India submits Sixth National Report to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India submits Sixth National Report to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD).

India today submitted its Sixth National Report (NR6) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) .The report was submitted online to the CBD Secretariat by the Union Environment Minister, Dr. HarshVardhan, during the inaugural session of the 13th National Meeting of the State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) organized by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), New Delhi. The Minister also released the document ‘Progress on India’s National Biodiversity Targets: A Preview’ on the occasion.

Speaking at the inaugural sessionDr. Harsh Vardhan,said that India is among the first five countries in the world, the first in Asia and the first among the biodiversityrich megadiverse countries to have submitted NR6 to the CBD Secretariat. “While globally, biodiversity is facing increasing pressure on account of habitat fragmentation and destruction, invasive alien species, pollution, climate change and oversuse of resources, India is one of the few countries where forest cover is on the rise, with its forests teeming with wildlife.I am also happy to note that India is on track to achieve the biodiversity targets at the national level and is also contributing significantly towards achievement of the global biodiversity targets”,said the minister.
Submission of national reports is a mandatory obligation on Parties to international treaties, including CBD. As a responsible nation, India has never reneged on its international commitments and has earlier submitted on time five National Reports to the CBD. Parties are required to submit their NR6 by 31 December 2018.
The NR6 provides an update of progress in achievement of 12 National Biodiversity Targets (NBT) developed under the Convention process in line with the 20 global Aichi biodiversity targets. Briefly, the Report highlights that while India has exceeded/overachieved two NBTs, it is on track to achieve eight NBTs and in respect of the remaining two NBTs also, India is striving to meet the targets by the stipulated time of 2020.
With well over 20 percent of its total geographical area under biodiversity conservation, India has exceeded the terrestrial component of 17 percent of Aichi target 11, and 20 percent of corresponding NBT relating to areas under biodiversity management. Similarly, India has also made noteworthy achievement towards NBT relating to access and benefit sharing (ABS) by operationalising the Nagoya Protocol on ABS. Having published the first internationally recognized certificate of compliance (IRCC) under the Protocol in 2015, India has since published nearly 75% of the IRCCs published so far on ABS Clearing House. Thus, in respect of these two NBTs (6 and 9), the progress made by India has exceeded the targets.
India has done well on raising awareness about biodiversity, which is an important thrust area in several programmes of the Government. As a megadiverse country harbouring nearly 7-8% of globally recorded species while supporting 18% of the global human population on a mere 2.4% of the world’s land area, India’s quest for inclusive economic development while maintaining integrity of its natural capital is being pursued through various programmes and strategies. Measures have been adopted for sustainable management of agriculture, fisheries and forests, with a view to provide food and nutritional security to all without destroying the natural resource base while ensuring intergenerational environmental equity. Programmes are in place to maintain genetic diversity of cultivated plants, farms livestock and their wild relatives, towards minimising genetic erosion and safeguarding their genetic diversity. Mechanisms and enabling environment are being created for recognising and protecting the vast heritage of coded and oral traditional knowledge relating to biodiversity for larger human welfare while safeguarding the interests and rights of the local communities as creators and holders of this knowledge.
India has been investing a huge amount on biodiversity directly or indirectly through several development schemes of the Central and State Governments, to the tune of Rs 70,000 crores per annum as against the estimated annual requirement of nearly Rs 1,09,000 crores.India has nearly two third of the population of wild tigers in the world. The population of lion has risen from 177 in 1968 to over 520 in 2015, and elephants from 12,000 in 1970s to 30,000 in 2015. One-horned Indian Rhino which was on the brink of extinction during the early 20th century, now number 2400. Further, while globally over 0.3 % of total recorded species are critically endangered, in India only 0.08% of the species recorded are in this category. India is committed to protecting its rich heritage of biodiversity which are so vital to our economic and social development. (Source:pib)


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India submits Sixth National Report to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD).

Cabinet approves submitting report on greenhouse gas inventory to UNFCCC - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Cabinet approves submitting report on greenhouse gas inventory to UNFCCC.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved Submission of India's second Biennial Update Report (BUR) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change towards fulfilment of the reporting obligation under the Convention.

Salient Features:
i. The scope of BUR is to provide an update to India's first BUR to UNFCCC. The BUR contains five major components — National Circumstances; National Greenhouse Gas Inventory; Mitigation Actions; Finance, Technology and Capacity Building Needs and Support Received and Domestic Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) arrangements.
ii. BUR has been prepared based on a range of studies conducted at the national level.
iii. The BUR has undergone multitier review process, through peer review, review by Technical Advisory Committee of Experts chaired by Additional Secretary (Climate Change) and by National Steering Committee chaired by Secretary (EF&CC). The National Steering Committee is an inter-ministerial body comprising NITI Aayog, Agricultural Research and Education, Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Economic Affairs, External Affairs, New and Renewable Energy, Science & Technology, Coal, Power, Railway Board, Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Rural Development, Housing and Urban Affairs, Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Steel, Civil Aviation, Statistics and Programme Implementation and India Meteorological Department. The BUR has been finalized after addressing all the relevant comments and modifications as per the multi-tier review process.
iv. In 2014, a total of 26,07,488 Gigagram (Gg) CC-2 equivalent* (around 2.607 billion tonnes of CC-2 equivalent) of GHGs were emitted from all activities (excluding LULUCF) in India. The net national GHG emissions after including LULUCF were 23,06,295 Gg COa equivalent (around 2.306 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent). Out of the total emissions, energy sector accounted for 73%, IPPU 8%, agriculture 16% and waste sector 3%. About 12% of emissions were offset by the carbon sink action of forestland, cropland and settlements.
Major impact:
Submission of India's Second BUR will fulfil the obligation of India to furnish information regarding implementation of the Convention, being a Party.
Background:
India is a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Convention, in accordance with its Article 4.1 and 12.1, enjoins upon all Parties, both developed country Parties and developing country Parties to furnish information, in the form of a National Communication regarding implementation of the Convention. Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC in its sixteenth session decided vide paragraph 60 (c) of decision 1 that developing countries, consistent with their capabilities and the level of support provided for reporting, should also submit biennial update reports containing updates of national greenhouse gas inventories and information on mitigation actions, needs and support received.


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Cabinet approves submitting report on greenhouse gas inventory to UNFCCC.

New e-commerce rules regressive, will hit FDI in India - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

New e-commerce rules regressive, will hit FDI in India.

Flipkart and US-based Amazon -- the two largest players in the burgeoning Indian e-commerce sector -- are expected to be hit the hardest once the new norms come into effect from February 2019.

Expressing concern over India tightening restrictions on foreign e-commerce companies operating in the country, leading American industry advocacy groups have said that such a move would have a long-term negative impact on the foreign direct investment as well as consumers.

Earlier this week, the government announced changes to the foreign direct investment policy for the ecommerce sector, which would end discounts and cashback offers that online platforms with foreign investment were offering.
Flipkart and US-based Amazon -- the two largest players in the burgeoning Indian e-commerce sector -- are expected to be hit the hardest once the new norms come into effect from February 2019.
"The new e-commerce restrictions announced by the government of India on December 26 are a cause for concern. While we are still trying to understand the full implications, we fear that these restrictions will have a far-reaching negative impact both on US investments and on Indian consumers, said Nisha Desai Biswal, president of US India Chambers of Commerce (USAIC), a wing of the US Chambers of Commerce.
The former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia said the US-India Business Council (USIBC) said that a February 1 deadline is too rushed and does not allow sufficient time for companies to analyse the policy and to comply.
We urge the government to delay implementation and allow time for comment before the policy goes into effect, Biswal said.
Mukesh Aghi, president of US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) said "this is not in the best interest of the Indian consumers".
"Coming out with such a major policy change overnight without any consultative process eats into the predictability and reliability factor that all US companies are looking into India for any foreign direct investment," he said.
I wish there was a little more consultative process, because you have companies like Walmart, which has put in $16 billion and they are in the process of putting more money to streamline their investment, it makes our job more difficult because how do I go and tell them please invest more and the policy would not change overnight, said Aghi, who has been working with US companies to make large scale investment in India.
"I at the moment embarked on a campaign convincing US company manufacturing in China to move it to India. How do I tell them, hey policies overnight would not change, he said, adding that with such policy pronouncements, India can't have a transparent, predictable environment which is a must for any foreign company to invest.
Referring to Union Commerce and Industries Minister Suresh Prabhu's remarks that he wants to focus on bringing $100 billion FDI to India, Aghi said the first thing is to have a predictability in a regulatory environment. (Source: The Business Standard)


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Cabinet approves Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Cabinet approves Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme.

