PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 26-MARCH-2018
Paper 1:
Topic: Indian
culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and
Architecture from ancient to modern times.
MADHAVPUR
MELA
Context: Ministry
of Culture is organizing the Madhavpur
Mela in Madhavpur Ghed, District Porbandar in Gujarat in a
grand way.
About
Madhavpur Mela:
§ The
purpose of this integration is to bring various parts of the country especially
the North-East, close to each other under the banner of Ek
Bharat Shrestha Bharat announced by the Prime Minister.
§ The
Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat shares its connect to the Mishmi Tribe of Arunachal
Pradesh. The Mishmi Tribe traces its ancestry to the
legendary King Bhishmak and through him to his daughter Rukmini and Lord
Krishna.
About
Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat:
What
is it?
“Ek Bharat
Shreshtha Bharat” was announced by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 31st October, 2015
on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Subsequently, the Finance Minister announced the initiative in his Budget
Speech for 2016-17.
What
is it for?
Through
this innovative measure, the knowledge of the culture, traditions and practices
of different States & UTs will lead to an enhanced understanding and
bonding between the States, thereby strengthening the unity and integrity of
India.
Implementation:
All States
and UTs will be covered under the programme. There will be pairing of
States/UTs at national level and these pairings will be in effect for one year,
or till the next round of pairings. The State/UT level pairings would be
utilized for state level activities. District level pairings would be
independent of the State level pairings.
Significance:
The
activity will be very useful to link various States and Districts in annual
programmes that will connect people through exchanges in areas of culture,
tourism, language, education trade etc. and citizens will be able to experience
the cultural diversity of a much larger number of States/UTs while realising
that India is one.
What’s
important?
For
Prelims and Mains: Madhavpur Mela and Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
Sources:
pib.
Paper
2:
Topic:
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and
issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Draft
policy on defence production
Context: The
defence ministry has come out with a draft policy on defence production. The
aim is to make India one of the top five manufacturers of defence platforms
with active participation of public and private sectors. At present, India is
one of the world’s largest importer of military platforms and weapons.
Highlights
of the policy:
§ It
envisages achieving a turnover of Rs 1,70,000 crore in military goods and
services by 2025 by promoting the domestic defence industry.
§ The policy
lists as a major aim achieving export of Rs 35,000 crore in military equipment
and services by 2025 by promoting the domestic defence industry.
§ According
to the policy, the government aims to make India self-reliant in defence
production as well as fulfil demand of other friendly countries.
§ The policy
says the licensing process for defence industries will be liberalised and the
list of items requiring licences will be reviewed and pruned.
§ The policy
says the tax regime will be rationalised to make domestic manufacturing
attractive by ensuring that there is no tax inversion. Taxes on import of
capital goods and services, inputs and components used in defence production
will be rationalised.
§ The
government identified 12 military platforms and weapons systems for production
in India to achieve the aim of “self-reliance”. They are fighter aircraft,
medium lift and utility helicopters, warships, land combat vehicles, missile
systems, gun systems, small arms, ammunition and explosives, surveillance
systems, electronic warfare (EW) systems and night fighting enablers, among
others.
What’s
important?
For
Prelims and Mains: Policy on defence production and the need for
indigenization.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic:
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and
issues arising out of their design and implementation.
New
vehicle scrappage policy
Context: Government’s
New Vehicle Scrappage policy was recently cleared by the Prime Minister’s
Office and is awaiting the approval of the GST Council.
Highlights
of the policy:
§ The policy
targets to take polluting vehicles out of the roads and help the automobile
industry register higher sales.
§ The policy
mentions about vehicles older than 20 years becoming eligible for benefits
under the scrappage scheme.
§ The scheme
would now come in effect from April 1, 2020, coinciding with the implementation
of the BS-VI norms.
Concerns:
§ The new
vehicle scrappage policy of the Centre is unlikely to have any significant
impact on the automobile industry in terms of increased demand, according to
rating agencies.
§ Also,
analysts say the benefit offered under the scrappage policy would be 15% of the
vehicle’s price. But this advantage would be muted as prices of diesel vehicles
were expected to rise 10-15% once the new norms (BS-VI) come into force.
§ The total
population of commercial vehicles that will be older than 20 years in fiscal
2021 would be 50,000 vehicles, much lower than the government’s earlier
estimate of 2.8 crore vehicles. In any case, 70,000 to 90,000 vehicles are
scrapped every year. So, it is believed that the impact of the scrappage policy
will be limited.
§ Also, the
proportion of commercial vehicles above 20 years would be one lakh to two lakh
units. Besides, most of these older vehicles are used in rural areas and
smaller towns by small fleet operators who operate used vehicles and have
limited financial resources to purchase new vehicles. Thus, the proposed
scrappage policy is unlikely to be materially positive for commercial vehicle
demand.
