Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)
Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) CAATSA is a United States federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia. It includes sanctions against countries that engage in significant transactions with Russia’s defense and intelligence sectors. Imposed sanctions: prohibition on loans to the sanctioned person. prohibition of Export-Import bank assistance for exports to sanctioned persons. prohibition on procurement by United States Government to procure goods or services from the sanctioned person. denial of visas to persons closely associated with the sanctioned person. US’s CAATSA law: The Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), aims at taking punitive measures against Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The Act primarily deals with sanctions on the Russian oil and gas industry, defence and security sector, and financial institutions, in the backdrop of its military intervention in Ukraine and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections. The Act empowers the US President to impose at least five of 12 listed sanctions enumerated in Section 235 on persons engaged in a “significant transaction” with the Russian defence and intelligence sectors. The State Department has notified 39 Russian entities including almost all major Russian defence manufacturing and export companies/entities CAATSA Sanctions and India: There had been much speculation in India about its potential impact on India-Russia defence relations especially in the context of India’s possible purchase of the S-400 missile system. That was because CAATSA was enacted to punish Russia by sanctioning persons engaging in business transactions with the Russian defence sector. It was felt that CAATSA sanctions would make difficult payments in US Dollars to Rosoboronexport for the S-400 purchase. Although CAATSA, meant to discourage exports of Russian defence equipment, was enacted more than a year ago, there were no CAATSA related sanctions until last week even though Rosoboronexport, the export arm of the Russian defence industry, had already concluded contracts worth more than USD eight billion this year. The US imposed CAATSA sanctions on a Chinese entity, the Equipment Development Department (EDD) of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), and on its Director. The sanctions were in response to China’s purchase of Su-35 aircraft and the S-400 system. CAATSA had not specified any specific sanctions, only that five or more sanctions from a list of 12 had to be imposed on the person whom “the President determines, knowingly engaged in a significant transaction” with a person who is a part of Russia’s defence sector, in this case Rosoboronexport. 11 of the 12 prescribed sanctions will have little or no effect on India’s current dealings with Rosoboronexport, and hence on India-Russia defence relations. However, the twelfth sanction has the potential to completely derail the India-US Defence and Strategic Partnership unless the sanction were to be waived. Reasons behind this exemption: CAATSA impacts Indo-US ties, and dents the image of the US as a reliable partner at a time when it is projecting India as a key player in its Indo-Pacific strategy. US administration for countries like India has favoured relief, citing the “strategic opportunity” that India presents, and also the opportunity “to trade in arms with India”. Indeed, the US defence industry sees India as a major market, Over the last decade, deals with India have grown from near zero to $15 billion. Both in term of the number and value of contracts, the US is way ahead of other major suppliers. The CAATSA exemption also underlines the growing defence and security cooperation that has seen India sign a logistics pact with the US. Also US designated India as a Major Defence Partner, and both countries coming together on Indo-Pacific strategy, the newly resurrected Quad. It also marks an acceptance by the US of the point of principle that as a sovereign country, India cannot be dictated on its strategic interests by a third country. India needs to balance its relation with both Russia and USA, so that its national interest is not compromised. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
Fintech in India
Fintech in India Fintech refers to the novel processes and products that become available for financial services thanks to digital technological advancements. More precisely, the Financial Stability Board defines fintech as ―technologically enabled financial innovation that could result in new business models, applications, processes or products with an associated material effect on financial markets and institutions and the provision of financial services. A recent report by Ernst and Young (2016), Capital Markets: Innovation and the FinTech Landscape identified the following nine technologies or technology-enabled trends that, individually or collectively, facilitates current and future FinTech innovations: Cloud technology Process and service externalization Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Advanced Analytics Digital Transformation Block chain Smart Contracts Artificial Intelligence (AI) Internet of Things According to the report of (KPMG 2016), India is transitioning into a dynamic ecosystem offering fintech start-ups a platform to