Cabinet approves Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme Two unmanned & one manned flight planned First manned flight in 40 months Estimates for Phase-I expenditure- Rs 9023 Crores.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Gaganyaan Programme with demonstration of Indian Human Spaceflight capability to low earth orbit for a mission duration ranging from one orbital period to a maximum of seven days. A human rated GSLV Mk-lll will be used to carry the orbital module which will have necessary provisions for sustaining a 3-member crew for the duration of the mission. The necessary infrastructure for crew training, realization of flight systems and ground infrastructure will be established to support the Gaganyaan Programme. ISRO will collaborate extensively with National agencies, laboratories, academia and industry to accomplish the Gaganyaan Programme objectives.
Expenditure:
The total fund requirement for the Gaganyaan Programme is within Rs.10,000 crore and includes cost of technology development, flight hardware realization and essential infrastructure elements. Two unmanned flights and one manned flight will be undertaken as part of Gaganyaan Programme.
Benefits:
• Gaganyaan Programme will establish a broader framework for collaboration between ISRO, academia, industry, national agencies and other scientific organizations.
• It This will allow pooling in of diverse technological and industrial capabilities and enable broader participation in research opportunities and technology development benefitting large number of students and researchers.
• The flight system realization will be through Industry.
• It is expected to generate employment and train human resources in advanced technologies.
• It will inspire large number of young students to take up science and technology careers for national development.
• Gaganyaan Programme is a national effort and will involve the participation of the Industry, Academia and National Agencies spread across the length and breadth of the country.
lmplementation Strategy and Targets:
Gaganyaan Programme will be a national effort in collaboration with Industry, Academia and other scientific agencies and laboratories as stake holders along with ISRO. ISRO will be responsible for realizing the flight hardware through Industry. National agencies, laboratories and Academia will participate in crew training, human life science technology development initiatives as well as design reviews. First human space flight demonstration is targeted to be completed within 40 months from the date of sanction. Prior to this, two unmanned flights in full complement will be carried out to gain confidence on the technology and mission management aspects.
Impact:
• The programme is expected to spur research and development within the country in niche science and technology domains.
• Huge potential for technology spinoffs in areas such as medicine, agriculture, industrial safety, pollution, waste management, water and food resource management etc.
• Human spaceflight programme will provide a unique micro-gravity platform in space for conducting experiments and test bed for future technologies.
• The programme is expected to give impetus to economic activities within the country in terms of employment generation, human resource development and enhanced industrial capabilities.
• Human Spaceflight capability will enable India to participate as a collaborating partner in future Global space exploration initiatives with long term national benefits.
Background:
ISRO has completed the development of launch vehicle GSLV Mk-lll which has the necessary payload capability to launch a 3-member crew module in low earth orbit. ISRO has also tested the crew escape system which is an essential technology for human space flight. The aerodynamic characterization of crew module has b3een completed as part of GSLV Mk-lll X mission flight. Elements of life support system and Space suit also have been realized and tested. In addition, the orbital & re-entry mission and recovery operations have been flight demonstrated in Space Capsule Re-entry experiment (SRE) mission. ISRO has developed and demonstrated most of the baseline technologies essential for undertaking human spaceflight mission. Globally also, there is a renewed interest in undertaking manned exploration initiatives. (Source:pib)


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Govt approves amendments to POCSO Act - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Govt approves amendments to POCSO Act.

This category of offence includes assault on a child under the age of 12 years, gangrape, assault on a mentally or physically challenged child or one that is committed by a relative.

The government on Friday approved amendments to the POCSO Act 2012, to bring punishments for sexual assaults against boys on par with those against girls, including the provision of death penalty when a child is under 12-years-old.
Following the outrage over gangrapes in Unnao and Kathua earlier this year, the government had brought an Ordinance in April and followed it by passing a Bill in Parliament during Monsoon Session. The Bill was introduced to amend the Indian Penal Code to provide death penalty for gangrape of a girl under 12 years, and 20 years in jail to death penalty for rape of a girl under 12 years, among others.
Provisions were also added to provide imprisonment for the rest of one’s natural life for gangrape of a girl under 16 years, while rape of a girl in the same age bracket would be punishable with jail of 20 years up to life imprisonment.
However, the absence of changes to Prevention of Child Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012, which deals with sexual crimes against both girls and boys, meant that similar crimes committed against boys carried lighter punishment as those committed against girls. The latest set of changes approved by the Union Cabinet address these anomalies.
The Union Cabinet approved changes to Section 6 of the POCSO Act, which deals with punishments for aggravated penetrative sexual assault, enhancing the punishment of 10 years to life imprisonment to 20 years to imprisonment for remainder of a person’s natural life or with death.
This category of offence includes assault on a child under the age of 12 years, gangrape, assault on a mentally or physically challenged child or one that is committed by a relative.
The government has also amended the definition of aggravated penetrative sexual assault to include an offence that causes the death of a child. (Source: The Hindu)


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Govt approves amendments to POCSO Act.

World's highest railway-arch bridge in Kashmir over river Chenab - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

World's highest railway-arch bridge in Kashmir over river Chenab.

Soon, India will have the world's highest railway-arch bridge over river Chenab in Kashmir. The Chenab Bridge, which is under construction between Bakkal and Kauri in the Resai district, is part of Indian Railways' mega plan to connect Kashmir valley with Udhampur known as Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line..

When complete, the 359-meter high bridge on river Chenab will be the world's highest. The base support of the bridge was completed in 2017 and according to the tweet by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, the construction work of the main arch is in full swing.
The bridge will also have a 14m-wide dual carriageway and a 1.2m-wide central verge. The bridge has 17 spans as well as 469m main arch span across the river. The bridge has two 36m-long approach spans.
The steel used in the bridge is blast proof and Railways is also installing an online monitoring and warning system to ensure swift response if the need arises. India's Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) is closely working with Indian Railways on this project.
The Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line will give a massive boost to the transportation sector in Jammu & Kashmir. The entire project is 345km long, of which, the Chenab Bridge is a key part.
On Thursday(December 27), India's Rail Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted that the Chenab Bridge will soon be a reality as the construction work is in full swing.
Piyush Goyal Railways is on track to achieve another engineering milestone with the Chenab Bridge in Jammu & Kashmir, set to be the highest railway arch bridge in the world
Salient features of the Chenab Bridge
- Blast proof steel has been used in construction for better security.
- The bridge is 1315 m (4,314 ft) long.
- The deck height of the bridge is 359m.
- BS: 5400 is being used as the basic guideline for the design and construction of the bridge.
- The bridge can stand wind speed up to 260km/hr.
The bridge which will be taller than Eiffel Tower is being considered as another engineering milestone for Railways after the Bogibeel Bridge on river Brahmaputra in Assam as the terrain in Kashmir is much more complicated. (Source:pib)


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World's highest railway-arch bridge in Kashmir over river Chenab.

Triple talaq bill passed in lok sabha - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Triple talaq bill passed in lok sabha.

