41% reduction in stubble burning incidents in 2018 over 2016

GS PAPER - 03 ENVIRONMENT - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Context :

Highlighting the considerable reduction in crop residue burning incidents in 2018, through the various efforts under the Central Sector Scheme on ‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the State of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh & NCT of Delhi’ the paddy residue burning events have reduced by 15% and 41% in 2018 as compared to that in 2017 and 2016.

Stubble Burning :

Stubble burning is a common practice followed by farmers to prepare fields for sowing of wheat in November as there is little time left between the harvesting of paddy and sowing of wheat.
Open burning of husk produces harmful smoke that causes pollution. Open burning of husk is of incomplete combustion in nature. Hence large amount of toxic pollutants are emitted in the atmosphere. Pollutants contain harmful gases like Methane, Carbon Monoxide (CO), Volatile organic compound (VOC) and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Why do farmers opt for stubble burning :

Cost Factor: The straw management equipment is costly and process is time consuming. Also, the cost of stubble management is not taken into account while determining the minimum support price (MSP).
Increasing mechanization of agriculture: Stubble problem was not as severe when paddy was harvested manually because the farmers use to cut it as close to the ground as possible. Due to mechanization the crop residue that remains in the field is of larger quantity;
Labour costs are very high now
Time Factor: Delay in sowing means yield decline, this leaves very little time to clear the farm for sowing.

Advantages of Stubble burning :

It quickly clears the field and is the cheapest alternative.
Kills weeds, including those resistant to herbicide.
Kills slugs and other pests.
Can reduce nitrogen tie-up.

Issues :

Stubble burning is adversely affecting the environment and public health. The problem has not been fully tackled and the adverse impacts on the air quality and consequent impacts on the citizens’ health and lives are undisputed.

Source :- PIB

one-time partial credit guarantee to PSBs

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - mobilization of resources

Context :

In pursuance of the announcement made in the Union Budget 2019-20, the Government has issued a scheme regarding partial credit guarantee.

Partial credit guarantee scheme :

The Scheme would enable the public sector banks (PSBs) to purchase pooled assets of financially sound NBFCs.

Objective :

To address temporary asset liability mismatches of otherwise solvent NBFCs/HFCs without having to resort to distress sale of their assets for meeting their commitments.

Validity :

The window for one-time partial credit guarantee offered by GoI will open from the date of issuance of the Scheme by the Government for a period of six months, or till such date by which Rupees One lakh crore assets get purchased by banks, whichever is earlier.

Significance :

The stress on NBFCs and HFCs is seen as a key reason for a slowdown in the economy, as it has caused reduced credit flow to small businesses and consumers.
The step would provide liquidity to NBFCs and enable them to continue to play their role in meeting the financing requirements of productive sectors of economy.

Source :- PIB

Operation Number Plate

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

Context :

Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Indian Railways launched a Special Drive with a Code Name – Operation “Number Plate”

Operation number Plate :

To identify and verify all vehicles parked in Railway premises, circulating area, parking lots and even in the ‘No Parking’ areas for longer duration.

Source :- PIB

57.3% allopathic practitioners are not qualified: Health Ministry

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context :

According to Union Health Ministry’s data, 57.3% of personnel currently practising allopathic medicine do not have a medical qualification.

Concern :

The data throws light upon the risks rural patients would be exposed to; those who suffer because of an urban to rural doctor density ratio of 3.8:1, and India’s poor doctor-population ratio of 1:1456 as compared with the World Health Organisation standards of 1:1000.
There is a huge skew in the distribution of doctors working in the urban and rural areas.
Consequently, most of our rural and poor population is denied good quality care, leaving them in the clutches of quacks.
Besides, there are also 7.63 lakh Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy (AUH) doctors in the country.
Assuming 80% availability, it is estimated that around 6.1 lakh AUH doctors may be actually available for service, and considered together with allopathic doctors, there is a doctor-population ratio of 1:884, which is still low.

Source :- The Hindu

RBI issues final norms for sandbox model

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has issued the final framework for regulatory sandbox in order to enable innovations in the financial technology space.

Regulatory sandbox model :

Regulatory sandbox(RS) is an infrastructure that helps financial technology (FinTech) players live test their products or solutions before getting the necessary regulatory approvals for a mass launch which saves start-up time and cost.
RBI said the objective of the sandbox was to foster responsible innovation in financial services, promote efficiency and bring benefit to consumers.
The proposed FinTech solution highlights an existing gap in the financial ecosystem and the proposal would demonstrate how it would address the problem.

Criteria :

The requirements that should mandatorily be complied by the regulatory applicants are
- customer privacy and data protection,
- secure storage of and access to payment data of stakeholders,
- security of transactions
- KYC requirements and
- statutory restrictions.
RBI said that the entity should have a minimum net worth of Rs 25 lakh as per its latest audited balance sheet.
The promoters/ directors of the entity should be fit and proper and the conduct of the bank accounts of the entity as well its promoters/directors should be satisfactory.
While money transfer services, digital know-your customer, financial inclusion and cyber security products are included, crypto currency, credit registry and credit information have been left out.

Source :- The Hindu

CJI Ranjan gogoi advocates more autonomy to CBI

GS PAPER - 02 POLITY - Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

Chief Justice of India(CJI) has suggested a comprehensive legislation to give Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) a statutory status equivalent to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

Concern :

Chief Justice Gogoi lists various key concerns with the CBI such as :
- legal ambiguity
- weak human resource
- lack of adequate investment
- accountability and
- political and administrative interference.