potentially grow into billion dollar unicorns. From tapping new segments to exploring foreign markets, fintech start-ups in India are pursuing multiple aspirations. The Indian fintech software market is forecasted to touch USD 2.4 billion by 2020 from a current USD 1.2 billion, as per NASSCOM. The traditionally cash-driven Indian economy has responded well to the fintech opportunity, primarily triggered by a surge in e-commerce, and Smartphone penetration. The transaction value for the Indian fintech sector is estimated to be approximately USD 33 billion in 2016 and is forecasted to reach USD 73 billion in 2020 growing at a five-year CAGR of 22 percent. The investor attention has been concentrated towards hitech cities in 2015, with Bengaluru witnessing eleven VC-backed investment deals of USD 57 million, followed by Mumbai and Gurgaon with nine and six deals, respectively. Bengaluru, the start-up capital of India has benefitted from the same and is ranked 15 among the world‘s major start-up cities. Read Also Bad Bank The Future of Fintech in india: Blockchains Alternate lending Robo advisory Digital payments Insurance sector Challenges: In India, acceptance of various cashless modes payments was seen after demonetization notes. The government itself encouraged everyone towards the cashless technologies like digital wallets, Internet banking, and the mobile-driven point of sale (POS). Linking with the Aadhaar card, eKYC, UPI and BHIM had restructured the financial sector in India. After the ban of 500 and 1000 notes, it was reported that digital transactions raised up to 22% in India FinTech start-ups like PayTM saw 435% of more traffic to the websites and Apps. This led to the growth of many FinTech start-ups in India as there are many opportunities to grow. Digital Finance firms have benefited from many government‘s start-up policies. Reserve Bank of India also allowed an easy way to start a FinTech start-up. Government is also providing the financial assistance for start-up‘s up to 1 crore. Customers started accepting the digital currency for both personal and commercial use. Due to various changes in the Indian economy, the financial structure of Indian banks and financial institutions were changed and digital wallet became a mandatory channel for the transfer of payments. Integration of IT with finance led to the increase in the value of digital money like Bitcoins. Crypto currency, Block chain system led to faster transactions of digital payments. Banks like HDFC, Federal Bank etc. linked there official digital transactions with the small startup in India like Startup Village which led to the growth even in small FinTech start-ups. Modernization of the tradition sector of banking and finance had increased more customers, reduced the time and were able to provide fast and quick services to the customers. FinTech industry also has few challenges, like Fintech startups, find a little difficult to reach the growing phase in the business cycle. Collaboration and adoption rate is quite less but the ratio is moving upwards with a 59% increase in the digital payments. Integration of many other techniques like blockchain management, cryptocurrency is not still in a niche stage in India. Transparency of the regulatory issues and hiring of tech personnel are among the key challenges of the Indian FinTech space. Innovation has been a bit limited for the low-income groups. Additionally, mass awareness and internet bandwidth is still a huge roadblock in India. Way Forward: As a coin has two faces even FinTech industry in India also have few challenges, Yet these challenges can be converted into opportunities if a further support is provided by the government. Fintech industry change for the financial services in India. and India’s fastest growing fintech industry in the world. In the feature, Indian fintech software market is forecasted to touch USD 2.4 billion by 2020 from a current USD 1.2 billion, as per NASSCOM. The traditionally cash-driven Indian economy has responded well to the fintech opportunity, primarily triggered by a surge in e-commerce, and Smartphone penetration. The transaction value for the Indian fintech sector is estimated to be approximately USD 33 billion in 2016 and is forecasted to reach USD 73 billion in 2020 growing at a five-year CAGR of 22 percent. The Indian government also focuses on and encourages fintech industry and promote new ideas and innovations refer to the fintech industry. Fintech is an emerging concept in the financial industry. Financial technology innovation in India more advantage for the Indian economy, the fintech services more secure and user-friendly. the fintech services reduce their costs for financial services. Read Also Positive Pay System Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
Allowing Corporates to own Bank