The bill makes instant triple talaq a cognizable offence, attracting up to three years' imprisonment for the husband with a fine.

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the amended Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, which criminalises Triple Talaq, after over four hours of debate even as Congress and AIADMK MPs staged a walkout. The bill was passed with 238 MPs voting in its favour and 12 opposing it.
The bill, which will now go to the Rajya Sabha, proposes that instant Triple Talaq will be illegal and void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband. It also has a provision that only empowers a magistrate and not a local police officer to release the husband on bail. The proposed law would be applicable to the entire country, except in Jammu and Kashmir.
As soon as the Triple talaq Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Congress Leader in the House Mallikarjun Kharge demanded it be referred to a joint select committee of both Houses for greater scrutiny. He said several provisions of the bill were “unconstitutional”.
The fresh bill will supersede an earlier bill passed in the Lok Sabha and pending in the Rajya Sabha. The earlier bill, which was formulated after the Supreme Court declared Triple Talaq unconstitutional last year, was approved by the Lower House.
However, amid opposition by some parties in the Upper House, the government cleared some amendments, including the introduction of a provision of bail, to make it more acceptable. As the bill continued to face resistance in the Rajya Sabha, the government issued an ordinance in September, incorporating the amendments.


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Triple talaq bill passed in lok sabha.

World Bank AID for Rehabilitation of DAMS - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

World Bank AID for Rehabilitation of DAMS.

Central Water Commission (CWC) maintains National Register of Large Dams (NRLD) as per information provided by State Govts/ Dam owners. As per NRLD, 209 dams are 100 years or more old.

Union Government constituted National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) headed by Chairman, CWC and representatives from State Governments and PSUs. The objectives/mandates of NCDS are:
i) To oversee dam safety activities in various States and suggest improvements to bring these in line with the latest state-of-art consistently with Indian conditions.
ii) To act as a forum of exchange of views on techniques adopted for remedial measures to relieve distress.
iii) To monitor the follow-up action on the report on dam safety procedures.
iv) To recommend any other measures connected with dam safety.
The NCDS has been reconstituted from time to time and was last reconstituted on 15.10.2015.
Prime responsibility of preparation of Disaster Management Plan (DMP)/ Emergency Action Plan (EAP) rests with dam owners which are State Governments, central and state PSUs, municipalities and private companies etc. NCDS in its meetings has requested the State Governments/ Dam owners to prepare the DMPs/ EAPs of each large dam as per guidelines available on CWC website. As per information provided by State Governments, 398 DMPs/ EAPs have been prepared by the dam owners.
Government of India has started implementation of Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) with financial assistance from World Bank to rehabilitate 198 dam projects in 7 States viz. Kerala (28 dam Projects), Madhya Pradesh (25 dam Projects), Odisha (26 dam Projects), Karnataka (22 dam Projects), Uttarakhand (Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited) (5 dam Projects), Jharkhand (Damodar Valley Corporation) (3 dam Projects) and Tamil Nadu (89 dam Projects). The original budget outlay was Rs.2100 Crore and was a six year Scheme with scheduled closure in June 2018. The Project has been extended for two more years with revised closure in June 2020. Also, the Government of India has approved Revised Cost of the Project for Rs. 3466 Crore in October 2018.
Guidelines for “Developing Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for Dams” has been prepared and published during February 2016. The Guidelines were circulated to State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSO) and are available on DRIP website. (Source: pib)


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World Bank AID for Rehabilitation of DAMS.

China’s BeiDou navigation satellite, rival to US GPS, starts global services - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

China’s BeiDou navigation satellite, rival to US GPS, starts global services.

The positioning accuracy of the China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System has reached 10 metres globally and five metres in the Asia-Pacific region.

China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), touted as a rival to the widely-used American GPS, has started providing global services.
The construction of the BDS-3 primary system had been completed, BDS spokesperson Ran Chengqi said Thursday.

“This signifies that BDS has officially entered the global era as the BDS expands from a regional system to a global navigation system. From now on, no matter where you go, BDS will always be with you,” Ran said at a media conference here said.
The positioning accuracy of the system has reached 10 metres globally and five metres in the Asia-Pacific region. Its velocity accuracy is 0.2 metres per second, while its timing accuracy stands at 20 nanoseconds, he said.
Pakistan has become the first country to use the BeiDou system ending its reliance on the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Named after the Chinese term for the ‘Big Dipper’, the BeiDou system started serving China in 2000 and the Asia-Pacific region in 2012. It will be the fourth global satellite navigation system after the US GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo.
India too is building its navigational system called the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with an operational name of NAVIC.
By the end of 2018, there were a total of 33 BDS satellites operating in orbit for BeiDou. This included 15 BDS-2 satellites and 18 BDS-3 satellites.
China plans to launch another 11 BDS-3 satellites and one BDS-2 satellite in the coming two years to form a complete global network, which will further enhance the global service performance, Ran said.
More than 14,000 companies and organisations are doing business related to BDS, employing over 500,000 people, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The total number of satellite navigation patent applications in China has reached 54,000, ranking first in the world.
In China, about 6.17 million vehicles, 35,600 postal and express delivery vehicles, as well as 80,000 buses in 36 major cities, use BDS. The system is also used in 3,230 inland river navigation facilities and 2,960 marine navigation facilities. (Source: Livemint)


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RBI constitutes Expert Committee headed by Bimal Jalan on Economic Capital Framework - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

RBI constitutes Expert Committee headed by Bimal Jalan on Economic Capital Framework.

The expert panel on RBI’s economic capital framework was formed to address the issue of RBI reserves—one of the sticking points between the central bank and the government.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday set up an expert committee, headed by its former governor Bimal Jalan, to suggest how the central bank should handle its reserves and whether it can transfer its surplus to the government.
The committee, which has been formed to review the existing economic capital framework (ECF), will have former RBI deputy governor Rakesh Mohan as its vice chairman. Other members are RBI central board directors Bharat Doshi and Sudhir Mankad; deputy governor N.S. Vishwanathan; and economic affairs secretary Subhash Chandra Garg. The panel will submit its report within 90 days of its first meeting.
The government has been insisting that the central bank hand over its surplus reserves amid a shortfall in revenue collections. Access to the funds will allow finance minister Arun Jaitley to meet deficit targets, infuse capital into weak banks to boost lending and fund welfare programmes. The Jalan panel will decide whether RBI is holding provisions, reserves and buffers in surplus of the required levels.
“[It would] propose a suitable profits distribution policy taking into account all the likely situations of the RBI, including the situations of holding more provisions than required and the RBI holding less provisions than required,” the central bank said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ECF committee will also suggest an adequate level of risk provisioning that the RBI needs to maintain. That apart, any other related matter, including treatment of surplus reserves created out of realized gains, will also come within the ambit of this committee.
The Narendra Modi government and the central bank have been at loggerheads over a clutch of issues, including relaxation of prompt corrective action norms on weak banks, special liquidity window for non-banking financial companies, RBI’s 12 February circular on defaulters and the transfer of surplus reserves to the government. These differences culminated in the resignation of RBI governor Urjit Patel.
The central bank’s core reserve —contingency fund—is only around 7% of its total assets and the rest of it is largely in revaluation reserves, which fluctuate with corresponding changes in currency and gold valuations. In 2017-18, the central bank’s contingency funds and revaluation reserves stood at ₹2.32 trillion and ₹6.92 trillion respectively.
RBI data shows that the growth in revaluation reserves has far exceeded the growth in contingency fund. While revaluation reserves have more than tripled from ₹1.99 trillion in 2008-09 to ₹6.92 trillion in 2017-18, the contingency fund has grown 50% during the same period from ₹1.53 trillion to ₹2.32 trillion. (Source: Livemint)


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RBI constitutes Expert Committee headed by Bimal Jalan on Economic Capital Framework.

