PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 23-MAY-2018
opic: Issues
related to education.
Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission
on Teachers and Training (PMMMNMTT)
Context: The
National Institute of Educational Research and Planning (NIEPA) is in the
process of rolling out the National Resource centre, an initiative that is part
of the Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Training
(PMMMNMTT).
About the National Resource Centre:
§ The
National Resource Centre is envisaged as a one-stop point for Indian
academicians to enhance their research and teaching skills.
§ The centre
will enable college and university teachers to access a detailed database of
academic resources, including lists of books, top journals and subject experts
in their area of interest.
§ It will
also suggest a mechanism to higher education institutions to assess students’
satisfaction with teaching and research in the institutions, so that the
faculty are able to figure out what students think about their
college/university and make improvements.
About PMMMNMTT:
Pandit
Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT) is a
Scheme launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of
India.
The aim of
the scheme to improve the quality of school and higher education by addressing
comprehensively all issues related to teachers, teaching, teacher preparation,
professional development, Curriculum Design, Designing and Developing
Assessment & Evaluation methodology, Research in Pedagogy and developing
effective Pedagogy.
The Mission proposes to have following
components:
§ Schools of
Education (in Central Universities).
§ Centres of
Excellence for Curriculum and Pedagogy.
§ Inter-University
Centres for Teachers’ Education.
§ National
Resource Centre for Education.
§ Centres
for Academic Leadership and Education Management.
§ Innovations,
Awards, Teaching Resource Grant, including Workshop & Seminar, Subject
Networks for Curricular Renewal and Reforms.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: National Resource Centre and PMMMNMTT.
§ For Mains:
Need for cooperation among higher education institutions and its significance.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or
affecting India’s interests.
Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS)
Context: Pakistan
is hosting its first ever Shanghai Cooperation Organisation-Regional
Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS) meeting in Islamabad. The participants of
the meeting include the executive committee of the SCO and of RATS along with
legal advisors from eight member states.
The main
agenda is to talk over the issue related to terrorist threats in the region and
how to overcome them.
About RATS:
§ The
Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in Tashkent,
Uzbekistan, is a permanent organ of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO)
which serves to promote cooperation of member states against the three evils of
terrorism, separatism and extremism.
§ The Head
of RATS is elected to a three-year term. Each member state also sends a
permanent representative to RATS.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: RATS and SCO.
§ For Mains:
Issue of counter terrorism at the international and national level.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic:
Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or
affecting India’s interests.
Brahmos Missile
Context: BrahMos,
supersonic cruise missile was recently successfully test fired from the
Integrated Test Range (ITR), Balasore, Odisha.
Key facts:
§ BrahMos is
a joint venture between DRDO of India and NPOM of Russia.
§ The highly
versatile BrahMos has been operationalised in the Indian Army, Indian Navy and
Indian Air Force.
§ BrahMos is
the first Indian missile whose life has been extended from 10 years to 15
years. Life extension of the missile system is yet another step that helps in
reducing the cost of BrahMos.
§ BrahMos
became the first heavy missile system in the world to be integrated
successfully on a Sukhoi-30 MKI frontline fighter jet of the Indian Air Force
(IAF). The missile can be fired from land, from ships (both vertical and
inclined configuration), under-water, and from air.
§ BrahMos
initially had a range of 300-km, but after India became a part of the Missile
Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the range was extended to 450-km.
§ BrahMos
can attain a cruise speed of 2.8 Mach and can carry a conventional warhead of
almost 300 kg.
About MTCR:
§ Established
in April 1987, the voluntary MTCR aims to limit the spread of ballistic
missiles and other unmanned delivery systems that could be used for chemical,
biological, and nuclear attacks.
§ The MTCR
regime urges its members, which include most of the world’s key missile manufacturers,
to restrict their exports of missiles and related technologies capable of
carrying a 500-kilogram payload at least 300 kilometers or delivering any type
of weapon of mass destruction.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: MTCR, BrahMos missile.
§ For Mains:
India’s entry into MTCT- significance and scope.
Sources:
the hindu.
Paper 3:
Topic: Major
crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of
irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of
agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the
aid of farmers.
Model Contract Farming Act, 2018
Context: The
government has released the Model Agriculture Produce and Livestock Contract
Farming and Services (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2018. It is drafted as
a promotional and facilitative act and not regulatory in its structure.
Background:
With a
view to integrate farmers with bulk purchasers including exporters, agro-
industries etc. for better price realization through mitigation of market and
price risks to the farmers and ensuring smooth agro raw material supply to the
agro industries, Union Finance Minister in the budget for 2017-18 announced
preparation of a “Model Contract Farming Act” and circulation of the same to
the States for its adoption.
Salient features of the Act:
§ The act
lays special emphasis on protecting the interests of the farmers, considering
them as weaker of the two parties entering into a contract. It brings contract
farming outside the ambit of the APMC Act.
§ It
provides for a “Registering and Agreement Recording Committee” or an “Officer”
at the district/block/taluka level for online registration of sponsor and
recording of agreement. The contracted produce will also be covered under
crop/livestock insurance in operation.
