PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 11-JANUARY-2018
Paper 1:
Topic:
Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and
Architecture from ancient to modern times.
National
Youth Festival
Context: National
Youth Festival is being celebrated on 12th January,
that is, on the occasion of birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda,
the youth icon of India.
About
the National Youth Festival:
What
is it? National Youth Festival (NYF) is the biggest Youth Festival
of its kind in the Country. The Festival is organised by Ministry of
Youth Affairs & Sports in collaboration with State Govt. of Uttar
Pradesh at Gautam Buddha University.
Objective: The
objective of organizing NYF is to provide a platform to bring the youth of the
country together in an attempt to provide them opportunity to showcase their
talents in various activities.
Theme: The
Theme of the Festival is ‘Sankalp Se Siddhi’, to capitalize on the demographic
dividend of young India, to capture the vibrancy and fresh perspective of youth
and to pledge to accomplish the Goal of New India.
Significance
of the festival: The Festival also
provides an arena, by creating a Mini-India, where youth interact in formal and
informal settings and exchange their social and cultural uniqueness. This blend
of diverse socio-cultural milieu creates ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’. The
entire programme is designed to enhance the awareness about government
initiatives and exhorting the youth to express their perceptions and concepts
of how to make their initiatives more effective.
Facts
for Prelims:
§ This
is the 22nd National Youth Festival. The 1st National Youth Festival was held
in 1995 in Bhopal.
§ This
is the first time that the National Youth Festival is being organized in NCR.
Sources:
pib.
Paper
2:
Topic:
Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
National
Trust
Context: The
Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to amend Section 4(1) and Section 5(1)
of the National Trust for the Welfare of Person with Autism, Cerebral Plasy,
Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999 to fix the term of the
Chairperson and Members of the Board of National Trust for three years. The
proposed amendments are aimed at eliminating any chance of prolonged
continuation in the same post by any incumbent.
What
necessitated this move?
Section
4(1) of the National Trust Act, 1999 provides that the Chairperson or a Member
of the Board of National Trust would continue in office beyond the prescribed
term of three years until his
successor shall have been
duly appointed. In case of resignation of the Chairperson, section
5(1) of the Act provides for him to continue in office until his successor is
duly appointed by the Government. The wording of the above provisions of the
Act in its present form has resulted in continuation of a Chairman for an
indefinite period as no suitable successor could be found eligible for
appointment.
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.
The
Board shall consist of:
§ A
Chairperson to be appointed by the Central Government from amongst the persons
having expertise and experience in the field of autism, cerebral palsy, mental
retardation and multiple disability.
§ Nine
persons to be appointed in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed
from amongst the registered organisations out of which three members each shall
be from voluntary organisations, associations of parents of persons with
autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disability and from
associations of persons with disability, members; Provided that initial
appointment under this clause/shall be made by the Central Government by
nomination.
§ Eight
persons not below the rank of Joint Secretary to the Government of India
nominated by the Government to represent the Ministries or Departments of
Social Justice and Empowerment, Women and Child Development, Health and Family
Welfare, Finance, Labour, Education, Urban Affairs and Employment and Rural
Employment and Poverty Alleviation, Members, ex officio.
§ Three
Persons to be nominated by the Board representing the associations of trade,
commerce and industry engaged in philanthropic activities, members.
§ The
Chief Executive Officer, who, shall be of the rank of Joint Secretary to the
Government of India, Member-Secretary, ex officio.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and
issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Members
of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme
Context: The
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval to continuation of
Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) till the term of
the 14th Finance Commission i.e. 31.03.2020.
About
MPLAD scheme:
What
is it? It was launched in December, 1993, to provide a mechanism
for the Members of Parliament to recommend works of developmental nature for
creation of durable community assets and for provision of basic facilities
including community infrastructure, based on locally felt needs.
Works
under the scheme: Works, developmental in
nature, based on locally felt needs and always available for the use of the
public at large, are eligible under the scheme. Preference under the scheme is
given to works relating to national priorities, such as provision of drinking
water, public health, education, sanitation, roads, etc.
Funds: Funds
are released in the form of grants in-aid directly to the district authorities.
The funds released under the scheme are non-lapsablee. The liability of funds
not released in a particular year is carried forward to the subsequent years,
subject to eligibility.
Execution
of works: The MPs have a
recommendatory role under the scheme. They recommend their choice of works to
the concerned district authorities who implement these works by following the
established procedures of the concerned state government. The district
authority is empowered to examine the eligibility of works sanction funds and
select the implementing agencies, prioritise works, supervise overall
execution, and monitor the scheme at the ground level.