RBI constitutes Expert Committee headed by Bimal Jalan on Economic Capital Framework - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

How Rafale row bombed a groundbreaking move that would've changed Indian defence. - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

How Rafale row bombed a groundbreaking move that would've changed Indian defence.

The defence ministry has been unable to implement groundbreaking changes in policies on production and offsets, despite a budgetary speech promise and detailed inputs by the industry that saw the proposed amendments as key enablers.

Hit by the Rafale controversy, the defence ministry has not moved to amend its offsets policy since May this year, when a draft was presented for comments. (The opposition has targeted proposed offsets to Reliance Defence in the Rafale deal.) A new defence production policy that was promised in 2018 has met a similar fate, with limited forward movement since the draft was issued in March.
The proposed changes would have allowed the establishment of a fund regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to promote startups to meet the offsets obligations of foreign vendors that are worth billions of dollars.
They also offer major incentives for investing in the defence manufacturing corridors of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
However, after several rounds of consultations with stakeholders, including industry bodies, the ministry has not been able to move ahead on implementing the new rules. Internal dissent and opposing views within the ministry are believed to have come in the way of moving forward.
The absence of incentives on offsets has also resulted in the defence manufacturing corridors remaining stagnant, despite verbal commitments by some players to set up shop. “Unless the offsets policy is clear and gives a defined multiplier credit, foreign vendors will not venture and cannot make plans for investments in the corridor,” an industry analyst who did not wish to be named told ET.
The draft amendments also proposed that foreign companies can invest a significant part of their obligations in Sebi-regulated funds for defence, aerospace and internal security, something that has been welcomed by several global players. This also has hit a wall. Waiting-game-123
Offsets have ended up being a tricky issue for the government, given that at least three big cases have come under the scanner for alleged corruption, including the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal and the now-defunct Offsets India Solutions (OIS) that was promoted by fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.
The bigger disappointment for the Indian private sector, however, has been the lack of progress in promulgating a new Defence Production Policy 2018 that was announced as an “industry-friendly” move in this year’s budget.
The new policy is meant to promote production by the private and public sector in collaboration with each other and with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). While a wellappreciated draft has been shared with stakeholders, a lack of consensus seems to have stalled progress. Rafale-infograph-123
Some of the initiatives mentioned in the policy — such as a defence startup challenge and a defence investors cell — have been implemented individually but insiders say that a new policy will be impossible to notify this calendar year. There is lack of clarity on whether it will be ready ahead of the next budget either.
The draft policy that called for enhanced foreign direct investment (FDI) for domestic production also spelt out the government’s target of generating 3 million jobs in the next seven years and taking India to the top five countries in the world in the aerospace and military sectors.
“If even a policy is taking so long to be finalised, what is the chance that the targets can ever be met?” said an analyst, reflecting a growing sentiment within the industry. The draft policy has an ambitious target for the defence sector in India by 2025, aiming for an extraordinary $5 billion of exports, besides achieving self-reliance in complex systems such as fighter aircraft, autonomous weapon systems and small arms.(Source:defencenews.in)


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How Rafale row bombed a groundbreaking move that would've changed Indian defence.

India's economy to overtake Britain, France in 2019, possibly 2020: Report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India's economy to overtake Britain, France in 2019, possibly 2020: Report.

China is likely to overtake the United States as the world's No. 1 economy in 2032, two years later than previously expected.

In the race to outpace developed economies, emerging countries such as China, India, and Brazil suffered a setback this year and will outgrow them later than previously expected, the Centre for Economics and Business Research said.
The Cebr consultancy's 2019 World Economic League Table was more downbeat on the global economy than last year's outlook.

"For the medium term, we are roughly as optimistic as we were a year ago, but suspect the route to growth will be more bumpy than we had assumed 12 months ago," said the report, which forecast the fortunes of 193 countries to 2033.
China is likely to overtake the United States as the world's No. 1 economy in 2032, two years later than previously expected, due to a more lax monetary policy and lower exchange rate, the Cebr said.
It expects Brazil to overtake Italy in 2020, not 2018.
India would overtake Britain and France, probably in 2019, but possibly 2020, rather than in 2018 as it predicted a year ago.
Britain would likely lose its place as then the sixth biggest economy to France next year due to Brexit-related disruption, but should regain that position by 2023.
The Cebr also projected Ireland to be among the fastest growing economies in the euro zone next year, but said Brexit posed a big downside risk to that forecast.
The effects of a trade war between the world's two biggest economies have made themselves felt across global markets this year, and dented world trade growth.
The volume of world trade growth is likely to be up 2.99 per cent this year, less than two-thirds of the increase in 2017, the Cebr estimates.
The report's forecasts chimed with a deepening sense that optimism about synchronised global growth was overcooked, and that markets got ahead of themselves.
A Reuters poll of economists in late October signalled the outlook for global growth in 2019 dimmed for the first time.
Ammunition for a recession
Markets have suffered this year as investors fled risky assets, afraid monetary tightening from the world's central banks is removing too much support from the economy as a trade war weighs on growth.
"With debt high and many of the structural problems that caused the great recession still in existence, a global recession could be more difficult to resolve than its predecessors," the Cebr said.
But policymakers and governments still have enough ammunition to see the world through the next recession, according to Douglas McWilliams, deputy chairman of the Cebr, though he saw a shift from monetary to fiscal action.
"We're in a world now where there's a sense that a certain degree of fiscal action will have to be applied in order to avoid the world falling flat on its face," McWilliams said.
Government spending is likely to rise, both from fiscal easing and from discretionary spending, he added, saying he saw governments delivering more support than central banks.
With many economies facing an infrastructure backlog and mega-projects such as China's Belt and Road ongoing, the Cebr forecasts global construction spending will rise from $11.5 billion to $27.4 billion or 15.5 percent of world GDP by 2033.
McWilliams expected the average fiscal deficit for the OECD area to come in at 5 per cent of GDP in 2020, higher than the OECD's forecast of 3.2 per cent.
"A 5 per cent spend is risking it a bit, but the developed economies are in a better position to take that risk than emerging economies," he said. (Source: The Business Standard)


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India's economy to overtake Britain, France in 2019, possibly 2020: Report.

NITI Aayog to Release Second Delta Ranking under the Aspirational Districts Programme - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

NITI Aayog to Release Second Delta Ranking under the Aspirational Districts Programme.

NITI Aayog will release the Second Delta Ranking of the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) tomorrow, i.e. December 27, 2018. Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog will release the Second Delta Ranking under ADP and brief the media on this occasion.

The ranking will measure the incremental progress made by districts between June 1, 2018 and October 31, 2018.

The districts have been ranked in a transparent basis on parameters across Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure through key performance indicators. The rankings are based on the data that is publicly available through the Champions of Change Dashboard, which includes data entered on a real-time basis at the district level.
The rankings, for the first time, will also factor in inputs from household survey conducted by NITI Aayog’s knowledge partners, namely, TATA Trusts and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
The Aspirational District Programme was launched by the Prime Minister on January 5, 2018. It aims to rapidly transform the districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas and have emerged as pockets of under-development, thereby posing a challenge to ensure balanced regional development.
The first Delta ranking for the Aspirational Districts was released in June 2018.It ranked the Aspirational Districts on improved performance across five developmental areas of Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure, over the months of April and May 2018, on the basis of self-reported data.


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NITI Aayog to Release Second Delta Ranking under the Aspirational Districts Programme.

Govt mulls changes to IT Act to force internet cos trace origin of unlawful content - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Govt mulls changes to IT Act to force internet cos trace origin of unlawful content.

The government is considering changes in the IT Act to force internet, chat and social media companies to trace and identify people behind objectionable and unlawful content posted or spread over the internet.

