IASbaba Press Information Bureau 19^th November to 26^thNovember, 2017 

ARCHIVES

GS-2

India Signs Loan Agreement with World Bank for USD 100 Million for “Shared Infrastructure for Solar Parks Project”

(Topic: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate; Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation)

Objective of the project:

• To increase solar generation capacity through establishment of large-scale parks in the country
• Will help establish large-scale solar parks and support the government’s plan to install 100 Gigawatts (GW) of solar power out of a total renewable-energy target of 175 GW by 2022.

The project consists of two components

1. Shared Infrastructure for Solar Parks (estimated total project cost of USD 100 million, including USD 75 million in IBRD loan and USD 23 million in CTF Loan)
2. Technical Assistance (USD 2 million in CTF Grant)

Must Read: Link 1

Cabinet Approves

Agreement between India and Philippines on co-operation and mutual assistance in customs matters: The Agreement would provide a legal framework for sharing of information and intelligence between the Customs authorities of the two countries. It would help in the proper application of Customs laws, prevention and investigation of Customs offences and the facilitation of legitimate trade.

India’s Membership for European Bank for Reconstruction & Development: With the country’s impressive economic growth over the years and enhanced international political profile, it was considered appropriate that India should expand its presence on the global developmental landscape beyond its association with the Multi-lateral Development Banks (MDBs) such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and African Development Bank. The decision to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB) was taken earlier in this backdrop. Major impacts include:

• Enhance India’s international profile and promote its economic interests
• Access to EBRD’s Countries of Operation and sector knowledge
• India’s investment opportunities would get a boost.
• It would increase the scope of cooperation between India and EBRD through co-financing opportunities in manufacturing, services, Information Technology, and Energy
• EBRD’s core operations pertain to private sector development in their countries of operation. The membership would help India leverage the technical assistance and sectoral knowledge of the bank for the benefit of development of private sector.
• The membership of EBRD would enhance the competitive strength of the Indian firms, and provide an enhanced access to international markets in terms of business opportunities, procurement activities, consultancy assignments etc.
• This would open up new vistas for Indian professionals on the one hand, and give a fillip to Indian exports on the other.
• Increased economic activities would have the employment generating potential.
• It would also enable Indian nationals to get the employment opportunity in the Bank.

Signing of India – Russia Agreement on cooperation in combating terrorism and organized crime: The Agreement would reinforce the relationship between India and Russia through exchange and sharing of information, expertise, best practices and would help in curbing terrorism and enhancing, security in the region.

Setting up of the 15thFinance Commission: Under Article 280 (1) of the Constitution, it is a Constitutional obligation.

Expansion of umbrella scheme “Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women” and introducing a new scheme ‘ Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra’: Social sector welfare schemes especially for care, protection and development of women

• Aim at improvement in declining Child Sex Ratio
• Ensuring survival & protection of the girl child
• Ensuring her education, and empowering her to fulfil her potential
• Will provide an interface for rural women to approach the government for availing their entitlements and for empowering them through training and capacity building.
• Student volunteers will encourage the spirit of voluntary community service and gender equality. These students will serve “agents of change” and have a lasting impact on their communities and the nation.

To provide comprehensive support to women affected by violence, One Stop Centres (OSCs) will be established in 150 additional districts during the period. These one stop Centres will be linked with women helpline and will provide 24 hour emergency and non-emergency response to women affected by violence both in public and private space across the country. A unique initiative involving engagement of Manila Police Volunteers (MPVs) on a voluntary basis in States/UTs will. also be done to create public-police interface, which will be expanded to 65 districts covering all States /UTs.

GS-3

Center of Excellence in Maritime and Ship Building (CEMS)

(Topic: Infrastructure:Ports)

Set up: By Ministry of Shipping in collaboration with Siemens and Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) under the Ministry’s flagship Sagarmala Programme

Campuses: Vishakhapatnam and Mumbai

Objectives:

• Will provide industry-relevant skill development
• Equip students with employable engineering and technical skills in the port and maritime sector
• Contribute to the Government of India’s ambitious Sagarmala programme
• CEMS is being set up to meet the domestic skill requirement in ship design, manufacturing, operating and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)
• Aims to become an international nodal centre in South Asia, attracting students from neighboring countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia for skill development in the Port and Maritime sector.
• Adds to the Make in India and Skill India efforts in the maritime sector
• Will provide skilled manpower to make vessels for inland waterways, ships, fishing boats and other ancillary manufacturing sectors

