Entire Aravalli area is devastated, rues SC

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

Context:

     ★ In a stinging attack on the Rajasthan government, the Supreme Court has said the State authorities are hand in glove with illegal miners who operate in the fast-depleting Aravalli region.

     ★ A Bench led by Justice Arun Mishra was annoyed when the State’s counsel submitted that the ground-truthing exercise to ascertain the area where illegal mining had allegedly been conducted remained incomplete due to the recently held Assembly elections and the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Aravali Range:

     ★ It is a range of mountains running in North West direction between Delhi and Palanpur in Gujarat.

     ★ It constitutes a vital corridor between Asola Bhatti Sanctuary in Delhi and Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.

     ★ The 700km long range and its thick forest cover protects National Captial Region and fertile plains of India from effects of Desert.

     ★ Aravallis are the oldest mountain range in India and one of the oldest mountain systems of world.

     ★ The mountain range is spread towards northeast across the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. These are fold mountains of which rocks are formed primarily of folded crust when two convergent plates move towards each other.

     ★ The process is called orogency or orogenic movement –an event that takes millions of years to create a mountain range as the tectonic plates move only few centimetres every year. In earlier decades, Aravalli hills region had a thick forest cover which used to act as a green barrier and acted as an effective shied agains desertification.

     ★ Today, the forests in the Aravalli hills no longer effectively act as a green barrier. The forests of Aravallis range are now the most degraded forests in India; most of the indigenous plant species have disappeared.

     ★ Loss of vegetative cover will lead to the natural drifting of Thar Desert towards the northwest.

     ★ Increased desertification of the National Capital Region (NCR) and its adjoining areas can lead to more environmental hazards. These include more dust in the air, greater unpredictability of climate, meagre recharging of groundwater, and drying up of several natural water bodies.

                                                                                 Source:- The Hindu

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Emission levels rising faster in Indian cities than in China

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

Context:

     ★ Urbanisation is accelerating greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles in India at a faster than in China – said the study, to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Research Letters.

Highlights of the Study:

     ★ Due to rapid urbanization, the greenhouse gas emission from vehicle is rising in India which is contrast with other developed nation where urbanization has led to reduction in greenhouse emission.

     ★ Urbanization meant shorter distances between the workplace and home and thereby, a preference for public transport however this concept is not applied for developing countries.

     ★ In China a 1% increase in urbanization was linked with a 0.12% increase in CO2 emissions whereas, in India, it translated into 0.24% increase in emissions.

     ★ In spite of being the 4th largest emitter, India’s per capita emissions are much lower than the world average of 4.2 tonnes.

     ★ But those emissions have been growing steadily, with an average growth rate over the past decade of 6%.

     ★ According to the report fuel price hikes aren’t always a solution to curb emissions because with a Rs1 increase in diesel price, commuting emissions decreased by 11% in some districts whereas it only fell by about 3% in low-income districts.

     ★ Higher socio-economic status and heavy reliance on private travel modes led to higher commuting emissions in Delhi than in other megacities.

                                                                                                                  Source:- The Hindu

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Fundraiser to secure 96 elephant corridors

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

Context:

     ★ The Asian Elephant Alliance, an umbrella initiative by five NGOs, has come together to secure 96 out of the 101 existing corridors used by elephants across 12 States in India.

More about the Key Initiatives:

     ★ The joint venture aims to secure the 96 remaining elephant corridors, old and new, in the next ten years.

     ★ The alliance joined hands to raise the mammoth sum as money was the main constraint in securing the land.

     ★ NGOs Elephant Family, International Fund for Animal Welfare, IUCN Netherlands and World Land Trust have teamed up with Wildlife Trust of India’s (WTI) in the alliance.