The move, which was mulled during a meeting with internet companies and the IT ministry, will impact platforms that promise encryption and enhanced privacy to users. It will result in serious trouble for many companies, the most prominent being instant messenger WhatsApp, which has so far refused to pay heed to the government’s request to identify people behind fake news.
The draft — IT [Intermediaries Guidelines (Amendment) Rules], 2018 — also proposes that any online company that has more than 50 lakh users in India should be incorporated within the country, have a permanent registered office, and appoint a nodal person of contact.
It says that when asked through a lawful order, the intermediary (internet company) should, within 72 hours of communication, provide information and assistance to government agencies. These should be done in cases related to the country’s security or cybersecurity; or during investigation or detection or prosecution or prevention of an offence.
“Any such request can be made in writing or through electronic means stating clearly the purpose of seeking such information or any such assistance. The intermediary shall enable tracing out of such originator of information on its platform as may be required by government agencies that are legally authorised,” the draft — which seeks comments till January 15 — says.
Ministry officials claim that the step is being initiated after a series of lynching incidents due to the spread of fake news. The government had requested WhatsApp to trace the origins of the people spreading such fake news, but the Facebook-owned company has said it is unable to do so as the messaging on the platform remains encrypted.
The government now plans to make changes to Section 79 of the IT Act to make it difficult for companies to refuse such requests. It follows an assurance made by IT and law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in the Rajya Sabha where he said that the government will strengthen the legal framework around fake news and make social media platforms “accountable under the law”.
The draft also proposes that after receiving a request from the government, the company shall preserve the objectionable information and associated records for at least 180 days for investigation purposes, “or for such longer period as may be required by the court or by government agencies”.
Also, it says that the companies should deploy technology-based automated tools or appropriate mechanisms, with appropriate controls, for proactively identifying and removing or disabling public access to unlawful information or content.
The draft also says that also companies should inform users to not host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that is objectionable and unlawful. These would include content that is “grossly harmful, harassing, blasphemous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, pedophilic, libellous, invasive of another’s privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically objectionable, disparaging, relating or encouraging money-laundering or gambling, or otherwise unlawful in any manner whatever.” Interestingly, it also proposes a censure on content around smoking or drinking in the name of public health. So, content not allowed will include that which engages in “promotion of cigarettes or any other tobacco products or consumption of intoxicant including alcohol and electronic nicotine delivery system”. (Source: The Times of India)


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Govt mulls changes to IT Act to force internet cos trace origin of unlawful content.

NGT bans mining activities within 10 km of Sariska tiger reserve - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

NGT bans mining activities within 10 km of Sariska tiger reserve.

The National Green Tribunal has directed all mining activities within 10-km radius of Sariska tiger reserve be stopped immediately. The order was issued when it was hearing an appeal challenging environmental clearance to 24 mining projects with 10 km radius of the reserve’s boundary.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed all mining activities within 10 km radius of the Sariska Tiger Reserve be stopped immediately.
The order was issued when the tribunal was hearing an appeal challenging environmental clearance granted to 24 mining projects with 10 km radius of the reserve’s boundary.
“We direct that all mining activities of any mineral will be stopped within 10 kms of the boundary of Sariska Tiger Reserve till mining leases are cleared by the standing committee of the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL),” the NGT bench said in its order issued on December 20.
The Supreme Court had in 2006, prohibited any mining activity within 1 km of national parks and sanctuaries.
Following the apex court order, the Union environment ministry had also stipulated in their memorandum dated December 2, 2009 that all cases where environmental clearance had been given to mining projects around national parks be placed before the Standing Committee of the NBWL for evaluation.
Moreover, Rajasthan is yet declare an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) for Sariska Tiger Reserve.
The lawyer representing Rajasthan government had submitted to NGT that Rajasthan’s ESZ proposal is still pending with the environment ministry.
“In case MoEFCC issues final notification on eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), the mining lease which fall within the Eco-Sensitive Zone will have to have clearance of the standing committee of the NBWL,” the National Green Tribunal bench added.
The state-level environment impact assessment authority (SEAC), Rajasthan and district-level environment impact assessment authority (DEIAA), Alwar had together issued 70 mining clearances in 2016 out of which 24 were in the 10 km radius of Sariska reserve.
“Mining activities in proximity of wildlife habitats have negative impacts on the wild animals. Those activities fragment habitats and movement corridors. Therefore, it is important to add adequate buffer to the wildlife habitats which can be in the form of ESZ,” said Dipankar Ghose, director, species and landscape at WWF, India.


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NGT bans mining activities within 10 km of Sariska tiger reserve.

RBI shortlists TCS, Wipro, IBM, 3 others for setting up Public Credit Registry - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

RBI shortlists TCS, Wipro, IBM, 3 others for setting up Public Credit Registry.

The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) Public Credit Registry is aimed at capturing details of all borrowers and wilful defaulters.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has shortlisted six major IT companies, including Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS), Wipro Ltd and IBM India, to set up a wide-based digital Public Credit Registry for capturing details of all borrowers and wilful defaulters.

The proposed Public Credit Registry will also include data from entities like capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), the corporate affairs ministry, Goods and Service Tax Network (GSTN) and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) to enable banks and financial institutions to get a 360-degree profile of the existing as well as prospective borrowers on a real-time basis.
“Consequent to the publication of expression of interest (EOI) on October 27, 2018, the Reserve Bank had received responses from several vendors for implementation of end-end solution for Public Credit Registry,” the central bank has said. After evaluating the responses of the interested vendors, the RBI said it has been decided to shortlist the six firms.
The other three shortlisted vendors are: Capgemini Technology Services India, Dun & Bradstreet Information Services India, and Mindtree Ltd.
The RBI would soon seek request for proposal from the six vendors.
In June this year, RBI had announced to set up a Public Credit Registry for India to address information asymmetry, foster access to credit and strengthen the credit culture in the economy.
Earlier, a high-level task force was constituted by RBI to review the current availability of information on credit, the adequacy of the existing information utilities, and to identify gaps that could be filled by a PCR.
“In essence, Public Credit Registry will be a digital registry of authenticated granular credit information and will work as a financial information infrastructure providing access to various stakeholders and enrich the existing credit information ecosystem,” according to the EOI document issued in October.
The Public Credit Registry would be the single point of mandatory reporting for all material events for each loan, notwithstanding any threshold in the loan amount or type of borrower.
Currently, there are multiple granular credit information repositories in India, with each having somewhat distinct objectives and coverage.
Within the RBI, CRILC is a borrower-level supervisory dataset that keeps record of loans of Rs 5 crore and above.
Also, there are four privately owned credit information companies (CICs) operating in India. RBI has mandated all its regulated entities to submit credit information individually to all four CICs.
According to the EOI, the proposed solution should allow easy integration with ancillary information sources, such as the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Sebi, GSTN, CERSAI, utility billers, Central Fraud Registry and Wilful Defaulter/Caution/Suit Filed Lists.
Besides, borrowers would also be able to access their own credit information and seek corrections to the credit information reported on them.
Setting up of the Public Credit Registry assumes significance amid rising bad loans in the financial system. The non-performing assets in the banking system stand at about ₹10 trillion. (Source:Livemint)


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RBI shortlists TCS, Wipro, IBM, 3 others for setting up Public Credit Registry.

Nuclear-capable Agni-IV missile successfully test-fired - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Nuclear-capable Agni-IV missile successfully test-fired.

This was the 7th trial of Agni-IV missile.

India on Sunday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable long-range ballistic missile Agni-IV, with a strike range of 4,000 km, as part of a user trial by the Army.
The strategic surface-to-surface missile was flight tested from launch complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Dr Abdul Kalam Island, earlier known as Wheeler Island, at about 8.35 am, defense sources said.