Allowing Corporates to own Bank The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) internal working group on Friday recommended allowing large companies to set up banks and awarding banking licences to well-managed non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). The RBI panel has recommended that corporates should be allowed to control banks after necessary amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to prevent connected lending and exposures between the banks and other financial and nonfinancial group entities. In addition, the group proposed strengthening of the supervisory mechanism for large conglomerates. Internal Working Group (IWG) recommendations: To allow large corporate and industrial houses to promote and run banks in India. “Large corporate/industrial houses may be permitted to promote banks only after necessary amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Since the nationalisation of 14 large private banks in 1969, the RBI has not given licenses to large corporate and industrial houses for setting up banks. At present, there are 12 old and nine new private banks (established in the post-1991 period) with the majority of ownership held by individuals and financial entities. Another important recommendation of the IWG is to allow conversion of large non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), including those owned by corporate houses, with assets of Rs 50,000 crore and above and 10 years of operations into full-fledged banks. Why recommend it?: The Indian economy, especially the private sector, needs money (credit) to grow. Far from being able to extend credit, the government-owned banks are struggling to contain their non-performing assets. Government finances were already strained before the Covid crisis. With growth faltering, revenues have plummeted and the government has limited ability to push for growth through the public sector banks. Large corporates, with deep pockets, are the ones with the financial resources to fund India’s future growth. Benefits: Allowing the big corporates into the banking sector the capital requirement can be fulfilled. The opening of more branches and subsequently bringing more people into the banking net. Privatization of banks has been a long-proposed reform in the Indian banking industry. Allowing corporates into the banking sector will further pressurize Public sector banks to become competitive. Concern: The working group’s concerns regarding conflict of interest, concentration of economic power, and financial stability in allowing corporates to own banks are potential risks. Corporate ownership of banks raises the risk of intergroup lending, diversion of funds, and reputational exposure. Also, the risk of contagion from corporate defaults to the financial sector increases significantly. The banking sector in India has been in trouble for the last few years, keeping that in mind the RBI in 2016 had created new guidelines on the limit of lending to a single company. Inequality & Concentration of Wealth Another risk associated with banks owned by industry groups is circular lending. A bank with no connections to business houses can effectively screen loan applicants and thus ensure efficient allocation of funds to accelerate the overall growth of the economy. Conclusion: If the RBI accepts this recommendation, it would lead to a backdoor entry of corporate-owned NBFCs into the banking space. The IWG’s recommendations are unexceptionable in that they bolster prudential norms so that the interests of the depositors are secure and banks and their promoters are not able to game the system Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
PM WANI Scheme
PM WANI Scheme PM WANI Scheme – The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for the proposal of DoT for setting up of Public Wi-Fi Networks by Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs) to provide public Wi-Fi service through Public Data Offices (PDOs) spread across length and breadth of the country to accelerate the proliferation of Broadband Internet services through Public Wi-Fi network in the country. There shall be no license fee for providing Broadband Internet through these public Wi-Fi networks. The proposal will promote the growth of Public Wi-Fi Networks in the country and, in turn, will help in proliferation of Broadband Internet, enhancement of income and employment and empowerment of people. Salient Features of PM WANI Scheme This Public Wi-Fi Access Network Interface will be known as PM-WANI.PM-WANI eco-system will be operated by different players as described herein under: Public Data Office (PDO): It will establish, maintain, and operate only WANI compliant Wi-Fi Access Points and deliver broadband services to subscribers. Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA): It will be an aggregator of PDOs and perform the functions relating to Authorization and Accounting. App Provider: It will develop an App to register users and discover WANI compliant Wi-Fi hotspots in the nearby area and display the same within the App for accessing the internet service. Central Registry: It will maintain the details of App Providers, PDOAs, and PDOs. To begin with, the Central Registry will be maintained by C-DoT. Udyamimitra Portal Objectives: While no registration would be required for PDOs, PDOAs and App Providers will get themselves registered with DoT through online registration portal (SARALSANCHAR; https://saralsanchar.gov.in of DoT, without paying any registration fee. Registration shall be granted within 7 days of the application. This is expected to be more business friendly and in line with efforts for ease of doing business. COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated delivery of stable and high speed Broadband Internet (data) services to an increasingly large number of subscribers in the country including areas which do not have 4G mobile coverage. This can be