         

Elephant corridor:      ★ Elephant corridors are narrow strips of land that connect two large habitats of elephants.      ★ Elephant corridors are crucial to reduce animal fatalities due to accidents and other reasons. So fragmentation of forests makes it all the more important to preserve migratory corridors.      ★ Ending human interference in the pathways of elephants is more a conservation imperative.      ★ Nearly 40% of elephant reserves are vulnerable, as they are not within protected parks and sanctuaries. Also, the migration corridors have no specific legal protection.      ★ Forests that have turned into farms and unchecked tourism are blocking animals’ paths. Animals are thus forced to seek alternative routes resulting in increased elephant-human conflict.      ★ Weak regulation of ecotourism is severely impacting important habitats. It particularly affects animals that have large home ranges, like elephants.      ★ Efforts should be to expand elephant corridors, using the successful models within the country. This includes acquisition of lands using private funds and their transfer to the government.

 

                                                                                                     Source:- The Hindu

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67% cancer patients in SE Asia die before 70: WHO

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

Context:

     ★ The World Cancer Day 2019 was observed across the world on February 4, 2019 with an aim to unite the world’s population in the fight against cancer.

     ★ The Report released by the WHO Southeast Asia on World Cancer Day, Says that 67% of the region’s cancer patients died before the age of 70.

WHO Southeast Asia Report:

     ★ In 2018, 18.1 million new cases of cancer developed worldwide; 9.6 million people died from the disease; 70% of the deaths occurred in low and middle-income countries, including those of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Southeast Asia region.

     ★ According to figures for India released by the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), one woman dies of cervical cancer every eight minutes in India; for every two women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, one woman dies of it in India; as many as 2,500 persons die every day due to tobacco-related diseases; and tobacco (smoked and smokeless) use accounted for 3,17,928 deaths in men and women in 2018.

     ★ The release issued by the WHO noted that the theme of this year’s World Cancer Day — ‘I am and I will’ — emphasises that each of us can be a changemaker.

                                                                                                                                  Source:- The Hindu

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SC upholds government’s Haj policy

GS PAPER  - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context:

     ★ The Supreme Court has upheld the Haj Policy 2019-23, which categorises the Haj Group Organisers (HGOs) on the parameters of their experience and financial strength.

     ★ The court found “nothing arbitrary or unreasonable” in such a classification by the government.

More about the news:

     ★ In a judgment, a Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and S. Abdul Nazeer also drew a line on their power of judicial scrutiny of government policy decisions.

     ★ “It is settled law that policy decisions of the Executive are best left to it and a court cannot be propelled into the unchartered ocean of government policy,” Justice Sikri, who authored the verdict, said. Justice Sikri wrote that “public authorities must have liberty and freedom in framing the policies.”

     ★ The 22-page judgment said the policy was finally drawn on the basis of feedback received from more than 180 individual private tour operators (PTO) and associations, including the Indian Federation Haj PTOs of India and jointly by other PTO associations.

     ★ The court said the government had paid equal attention to both experience and financial prowess of the HGOs while classifying them into various categories.

         

Hai Pilgrimage:      ★ Ministry of Minority Affairs is the nodal ministry to conduct Haj pilgrimage in India. Haj pilgrimage for the Indian Pilgrims is conducted either through Haj Committee of India (HCoI), which is a statutory organization under the administrative control of Ministry of Minority Affairs or through the Private Tour Operators (PTOs).      ★ The quota of pilgrims is divided between Haj Committee of India (HCOI) and Private Tour Operators (PTOs).      ★ Till the year 2012, the PTO Policy was formulated annually. However, in the year 2013, a five year PTO Policy for Haj 2013-17 was approved by Hon`ble Supreme Court of India. This Policy remained valid till Haj 2017.      ★ Based on the recommendations of Haj Policy Committee and the evidence based study conducted by IIT Delhi, Ministry framed the PTO Policies for Haj 2018 and subsequently for the next five years i.e. Haj 2019-23.

 

                                                                                                                                  Source:- The Hindu

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11 EU nations back Guaido as President

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

Context:

     ★ Eleven European nations joined the U.S. in recognising opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim President, heightening a global showdown over Nicolas Maduro’s socialist rule.

