aditya
19:40
Insights IAS Secure Synopsis July 2022 GS I-IV PDF
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Monday, August 08, 2022
Daily Current Affairs, 08th August 2022
aditya
19:33
1) National Handloom Day Celebrates on 07 August
•In India, the National Handloom Day is observed annually on the 7th of August to honour the handloom weavers. Handloom is a symbol of our glorious cultural heritage and an important source of livelihood. The day also highlights the contribution of the handloom industry to the socioeconomic development of the country and increased the income of the weavers. 2022 marks the 8th National Handloom Day. This year theme of National Handloom Day 2022 is ”Handloom, an Indian legacy”.
National Handloom Day 2022: Schemes
•These initiatives include the Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS), National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP), Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme (HWCWS), and Yarn Supply Scheme (YSS).
2) India observes 2nd ‘Javelin Throw Day’ on August 07, 2022
•The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is celebrating the second ‘Javelin Throw Day’ on August 7, 2022. The day was first observed in 2021 in honour of Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won India’s first Olympic gold medal in athletics at Tokyo. This decision to observe Javelin Throw Day is also an attempt to attract more youth towards the sport and get champions ready for a bright future in athletics ahead.
•Neeraj Chopra has scripted history at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo when he threw the javelin to a distance of 87.58m to end India’s medal drought in athletics at the Olympics. This is India’s first-ever gold medal in athletics in the history of the Olympics. AFI’s bid to name August 7 as Javelin Throw Day is an attempt to attract more youth to the sport.
3) Nation observes 80th anniversary of Quit India movement
•The 80th anniversary of the August Kranti Din or Quit India Movement, which is considered as one of the important milestones in the history of the freedom struggle of our country, is being observed on 8 August 2022. The slogans “Quit India” and “Do or Die” became battle cries for the freedom fighters during the Quit India movement.
4) PM Modi Chairs 7th NITI Aayog Governing Council Meet
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attended the seventh NITI Aayog governing council meeting which took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s cultural centre in the national capital. The council held discussions over several issues such as crop diversification, urban development and implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP).
5) Govt Launches: Mission Vatsalya Scheme
•The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing a centrally-sponsored scheme “Mission Vatsalya” erstwhile Child Protection Services (CPS) scheme, since 2009-10 for the welfare and rehabilitation of children.
6) Government Emphasises On Whole Of The Government Approach To Boost Exports
•Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday, 5 August emphasised on ‘Whole of Govt’ approach to boost exports. Interacting with the Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) and representatives of Industry associations at New Delhi on Friday, Goyal reviewed the Export scenario of the country. He said that the ‘Whole of Govt’ approach to boost exports would require exporters, EPCs, govt agencies and Indian missions abroad to work together. He further stated that the ball is in our court and we have to be ready to take on global competition. He said that government is doing its best through various measures to support Indian exporters to compete globally.
7) UP Government appoints Deloitte India to make UP a $1 trillion economy
•The Government of Uttar Pradesh has decided to appoint Deloitte India as a consultant. The aim of this decision is that it will suggest plans for bringing the state’s economy to the USD 1 trillion mark. The UP government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Deloitte India on Friday. In the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the MoU was signed between the consultancy agency and the government of Uttar Pradesh.
•On 19 July 2022, the Government of Uttar Pradesh decided to appoint Deloitte India as the consultant for improving the Economy of the most populous state of India. Yogi Adityanath takes this decision aiming for the advantage and economic development of Uttar Pradesh. The project aims that Uttar Pradesh will become a benchmark for the policy of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ with a trillion-dollar economy. Deloitte will present a future action plan in 90 days and it will be presented to Yogi Adityanath. The action plan will be examined by a high-level committee which will be headed by the Chief Secretary.
8) UP Govt Plans to Double Farmers income under ‘Panchamrut Yojana’
•Uttar Pradesh government announced that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ‘Panchamrut Yojana’ will help to achieve the goal of doubling farmers’ income through the introduction of cost-effective technical measures and the promotion of the co-cropping method.
9) Spiritual leader Dalai Lama honoured with Ladakh’s highest civilian award
•Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama was honoured with the ‘dPal rNgam Duston’ award, the highest civilian honour of Ladakh. This award is given for his immense contribution to humanity, especially towards the union territory. The sixth award was conferred by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh which celebrated the ‘dPal rNgam Duston’ with great fervour on the occasion of its foundation day at Sindhu Ghat.