achieved by deployment of Public Wi-Fi. Further, the proliferation of public Wi-Fi will not only create employment but also enhance disposable incomes in the hands of small and medium entrepreneurs and boost the GDP of the country. Proliferation of Broadband Services through public Wi-Fi is a step towards digital India and consequential benefit thereon. No License Fee for providing broadband internet services using public Wi-Fi Hotspots will massively encourage its proliferation and penetration across the length and breadth of the country. Availability and use of Broadband will enhance incomes, employment, quality of life, ease of doing business etc. Benefits It opens up opportunities for community organisations, libraries, educational institutions, panchayats and small entrepreneurs to tap into a whole new ecosystem, purchasing bandwidth from a public data office aggregator to serve local consumers. The WANI system offers an elegant way forward to connect low revenue consumers. Boosts GDP Ease of doing business Enhances Quality of life Financial Inclusion FAME India Scheme Challenges slow network speed Security Risks As per TRAI in 2019, India now has among the cheapest mobile data per GB in the world, with mobile data prices having reduced by 95% in the last five years. Clash with Mobile Telecom Firms Conclusion Executed properly, the public data offices (PDOs) of PM WANI can do what the PCOs did for phone calls, going well beyond ‘ease of doing business’ to genuinely empower citizens. Must ensure true unbundling of hardware, software, apps and payment gateways in the WANI system, as advocated by TRAI, to prevent monopolies. Strong cyber security needed: PM WANI should ensure the public data is protected and safe. In this context, the enactment of the public data protection bill, 2019, is the need of the hour. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
PM KUSUM Scheme
PM KUSUM Scheme Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan ( PM KUSUM ) Scheme for farmers for installation of solar pumps and grid connected solar and other renewable power plants in the country. PM Kusum scheme aims to add solar and other renewable capacity of 25,750 MW by 2022 with total central financial support of Rs. 34,422 Crore including service charges to the implementing agencies. The Scheme consists of three components: Component A: 10,000 MW of Decentralized Ground Mounted Grid Connected Renewable Power Plants of individual plant size up to 2 MW. Component B: Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps of individual pump capacity up to 7.5 HP. Component C: Solarisation of 10 Lakh Grid-connected Agriculture Pumps of individual pump capacity up to 7.5 HP. Scheme implementation: State Nodal Agencies (SNAs) of MNRE will coordinate with States/UTs, Discoms and farmers for implementation of the scheme. Components A and C of the Scheme will be implemented in Pilot mode till 31st December 2019. The Component B, which is a ongoing sub-programme, will be implemented in entirety without going through pilot mode. On successful implementation of pilot run of Components A and C of the Scheme, these components would be scaled-up, after getting necessary approval. Component A: Renewable power projects of capacity 500 kW to 2 MW will be setup by individual farmers/ group of farmers/ cooperatives/ panchayats/ Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO). In the above specified entities are not able to arrange equity required for setting up the REPP, they can opt for developing the REPP through developer(s) or even through local DISCOM, which will be considered as RPG in this case. DISCOMs will notify sub-station wise surplus capacity which can be fed from such RE power plants to the Grid and shall invite applications from interested beneficiaries for setting up the renewable energy plants. The renewable power generated will be purchased by DISCOMs at a feed-in-tariff (FiT) determined by respective State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC). DISCOM would be eligible to get PBI @ Rs. 0.40 per unit purchased or Rs. 6.6 lakh per MW of capacity installed, whichever is less, for a period of five years from the COD. Read Also Jallikattu Component B Individual farmers will be supported to install standalone solar Agriculture pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP. CFA of 30% of the benchmark cost or the tender cost, whichever is lower, of the stand-alone solar Agriculture pump will be provided. The State Government will give a subsidy of 30%; and the remaining 40% will be provided by the farmer. Bank finance may be made available for farmer’s contribution, so that farmer has to initially pay only 10% of the cost and remaining up to 30% of the cost as loan. In North Eastern States, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep and A&N Islands, CFA of 50% of the benchmark cost or the tender cost, whichever is lower, of the stand-alone solar pump will be provided. The State Government will give a subsidy of 30%; and the remaining 20% will be provided by the farmer. Bank finance may be made available for farmer’s contribution, so that farmer has to initially pay only 10% of the cost and remaining up to 10% of the cost as loan. Component C Individual farmers having grid connected agriculture pump will be supported to solarise pumps. Solar PV capacity up to two times of pump capacity