     ★ The EU members’ coordinated move followed the expiry of an ultimatum for Mr. Maduro to call a new election and aligned them with Washington against Russia and China.

    

Whats happening in Venezuela?

     ★ Venezuela has for several years faced a devastating economic collapse that has created a humanitarian crisis and caused millions to flee the country. Maduro, a socialist dictator, has overseen much of that collapse. He was reelected last May, but many citizens and international observers claim the process was rigged and that his presidency is a sham.

     ★ Juan Guaidó claims that Maduro’s rule is thus illegitimate. He says that according to the country’s constitution, he, as the head of the National Assembly (the country’s legislative body), is now the rightful, albeit temporary, president of the country — not Maduro. He doesn’t plan to hold on to the presidency indefinitely, he says, and will call for new elections in the future.

     ★ President Donald Trump, along with a number of other world leaders, has now officially recognized Guaidó as the country’s legitimate ruler — and Maduro has retaliated by severing diplomatic ties with the US. Experts caution that the situation could escalate into a dangerous political showdown.

     ★ The Socialist government responded by warning that the top military leadership would come out “in support of the constitutional President”, Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said. He added the military would show “backing for the sovereignty” of Venezuela.

                                                                                                   Source:- The Hindu

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Centre may relax angel tax norms for start-ups, sets up panel

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Context:

     ★ The government decided to set up a five-member working committee to look into the angel tax issue and come up with guidelines in one week.

     ★ It also agreed to implement some key changes requested by start-ups regarding the issue.

Angel Tax:

     ★ Angel Tax is a 30% tax that is levied on the funding received by startups from an external investor. However, this 30% tax is levied when startups receive angel funding at a valuation higher than its ‘fair market value’. It is counted as income to the company and is taxed.

     ★ The tax, under section 56(2)(viib), was introduced by in 2012 to fight money laundering. The stated rationale was that bribes and commissions could be disguised as angel investments to escape taxes. But given the possibility of this section being used to harass genuine startups, it was rarely invoked.

Problems in Angel Tax:

     ★ There is no definitive or objective way to measure the ‘fair market value’ of a startup.

     ★ Investors pay a premium for the idea and the business potential at the angel funding stage.

     ★ However, tax officials seem to be assessing the value of the startups based on their net asset value at one point.

     ★ Several startups say that they find it difficult to justify the higher valuation to tax officials.

     ★ In a notification in May, 2018, the CBDT had exempted angel investors from the Angel Tax clause subject to fulfillment of certain terms and conditions, as specified by the DIPP (now DPIIT).

Proposed reform:

     ★ Earlier, start-ups whose aggregate amount of paid-up share capital and share premium after the proposed issue of share does not exceed ₹10 crore are eligible for exemption from the tax.

     ★ Officials representing the government agreed to raise this limit to Rs 25 crore.

      ★ They also agreed to amend the definition of a start-up to include companies that have been in operation for up to 10 years rather than the previous limit of seven years.

     ★ The notification had said that the angel investor should have filed IT returns of at least Rs  50 lakh for the year preceding the year in which the investment was made and have a net worth of Rs 2 crore.

      ★ This would be modified to be Rs 25 lakh and RS 1 crore, respectively.

Possibility of Scrapping Angel Tax:

     ★ The angel tax could not be scrapped as money laundering is a major problem.

     ★ There was a network of 200 shell companies and they have been under control since 2012, so it cannot be scrapped.

     ★ However, concessions are under consideration with the size of the start-up, the duration of its operation, and the income of the angel investor.

                                                                                                                       Source:- The Hindu

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Digitalisation of Schools across the Country

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Context:

     ★ The Central Government has launched an Integrated Scheme for school education- Samagra Shiksha

     ★ The scheme will subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education, from the year 2018-19.

     ★ Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, Information & Communication Technology (ICT) component envisages covering all Government and Government Aided schools from classes VI to XII.

Various initiatives for providing education through digital means:

     ★ ICT in Education Curriculum for School System – ICT curriculum for teachers and students has been developed by NCERT.

