focus on inclusive growth.
Sources:
pib.
Facts for Prelims:
Udyam Sangam-2018:
What is it? Ministry
of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) launched Udyam Sangam-2018 on
June 27, 2018 to celebrate the 2nd United Nations Micro, Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises Day. It is an important effort in developing effective eco-systems
for MSME sector.
Sampark portal:
What is it? It is a
digital platform to connect five lakh job seekers with recruiters. It will be
useful in creating a skill pool of workers and connecting trained youth with
job opportunities.
National Export Insurance Account Trust:
Context:
Cabinet approves a Corpus to National Export Insurance Account Trust. The
Corpus would strengthen NEIA to support project exports from the country that
are of strategic and national importance.
What is
NEIA?
National
Export Insurance Account (NEIA) is a trust set up by the Ministry of Commerce
and administered by Export Credit & Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC).
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