PERIYAR IAS ACADEMY 13-JUNE-2018
Paper 1:
Topic: Urbanization, their problems and their
remedies.
Swachh Iconic Places
Context: The government has selected ten new
iconic sites under Phase III of the flagship project Swachh Iconic Places (SIP)
of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Key facts:
§ Phase I iconic places are: Ajmer Sharif
Dargah, CST Mumbai, Golden Temple, Kamakhya Temple, MaikarnikaGhat, Meenakshi
Temple, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Shree Jagannath Temple, The Taj Mahal and
Tirupati Temple.
§ Phase II included Gangotri, Yamunotri,
Mahakaleshwar Temple, Charminar, Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assissi,
Kalady, Gommateswara, BaidyanathDham, Gaya Tirth and Somnath temple.
§ Phase III includes RaghavendraSwamy Temple
(Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh); Hazardwari Palace (Murshidabad, West Bengal); Brahma
Sarovar Temple (Kurukshetra, Haryana); VidurKuti (Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh); Mana
village (Chamoli, Uttarakhand); Pangong Lake (Leh-Ladakh, J&K); Nagvasuki
Temple (Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh); ImaKeithal/market (Imphal, Manipur);
Sabarimala Temple (Kerala); and Kanvashram (Uttarakhand).
About Swachh Iconic Places (SIP):
What is it? Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) is an
initiative of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation under Swachh Bharat
Mission. Initiated as a project to implement Prime Minister’s vision to take
iconic places and their surroundings to higher standards of Swachhata, so that
all visitors benefit and also take away home the message of cleanliness, Swachh
Iconic Places is now in its second phase.
Implementation of the project: SIP is a truly collaborative project
with three other central Ministries: Urban Development, Culture, Tourism; all
levels in the concerned States and more importantly, Public Sector and Private
companies as partners.
What’s important?
§ For Prelims: SIP and SBM- key features, brief
overview of places chosen for SIP project.
§ For Mains: SBM- features, significance,
challenges and sub- missions.
Sources: pib.
Paper 2:
Topic: Statutory, regulatory and various
quasi-judicial bodies.
Khadi & Village Industies Commission
(KVIC)
Context: KVIC has created a world record of
distributing maximum number of bee-boxes in one day.
Key facts:
§ The record was achieved by the KVIC in the
Zangalee Army area at Kupwara in Kashmir beating its previous best of 1000 bee
boxes distributed in Kaziranga forest area among the Mishing tribe on the
occasion of World Honey Bee Day.
§ Two thousand three hundred thirty (2330)
bee-boxes were distributed among 233 beneficiaries in the Zangalee Army area.
About Khadi & Village Industies
Commission (KVIC):
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission
(KVIC) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament
(Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956). In April 1957, it took
over the work of former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board.
Functions: It is an apex organization under the
Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and
village industries within India, which seeks to – “plan, promote, facilitate,
organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village
industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in
rural development wherever necessary.”
The Commission has three main objectives
which guide its functioning. These are:
§ The Social Objective – Providing employment
in rural areas.
§ The Economic Objective – Providing salable
articles.
§ The Wider Objective – Creating self-reliance
amongst people and building up a strong rural community spirit.
What’s important?
For Prelims and Mains: KVIC and its important
functions.
Sources: pib.
Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of
the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.
Kashmir Super 50
Context: A group of 30 students, part of Kashmir
Super 50 recently visited New Delhi and interacted with General Bipin Rawat,
Chief of the Army Staff.
About Project Kashmir Super 50:
§ Project Kashmir Super 50 is a joint
initiative by Indian Army, Center for Social Responsibility and Leadership
(CSRL) and PETRONET LNG Limited (PLL).
§ It was launched on 22 March 2013 to transform
the educational status of children from economically weaker sections in the
Kashmir region.
§ As part of the 11-month program, selected
students are provided with complete free residential coaching for IIT-JEE,
JKCET and other premier Engineering Institutes.
Significance of the scheme:
Kashmir Super 50 has been one of the most
successful projects undertaken by the Indian Army in the valley and has
directly impacted the lives of number of youths in J&K by providing them
the right guidance and opportunity to make a career for themselves. The project
has equally helped the families of these youths in their growth and prosperity.
It is a major initiative towards bringing normalcy in the valley.
What’s important?
For Prelims and Mains: Project Kashmir Super
50- objectives and significance of the project.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: India and its neighbourhood- relations.
Maitri Irrigation Project
Context: India has extended a financial aid of
about Rs 10 crore to Nepal for the construction of 2,700 shallow tube well
irrigation systems to boost agricultural productivity. The assistance has been
extended as part of the final payment for the Nepal-Bharat Maitri Irrigation
Project.
About Maitri irrigation project:
§ The project was launched in January last year
to boost growth to the Himalayan nation’s agricultural sector through enhanced
facilities.
§ The project is aimed at installing 2,700
shallow tube wells in 12 districts of Nepal.
§ The project would ensure all-season
irrigation facility to about 8,115 hectares of farm land, augment productivity
of wheat, rice and seasonal fruits, vegetables and other crops, it said.
§ It would also uplift the socio-economic
status of farming families in the 12 districts covered under the project.