in kW is allowed under the scheme. The farmer will be able to use the generated solar power to meet the irrigation needs and the excess solar power will be sold to DISCOMs.CFA of 30% of the benchmark cost or the tender cost, whichever is lower, of the solar PV component will be provided. The State Government will give a subsidy of 30%; and the remaining 40% will be provided by the farmer. Bank finance may be made available for farmer’s contribution, so that farmer has to initially pay only 10% of the cost and remaining up to 30% of the cost as loan. In North Eastern States, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep and A&N Islands, CFA of 50% of the benchmark cost or the tender cost, whichever is lower, of the solar PV component will be provided. The State Government will give a subsidy of 30%; and the remaining 20% will be provided by the farmer. Bank finance may be made available for farmer’s contribution, so that farmer has to initially pay only 10% of the cost and remaining up to 10% of the cost as loan. Scheme Benefits: The scheme will open a stable and continuous source of income to the rural land owners for a period of 25 years by utilisation of their dry/uncultivable land. Further, in case cultivated fields are chosen for setting up solar power project, the farmers could continue to grow crops as the solar panels are to be set up above a minimum height. The scheme would ensure that sufficient local solar/ other renewable energy based power is available for feeding rural load centres and agriculture pump-set loads, which require power mostly during the day time. As these power plants will be located closer to the agriculture loads or to electrical substations in a decentralized manner, it will result in reduced Transmission losses for STUs and Discoms. Moreover, the scheme will also help the Discoms to achieve the RPO target The solar pumps will save the expenditure incurred on diesel for running diesel pump and provide the farmers a reliable source of irrigation through solar pump apart from preventing harmful pollution from running diesel pump. In light of the long waiting list for electric grid connection, this scheme will benefit 17.5 lakh farmers over a period of four years, without adding to the grid load. Solar power for farming and for fallow lands by extending the Kusum scheme. This could potentially result in 10-15 GW of new capacity creation if it materializes. This
Aero India 2021
Aero India 2021 Aero India exhibition is organised every alternate year. It is one of the major exhibition for aerospace and defence industries with a public air show. It enables industry professional to gain market insights, announce new developments and gain media coverage, and offers a unique platform to international aviation sector to bolster business. Aero India 2021 is the 13th edition being organised at Bengaluru, Karnataka from 03-07 February 2021. Aero India 2021 provides opportunity to demonstrate products to the potential customer and investors. In 2021 Exhibitors are likely to showcase their products using latest technologies to the potential customers. This is an important international event likely to be attended by thousands of business visitors and lakh general visitors Highlight of Aero india 2019: 403 Exhibitors 238 Indian Exhibitors 165 Foreign Exhibitors 61 Aircrafts Displayed 28386 sqm Exhibition spaces 44 Foreign Delegations In 2019, it was organized by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and in 2021, it will be organized by the Defense Exhibition Organization, Ministry of Defense. Aero India is a biennial international military and civil airshow. The Yelahanka air base, about 30 km from the city centre Bengaluru, has been hosting the air show in February since it was started in 1996. Read Also India’s Two-Front Challenge Logo: The logo is inspired by the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). The Tejas LCA together with its variants, is the smallest and lightest Multi-Role Supersonic Fighter Aircraft of its class. This single engine, Compound-Delta-Wing, Tailless Aircraft is designed and developed to meet diverse needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy (IN).The Teja’s LCA Programme has achieved the rare distinction of completing over 4000 Successful Test Flights. The tri-colored silhouette of the Teja’s LCA with the Ashok Chakra in the Centre is the core motif of this logo, reminiscent of the spirit of New India. The defined outlines of the ‘A’ in Aero is symbolic of a fighter jet while conveying that Aero India is a premier global aerospace exhibition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWHYylsrWXk Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join noow
Parliamentary scrutiny
Parliamentary scrutiny Parliamentary scrutiny – The new Farm bills passed by parliament in the last monsoon session have evoked a scale of protest unforeseen by the government. Over the years, the Indian Parliament has increasingly adopted the committee system as did the other democracies in the world. This helped in housekeeping, to enhance the efficacy of the House to cope with the technical issues confronting it and to feel the public pulse. But the committee approach also helped to guard its turf and keep it abreast to exercise accountability on the government. Parliamentary Committees: Parliamentary Committees are of two kinds – Standing Committees and ad hoc Committees. The former are elected or appointed every year or periodically and their work goes on, more or less, on a continuous basis. The latter are appointed on an ad hoc basis as need arises and they cease to exist as soon as they complete the task assigned to them. Standing Committees: Among the Standing Committees, the three Financial Committees – Committees on Estimates, Public Accounts and Public Undertakings – constitute a distinct group as they keep an unremitting vigil over Government expenditure and performance. While members of the Rajya Sabha are associated with Committees on Public Accounts and Public Undertakings, the members of the Committee on Estimates are drawn entirely from the Lok Sabha. The Estimates Committee reports on ‘what economies, improvements in organisation, efficiency or administrative reform consistent with policy underlying the estimates’ may be effected. It also examines whether the money is well laid out within limits of the policy implied in the estimates and suggests the form in which estimates shall be presented to Parliament. The Public Accounts Committee scrutinises appropriation and finance accounts of Government and reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General. It ensures that public money is spent in accordance with Parliament’s decision and calls attention to cases of waste, extravagance, loss or nugatory expenditure. The Committee on Public Undertakings examines reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General, if any. It also examines whether public undertakings are being run efficiently and managed in accordance with sound business principles and prudent commercial practices. Besides these three Financial Committees, the Rules Committee of the Lok Sabha recommended setting-up of 17 Department Related Standing Committees (DRSCs). Accordingly, 17 Department Related Standing Committees were set up on 8 April 1993. In July 2004, rules were amended to provide for the constitution of seven more such committees, thus raising the number of DRSCs from 17 to 24. The functions of these Committees are: To consider the Demands for Grants of various Ministries/Departments of Government of India and make reports to the Houses; To examine such Bills as are referred to the Committee by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha or the Speaker, Lok Sabha, as the case may be, and make reports thereon; To consider Annual Reports of ministries/departments and make reports thereon; and To consider policy documents presented to the Houses, if referred to the Committee by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha or the Speaker, Lok Sabha, as the case may be, and make reports thereon. Parliamentary scrutiny – Challenges Committees of scrutiny and advice, both standing and ad hoc, have been confined to the margins or left in the lurch in the last few years. While 60% of the Bills in the 14th Lok Sabha and 71% in the 15th Lok Sabha were wetted by the DRSCs concerned, this proportion came down to 27% in the 16th Lok Sabha. The government has shown extreme reluctance to refer Bills to Select Committees of the Houses or Joint Parliamentary Committees. Our Parliamentary Committees have a tradition of working in a non-party manner. The reports of these committees are based on consensus. It may be a bit difficult for people to believe that the instrumentalities of parliament could rise above parties. But that is how they function.The systems of parliament are inclusive. They have the capacity to harmonise contradictions. Despite the adversarial politics playing out in full force in the House, the calm atmosphere prevailing in the committee rooms and the purposiveness shown by the members in dealing with issues are a tremendously reassuring factor. To make these systems gradually non-functional and irrelevant is to invite disaster. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
National Family Health Survey (NFHS)
National Family Health Survey (NFHS) The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India. The NFHS is a collaborative project of the International Institute for Population Sciences(IIPS), Mumbai, India; ORC Macro, Calverton, Maryland, USA and the East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), Government of India, designated IIPS as the nodal agency, responsible for providing coordination and technical guidance for the NFHS. NFHS was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with supplementary support from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). IIPS collaborated with a number of Field Organizations (FO) for survey implementation. Each FO was responsible for conducting survey activities in one or more states covered by the NFHS. Technical assistance for the NFHS was provided by ORC Macro and the East-West Center. Objectives of National Family Health Survey : The main objective of successive rounds of the NFHS is to provide reliable and comparable datasets on health, family welfare and other emerging issues. Four rounds of NFHS (1992–93, 1998–99, 2005–06 and 2015–16) have been successfully completed in India. All the rounds of NFHS have been conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, as the national nodal agency. Earlier the Health Ministry itself used to conduct District Level Health Survey (DLHS) and Annual Health Survey (AHS). MoHFW has decided to conduct integrated NFHS with a periodicity of three years in lieu of different surveys from 2015-16 onwards to meet the evolving requirements for frequent, timely and appropriate data at the National, State and District levels. The NFHS-5 is being conducted in around 6.1 lakh sample households to provide disaggregated data up to district levels. And this data so generated when completed would be comparable with NFHS-4 without any loss of information. Read HelpAge India Significance: The First National Family Health Survey (NFHS-1) was conducted in 1992-93. The survey collected extensive information on population, health, and nutrition, with an emphasis on women and young children. Eighteen Population Research Centres (PRCs), located in universities and institutes of national repute, assisted IIPS in all stages of conducting NFHS-1. All the state-level and national-level reports for the survey have already been published (48 reports in all). The Second National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2) was conducted in 1998-99 in all 26 states of India with added features on the quality of health and family planning services, domestic violence, reproductive health, anemia, the nutrition of women, and the status of women. The results of the survey are currently being published. The Third National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) was carried out in 2005-2006. Eighteen Research Organizations including five Population Research Centres carried out the survey in 29 states of India. The funding for NFHS-3 is provided by USAID, DFID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, UNFPA, and MOHFW, GOI. ORC Macro, USA, is providing technical assistance for NFHS-3, and the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) and the National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) are providing technical assistance for the HIV component. NFHS-5: India’s population is stabilising, as the total fertility rate (TFR) has decreased across majority of the states. 17 states analysed in the fifth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS), except for Bihar, Manipur and Meghalaya, all other states have a TFR of 2.1 or less, which implies that most states have attained replacement level fertility, an analysis by the Population Foundation of India (PFI) . The first set of findings from the fifth NFHS, conducted in 2019-20, was released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday, December 12, four years after the last survey (NFHS-4, 2015-16). NFHS 5 merits urgent attention, as this is the most comprehensive and robust data at scale on health and family welfare and emerging issues in this area, stated PFI. All 17 states have witnessed an increase in the use of modern contraceptives of family planning. The proportion of women with unmet need for family planning, who want to stop or delay child-bearing but are not using any method of contraception, has declined in all states, except Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh. Except for Manipur, all states have reported an increase in users getting information on side effects of current contraceptive methods. Concern areas: Anaemia among women remains a major cause of concern. In all the states, anaemia is much higher among women compared to men. Female sterilisation continues to dominate as the modern method of contraception in states like Andhra Pradesh (98 per cent), Telangana (93 per cent), Kerala (88 per cent), Karnataka (84 per cent), Bihar (78 per cent) and Maharashtra (77 per cent). Male engagement in family planning continues to be limited and disappointing as seen by the low uptake of condoms and male sterilisation across states. Despite the efforts being made, it is alarming to see the increase in child marriages in a number of states, reveals the data. There has been an increase in child marriages in Tripura (40.1 per cent from 33.1 per cent in 2015-16), Manipur (16.3 per cent from 13.7 per cent in 2015-16) and Assam (31.8 per cent from 30.8 per cent in 2015-16), while states like West Bengal (41.6 per cent) and Bihar (40.8 per cent) still have high prevalence of child marriages. States such as Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland have also shown increase in teenage pregnancies. Along with increase in child marriages, Tripura has also shown an increase in teenage pregnancies, from 18.8 per cent in 2015-16 to 21.9 per cent in 2019-20. While spousal violence has generally declined in most of the states and UTs, it has witnessed an increase in five states, namely Sikkim, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Karnataka. Karnataka witnessed the largest increase in spousal violence, from 20.6 per cent in NFHS 4 to 44.4 per cent in NFHS-5. Sexual violence has increased in five states (Assam, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and West Bengal), as per the data. Government Innitiatives: POSHAN Abhiyaan: It is considerable improvement in vaccination coverage among children age 12-23 months across all states and UTs. Mission Indradhanush ICDS Way Forward
Livelihood Enterprise Development Programme (LEDP)