•The 87-year-old spiritual leader, who is on a visit to the union territory since July 15, appreciated the gesture and stressed maintaining communal harmony in the region. The ‘dPal rNgam Duston’ marks the celebration of the remarkable contribution and achievement of the heroes of Ladakh and seeks to instil a sense of pride in the younger generation.
10) CSIR appoints Nallathamby Kalaiselvi its first woman director general
•Senior electrochemical scientist, Nallathamby Kalaiselvi has become the first woman director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. Her appointment is for a period of two years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Kalaiselvi succeeds Shekhar Mande, who superannuated in April.
•Kalaiselvi has risen through the ranks in CSIR and had broken the proverbial glass ceiling by becoming the first woman scientist to head the Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI) in February 2019.
11) Indian-American Aarya Walvekar crowned Miss India USA 2022
•Indian American from Virginia, Aarya Walvekar has crowned Miss India USA in 2022 in New Jersey. Saumya Sharma, a second-year premedical student at the University of Virginia, was declared first runner up and Sanjana Chekuri of New Jersey was the second runner-up. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the pageant which is the longest-running Indian pageant outside of India. It was started by New York-based Indian- Americans Dharmatma and Neelam Saran under the banner of Worldwide Pageants.
12) Unity SFB named Inderjit Camotra as MD & CEO
•The Unity Small Finance Bank (SFB) Limited (Unity Bank) has appointed, Inderjit Camotra as the managing director and chief executive officer (MD & CEO) of the bank. A senior banker with over 25 years of experience across India, Camotra held various leadership positions at Standard Chartered Bank. In January 2022, the bank appointed Vinod Rai, the former CAG of India, as its Chairman.
•An IIT-Delhi graduate, Camotra pursued his MBA from Clarkson University in New York. Camotra was earlier an executive director with Centrum Financial Services Ltd, and has played a crucial role in the transitioning of the company into a bank.
13) SEBI constitutes a 15-member committee to Attract Foreign Investment
•The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has constituted a 15-member committee to increase foreign investment. The advisory committee constituted by SEBI is called the ‘FPI Advisory Committee’ or FAC to ease ways for foreign investors to invest in the Indian markets by reviewing the existing processes. SEBI decides to constitute this committee to simplify the investment processes in the capital markets of India and suggest new ways of increasing investments.
The HINDU Notes – 08th August 2022
aditya
16:16
📰 Tapping technology to check minor mineral plunder
India has grossly underestimated the issue of illegal mining, which damages the environment and causes revenue loss
•With the increase in the pace of development, the demand for minor minerals such as sand and gravel has crossed 60 million metric tons in India. This also makes it the second largest extractive industry on the planet, after water. However, while laws and monitoring have been made stringent for the mining of major minerals consequent to the unearthing of several related scams across the country, the fact is that rampant and illegal mining of minor minerals continues unabated. In many instances, one comes across gravel being removed from agricultural lands or fallow lands of the government near major highways or construction projects, as the contractor finds it easier and cheaper to do so even though the estimates for such work include the distance (called ‘lead’) to transport such gravel from authorised quarries.
Issue of regulation
•Unlike major minerals, the regulatory and administrative powers to frame rules, prescribe rates of royalty, mineral concessions, enforcement, etc. are entrusted exclusively to the State governments.
•The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notifications of 1994 and 2006 made environmental clearance compulsory for mining in areas more than or equal to five hectares. However, the Supreme Court of India after taking cognisance of a report by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Environmental Aspects of Quarrying of Minor Minerals (2010) directed all State governments to make the requisite changes in the regulatory framework of minor minerals, requiring environmental clearance for mining in areas less than five hectares. Consequently, the EIA was amended in 2016 which made environmental clearance mandatory for mining in areas less than five hectares, including minor minerals. The amendment also provided for the setting up of a District Environment Impact Assessment Authority (EIAA) and a District Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC).
•However, a State-wise review of EACs and EIAAs in key industrial States such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, shows that these authorities review over 50 project proposals in a day and the rejection rate at the State level has been a mere 1%. This raises a pertinent question on whether introducing clearances alone can help eliminate irregularities in the illegal mining of minor minerals? The situation now indicates that the problem is even more complex and widespread and that a robust technology-driven enforcement approach is required.