What’s important?
For Prelims and Mains: Maitri irrigation
project and its significance.
Sources: the hindu.
Paper 3:
Topic: Indigenization of technology and developing
new technology.
Atal Tinkering Labs
Context: NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission
(AIM) has selected 3,000 additional schools for the establishment of Atal
Tinkering Labs (ATLs), bringing the total number of ATL schools to 5,441. The
selected schools shall receive a grant of Rs 20 lakh spread over the next five
years to establish Atal Tinkering Labs for nurturing innovation and
entrepreneurial spirit among secondary school children across India.
What are ATLs?
With a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million
children in India as Neoteric Innovators’, Atal Innovation Mission is
establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India.
Objective: The objective of this scheme is to
foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds; and inculcate
skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning,
physical computing etc.
Financial Support: AIM will provide grant-in-aid that
includes a one-time establishment cost of Rs. 10 lakh and operational expenses
of Rs. 10 lakh for a maximum period of 5 years to each ATL.
Eligibility: Schools (minimum Grade VI – X) managed
by Government, local body or private trusts/society can set up ATL.
Significance of ATLs:
§ Atal Tinkering Labs have evolved as
epicenters for imparting these ‘skills of the future’ through practical
applications based onself-learning.
§ Bridging a crucial social divide, Atal
Tinkering Labs provide equal opportunity to all children across the spectrum by
working at the grassroot level, introducing children to the world of innovation
and tinkering.
About AIM:
§ The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is the
Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation
and entrepreneurship in the country.
§ AIM is mandated to create an umbrella
structure to oversee innovation ecosystem of the country and revolutionizing
the innovation eco-system – touching upon the entire innovation life cycle
through various programs.
What’s important?
§ For Prelims: AIM, ATL and their important
features.
§ For Mains: Various initiatives to promote
innovation and their significance.
Sources: pib.
Topic: Infrastructure- roadways.
FAME scheme
Context: Discussions on the FAME-II scheme, a
subsidy programme for purchase of electric vehicles in India, seems to have hit
another roadblock after Finance Ministry returned the scheme’s draft proposal
raising questions on funding and policy structure. Finance Ministry has sought
a more comprehensive scheme framework.
About FAME India scheme:
What is it? With an aim to promote eco-friendly
vehicles, the government had launched the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of
(Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-India) scheme in 2015. It was
launched by union ministry for heavy industries.
Aim: The FAME India Scheme is aimed at
incentivising all vehicle segments, including two-wheelers, three wheeler auto,
passenger four-wheeler vehicle, light commercial vehicles and buses. The scheme
covers hybrid and electric technologies like a strong hybrid, plug-in hybrid
and battery electric vehicles.
Facts: FAME India – Faster Adoption and
Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India – is a part of the
National Electric Mobility Mission Plan. The scheme envisages Rs 795 crore
support in the first two fiscals. It is being administered by the Heavy
Industries Ministry.
Way ahead:
Electric vehicles (EVs) seem to be gaining in
prominence as part of the renewable energy zeitgeist. However, mainstreaming
electric vehicles will require an overhaul of the country’s energy and
transport infrastructure. For example, EV charging stations will have to be set
up on a war footing, and electricity generation will have to improve
significantly even as its piggybacks on the push for solar energy. EV
technology (especially the battery) will have to become much cheaper before it
can perform well in a price-sensitive market like India.
What’s important?
For Prelims: FAME scheme and its
significance.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: Awareness in space.
Einstein’s theory: Earth is a free-falling
elevator in Sun’s gravity
Context: Physicists at NIST (National Institute
of Standards and Technology) pulled out a 14-year-long experiment to test a key
principle underlying Einstein’s famous theory of general relativity – that
describes how gravity relates to space and time.
Know about the experiment:
§ The test conducted by the NIST physicists is
being considered as the most accurate test ever which confirms the ‘earth
elevator’ phenomenon. They used the solar system as a laboratory, where they
treated Earth as an elevator falling through the Sun’s gravitational field.
§ They monitored 12 high-precision atomic
clocks spread around the world for 14 years, from 1999 to 2014. The experiment
tested whether all parts of the earth would have the same acceleration at the
same rate. The clocks remained synchronized for over 14 years, proving the
earth elevator theory.
EINSTEIN’S THEORY: EARTH IS A FREE-FALLING
ELEVATOR:
§ According to Albert Einstein, the earth is a
free-falling elevator in Sun’s gravity. He theorised that all objects located
in such an elevator would accelerate at the same rate as if they were in a
uniform gravitational field or no gravity at all. He also predicted that the
properties of these objects relative to each other would remain constant during
the elevator’s free-fall.
§ In other words, the general relativity theory carries the principle of local position
invariance (LPI), which holds that in a falling elevator, measures of
non-gravitational effects are independent of time and place and the test
confirmed the same.
Sources: toi.
Facts for Prelims:
World Day Against Child Labour – 12 June
2018:
§ The International Labour Organization (ILO)
launched the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to focus attention on the
global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate
it.
§ Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development
Goals calls
on the global community to: “Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate
forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the
prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including
recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its
forms.”
§ Theme this year: “Generation Safe &
Healthy”.
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