What’s
important?
§ For
Prelims: The policy on vehicle scrappage.
§ For Mains:
Significance and need for the policy.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic:
Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure,
mandate.
Executive
Board of UNESCO
Context: The
Government of India has decided to nominate Professor J S Rajput, former
Director NCERT, as India’s representative to the Executive Board (EXB) of
UNESCO. Professor J S Rajput is an eminent educationist with rich experience in
various fields including UNESCO.
About
the Executive Board:
§ The EXB
has a four-year term of office and 58 seats.
§ The
executive board is one of the constitutional organs of UNESCO and is elected by
the General Conference.
§ The
executive board examines the work for the organization and the corresponding
budget estimates.
§ In
practice, the executive board is the main organ responsible for all policies
and programmes of UNESCO.
Significance
of the membership:
Being a
member of the board enables India in principle to play a role in shaping and
reviewing UNESCO’s policies and programmes corresponding to its five major
programs on education, the natural science, the social and human Sciences,
Culture and Communication and Information.
General
conference:
§ The
general conference consists of the representatives of the states members of the
organisation.
§ It meets
every two years, and is attended by member states and associate members,
together with observers for non-member states, intergovernmental organisations
and non- governmental organisations (NGOs).
§ Each
country has one vote, irrespective of its size or the extent of its
contribution to the budget.
§ The
general conference determines the policies and the main lines of work of the
organisation. Its duty is to set the programmes and the budget of the UNESCO.
It also elects the members of the executive board and appoints, every four
years.
What’s
important?
For
Prelims: UNESCO executive board and general conference.
Sources:
pib.
Paper
3:
Topic:
Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
Privatisation
of PSBs
Context: Former
NITI Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya has made a strong case for
privatisation of public sector banks with the exception of SBI.
Need
for Privatisation:
§ Mainly,
predominance of scandals and NPAs in PSBs highlight the need for privatisation
of PSBs. Efficiency and productivity too demand that the government relinquish
its control of the large number of banks whose market valuation has dwindled
despite the fact that they hold the bulk of the deposits.
§ Also,
there is a continuous pressure on the government finances on account of the
weak performance of the banks. Privatisation would reduce the drain on the
exchequer and the money saved could be used for developmental schemes and
programmes of the government.
Benefits
of private banks:
Private
banks will bring innovations in products, technology and customer servicing and
a market-based discipline to lending. Private banks, knowing that they cannot
count on government’s protection, are unlikely to engage in the sort of risky
lending that characterised public bank lending. Also, they will not be subject
to the same pressure from politicians and others in government that has
destroyed the public sector banks.
Way
ahead:
The
public-sector banks, which constitute almost 70% of the Indian banking system,
are saddled with burgeoning stressed assets. The government has already
injected over ₹2.6 lakh
crore in the public-sector banks through recapitalisation in the last eleven
years, which has had limited impact in improving the health of public sector
banks thus far.
Therefore,
recapitalisation of PSBs alone is not a permanent solution and will not be
effective unless the inherent issues related to governance, productivity, risk
management, talent, customer service, etc. are resolved. The government should
shrink unproductive public sector banks and move forward with increasing
private sector participation in the banking sector.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic: Role
of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal
security.
Northeast
ex-militants get more sops
Context: For
the first time since 1998, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has increased the
monthly stipend of surrendered militants in northeast India. The stipend for
the former militants has been increased from ₹3,500 to ₹6,000 per month and the one-time grant has
been enhanced from ₹1.5 lakh
to ₹4 lakh.
“Surrender-cum-rehabilitation”
scheme:
Surrender-cum-rehabilitation
scheme for Northeast States was meant to “wean away the misguided youth and
hardcore militants who have strayed into the fold of militancy and find
themselves trapped in that net.”
§ The scheme
also seeks to ensure that the militants who have surrendered do not find it
attractive to join militancy again.
§ The MHA
reimburses the amount paid to the surrendered militants by the State
governments under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme.
What’s
needed?
The
internal security situation in the North-eastern states is complex. It requires
people with in-depth knowledge of the terrain, society, politics and culture
and history of insurgency in the region to be placed in positions entrusted
with the handling of affairs. The Government must also focus on concluding
final peace agreements with the insurgent groups as soon as possible so that
all the energies could then be applied in tackling the groups that remain
intransigent.
Way
ahead:
India’s
Act East Policy could only be successful if we develop connectivity in the
North-eastern states and permit greater people-to-people contact with the
people of the ASEAN, and particularly with the people of Myanmar. Investments
in the region are required for the economic advancement of the people. These
would require the creation of a peaceful environment in the North-eastern
states.
What’s
important?
§ For
Prelims: Surrender cum Rehabilitation scheme.