•The problem of illegal mining of minor minerals is often under-estimated, thus accentuating undesired environmental consequences. There have been numerous cases of the illegal mining of dolomite, marble and sand across States. For example, in Andhra Pradesh’s Konanki limestone quarries alone, 28.92 lakh metric tonnes of limestone have been illegally quarried. However, the relentless pace of sand mining poses grave concerns.
Observations by agencies
•The United Nations Environment Programme, in 2019, ranked India and China as the top two countries where illegal sand mining has led to sweeping environmental degradation. Despite this, there is no comprehensive assessment available to evaluate the scale of sand mining in India. Nevertheless, regional studies such as those by the Centre for Science and Environment of the Yamuna riverbed in Uttar Pradesh have observed that increasing demand for soil has severely affected soil formation and the soil holding ability of the land, leading to a loss in marine life, an increase in flood frequency, droughts, and also degradation of water quality. Such effects can also be seen in the beds of the Godavari, the Narmada and the Mahanadi basins. As has been pointed out in a study of the Narmada basin, sand mining has reduced the population of Mahseer fish from 76% between 1963 and 2015.
•It is not just damage to the environment. Illegal mining causes copious losses to the state exchequer. As per an estimate, U.P. is losing revenue from 70% of mining activities as only 30% area is legally mined. Similarly, the absence of royalty has caused a loss of ₹700 crore in Bihar while non-payment of various cesses due to unregulated mining has resulted in a loss of ₹100 crore to Karnataka and ₹600 crore to Madhya Pradesh in 2016-17.
Judicial orders, state response
•Judicial orders are often neglected by State governments. For instance, as in the report of the Oversight Committee by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Uttar Pradesh (where illegal sand mining has created a severe hazard) has either failed or only partially complied with orders issued regarding compensation for illegal sand mining. Such lax compliance can be seen in States such as West Bengal, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh too.
•A State-wide review of the reasons behind non-compliance suggests a malfunction of governance due to weak institutions, a scarcity of state resources to ensure enforcement, poorly drafted regulatory provisions, inadequate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and excessive litigation that dampens state administrative capacity.
•Protecting minor minerals requires investment in production and consumption measurement and also monitoring and planning tools. To this end, technology has to be used to provide a sustainable solution.
The power of technology
•Satellite imagery can be used to monitor the volume of extraction and also check the mining process. Even for past infractions, the NGT and administrative authorities can obtain satellite pictures for the past 10 to 15 years and uncontrovertibly show how small hillocks of earth, gravel or small stone dunes have disappeared in an area. Recently, the NGT directed some States to use satellite imagery to monitor the volume of sand extraction and transportation from the riverbeds. Well-planned execution of these directions increased revenue from minor minerals mining in all these States.
•Additionally, drones, the internet of things (IoT) and blockchain technology can be leveraged to monitor mechanisms by using Global Positioning System, radar and Radio Frequency (RF) Locator. State governments such as Gujarat and judicial directions such as the High Court of Madras have employed some of these technologies to check illegal sand mining.
📰 ‘Climate change fuelling rise in extreme weather events’
Sunday, August 07, 2022
Insights IAS Mains 2022 Exclusive Disaster Management PDF
aditya
07:13
Insights IAS Mains 2022 Exclusive Disaster Management PDF
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Vision IAS Environment Mains 365 English 2022 PDF
aditya
07:06
Vision IAS Environment Mains 365 English 2022 PDF
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Saturday, August 06, 2022
Daily Current Affairs, 06th August 2022
aditya
20:23
1) Hiroshima Day is observed globally on 6th August
•Hiroshima Day is observed on August 6 to commemorate the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945, at the end of World War II. The horrific incident took place on August 6, 1945, when the United States dropped an atomic bomb named “Little Boy”, on the town of Hiroshima in Japan. 2022 marks the 77th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing. The day, which is observed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Japan, highlights the effects of nuclear wars, pays respect to those who got killed, discourages nuclear proliferation and promotes world peace.
2) NASA made the first multispectral maps of Mars available
•The researchers from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) made the first multispectral maps of Mars’ surface public. The 5.6 GB, multicoloured map covers 86% of the area of the Red Planet. The American space agency will gradually distribute the whole map over the next six months.
3) China is conducting its largest-ever military drills around Taiwan
•After Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House, left the island, China began its largest-ever military drills encircling Taiwan. Beijing reacted angrily to her visit, threatening punishment and announcing military exercises in some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world: the seas surrounding Taiwan.