Central Bureau of Investigation :

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of India.
It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
The agency has been known to investigate several economic crimes, special crimes, cases of corruption and other high-profile cases.
Its job is to ensure a fair and an impartial probe.

Source :- Indian Express

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14th AUGUST 2019 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

41% reduction in stubble burning incidents in 2018 over 2016

one-time partial credit guarantee to PSBs

Operation Number Plate

57.3% allopathic practitioners are not qualified: Health Ministry

RBI issues final norms for sandbox model

CJI Ranjan gogoi advocates more autonomy to CBI

41% reduction in stubble burning incidents in 2018 over 2016

GS PAPER - 03 ENVIRONMENT - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Context :

More in the news :

More than 4500 villages in Punjab and Haryana was declared as Zero Stubble Burning Villages during 2018 as not a single crop burning incident was reported from these villages during the year.

Stubble Burning :

Stubble burning is a common practice followed by farmers to prepare fields for sowing of wheat in November as there is little time left between the harvesting of paddy and sowing of wheat.

Why do farmers opt for stubble burning :

Cost Factor: The straw management equipment is costly and process is time consuming. Also, the cost of stubble management is not taken into account while determining the minimum support price (MSP).

Increasing mechanization of agriculture: Stubble problem was not as severe when paddy was harvested manually because the farmers use to cut it as close to the ground as possible. Due to mechanization the crop residue that remains in the field is of larger quantity;

Labour costs are very high now

Time Factor: Delay in sowing means yield decline, this leaves very little time to clear the farm for sowing.

Advantages of Stubble burning :

It quickly clears the field and is the cheapest alternative.

Kills weeds, including those resistant to herbicide.

Kills slugs and other pests.

Can reduce nitrogen tie-up.

Issues :

Stubble burning is adversely affecting the environment and public health. The problem has not been fully tackled and the adverse impacts on the air quality and consequent impacts on the citizens’ health and lives are undisputed.

Source :- PIB

one-time partial credit guarantee to PSBs

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - mobilization of resources

Context :

In pursuance of the announcement made in the Union Budget 2019-20, the Government has issued a scheme regarding partial credit guarantee.

Partial credit guarantee scheme :

The Scheme would enable the public sector banks (PSBs) to purchase pooled assets of financially sound NBFCs.

Objective :

To address temporary asset liability mismatches of otherwise solvent NBFCs/HFCs without having to resort to distress sale of their assets for meeting their commitments.

Validity :

The window for one-time partial credit guarantee offered by GoI will open from the date of issuance of the Scheme by the Government for a period of six months, or till such date by which Rupees One lakh crore assets get purchased by banks, whichever is earlier.

Significance :

The stress on NBFCs and HFCs is seen as a key reason for a slowdown in the economy, as it has caused reduced credit flow to small businesses and consumers.

The step would provide liquidity to NBFCs and enable them to continue to play their role in meeting the financing requirements of productive sectors of economy.

Source :- PIB

Operation Number Plate

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

Context :

Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Indian Railways launched a Special Drive with a Code Name – Operation “Number Plate”

Operation number Plate :

To identify and verify all vehicles parked in Railway premises, circulating area, parking lots and even in the ‘No Parking’ areas for longer duration.

Source :- PIB

57.3% allopathic practitioners are not qualified: Health Ministry

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context :

According to Union Health Ministry’s data, 57.3% of personnel currently practising allopathic medicine do not have a medical qualification.

More in the news:

Section 15 of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 prohibits a person other than a medical practitioner enrolled on a State Medical Register to practice medicine in the State.

Any person acting in contravention is punishable with imprisonment and fine.

Since health is a State subject, the primary responsibility to deal with such cases lies with the respective State governments.

Concern :

The data throws light upon the risks rural patients would be exposed to; those who suffer because of an urban to rural doctor density ratio of 3.8:1, and India’s poor doctor-population ratio of 1:1456 as compared with the World Health Organisation standards of 1:1000.

There is a huge skew in the distribution of doctors working in the urban and rural areas.

Consequently, most of our rural and poor population is denied good quality care, leaving them in the clutches of quacks.

Besides, there are also 7.63 lakh Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy (AUH) doctors in the country.

Assuming 80% availability, it is estimated that around 6.1 lakh AUH doctors may be actually available for service, and considered together with allopathic doctors, there is a doctor-population ratio of 1:884, which is still low.

Source :- The Hindu

RBI issues final norms for sandbox model

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has issued the final framework for regulatory sandbox in order to enable innovations in the financial technology space.

Regulatory sandbox model :

Regulatory sandbox(RS) is an infrastructure that helps financial technology (FinTech) players live test their products or solutions before getting the necessary regulatory approvals for a mass launch which saves start-up time and cost.

RBI said the objective of the sandbox was to foster responsible innovation in financial services, promote efficiency and bring benefit to consumers.

The proposed FinTech solution highlights an existing gap in the financial ecosystem and the proposal would demonstrate how it would address the problem.

Criteria :

The requirements that should mandatorily be complied by the regulatory applicants are

customer privacy and data protection,

secure storage of and access to payment data of stakeholders,

security of transactions

KYC requirements and

statutory restrictions.

RBI said that the entity should have a minimum net worth of Rs 25 lakh as per its latest audited balance sheet.

The promoters/ directors of the entity should be fit and proper and the conduct of the bank accounts of the entity as well its promoters/directors should be satisfactory.

14^th AUGUST 2019 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS