IASbaba Press Information Bureau 14^th May to 20^th May 2017

ARCHIVES

GS-1

Namami Narmade – Narmada Sewa Yatra

(Topic: Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent))

What: it is a yatra which was organised from December 11, 2016 to May 15, 2017 in Madhya Pradesh along the banks of Narmada river.

Objective

• To increase awareness about the need for conservation of river Narmada and sustainable use of its resources.
• Plantation at the banks of river Narmada for protection of riparian zone and reduction in soil erosion.
• To suggest remedial action in the field of river conservation and promotion of eco friendly agricultural practices.
• To identify various sources of river pollution and to resolve the same through public awareness and participation.

Activities

• Involves organizing public meetings, seminars, plantation drives etc and focus on increasing awareness on sanitation, promotion of organic farming, reduction in pollution and conservation of the riparian zone of Narmada.

Narmada

• Narmada is the largest river of Madhya Pradesh State.
• It originates from Amarkantak
• Narmada flows from east to west and merges with the Arabian Sea near Surat city in Gujarat.

GS-2

Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting by India

(Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests)

What: The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting.

Why needed: The Convention is an outcome of the OECD / G20 BEPS Project to tackle base erosion and profit shifting through tax planning strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations where there is little or no economic activity, resulting in little or no overall corporate tax being paid.

Background

• India was part of the Ad Hoc Group of more than 100 countries and jurisdictions from G20, OECD, BEPS associates and other interested countries, which worked on an equal footing on the finalization of the text of the Multilateral Convention.
• The Convention implements two minimum standards relating to prevention of treaty abuse and dispute resolution through Mutual Agreement Procedure.
• The Convention will not function in the same way as an Amending Protocol to a single existing treaty. Instead it will be applied alongside existing tax treaties, modifying their application in order to implement the BEPS measures.

Significance

• Signing of the Multilateral Convention will enable the application of BEPS outcomes through modification of existing tax treaties of India in a swift manner.
• It is also in India’s interest to ensure that all its treaty partners adopt the BEPS anti-abuse outcomes.

Amendment to Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971

(Topics: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.)

What: A definition of ‘residential accommodation occupation’ will be inserted.

The Amendment will enable the Estate officer to apply summary proceedings for evicting unauthorised occupants from residential accommodations allotted for a fixed tenure or for a period he/she holds office on the basis of an order of allotment on licence basis, as non-vacation of such residences leads to unavailability of houses to new incumbents.

So, now, the Estate Officer can make such inquiry as he deems expedient in the circumstances of the case.

The amendment will thus facilitate smooth and speedy eviction of unauthorised occupants from government residences.

As a consequence to these amendments, Government of India can now ensure that the unauthorised occupants are evicted from government residence in a speedy and smooth manner and the vacated accommodations are made available to eligible Govt. employees thus reducing the waiting period.

Background:

The Government of India has to evict unauthorized occupants from Government accommodations under the provisions of PPE Act, 1971. However, the eviction proceedings take unusually long time, thereby reducing the availability of govt. accommodations to new incumbents.

Innovate in India

(Topics: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.)

What: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for Industry-Academia Collaborative Mission for accelerating discovery research to early development for biopharmaceuticals – “Innovate in India (13) empowering biotech entrepreneurs & accelerating inclusive innovation” to be funded by the Government of India.

• It will be implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) – a Public Sector Undertaking of Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
• The key focus areas of the program would aid in preparing India’s technological and product development capabilities in the biopharmaceutical sector to a level that it is globally competitive over the next 10-15 years and will transform the health standards of India’s population through affordable product development.
• Focus: on vaccines, biotherapeutics, medical devices and diagnostics; establishment of shared infrastructure and facilities etc.

Background

• The National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015-2020 announced by the DBT lays emphasis on making India ready to meet the challenge of achieving US $100 billion biotech industry by 2025.
• The focus is on generation of biotech products, processes and technologies for affordable and accessible health care, promoting innovation R&D, establishing India as world class bio-manufacturing hub, and building the required skilled workforce.
• For this, it is important to promote industry -academia interface and enable the start-ups and small and medium enterprises to build translational innovation research capacities for affordable healthcare product development.

Standard Operating Procedure for cases of Missing Children developed by WCD Ministry

(Topics: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.)

What: Ministry of Women and Child Development has developed a Standard Operating Procedure for tracing of missing children as per SC’s direction in the case of Bachpan Bachao Andolan v. Union of India & Ors

Why: SC court had observed that there are many Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) developed by States to trace out missing children and therefore directed Ministry of WCD to compile a model SOP which may be used by all States/UTs to deal with cases of missing children.

• The SOP for tracing of missing children is finalized in consonance with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Model Rules 2016.
• The objectives of the Standard Operating Procedure are to work in coordination with stakeholders and respond with urgency to issues of missing child; create awareness and basic understanding of key concepts pertaining to missing children, child vulnerability and child protection etc.
• Tracking of missing children is the primary responsibility of Police. The SOP clearly defines role of an Investigating officer.

Chitale Committee

(Topics: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.)

What: Chitale committee on Desiltation of Ganga has recommended a slew of measures which include

• Study of reach wise sediment transport processes
• Establishing annual sediment budgets to guide de-silting activities
• Preparation of annual reports (sand registry) describing the previous de-silting/ dredging activity
• A technical institute to conduct the sediment budget, morphological and flood routing studies that would examine and confirm the necessity of the de-silting of the reach under consideration.

Background

• The committee was constituted in July 2016 by the Ministry of Water Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
• It was to prepare guidelines for desiltation of river Ganga from Bhimgauda (Uttarakhand) to Farakka (West Bengal).
• The committee was asked to establish difference between desilting and sand mining and also to establish need for desilting for ecology and e-flow of the river Ganga.

What committee says?

• Erosion, sediment transport and siltation are very complex phenomena.
• It is impossible to apply a “one-size-fits-all? approach to sediment management and control, because the issues involved are frequently very regionally-specific.
• Local factors such as topography, river control structures, soil and water conservation measures, tree cover, and riparian land-use or land disturbance (for example agriculture, mining, etc.) can have a large impact on sediment loads in rivers.
• River control structures (such as reservoirs), soil conservation measures and sediment control programmes can cause downstream sediment loads to decrease, while factors such as land disturbance (clearing of vegetation, for example) or agricultural practices can cause increased sediment loads.
• Indiscriminate de-siltation works may result into more harm to ecology and environment flow.

Thus, there is a need to evolve Guidelines, better broad principles, while planning and implementing de-silting works.

Ganga

• Sediment transport and siltation in large rivers like Ganga are very complex phenomena and their estimation has inherent limitations and uncertainties.
• Sedimentation is mainly seen downstream of Bhimgauda barrage and near the confluences of tributary rivers with Ganga.
• The discharge congestion, large scale sediment deposition and its negative effects are mainly seen downstream of the confluence of Ghagra and beyond.
• The river flood plain drastically widens beyond the confluence of Ghagra and is estimated to be around 12 to 15 kms.

Is it beneficial?

• Though de-siltation works can improve hydraulic performance of the river, these have no direct role in improving environment flow in the river.
• On the other hand, indiscriminate de-silting or sand mining would cause adverse impacts on river e-flow.

Basic principles of siltation in rivers:

• Catchment Area Treatment and Watershed Development works, along with good agricultural practices and river bank protection/anti-erosion works, are necessary to reduce silt inflow into the river system
• Erosion, movement and deposition of sediment are natural regulating functions of river and Sediment equilibrium of river should be maintained.
• Rivers should be provided with sufficient flood plains (lateral connectivity) without any hindrance to the flow.
• Instead of “keeping the silt away”, strategy to “giving the silt way” should be adopted.

GS-3

Integrated bio-solar-wind Microgrid centre

(Topic: indigenization of technology and developing new technology.)

In news: President of India inaugurated a Bio-Solar-Wind Micro grid Centre and Centre for Water and Environment Research at Indian Institute of Engineering Science & Technology (IIEST), Shibpur, West Bengal.

It is one of the first few higher learning centres to be established in the country. Since its existence, it has been imparting high quality education in the field of civil and mechanical engineering.

Objective: the bio-solar-wind microgrid centre is set up to ensure that electricity is available for ordinary people, and it is also crucial from the perspective of socio-economic development.

Rationale- in present-day circumstances, energy availability has become uncertain as there is rising demand for power of various consuming centres such as industry, household, etc.

Thus, a micro-management of power system using renewable energy sources will lead to self-sufficiency in high consuming destinations like institutions and industry.

Importance: India, being a signatory to the Paris Agreement, must emphasise on renewable energy to ensure sustainable development.

States adjoining China

(Topic: Security challenges and their management in border areas)

In news: Central Assistance for Border Area Development Programmes (BADP) has been enhanced.

Indo-China border is undemarcated, extremely cold with very difficult terrain and thus it is more important that impetus should be given to boost up infrastructure and peace in the border areas.

Indian states bordering China

1. Jammu and Kashmir
2. Himachal Pradesh
3. Uttarakhand
4. Sikkim
5. Arunachal Pradesh