Recommendation
of works: The Lok Sabha Members can
recommend works in their respective constituencies. The elected members of the
Rajya Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the state from which they are
elected. Nominated members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha may select works
for implementation anywhere in the country.
Sources:
pib.
Paper
3:
Topic:
Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and
their effects on industrial growth.
FDI
policy further liberalized in key sectors
Context: The
Union Cabinet has given its approval to a number of amendments in the FDI
Policy. These are intended to liberalise and simplify the FDI policy so as to
provide ease of doing business in the country. In turn, it will lead to larger
FDI inflows contributing to growth of investment, income and employment.
Changes
include:
§ 100%
FDI under automatic route for Single Brand Retail Trading.
§ 100%
FDI under automatic route in Construction Development.
§ Foreign
airlines allowed to invest up to 49% under approval route in Air India.
§ FIIs/FPIs
allowed to invest in Power Exchanges through primary market.
§ Definition
of ‘medical devices’ amended in the FDI Policy.
Background:
Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) is a major driver of economic growth and a source of
non-debt finance for the economic development of the country. Government has
put in place an investor friendly policy on FDI, under which FDI up to 100%, is
permitted on the automatic route in most sectors/ activities. In the recent
past, the Government has brought FDI policy reforms in a number of sectors viz.
Defence, Construction Development, Insurance, Pension, Other Financial
Services, Asset reconstruction Companies, Broadcasting, Civil Aviation,
Pharmaceuticals, Trading etc. Measures undertaken by the Government have
resulted in increased FDI inflows in to the country.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
Logistics
Ease Across Different States (LEADS) index
Context: The
Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) index, a perception-based index
of mobility of goods and efficiency of logistics chain, has been released.
LEADS
Index:
What
is it? The Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) index is a composite
indicator to assess international trade logistics across states and Union
territories. It is based on a stakeholders’ survey conducted by Deloitte for
the ministry of commerce and industry. LEADS is loosely based on the World
Bank’s biannual Logistics Performance Index (LPI), on which India was ranked 35
among 160 countries in 2016, up from 54 in 2014.
Parameters:
LEADS is based on eight parameters such as infrastructure, services,
timeliness, track and trace, competitiveness of pricing, safety of cargo,
operating environment and regulatory process.
Performance
of states:
While
Gujarat topped the first-of-its-kind index, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh took the
second and third positions, respectively.
Challenges:
The
study found that supply chain efficiencies and economies of scale are yet to be
unlocked, mostly due to suboptimal investment in building scale in
infrastructure, automation, human capital and technology. It also highlighted
problems such as inadequate terminal capacity, poor last-mile terminal
connectivity and issues in regulatory services provided by government agencies,
among others. It also underlined issues specific to certain states.
Push
by the government:
In
a major push to developing an integrated logistics framework in the country,
including industrial parks, cold chains and warehousing facilities, the
government in November granted infrastructure status to the logistics sector,
enabling the industry to access cheaper finances. The government also created
the position of a special secretary in the commerce ministry to exclusively
handle logistics.
What
needs to be done?
The
report has identified focus areas where action can help improve. Regulation
through cumbersome rules, rigid slabs for rail cargo, poor customs facilities
and frequent stoppages have been flagged as challenges. Similarly, it has
suggested that digitisation and last mile connectivity, specially road links to
ports and airports, or inadequate capacity at ports in addtion to lack of
grievance mechanism, need to be addressed.
Sources:
et.
Topic:
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
MoU
with Transport for London
Context: The
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has signed an MoU with Transport for
London. The MoU is aimed at using the expertise of TFL to revamp the public
transport architecture in the country.
Significance
of the MoU:
The
proposed MoU will help to revamp the public transport and augment passenger
capacity by way of creating a sustainable public transport system. It will help
in adopting best practices for policy reforms in the transport sector. It will
also enable improved customer services, harness from scientific data analysis
and implement effective IT systems in the transport sector.
The
MoU can see an increase the use of electric vehicles in public transport and
promote digital transaction for ticketing. It can also help in improving major
procurement strategies including PPP models for operations, infrastructure
maintenance strategies, infrastructure design and delivery, besides promoting
behavioral change towards promotion of public transport.
The
success story of TFL:
TFL
is the agency that manages the transport system for Greater London, and has
demonstrated its capability by creating a strong and dependable public
transport system in the city.
§ TFL
has created a unique system of operating buses in PPP model with over 17
operators under a single brand. A salient feature has been their double decker
buses which provide for high capacity with low road space requirement. They
have also been operating large number of electric and hybrid buses.
