PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 26-09-2017

Topic: Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.

Rajiv Mehrishi appointed new CAG of India
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Rajiv Mehrishi has taken charge as the 13th Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). He has a three-year tenure till August 2020.

About CAG:
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is an authority, established by the Constitution of India under article 148.
§  CAG audits all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the state governments, including those of bodies and authorities substantially financed by the government.
§  The CAG is also the external auditor of Government-owned corporations and conducts supplementary audit of government companies, i.e., any non-banking/ non-insurance company in which the state and Union governments have an equity share of at least 51% or subsidiary companies of existing government companies.
§  The reports of the CAG are taken into consideration by the Public Accounts Committees (PACs) and Committees on Public Undertakings (COPUs), which are special committees in the Parliament of India and the state legislatures.
§  The CAG enjoys the same status as a judge of Supreme Court of India in Indian order of precedence.
Appointment: CAG is appointed by the President of India following a recommendation by the Prime Minister. On appointment, he/she has to make an oath or affirmation before the President of India.
Removal: The CAG can be removed only on an address from both house of parliament on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. The CAG vacates the office on attaining the age of 65 years age even without completing the 6 years term.

Sources: the hindu.


Topic: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.

Tribes India products to be sold on Amazon

To popularise the ‘Tribes India’ brand in national and international markets, Trifed has signed a memorandum of understanding with Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd for sale of tribal products through e-commerce giant www.amazon.in.
§  As a part of the MoU, authentic tribal art and craft items crafted and sculpted by tribal artisans from all over the country will be showcased on the online portal for sale.

About TRIFED:
TRIFED is an apex organisation at National Level and functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs. 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.

Sources: the hindu.


Topic: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.

‘PENCIL’ Portal On Child Labour Elimination

The government has launched a web portal called ‘PENCIL’ for effective implementation of the National Child Labour Project, (NCLP).

About PENCIL portal:
§  PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) — an electronic platform for no child labour in the country is being developed by the Labour Ministry.
§  PENCIL portal has five components — Child Tracking System, Complaint Corner, State Government, National Child Labour Project and Convergence.

About NCLP:
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The National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme initiated in the in 1988 to rehabilitate working children by eliminating  all forms of child labour through identification and withdrawal of all children in the Project Area from child labour, Preparing children withdrawn from work for mainstream education along with vocational training. NCLP has been revised expanded and aligned to the new legislative provisions.
The legislative changes have been accompanied by creation of additional institutional mechanisms at the district, state and national level for identification and rescue, along with revamping the rehabilitation scheme and a centralized database for case to case monitoring and accountability.

Sources: pib.


Paper 3:

Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

PM launches Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana “Saubhagya”
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A new scheme called Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana –“Saubhagya” has been launched to ensure electrification of all willing households in the country in rural as well as urban areas.

Key facts:
§  The total outlay of the project is Rs. 16, 320 crore while the Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) is Rs. 12,320 crore.
§  The States and Union Territories are required to complete the works of household electrification by the 31st of December 2018.
§  The beneficiaries for free electricity connections would be identified using Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data. However, un-electrified households not covered under the SECC data would also be provided electricity connections under the scheme on payment of Rs. 500 which shall be recovered by DISCOMs in 10 instalments through electricity bill.
§  The Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) will remain the nodal agency for the operationalisation of the scheme throughout the country.

The expected outcome of the Scheme is as follows:
§  Environmental upgradation by substitution of Kerosene for lighting purposes.
§  Improvement education services.
§  Better health services.
§  Enhanced connectivity through radio, television, mobiles, etc.
§  Increased economic activities and jobs.
§  Improved quality of life especially for women.

Sources: pib.


Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

India’s Mars Orbiter Mission completes 3 years in orbit
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India’s Mars Orbiter Mission has successfully completed 3 years in orbit.

Background:
The country had on 24 September 2014 successfully placed the Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft in the orbit around the red planet, in its very first attempt, thus breaking into an elite club. ISRO had launched the spacecraft on its nine-month-long odyssey on a homegrown PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on 5 November 2013. It had escaped the earth’s gravitational field on 1 December 2013.

About the Mars Orbiter Mission:
The Rs450-crore MOM mission aims at studying the Martian surface and mineral composition as well as scan its atmosphere for methane (an indicator of life on Mars).
§  The Mars Orbiter has five scientific instruments—Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP), Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM), Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA), Mars Colour Camera (MCC) and Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS).
§  This mission made India to become one of the four nations in the world to send space mission to Planet Mars.
§  India became the first country in the world to insert a spacecraft into the Martian orbit in its very first attempt.


Sources: the hindu.


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