§ In a bid
to allay the fears of individual farmers, the act explicitly states that no
permanent structure can be developed on farmers’ land/premises under such
contracts.
§ It gives
no right, title of interest of the land to the sponsor. Similarly, no rights,
title ownership or possession to be transferred or alienated or vested in the
contract farming sponsor.
§ The act
provides for the promotion of Farmer Producer Organization (FPOs)/Farmer
Producer Companies (FPCs) to mobilise small and marginal farmers. The FPO/FPC
can also be a contracting party if so authorized by the farmers.
§ As per the
law, the contracting party will be obliged to buy the entire pre-agreed
quantity of one or more of agricultural produce, livestock or its product of
contract farming producer as per contract.
§ It also
envisages the setting up of Contract Farming Facilitation Group (CFFG) for
promoting contract farming and services at village/panchayat level.
§ It also
includes an accessible and simple dispute settlement mechanism at the lowest
level possible for quick disposal of disputes.
What is Contract farming?
The
concept of Contract Farming (CF) refers to a system of farming, in which bulk
purchasers including agro-processing/exporting or trading units enter into a
contract with farmer(s), to purchase a specified quantity of any agricultural
commodity at a pre-agreed price.
Contract farming in India:
Although
varied forms of contract farming existed in pockets in the country, the formal
contract farming is not, however, wide spread in India. By and large,
cultivation of commercial crops like cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, tea, coffee,
rubber and dairy have had some elements of informal contract farming for a long
time.
What is the existing regulatory structure?
Currently,
contract farming requires registration with the Agricultural Produce Marketing
Committee (APMC) in few states. This means that contractual agreements
are recorded with the APMCs which can also resolve disputes arising out of
these contracts. Further, market fees and levies are paid to the APMC to
undertake contract farming. The Model APMC Act, 2003 provided for
contract farming and was released to the states for them to use this as reference
while enacting their respective laws. Consequently, 20 states have
amended their APMC Acts to provide for contract farming, while Punjab has a
separate law on contract farming. However, only 14 states notified rules
related to contract farming, as of October 2016.
What are the issues with the current
structure?
Over the
years, expert bodies have identified issues related to the implementation of
contract farming. These include: (i) role of APMCs which are designated
as an authority for registration and dispute settlement in most states, (ii)
provisions of stockholding limits on produce under contract farming, and (iii)
poor publicity of contract farming among the farmers about its benefits.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: Particulars of APMC Act and Model Contract Farming Act.
§ For Mains:
Contract Farming- significance, issues and scope.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Conservation.
International Day for Biological Diversity
2018
Context: Every
year May 22 is observed as The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB)
to increase awareness on various biodiversity issues such as habitat
destruction, marine pollution and climate change.
The theme for 2018 is
“Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity.”
Historical background:
§ It was
first observed in 1993 by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly.
§ In 2000,
May 22 was chosen as the International Day for Biological Diversity to
commemorate the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological
Diversity.
About CBD:
§ At the
1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, world leaders agreed on a comprehensive
strategy for “sustainable development” — meeting our needs while ensuring that
we leave a healthy and viable world for future generations. One of the key
agreements adopted at Rio was the Convention on Biological Diversity.
§ The
Convention on Biological Diversity is the international legal instrument for
“the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its
components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of
the utilization of genetic resources” that has been ratified by 196 nations.
Facts for Prelims:
The
objectives of halting biodiversity loss and promoting the sustainable use of
terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems are included in Sustainable
Development Goal Nº15.
Sources:
pib.
Topic: Disaster
management.
National Institute of Disaster Management
Context: Vice-President
M Venkaiah Naidu recently laid the foundation-stone for the southern campus of
the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) at Kondapavuluru village
of Gannavaram mandal in Andhra Pradesh.
About NIDM:
§ NIDM is a
premier institute of the Government of India under the Ministry of Home
Affairs.
§ It was
constituted under an Act of Parliament with a vision to play the role of a
premier institute for capacity development in India and the region.
§ Under the
Disaster Management Act 2005, NIDM has been assigned nodal responsibilities for
human resource development, capacity building, training, research,
documentation and policy advocacy in the field of disaster management.
§ NIDM also
serves as international SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC) and works as
focus for its operation and planning.
Sources:
pib.
Facts for Prelims:
‘Nidaan’:
What is
it? It is a new software launched in Rajasthan for presumptive diagnosis and
monitoring of seasonal and non-communicable diseases as well as the trends of
ailments found in specific areas. It is expected to help in formulation of
specific action plans for control of diseases.
It will
facilitate online entries of as many as 46 diseases and healthcare services
available for their treatment in different institutions.
‘Black Panther’:
What is
it? It is a new specialised anti-Naxal combat for Chhattisgarh.
It is on
the lines of the Greyhounds unit. The Greyhounds is a special force in
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh that specialises in anti-insurgency operations
against Naxals and Maoists.
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