Describing the trial as a "complete success", they said all mission objectives were met during the test-fire. All radars, tracking systems and range stations tracked and monitored the flight performance of the missile, which was launched with support of a mobile launcher.
Radars and electro-optical systems had been positioned along the coast of Odisha for tracking and monitoring all parameters of the missile, the sources said, adding two naval ships were anchored near the target area to witness the final event.
This was the 7th trial of Agni-IV missile. The last trial conducted by the strategic force command (SFC) of the Indian Army from the same base on January 2, 2018 was successful.
The indigenously developed sophisticated Agni-IV having 4,000 km strike range is a two-stage missile. It is 20 meter long with a weight of 17 tonnes, they said.
"The state-of-the-art missile is equipped with modern and compact avionics to provide high level of reliability and precision," Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) sources said.
Agni-IV missile is equipped with advanced Avionics, 5th generation On Board Computer and distributed architecture. It has the latest features to correct and guide itself for in -flight disturbances, they said.
The accurate Ring Laser Gyro-based Inertial Navigation System (RINS), supported by highly reliable redundant Micro Navigation System (MINGS), ensures the vehicle reaches the target with accuracy.
The re-entry heat shield can withstand temperatures in the range of 4000 degrees centigrade and makes sure avionics function normally with inside temperature remaining less than 50 degrees centigrade.
Ballistic missiles like Agni-I, II and III and Prithvi have been included in the arsenal of the armed forces, giving India an effective deterrence capability. (Source: India today)


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Nuclear-capable Agni-IV missile successfully test-fired.

Surrogacy Bill passed in Lok Sabha - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Surrogacy Bill passed in Lok Sabha.

Under this bill, homosexuals, single parents, and live-in couples are not entitled to surrogacy.

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 that prohibits commercial surrogacy and allows altruistic surrogacy to needy Indian infertile couples.

Elaborating on the Bill, Union Health Minister JP Nadda said, "This bill protects the dignity of women, economic exploitation and also the interest of the surrogate children who are abandoned."
"The bill allows altruistic surrogacy to the needy Indian infertile couples and it prohibits commercial surrogacy," he added.
Things to know about the new surrogacy legislation
1. The bill proposes a complete ban on commercial surrogacy, but altruistic surrogacy will be allowed for needy infertile couple under strict regulation.
2. The bill entitles only Indian citizens to avail surrogacy. Foreigners, NRIs and PIOs are not allowed to seek surrogacy in the country.
3. Under this bill, homosexuals, single parents, and live-in couples are also not entitled to surrogacy.
4. Couples who already have children will not be allowed to go for surrogacy. However, they would be free to adopt a child under a separate law.
5. The bill allows surrogacy only for legally married couples after five years of marriage and with a doctor's certificate stating that they are medically unfit to reproduce.
6. Women within the age group of 23 to 50 years and men between 26 to 55 years will be eligible to opt for surrogacy.
7. According to a clause mentioned in the Bill, the surrogate mother must be a 'close relative' of the intending couple.
8. Moreover, both the intending couple and the surrogate mother are obliged to take eligibility certificates from the appropriate authority.
9. A woman can be a surrogate only once in her lifetime.
10. The bill proposes to regulate surrogacy by establishing appropriate authorities at the central level and in states and Union Territories (UTs), an official statement said.(Source: The Business Standard)


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Surrogacy Bill passed in Lok Sabha.

NITI Aayog releases Strategy for New India @ 75 - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

NITI Aayog releases Strategy for New India @ 75 .

Seeking to make development a Jan Andolan, details key recommendations across growth drivers, infrastructure, inclusion and governance.

The NITI Aayog today unveiled its comprehensive national Strategy for New India, which defines clear objectives for 2022-23. It is a detailed exposition acrossforty-one crucial areas, that recognizesthe progress already made, identifies binding constraints, and suggests the way forward for achieving the clearly stated objectives.

The ‘Strategy for New India @75’was released today at a press conference by the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley, in the presence of NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar, Members Dr Ramesh Chand andDr VK Saraswat and CEO Shri Amitabh Kant.
Drawing inspiration and direction from the Prime Minister’s clarion call for establishing a New India by 2022, NITI Aayog embarked on a journey of formulating theStrategy documentover the last year.
In his foreword the Prime Minister says,“The Strategy for New India @75 put together by NITI Aayog is an attempt to bring innovation, technology, enterprise and efficient management together, at the core of policy formulation and implementation. It will encourage discussion and debate, and invite feedback for further refining our policy approach.We believe that economic transformation cannot happen without public participation. Development must become a Jan Andolan.”
NITI Aayog followed an extremely participative approach in preparing the strategy. Each area vertical in NITI Aayog had in-depth consultations with all three groups of stakeholders, viz., business persons, academics including scientists, and government officials.
This was followed byconsultations at the level of the Vice Chairman with a diverse group of eminent persons from seven sets of stakeholders that included scientists and innovators, farmers, civil society organizations, think-tanks, labor representatives and trade unions, and industry representatives.
Central Ministries were brought on board for inputs, suggestions and comments, with each draft of individual chapters being circulated for consultations. The draft document was also circulated to all the States and Union Territories from whom valuable suggestions were received and incorporated.
Over 800 stakeholders from within the government – central, state and district levels – and about 550 external experts were consulted during the preparation of the document.
The overarching focus of the Strategy document is to further improve the policy environment in which private investors and other stakeholders can contribute their fullest towards achieving the goals set out for New India 2022 and propel India towards a USD 5 trillion economy by 2030.
The forty-one chapters in the document have been disaggregated under four sections: Drivers, Infrastructure, Inclusionand Governance.
The first section on Drivers focuses on the engines of economic performance with chapters on growth and employment, doubling of farmers’ incomes; upgrading the science, technology and innovation eco-system; and promoting sunrise sectors like fintech and tourism.
Some of the key recommendations in the section on drivers include:
• Steadily accelerate the economy to achieve a GDP growth rate of about 8% on average during 2018-23. This will raisethe economy’s size in real terms from USD 2.7trillion in 2017-18 to nearly USD 4 trillion by2022-23. Increase the investment rate as measured by gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) from the present 29% to 36% of GDP by 2022.
• In agriculture, shift the emphasis to converting farmers to ‘agripreneurs’ by further expandinge-National Agriculture Markets and replacing the Agricultural Produce Marketing CommitteeAct with the Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Act.
• Give a strong push to ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming’ techniques that reduce costs,improve land quality and increase farmers’ incomes. This has emerged as a tested method for putting environmentcarbon back into the land.
• To ensure maximum employment creation, complete codification of labor laws and a massiveeffort must be made to upscale and expand apprenticeships.
• Launch a mission “Explore in India” by revamping minerals exploration and licensing policy.
The second section on Infrastructure deals with the physical foundations of growth which are crucial to enhancing the competitiveness of Indian business as also ensuring the citizens’ ease of living.
Some of the key recommendations in the section on infrastructure include:
• Expedite the establishment of the Rail Development Authority (RDA), which is already approved. RDAwill advise or make informed decisions on an integrated, transparent and dynamic pricing mechanismfor the railways.
• Double the share of freight transported by coastal shipping and inland waterways. Initially,viability gap funding will be provided until the infrastructure is fully developed. Develop an IT-enabled platformfor integrating different modes of transport and promoting multi-modal anddigitized mobility.
• With the completion of the Bharat Net programme in 2019, all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats will be digitallyconnected. Aim to deliver all government services at the state, district, and gram panchayat level digitally by2022-23.
The section on Inclusion deals with the urgent task of investing in the capabilities of all of India’s citizens. The three themes in this section revolve around the dimensions of health, education and mainstreaming of traditionally marginalized sections of the population.
Some of the key recommendations in the section on inclusion include:
• Successfully implementing the Ayushman Bharat programme including the establishment of 150,000 health and wellness centres across the country, and rolling out the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan (PM-JAY).
• Create a focal point for public health at the central level with state counterparts. Promote integrative medicine curriculum.
• Upgrade the quality of the school education system and skills, including the creation of a new innovation ecosystem at the ground level by establishing at least 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs by 2020.
• Conceptualize an electronic national educational registry for tracking each child’s learning outcomes.
• As already done in rural areas, give a huge push to affordable housing in urban areas to improve workers’ living conditions and ensure equity while providing a strong impetus to economic growth.
The final section on Governance delves deep into how the governance structures can be streamlined and processes optimized to achieve better developmental outcomes.
Some of the key recommendations in the section on governance include:
• Implement the recommendations of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission as a preludeto appointing a successor for designing reforms in the changing context of emerging technologies andgrowing complexity of the economy.
• Set up a new autonomous body, viz., the Arbitration Council of India to grade arbitralinstitutions and accredit arbitrators to make the arbitration process cost effective and speedy, and to preemptthe need for court intervention.
• Address the backlog of pending cases - shift part of workload out of regular court system.
• Expand the scope of Swachh Bharat Mission to cover initiatives for landfills, plastic waste andmunicipal waste and generating wealth from waste.


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NITI Aayog releases Strategy for New India @ 75 .

How Earth's Future Could Soon Recreate a Lost World of 50 Million Years Ago - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

How Earth's Future Could Soon Recreate a Lost World of 50 Million Years Ago.

Humans have pulled too hard on our planet's strings, and now we're at a point where the global climate itself is unravelling.

A new study suggests that if nothing is done to reduce our carbon emissions, we could essentially reverse 50 million years of long-term cooling in just a few generations.
The consequences could send us spiralling back in time by at least 3 million years. By 2030, the study predicts that Earth's climate may resemble the mid-Pliocene - the last great warm period before now, when the world was 1.8 degrees Celsius warmer (3.2 degrees Fahrenheit).
From that precarious spot, we could retreat even further. By 2150, the study suggests our climate could most resemble the ice-free Eocene of some 50 million years past, when there were extremely high carbon dioxide levels and global temperatures were roughly 13 degrees Celsius warmer (23.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
This is a time when crocodiles swam in the swampy forests of the Arctic Circle and palm trees dropped coconuts in Alaska.
"If we think about the future in terms of the past, where we are going is uncharted territory for human society," says lead author Kevin Burke, a paleoecologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"We are moving toward very dramatic changes over an extremely rapid time frame, reversing a planetary cooling trend in a matter of centuries."
Today, the accelerated rate of climate change is faster than anything the planet has ever experienced before. Now, we are so far off the road map that one of the only ways to figure out where we are going is to retrace the ancient steps the world took long, long ago.
Combing through Earth's climate history, the new study sought to identify a time that is similar to current climate projections.
To do this, the researchers picked out six climate benchmarks from throughout Earth's geologic history, dating as far back as the early Eocene to as recently as the early 20th century.
The team then compared these geological periods with two different climate scenarios, calculated using the best available data from the fifth assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The first scenario is the worst case possible - a future in which humans do not mitigate greenhouse gas emissions at all - and the second scenario is one in which we do manage to moderately reduce emissions (a feat that will be difficult to achieve, given our current activity).
"Based on observational data, we are tracking on the high end of the emissions scenarios, but it's too soon to tell," says Burke.
Using no less than three different climate models, the researchers tested both of these scenarios, and then compared them to each of the geologic periods picked out.
The results are kind of like a 'choose your own adventure' book with only two options: we can either do nothing and end up with a climate that resembles the Eocene, or we can try and reduce our emissions and halt our climate at Pliocene conditions.
Under both of these scenarios and across each of the models, the results for the short term are about the same. By at least 2040, Earth's climate will most closely resemble the mid-Pliocene, and this is well beyond the "safe operating space" of the Holocene that we were shooting for.
At this point, no matter which way we slice it, it seems highly likely that our children and grandchildren will live to see a world where temperatures will rise, precipitation will increase, ice caps will melt, and the poles will become temperate.
During the Pliocene, the climate was arid and the High Arctic was home to forests in which camels and other animals roamed. Who knows what will happen to biological life and human society when the climate reverts to that state within just a few centuries?

The findings of the new study reveal that these rapid changes will probably begin at the centre of Earth's continents, spiralling outwards in concentric circles until they engulf the whole planet.
This means that in some areas of the world - for instance, the parts that lie at the centre of those circles - the climate consequences will be especially drastic.
"Madison (Wisconsin) warms up more than Seattle (Washington) does, even though they're at the same latitude," explains co-author John 'Jack' Williams, a researcher in ecological responses to climate change.
"When you read that the world is expected to warm by 3 degrees Celsius this century, in Madison we should expect to roughly double the global average."
But while we can predict some of these extreme climate changes, others will no doubt take us by surprise.
In the worst case scenario, by the stage that our climate once again resembles the mid-Pliocene, the research found that nearly 9 percent of the planet will be experiencing "novel" climates.
This means that in some areas of the world, including eastern and southeastern Asia, northern Australia, and the coastal Americas, humans will be experiencing climate conditions that have no known geological or historical precedent.
"In the roughly 20 to 25 years I have been working in the field, we have gone from expecting climate change to happen, to detecting the effects, and now, we are seeing that it's causing harm," says Williams.
"People are dying, property is being damaged, we're seeing intensified fires and intensified storms that can be attributed to climate change. There is more energy in the climate system, leading to more intense events."
It's difficult to put a positive spin on all of this, but the researchers tried their hardest. After all, life has a way of surviving and pushing through seemingly insurmountable challenges.
"We've seen big things happen in Earth's history – new species evolved, life persists and species survive. But many species will be lost, and we live on this planet," says Williams.
"These are things to be concerned about, so this work points us to how we can use our history and Earth's history to understand changes today and how we can best adapt."


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How Earth's Future Could Soon Recreate a Lost World of 50 Million Years Ago.

Centre drafts child protection policy - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Centre drafts child protection policy.

Move comes in the wake of Muzaffarpur home case.

A code of conduct for employees of all organisations and a declaration signed by them agreeing to ensure the safety of children are some of the provisions included in the Centre’s draft national child protection policy, prepared on the prodding of the Supreme Court in the wake of the Muzaffarpur shelter abuse case.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development has placed the draft policy on its website and invited comments from stakeholders until January 4. This will be the first policy dedicated to the protection of children, an area that until now was only a part of the broader National Child Policy, 2013.

The Supreme Court had earlier directed the CBI to investigate allegations involving 17 shelter homes for children, destitute women, beggars and senior citizens in Bihar following the case of sexual abuse of more than 30 girls in a shelter home in Muzaffarpur in the State. The apex court had also asked the Centre to consider framing a national policy on protection of children.
As per the draft, the policy will apply to “all institutions, and organisations (including corporate and media houses), government or private sector”.
The draft policy recommends that all organisations must have a code of conduct based on “zero tolerance of child abuse and exploitation”. It requires organisations to lay down that employees don’t use language or behaviour that is “inappropriate, harassing, abusive, sexually provocative, demeaning or culturally inappropriate”.
Institutions should also designate a staff member to ensure that procedures are in place to ensure the protection of children as well as to report any abuse. Any individual who suspects physical, sexual or emotional abuse must report it to the helpline number 1098, police or a child welfare committee.
Unlike the National Child Policy, 2013, the latest document doesn’t talk about children who may need additional special protection measures: including those affected by migration, communal or sectarian violence, children forced into begging or in conflict with the law, and those infected with HIV/AIDS. It also doesn’t talk about the role of the state for ensuring the protection of child rights or addressing local grievances.
“We welcome the decision to bring a national policy, but its subsequent versions will need to go into a greater detail,” said Priti Mahara, Director (Policy, Advocacy and Research) CRY. “The document needs to define what child protection is as well as what it means by institutions or organisations.”
Ms. Mahara added that the norms should be designed in such a way that organisations can customise their policies according to the nature of their work, thereby, giving them a sense of ownership on safeguarding children’s rights.
“A policy has four aspects — creating awareness, prevention, reporting and responding,” said Prabhat Kumar, Technical Advisor, Child Protection, Save The Children. “This document needs to go into all these aspects, especially a reporting structure involving various nodal bodies and a monitoring mechanism for implementation of the guidelines. Moreover, while it talks about organisations laying down a code of conduct, it doesn’t explain what is acceptable behaviour such as conduct of teachers in schools,” he observed.
Mr. Kumar suggested that the government could use the opportunity to go beyond the role of institutions and look at the role of individuals. “Perhaps the government could look at ensuring that all officials in public service give an undertaking that they will not exploit children,” Mr. Kumar said. (Source: The Hindu),


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Centre drafts child protection policy.

