POLITY AND GOVERNANCE                                                             

1. Inaugural Conclave on “National Capital Region -2041”                      

2. Anaemia among men a major public health problem                          

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS                                                          

1. Prime Minister to attend BRICS Summit                                            

2. India-ASEAN Business Summit                                                         

ECONOMY                                                                                             

1. 2017-18 ‘terrible’ choice for new GDP base year                                

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY                                                      

1. “Swachh – Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan”                                                       

2. Centre forms committee to draft new water policy                              

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

Inaugural Conclave on “National Capital Region -2041”

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE -  Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential

Context :

• Setting the goals of enhancing liveability, economic activity and sustainability of the National Capital Region, the process of preparing a 20-year plan — the NCR Regional Plan 2041 — by September 2021 has been kick-started by the government.

National Capital Region (NCR) :

• The population of the NCR, which comprises Delhi, 13 districts of Haryana, nine of Uttar Pradesh and two of Rajasthan, spread over 55,083 sq. km, was expected to increase from six crore now to 11 crores in 2041.

• Population, the NCR would have a population similar to some countries like France and Italy.

National Capital region Plan 2021:

• The NCR Regional Plan 2021, which was supposed to guide the development of the region from 2001 until 2021, was only notified in 2005.

• Apart from boosting employment overall, there was also a need to integrate rural and urban sections of the NCR.

• The concept of a natural conservation zone that was introduced in the 2021 plan for the first time needed to be made more effective.

National capital Region Planning  board :

• It was constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1985, as a statutory body under the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Govt. of India.

• The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) is tasked with the task of preparation of this regional plan.

  • It is tasked to evolve policies for the control of land-uses and development of infrastructure in the region so as to avoid any haphazard development.

  • The regional plan would have to be drafted keeping citizens at the center.

  •  Improving the ranking of NCR cities on the ease of living index, boosting economic activity and opportunity, and furthering sustainability, would be the focus of the planning process.

                                                                                                                       Source :- The Hindu

Anaemia among men a major public health problem

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

Context :

• According to a recent study aimed at determining the prevalence of anaemia among men in India, it has found that 23.5% of men had anaemia, ranging from mild to moderate to severe degrees.

Key Highlights :

• The study has found that nearly a quarter of Indian men(23.2% in a sample of 1 lakh men) in the age group 15-54 had some form of anaemia.

• The higher prevalence has been observed for younger age groups while the lowest prevalence has been observed for the age group of 50-54 years.

• Among the states,the highest prevalence of anaemia among men was in Bihar while the lowest prevalence was in Manipur.

• The study has also found that anaemia was more common among poorer and less educated individuals, people living in rural areas and in poorer districts for both men and women.

Conclusion :  

• The report has interpreted that, Anaemia among men in India is an important public health problem; and because of the similarities in the patterns of geographical and sociodemographic variation of anaemia between men and women, future efforts to reduce anaemia among men could target similar population groups as those targeted in existing efforts to reduce anaemia among women.

• Given the inexpensive treatment of many common forms of anaemia and the condition’s effect on economic productivity, policymakers in India must consider extending some components of the Anemia Mukt Bharat programme to men, especially in the states and districts in which we found a particularly high prevalence of anaemia in men.

                                                                                                                                                        Source :- The Hindu

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Prime Minister to attend BRICS Summit

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests

Context :

• The Prime Minister will attend the 11th BRICS Summit in Brasilia, Brazil in November 2019.

More in the news:

• A large business delegation from India is also expected to be present during the visit especially to attend the BRICS Business Forum where the business community of all five countries are represented.

• PM Modi is scheduled to hold separate bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping.

• A BRICS MoU between Trade and Investment Promotion agencies will be signed.           

                                                                                                                                 Source :- PIB

India-ASEAN Business Summit

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests

Context :

• Union Minister addressed the inaugural session of the India-ASEAN Business Summit.

Background :

• The minister mentioned in his speech the Bamboo Industrial Park coming up at Dima Hasao district in Assam.

  • This is India’s first Bamboo Industrial Park.

  • The project is expected to be completed by March 2021.

India-ASEAN Business Summit:

• The theme for the Summit is ‘Today, Tomorrow, Together’.

• It is being organised to strengthen trade and investment flows with ASEAN

• The objective of the conference is to enhance the trade trajectory between India and ASEAN nations to new highs.

• Senior government officials from India and the ASEAN nations are interacting with the business community of India and ASEAN for the promotion of bilateral trade and investments.

• Sessions being held are focussed on sectors such as infrastructure, tourism, e-commerce, IT/ITES, fintech, education, skill development, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, food processing and agriculture.

• There will also be a special session on Focus Vietnam – Growing Trade & Commerce between India & Vietnam.

• More than 60 delegates from 10 ASEAN countries and more than 200 delegates from India are participating in the summit.

                                                                                                                                                                   Source :- PIB

ECONOMY

2017-18 ‘terrible’ choice for new GDP base year

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

Context :

• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) is considering changing of base year for GDP calculation from 2011-12 to 2017-18.

Need for Change :

• Accuracy: Change of base year to calculate GDP is done in line with the global exercise to capture economic information accurately.

• Globally Aligned: GDP based on 2011-12 did not reflect the current economic situation correctly. The new series will be in compliance with the United Nations guidelines in System of National Accounts-2008.
   

  • Ideally, the base year should be changed after every five years to capture the changing economy.

Base Year :

• The base year of the national accounts is chosen to enable inter-year comparisons. It gives an idea about changes in purchasing power and allows calculation of inflation-adjusted growth estimates.

• The last series has changed the base to 2011-12 from 2004-05.

                                                                                                           Source :- The Economic Times

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

“Swachh – Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan”

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

Context :

• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) are undertaking a mass cleanliness-cum-awareness drive in 50 identified beaches under the “Swachh – Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan”.

Swachh – Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan:

• The programme was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to strive to make Indian beaches clean and create awareness amongst citizens about the importance of coastal ecosystems.

• The identified beaches are in 10 coastal States/Union Territories (UTs) namely Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.

• The beaches have been identified after consultation with the states/UTs.

• The cleaning drives in all beaches are being undertaken, involving school/college students of eco-clubs, district administration, institutions, volunteers, local communities and other stakeholders. State Nodal Agencies for the eco-clubs will be facilitating the week-long intensive cleanliness drive in all 10 States/UTs.

• Environment Education Division of the Ministry of Environment and Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment will be responsible for the overall coordination for the drive.

• On completion of the drive, the best three beaches will be suitably awarded.

                                                                                                                                                                  Source :- PIB

Centre forms committee to draft new water policy

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

Context :

• The Jal Shakti Ministry has finalised a committee to draft a new National Water Policy (NWP).

About the committee :

• It will be chaired by Mihir Shah, who is a former Planning Commission member and a water expert.

• The committee has 10 principal members, including Shashi Shekhar, a former secretary of Water Resources, and A.B. Pandya, former chairman of the Central Ground Water Board.

• The committee is expected to produce a report within six months.

National Water Policy 2012

• It put emphasis on the need for a national water framework law, comprehensive legislation for optimum development of inter-State rivers and river valleys, amendment of Irrigation Acts, Indian Easements Act, 1882, etc.

• It recommended setting up of Water Regulatory Authority.

• It put forward the concept of an Integrated Water Resources Management approach that took the “river basin/ sub-basin” as a unit for planning, development and management of water resources.

• It also proposed that a portion of river flows ought to be kept aside to meet ecological needs.

• It also stressed for a minimum quantity of potable water for essential health and hygiene to all its citizens to be made available within easy reach of households.

                                                                                                          Source :- The Hindu

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