Livelihood Enterprise Development Programme (LEDP) As skill upgradation trainings alone have limited impact on livelihood creation among the SHG members, it was thought prudent to create sustainable livelihoods among SHG members and to attain optimum benefit out of skill upgradation and a new scheme titled Livelihood and Enterprise Development Programme (LEDP) was launched in December 2015. It envisages conduct of livelihood promotion programmes in clusters. There is provision for intensive training for skill building, refresher training, backward-forward linkages and handholding & escort supports. It also encompasses the complete value chain and offers end-to-end solution to the SHG members. It is to be implemented on a project basis covering 15 to 30 SHGs in a cluster of contiguous villages where from SHG members may be selected. The skill upgradation training is provided in batches of 25-30 members and covers agri & allied activities as well as rural off-farm sector activities. LEDP will not only facilitate promotion of sustainable livelihoods but also derive full advantage from promotional assistance. NABARD will provide grant support for skill upgradation programmes, establishment of demonstration unit and need based critical infrastructure. LEDP has been mainstreamed in May 2017. Objectives: To enhance the capacities of SHG members through identifying the skill gaps, appropriate skill upgradation, exposure visits, demonstrations and support for livelihood activities in the locality. To enhance the income levels of SHG members by taking up livelihood ac-tivities with credit support of banks through SHG or through individual/JLG mode. To develop a shared vision of change, enhance capacity/knowledge of SHG members for managing their enterprise, business development and marketing. To facilitate collaboration with Resource Agencies for provision of common infrastructure/ incidental services including establishing business tie-up arrangement or assured buy-back of the finished products. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
Rossby waves
Rossby waves Rossby waves are formed when polar air moves toward the Equator while tropical air is moving poleward. Because of the temperature difference between the Equator and the poles due to differences in the amounts of solar radiation received, heat tends to flow from low to high latitudes; this is accomplished, in part, by these air movements. Rossby waves are a dominant component of the Ferrel circulation. The tropical air carries heat poleward, and the polar air absorbs heat as it moves toward the Equator. The existence of these waves explains the low-pressure cells (cyclones) and high-pressure cells (anticyclones) that are important in producing the weather of the middle and higher latitudes. Jet streams: Jet streams are wind streams that reach great speeds in narrow zones at a high altitude. They occur where atmospheric pressure gradients are strong. The greatest wind speeds occur in the center of the jet stream, with velocities decreasing away from it. Each hemisphere normally exhibits westerly polar and subtropical jet streams. An easterly jet occurs in summer over Asia and Africa. Read Also Nanomicelles Oceanic Rossby Waves: Waves in the ocean come in many different shapes and sizes. Slow-moving oceanic Rossby waves are fundamentally different from ocean surface waves. Unlike waves that break along the shore, Rossby waves are huge, undulating movements of the ocean that stretch horizontally across the planet for hundreds of kilometers in a westward direction. They are so large and massive that they can change Earth’s climate conditions. Along with rising sea levels, King Tides, and the effects of El Niño, oceanic Rossby waves contribute to high tides and coastal flooding in some regions of the world. Rossby wave movement is complex. The horizontal wave speed of a Rossby (the amount of time it takes the wave to travel across an ocean basin) is dependent upon the latitude of the wave. In the Pacific, for instance, waves at lower latitudes (closer to the equator) may take months to a year to cross the ocean. Waves that form farther away from the equator (at mid-latitudes) of the Pacific may take closer to 10 to 20 years to make the journey. The vertical motion of Rossby waves is small along the ocean’s surface and large along the deeper thermocline — the transition area between the ocean’s warm upper layer and colder depths. This variation in vertical motion of the water’s surface can be quite dramatic: the typical vertical movement of the water’s surface is generally four inches or less, while the vertical movement of the thermocline for the same wave is approximately 1,000 times greater. In other words, for a four inch or less surface displacement along the ocean surface, there may be more than 300 feet of corresponding vertical movement in the thermocline far below the surface. Due to the small vertical movement along the ocean surface, oceanic Rossby waves are undetectable by the human eye. Scientists typically rely on satellite radar altimetry to detect the massive waves. Atmospheric Rossby Waves: According to the National Weather Service, atmospheric Rossby waves form primarily as a result of the Earth’s geography. Rossby waves help transfer heat from the tropics toward the poles and cold air toward the tropics in an attempt to return atmosphere to balance. They also help locate the jet stream and mark out the track of surface low pressure systems. The slow motion of these waves often results in fairly long, persistent weather patterns. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