     ★ e-pathshala – e-pathshala has been developed by NCERT (National Council for Educational Research and Training) for showcasing and disseminating all educational e-resources including textbooks, audio, video, periodicals and a variety of other print and non-print materials.

     ★ National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER) – is an initiative to bring together all digital and digitisable resources across all stages of school education and teacher education.

     ★ SWAYAM:- The ‘Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds’ (SWAYAM) is an integrated platform for online courses, using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and covering school (9th to 12th) to Post Graduate Level. 

     ★ It offers online courses for students, teachers and teacher educators. It may be accessed on swayam.gov.in.

     ★ SWAYAM PRABHA:- A programme for utilization of satellite communication technologies for transmission of educational e-contents through 32 National Channels i.e. SWAYAM  PRABHA DTH-TV has been launched.

     ★ CBSE initiatives:-  SARANSH is a tool for comprehensive self-review and analysis for CBSE affiliated schools and parents.

     ★ It enables them to analyse students’ performance in order to take remedial measures.

     ★ SARANSH brings schools, teachers and parents closer, so that they can monitor the progress of students and help them improve their performance. It helps schools to compare their performance vis-à-vis all CBSE schools at various levels and also helps parents to compare their ward’s performance within school State, Region and National level. It is currently available for Standards IX – XII.

     ★ KVS initiatives:- ICT Skills are imparted in all the Kendriya Vidyalayas to the students of classes III to XII. Through e-Classrooms, Digital Language Labs and Computer labs further, a pilot project e-Prajna has been started for providing tablets pre-loaded with e-content in Maths and Science.

     ★ Operation Digital Board:- An initiative has been taken by Government of India to provide interactive digital boards to nearly 15 lakh classrooms across the country for 9th standard to post graduate level, where they can receive lectures from best teachers/professors and access quality e-content, in order to enhance overall learning process and experience of the students.

                                                                                            Source:- PIB

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12th Regional Standards Conclave Held in Odisha

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

Context:

     ★ 12th Regional Standards Conclave in Odisha was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, Government of India the MSME Department of the Government of Odisha, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), National Accreditation Board of Certification Bodies (NABCB), the Export Inspection Council (EIC), and Centre for Research in International Trade (CRIT).

BIS:

     ★ BIS has its Headquarters at New Delhi and its 05 Regional Offices (ROs) are at Kolkata (Eastern), Chennai (Southern), Mumbai (Western), Chandigarh (Northern) and Delhi (Central).

     ★ BIS is the National Standard Body of India established under the BIS Act 2016 for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

     ★ BIS has been providing traceability and tangibility benefits to the national economy in a number of ways – providing safe reliable quality goods; minimizing health hazards to consumers; promoting exports and imports substitute; control over proliferation of varieties etc. through standardization, certification and testing.

National Accreditation Board For Certification Bodies (NABCB):

     ★ NABCB a constituent Board of the Quality Council of India (QCI), is the national accreditation body, which provides accreditation to Certification as well as Inspection Bodies in accordance with ISO Standards, international requirements/ guidelines and NABCB Accreditation Criteria.

     ★ The National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies provides accreditation to Certification and Inspection Bodies based on assessment of their competence as per the Board’s criteria and in accordance with International Standards and Guidelines.

     ★ It is the third accreditation body in the Asia-Pacific region (other two being the accreditation bodies of Hong Kong and Mexico)

The Export Inspection Council (EIC):

     ★ EIC was set up by the Government of India under Section 3 of the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963 (22 of 1963), in order to ensure sound development of export trade of India through Quality Control and Inspection and for matters connected thereof.

     ★ EIC is an advisory body to the Central Government

It empowers to :

     ★ Notify commodities which will be subject to quality control and/ or inspection prior to export,

     ★ Establish standards of quality for such notified commodities, and

     ★ Specify the type of quality control and/or inspection to be applied to such commodities.