4) ISRO’s launched tiniest rocket to display the Tricolor in Space
•A tiny satellite launch vehicle will be sent from Sriharikota by the Indian Space Research Organization on 7th August 2022. It is a three-stage vehicle, and each step of propulsion uses solid fuel. The goal of the project is to place an Earth observation satellite called EOS-02 into low earth orbit along with a satellite called “Azaadi SAT.” The satellite will be launched from Sriharikota.
5) Sweden and Finland approved to join NATO by US Senate
•With 95 senators voting in favour of the measure, the US Senate decisively approved the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland. Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri cast the lone dissenting vote, contending that the threat posed by China should receive considerably more attention than European security. Finland and Sweden’s membership in NATO has the strong support of US President Joe Biden, who in July forwarded the issue to the Senate for consideration.
6) Indian Navy’s all-female crew completes first solo maritime mission
•Women officers in the Indian Navy made history when they flew a Dornier 228 on the first-ever all-female autonomous maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea. Five officers from the Indian Navy Air Squadron (INAS) 314 stationed at the Naval Air Enclave in Porbandar, Gujarat, completed the mission.
7) RBI Hikes Repo Rate By 140 Base Points In 3 Months
•The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on August 5, 2022, raised the repo rate by 50 basis points (bps) to 5.4 per cent, taking it above the pre-pandemic levels of 2020, as has been speculated in a while. This is the third time that the RBI has raised the repo rate in a span of few months, by a huge 140 bps in three months, to be precise. One bps equals 0.01 percentage point.
•“The most likely scenario is that the impact of the rate hike will be passed on by the banks to the deposit rates,” Shaktikanta Das, governor, RBI said. “Already the trend has started, quite a few banks have hiked their deposit rates and that trend will continue. When there is a credit offtake, obviously the banks can sustain and support that credit offtake only if they have higher deposits. They cannot be relying on central bank money on a perennial basis to support credit offtake.
8) 8th Day Commonwealth Games 2022: India Won 3 Gold, 1 Silver Medal And 2 Bronze
•On the 8th day of the Commonwealth Games 2022, India has shown tremendous performance with 3 golds, 1 silver, and 2 bronze in Wrestling in several categories. The following players created history on the 8th day of Commonwealth Games 2022.
The HINDU Notes – 06th August 2022
aditya
11:41
📰 Sticking to commitments
India must set an example by balancing energy use and climate goals
•Ahead of the 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27), in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in November, the Union Cabinet has approved India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), a formal statement detailing its action plan to address climate change. The 2015 Paris Agreement requires countries to spell out a pathway to ensure the globe does not heat beyond 2°C, and endeavour to keep it below 1.5°C by 2100. The subsequent COPs are a quibbling arena where countries coax, cajole and make compromises on the cuts they can undertake over multi-decadal timelines with the least impact on their developmental priorities. While the end product of the COP is a joint agreement, signed by all member countries, the real business begins after, where countries must submit NDCs every five years, mapping what will be done post 2020 to stem fossil-fuel emissions. India’s first NDC, in 2015, specified eight targets, the most salient of them being reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 33%-35% (of 2005 levels) by 2030, having 40% of its installed electricity capacity sourced from renewable energy, and creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through forest and tree cover by 2030. Being a large, populous country, India has high net emissions but low per-capita emissions. It has also, by participating in COPs for decades, made the case that the existing climate crisis is largely due to industrialisation by the U.S. and developed European countries since 1850. However, years of negotiations, international pressure and clearer evidence of the multi-dimensional impact from climate change have seen India agree to move away from fossil fuels over time.
•At COP 26 in Glasgow in 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out five commitments, or ‘Panchamrit’, as the Government references it, which included India increasing its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030 and achieving “Net Zero” by 2070, or no net carbon dioxide emitted from energy sources. However, the press statement on the Cabinet decision was silent on whether India would cut emissions by a billion tons and on creating carbon sinks. While India is within its right to specify its emissions pathway, it should not — at any forum — promise more than what it can deliver as this undermines the moral authority that India brings to future negotiations. India has expressed its intent, via several legislations, to use energy efficiently and many of its biggest corporations have committed to shifting away from polluting energy sources. Going ahead, these should be grounds for India, at its pace, to be an exemplar for balancing energy use, development and meeting climate goals.
📰 Privilege of MPs does not extend to criminal cases, says Venkaiah
Vision IAS Security Mains 365 Hindi 2022 PDF
aditya
11:32
Vision IAS Security Mains 365 Hindi 2022 PDF
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