Please Note:

A.19^th November: World Toilet Day

B.21^st November: World Fisheries Day

• Theme of this year is “2022 ka hai sapnaa…… kisaan ki aay ho duguna – Sankalp se siddhi”
• India contributes to about 6.3 % of global fish production which is also 1.1% of the national GDP and 5.15 % of the agricultural GDP of the country.
• India is the 2^nd largest fish producer and 2nd largest aquaculture producer in the world
• “Blue Revolution Mission-2016” – Mission Fingerling, a programme to enable holistic development and management of fisheries sector in India with a total expenditure of about Rs. 52000 lakh
• Must Read Article

C.The northeastern part of the ‘East West Corridor’ – which runs from Cachar in Assam to Kutch in Gujarat – starts from Silchar.

D.Locate on the Indian map: River Barak

E.Bamboo, though, taxonomically a grass, was legally defined as a tree under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. Union Government, in a landmark initiative, has promulgated the Indian Forest (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 to exempt bamboo grown in non-forest areas from definition of tree, thereby dispensing with the requirement of felling/transit permit for its economic use.

F.India has sent a proposal to United Nations for declaring the year 2018 as ‘International Year of Millets’-

• Will raise awareness about millets among consumers, policy makers, industry and R&D sector
• Promotion of production and consumption of millets through conscious efforts at global level is likely to contribute substantially in the fight against targeted hunger and mitigate the effect of climate change in long run
• Popularizing millets would benefit future generations of farmers as well as consumers.

Millet is a common term to categorize small-seeded grasses that are often termed nutri-cereals or dryland-cereals, and includes sorghum, pearl millet, ragi, small millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet and other millets. Millets offer nutrition, resilience, income and livelihood for farmers even in difficult times. They have multiple untapped uses such as food, feed, fodder, biofuels and brewing. Therefore, millets are Smart Food as they are Good for You, Good for the Farmer and Good for the Planet. Photo-insensitive & resilient to climate change, millets are hardy, resilient crops that have a low carbon and water footprint, can withstand high temperatures and grow on poor soils with little or no external inputs.

G.India has put “Dharma” at the centre of governance

• Mahabharata says: “Dharma is for the stability of society, the maintenance of social order and the general well-being and progress of human kind. Whatever conduces to the fulfillment of these objects is Dharma.”
• “Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaha”: Upholding Dharma means sustaining our civilization. If we follow the rule of law, our human society will survive.
• Chanakya: “Law and morality sustain the world”

The World Justice Report ranked India at 66th position in its Rule of Index 2016.

H.Maximum permissible limits of various antibiotics: Maximum permissible limits of 37 antibiotics and 67 other veterinary drugs are prescribed for chicken.

I.Excerpts from the Speech of President of India during Constitution day Celebrations –

• At the heart of the constitutional project was trust – trust in each other, trust between institutions, trust in the goodness of fellow citizens, and trust in the wisdom of future generations. This sense of trust is inherent in constitutional governance. When the Government trusts citizens to attest their documents themselves, it is in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution. When the Union government trusts state governments by devolving financial powers to them, and taking ahead the mission of cooperative federalism, then too we are working in the spirit of the Constitution.
• The Constitution empowers the people as much as the people empower the Constitution. When individuals and institutions ask what the Constitution has done for them and how it has built their capacities – they must also consider what they have done to uphold the Constitution. And what they have done to support its value system. The Constitution is ‘We, the People’ as much as ‘We, the People’ are the Constitution.
• Our Constitution builds a superstructure of political, economic and social democracy. This superstructure rests on three principles or pillars: liberty, equality and fraternity. It is critical to keep this intricate and delicate balance in mind when exploring the relationship between the three branches of the state – that is, the judiciary, the legislature and the executive. They are all equal. They should all be conscious of their liberty and strive to protect their autonomy. And yet, they should be careful not to disturb the fraternity of the separation of powers by even unknowingly intruding into the domain of either of the two other branches. Sobriety and discretion in communication between the three branches is also extremely advisable. This will promote and enhance fraternity between three equal branches of the state, all of which have a certain responsibility to the Constitution.
• Our fundamental commitment must continue to be to take the values of our Constitution – and the fruits of our social, economic and political development – to the very grassroots of our society. For this we must make constant efforts to raise standards of subordinate institutions and bring them at par with apex institutions in all spheres.

Must Read & follow up on – Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY): Link 1 + Link 2