                                                                                                                    Source:- PIB

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A third of Hindu Kush Himalaya glaciers will melt by 2100

GS PAPER - 01 GEOGRAPHY - Changes in critical geographical features including water-bodies & ice-caps

Context:

     ★ Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) ranges will melt by 2100 due to climate change, a new report has claimed.

Hindu Kush Himalaya assessment:

     ★ The ‘Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment’ is released by the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

     ★ It provides insights into changes affecting one of the greatest mountain systems in the world.

     ★ At least a third of the ice in the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush will melt down this century as temperatures rise, disrupting river flows vital for growing crops from China to India.

     ★ And even if the “most ambitious” Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5° C is achieved, one-third of the glaciers would go, says the report.

What happens if climate efforts fail?

     ★ If global climate efforts fail, the study warns that current emissions would lead to five degrees rise in temperatures and a loss of two-thirds of the region's glaciers by 2100.

     ★ Global warming is on track to transform the frigid, glacier-covered mountain peaks of the region, cutting across eight countries, to bare rocks in a little less than a century.

     ★ The study issued on Monday said that rising temperatures are a serious threat to the eight countries - India, China, Myanmar, Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan - in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.

Hindu Kush Himalaya Ranges:

          

     ★ The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is spread over 3,500 kilometres area across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

     ★ The glaciers feed 10 of the world's most important river systems, including the Ganges, Indus, Yellow, Mekong and Irrawaddy, and directly or indirectly supply billions of people with food, energy, clean air and income.

     ★ Though the mountainous region was formed around 70 million years ago, its glaciers are extremely sensitive to the changing climate.

                                                                                                                            Source:- Indian Express

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National Testing Agency Launched Mobile App

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

Context:

     ★ The National Testing Agency (NTA) has launched a mobile application through which students can practice or take mock tests on their smartphones.

Computer Based tests:

     ★ In order to ensure that no student is disadvantaged due to lack of resources, NTA has established a network of more than 4000 Test Practice Centres (TPCs) to acquaint the aspirants, especially those from rural areas with Computer Based Tests (CBTs).

     ★ Students across the country can register themselves online at NTA Website or ‘NTA Students App’ for visiting the TPCs.

     ★ All these services are provided to the students free of cost.  So far, more than one lakh students have registered at these TPCs and more than one crore students have benefited from these ‘App & Web’ services.  

                                                                                                                        Source:- PIB

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Survey finds 11,000 children between 6 and 14 aren’t in school

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

Context:

     ★ Survey under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has identified 11,306 out-of-school children between the ages of 6 and 14 in the capital.

Key findings:

     ★ According to the latest U-DISE statistics from 2016-17, the number of children enrolled in school education in Delhi between classes I and VIII was 26,19,409.

     ★ Total number of out-of-school children in the age category 6-10 is 8,404, and in the category 11-14 is 2,902.

     ★ The number of boys identified as being out of school is higher than girls.

     ★ The district-wise break-up shows that the highest number of out-of-school children (1,981) were in Northwest. This covers areas such as Jahangirpuri, Bhalswa, Azadpur, Narela, Bawana and Holambi Kalan.

     ★ Districts with high numbers have a sizeable number of resettlement colonies, and a large population pressure on a limited number of schools.

Steps taken:

    ★ Arrangement for special Training Centres to provide bridge courses.

     ★ Aadhaar based enrolment is being carried out for identified children to better monitoring.

           

Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan:      ★ The Union Budget, 2018-19, has proposed to treat school education holistically without segmentation from pre-nursery to Class 12 under the scheme.      ★ The Scheme will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme by the Department through a single State Implementation Society (SIS) at the State/UT leve      ★ It subsumes the three Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). Objective:      ★ The major objectives of the Scheme are provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students;     ★ Bridging Social and Gender Gaps in School Education;      ★ Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education; Ensuring minimum standards in schooling provisions; Promoting Vocationalisation of education;     ★ Support States in implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009; and     ★ Strengthening and up-gradation of SCERTs/State Institutes of Education and DIET as a nodal agencies for teacher training.

 

                                                                                         Source:- Indian express

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