§ For Mains:
Development of the northeast and the challenges posed by militancy.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic: Security
challenges and their management in border areas.
Protected
area permit
Context: The
Union Home Ministry is planning to relax the protected area permit (PAP) regime
to enable foreign tourists to access border areas. The permit is being relaxed
by the Centre following several requests by Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal
Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Manipur and the Tourism Ministry.
What
is Protected area permit?
Under the
Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958, all areas falling between the Inner
line and the International Border of some states have been declared as
protected areas.
The
protected areas currently include whole of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram,
Nagaland and Sikkim, besides parts of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand
and Jammu and Kashmir. Some parts of Sikkim fall under the protected area
regime while others under the restricted area.
How
are these regions different?
As per the
guidelines, a foreign national is not normally allowed to visit a protected or
restricted area unless the government is satisfied that there are
extra-ordinary reasons to justify his or her visit.
§ Every
foreigner, except a citizen of Bhutan, who desires to enter and stay in a
protected or restricted area, is required to obtain a special permit from a
competent authority having the power to issue such permits to a foreigner,
seeking it.
§ In cases,
where the power to issue such permits has not been delegated to a subordinate
authority by the Union government, the application for the special permit has
to be referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs for prior approval, at least
eight weeks before the date of the expected visit.
Who
can issue such permits?
Necessary
powers have been delegated to various authorities to issue such special permits
without the prior approval of the Union home ministry to facilitate foreign
tourists subject to the certain exceptions.
§ In cases
of foreign diplomats, including the members of the United Nations and
international organisations holding diplomatic or official passports, the
special permits to visit such protected or restricted areas are issued by the
Ministry of External Affairs.
§ In cases
of the citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan and foreign nationals of
Pakistani origin, no permit, however, can be issued without the prior approval
of the Union home ministry.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic: Various
Security forces and agencies and their mandate.
National
Conference on Drug Law Enforcement
Context: A
National Conference on Drug Law Enforcement was recently organized by Narcotics
Control Bureau (NCB).
Need
for prevention of drug abuse:
India is
vulnerable to narcotic drug trafficking as it is located between two largest
Opium producing regions of the world i.e. Golden Crescent in the west and
Golden Triangle in the east. Drug trafficking and abuse also pose serious
threat to our societies.
Involvement
of foreign nationals in drug peddling poses another significant challenge of
drug trafficking in India. During 2017, 332 foreign national have been arrested
in drug cases in India.
What
has the government done in this regard?
The
Government has taken several policy and other initiatives to deal with drug trafficking
problem. It constituted Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in November, 2016 and
revived the scheme of “Financial Assistance to States for Narcotics Control”.
Besides, in 2017, the government approved new Reward Guidelines with increased
quantum of reward for interdiction or seizure of different illicit drugs.
§ For
effective coordination with foreign countries including neighboring countries,
India has signed 37 Bilateral Agreements/Memoranda of Understanding.
§ Narcotics
Control Bureau has been provided funds for developing a new software i.e.
Seizure Information Management System (SIMS) which will create a complete
online database of drug offences and offenders.
§ The
government has constituted a fund called “National Fund for Control of Drug
Abuse” to meet the expenditure incurred in connection with combating illicit
traffic in Narcotic Drug, Psychotropic Substances; identifying, treating and
rehabilitating addicts, and educating public against drug abuse, etc.
§ The
government is also conducting National Drug Abuse Survey to measure extent,
pattern and trends of drug abuse in India through Ministry of Social Justice
& Empowerment with the help of National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of
AIIMS.
About
NCB:
The Narcotics
Control Bureau is the apex coordinating agency. The
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 which
came into effect from the 14th November, 1985 made an express provision for
constituting a Central Authority for the purpose of exercising the powers and
functions of the Central Government under the Act.
The
Bureau, subject to the supervision and control of the Central Government, is to
exercise the powers and functions of the Central Government for taking measures
with respect to:
§ Co-ordination
of actions by various offices, State Governments and other authorities under
the N.D.P.S. Act, Customs Act, Drugs and Cosmetics Act and any other law for
the time being in force in connection with the enforcement provisions of the
NDPS Act, 1985.
§ Implementation
of the obligation in respect of counter measures against illicit traffic under
the various international conventions and protocols that are in force at
present or which may be ratified or acceded to by India in future.
§ Assistance
to concerned authorities in foreign countries and concerned international
organisations to facilitate coordination and universal action for prevention
and suppression of illicit traffic in these drugs and substances.
§ Coordination
of actions taken by the other concerned Ministries, Departments and
Organizations in respect of matters relating to drug abuse.
Sources:
pib.
Facts
for Prelims:
‘Print
Biennale India 2018’:
What is
it? It is the first International Exhibition of Graphic Prints held recently in
New Delhi.
Host:
Lalit Kala Akademi hosted the event.
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