§ The
common mobility card is another successful product launched by TFL which has
made travel easy for the commuters and accounting easier for the operators. As
a result of creation of a successful public transport system in London, the
city has not seen any increase in number of their private cars.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic:
cybersecurity.
UIDAI
introduces 2-tier security to shield Aadhaar data
In
the wake of reports of an alleged breach of the Aadhaar database published in a
newspaper last week, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has
rolled out a new two-tier security process that will come into effect from June
1.
About
the new security process:
The
UIDAI has introduced the concept of a virtual ID which an
Aadhaar holder can use in lieu of his/her Aadhaar number at the time of
authentication, besides sharing of ‘limited KYC’ with certain agencies.
What
is VID? A Virtual ID (VID) will be a temporary 16-digit random number mapped
with the Aadhaar number. There can only be one active and valid VID for an
Aadhaar number at any given time and it will not be possible to derive the
Aadhaar number from VID. The VID authentication will be similar to using
Aadhaar numbers. However, since a VID is temporary, agencies will not be able
to use it for de-duplication. Only the Aadhaar holder will be able to generate
a VID and no other entity, including authentication user agencies (AUAs), can do
it on their behalf.
Limited
KYC: To address the issue of storage of Aadhaar number within various
databases, the UIDAI has brought in the concept of limited KYC. It has
categorised its AUAs into Global AUAs and Local AUAs wherein the latter will
get access to only need based or limited KYC details. AUAs, which by law are
required to use Aadhaar number in their KYCs, will be categorised as Global
AUAs and have access to Full e-KYC and the ability to store Aadhaar numbers
within their system.
UID
Token: Once storage of Aadhaar number is restricted and since VID is temporary,
agencies need a mechanism to uniquely identify their customers within their
system. For this, a 72 character alphanumeric ‘UID Token’ will be generated for
“system use”. UID token allows an agency to ensure uniqueness of its
beneficiaries, customers etc. without having to store Aadhaar number in their
databases.
Sources:
the hindu.
Facts
for Prelims:
Matunga
Railway Station:
Why
in news? Matunga Railway Station in Mumbai Division of Central Railway has
entered Limca Book of Records 2018 for posting all women staff on the station.
Matunga Railway Station has become the first station in India which has all
women staff managing the operations of the stations. Ladies staff across all
departments viz. operating, commercial, RPF, etc. are posted at Matunga Railway
Station to make it first of its kind station on Railways.
International
Dharma-Dhamma Conference:
Context:
4th International Dharma-Dhamma Conference on “State and Social Order in
Dharma-Dhamma Traditions” was recently inaugurated at Rajgir in Nalanda
district. The event is being organised as part of the commemorative events to
celebrate the Silver Jubilee year of ASEAN-India Dialogue Partnership.
Organizers:
Nalanda University, in collaboration with the Centre for Study of Religion and
Society, India Foundation, Ministry of External Affairs and the Vietnam
Buddhist University, is organising the conference.
Significance
of the conference: The central theme of the conference is the ideal state and
just social order based on dharmic principles. Through this conference it is
aimed to facilitate crosspollination of ideas and foster harmony at the global
level. In the present era of globalization it is all the more needed to integrate
the world through the common bond of Dharma-Dhamma which provides strong thread
of interconnectedness. Thus, the conference seeks to explore the shared values
of the dharmic traditions, which may provide the guiding light to the troubled
world today.
Goa
bird festival:
Context:
The second edition of the Goa Bird Festival is being held from January 12 to 14
at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Canacona. The festival will host some of the
country’s top naturalists, photographers and artists as resource persons. The
State Forest department is organising the event with the support of Goa
Tourism, the Goa Bird Conservation Network (GBCN) and Birderpics.com.
Facts:
Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1968 as the second largest
National Park in Goa.
‘Charlie-435’:
What
is it? It is the state-of-the-art patrol vessel of the Indian Coast Guard which
was commissioned at Karaikal in the Union Territory of Puducherry recently. The
patrol vessel is equipped with modern navigation and communication systems.
‘Rajyapal
—Vikas Ke Rajdoot: Catalytic Role of Governors as Agents for Change in
Society’:
What
is it? It is a report on best practices submitted recently to the President by
the committee of governors. The committee was constituted in October last year
at the 48th conference of governors. This committee was constituted to examine
the role of governors in taking forward the developmental process.
The
report has focused on key work areas of development and the role that governors
can play in taking it forward. It describes an action-outcome framework that
can be adopted by Raj Bhavans in their role as change agents and lists out
potential priorities. It suggests governors play a mentoring role in overall
implementation of developmental schemes in their states. The report deals with
best practices that offices of governors have been adopting, issues and an
action-outcome framework to deal with them.
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