RBI’s monetary policy committee cautious on inflation - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

RBI’s monetary policy committee cautious on inflation.

The six-member committee unanimously decided to leave rates unchanged at the meeting two weeks ago, while staying optimistic on growth.

India’s monetary policy committee sounded cautious on inflation and preferred to wait for more data to see for how long price pressure and growth momentum would remain soft, according to minutes of its December 5 meeting published on Wednesday.The six-member committee unanimously decided to leave rates unchanged at the meeting two weeks ago, while staying optimistic on growth.
While the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the former governor, Urjit Patel, sounded hawkish at the meeting, the panel, under the new chief, Shaktikanta Das, might be more focussed on boosting growth and cutting rates after a recent sharp decline in inflation.
Shaktikanta Das took charge at the RBI last week, two days after Urjit Patel’s resignation.
“While the recent downward surprises to inflation have significantly reduced the extent of policy tightening required in future, they have not eliminated the requirement altogether,” said RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya in the minutes.
While noting the recent easing of inflation and growth momentum, the panel members preferred to wait for some more data to determine the interest rate outlook, citing uncertainties over the medium-term outlook on food inflation and oil prices.
However, under Shaktikanta Das, who is in favour of supporting growth, the rhetoric is likely to change given that inflation has eased further this month.
India’s November headline inflation fell to its lowest in 17 months, to 2.33%, well below the RBI’s medium-term target of 4%.
Economists expect inflation to stay muted for the next few months as global crude prices are likely to stay soft and India’s food prices might remain low.
The RBI revised its inflation projections downwards to 2.7-3.2% by March, from 3.9-4.5% two months back, and expects it to stay within 4.2% by September 2019.
One committee member, R Dholakia, known for his dovish attitude, called for a change in stance to “neutral” from “calibrated tightening” as the downside risks to inflation “cannot be overlooked”.
“We should not deny any possibility of either a rate cut or a rate hike in the near future depending on data coming in,” Dholakia said.
India’s growth in July-September slowed to 7.1% from 8.2% in the previous quarter and could soften further as private investment remained low.
A slowdown in global growth with concern over a potential recession in the United States could add to expectations of a rate cut.
Traders will closely monitor a US Federal Reserve statement due later on Wednesday for indications of expectations about rate increases there. (Source:Livemint)


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RBI’s monetary policy committee cautious on inflation.

ISRO successfully launches Military Communication Satellite GSAT-7A from Sriharikota - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

ISRO successfully launches Military Communication Satellite GSAT-7A from Sriharikota.

ISRO today launched its military communication satellite GSAT-7A from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The satellite GSAT-7A is the 35th Indian communication satellite weighing 2,250 kg. The satellite is expected to add a new space-based dimension to the way Indian Air Force interlinks, operates and communicates with its aircraft as they fly and with command centres on ground.

GSAT-7A will be the first satellite built primarily for the IAF to qualitatively unify its assets and improve combined, common intelligence during operations.
GSAT-7A is designed to expand the communication capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF). It will do this by connecting many of the ground radar stations, airbases and aircrafts operated by the IAF, and is also expected to boost some of their network-dependant warfare and drone capabilities.
Hailing the launch, Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa said, GSLV-7A would enhance the networking and communication capabilities of the Air Force.
"We have several platforms (aircrafts) which have capabilities of communication through satellite. The communication to the platform (aircrafts) through the satellite will be made possible with this launch," stated B S Dhanoa.
Satellite using Ku band will enable superior real time aircraft-to-aircraft communication; and between planes that are in flight and their commanders on the ground.
The GSAT-7A/GSLV-F11 mission will also wrap up the calendar year for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The GSLV-F11 space vehicle will release it to an eventual geostationary orbit about 36,000 km from Earth. However, it will become fully functional after a month of testing payloads. GSLV F-11 with indigenous cryogenic upper stage has a total of three stages before reaching the destined orbit using the onboard propulsion system.


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ISRO successfully launches Military Communication Satellite GSAT-7A from Sriharikota.

IMPRESS scheme has been launched to promote Social Science Research in the country - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

IMPRESS scheme has been launched to promote Social Science Research in the country.

The Government has approved “Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education by 2022”, as per which the scope of institutions to be funded through Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) has been enlarged to encompass School Education and Medical Education institutions, apart from Higher Education. The total authorized equity capital of HEFA has been raised to Rs.10,000 crore, with the facility to leverage additional resources from the market, based on requirement.

A total Government equity of Rs. 6,000 Crore, has been approved. All funds for educational infrastructure in centrally funded educational institutions will henceforth be in the form of ten year loans through HEFA to the institution, the interest liability of which would be borne by the Government.
The principal repayment would be undertaken by the institutions in part or full depending on their age profile and financial capability. For new institutions and those which have limited internal fund generating capacity, the entire principal and interest repayment would be undertaken by the Government. There is an additional window of financing for school and medical education institutions where the sponsoring Department would undertake to repay the principal and interest to HEFA. So far, HEFA has approved projects of Rs. 24430 Crore with total loan amount of Rs. 12307 Crore.

The Government of India, in August 2018, had sanctioned the scheme “Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences (IMPRESS)” at a total cost of Rs. 414 Cr for implementation up to 31.03.2021. Under the Scheme, 1500 research projects will be awarded for 2 years to support the social science research in the higher educational institutions and to enable research to guide policy making.
• The Indian Council of Social Science and Research (ICSSR) will be the project implementing agency.
• The broad objectives of the scheme are:
i. To identify and fund research proposals in social sciences with maximum impact on the governance and society.
ii. To focus research on (11) broad thematic areas such as : State and Democracy, Urban transformation, Media, Culture and Society, Employment, Skills and Rural transformation , Governance, Innovation and Public Policy, Growth, Macro-trade and Economic Policy, Agriculture and Rural Development, Health and Environment, Science and Education, Social Media and Technology, Politics, Law and Economics. The sub- theme areas will be decided on the basis of Expert Groups’ advice before notifying the scheme and calling for applications.
iii. To ensure selection of projects through a transparent, competitive process on online mode.
iv. To provide opportunity for social science researchers in any institution in the country, including all Universities (Central and State), private institutions with 12(B) status conferred by UGC.
v. ICSSR funded/ recognized research institutes will also be eligible to submit research proposals on the given themes and sub-themes.
• The following will be the modalities for implementation:-
a. There will be (4) calls for proposals- October, 2018, February 2019, September 2019 and February 2020. The process of evaluation of the proposals and selection will be completed within 90 days from the date of call for proposals.
b. The experts for evaluation of proposals will be persons of eminence and selected using objective criteria.
c. There will be a regular monitoring of the progress of projects using the online portal, in which the progress can be directly updated by the Project Coordinator.
d. There will be a third party evaluation of the projects in March 2021.


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IMPRESS scheme has been launched to promote Social Science Research in the country.