National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)
National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) The Action Plan was released on 30th June 2008. It effectively pulls together a number of the government’s existing national plans on water, renewable energy, energy efficiency agriculture and others – bundled with additional ones – into a set of eight missions. The Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change is in charge of the overall implementation of the plan. The plan document elaborates on a unique approach to reduce the stress of climate change and uses the poverty-growth linkage to make its point. Emphasizing the overriding priority of maintaining high economic growth rates to raise living standards, the plan “identifies measures that promote development objectives while also yielding co-benefits for addressing climate change effectively. ”It says these national measures would be more successful with assistance from developed countries, and pledges that India’s per capita greenhouse gas emissions “will at no point exceed that of developed countries even as we pursue our development objectives.” Plan in a Nutshell: The guiding principles of the plan are: Inclusive and sustainable development strategy to protect the poor Qualitative change in the method through which the national growth objectives will be achieved i.e. by enhancing ecological sustainability leading to further mitigation Cost effective strategies for end use demand side management Deployment of appropriate technologies for extensive and accelerated adaptation, and mitigation of green house gases Innovative market, regulatory and voluntary mechanisms to promote Sustainable Development Implementation through linkages with civil society, local governments and public-private partnerships International cooperation, transfer of technology and funding National Missions: The core of the implementation of the Action plan are constituted by the following eight missions, that will be responsible for achieving the broad goals of adaptation and mitigation, as applicable. National Solar Mission: The NAPCC aims to promote the development and use of solar energy for power generation and other uses with the ultimate objective of making solar competitive with fossil-based energy options. The plan includes: Specific goals for increasing use of solar thermal technologies in urban areas, industry, and commercial establishments; a goal of increasing production of photo-voltaic to 1000 MW/year; and a goal of deploying at least 1000 MW of solar thermal power generation. Other objectives include the establishment of a solar research centre, increased international collaboration on technology development, strengthening of domestic manufacturing capacity, and increased government funding and international support. National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency: Current initiatives are expected to yield savings of 10,000 MW by 2012. Building on the Energy Conservation Act 2001, the plan recommends: Mandating specific energy consumption decreases in large energy-consuming industries, with a system for companies to trade energy-savings certificates; Energy incentives, including reduced taxes on energy-efficient appliances; and Financing for public-private partnerships to reduce energy consumption through demand-side management programs in the municipal, buildings and agricultural sectors. National Mission on Sustainable Habitat: To promote energy efficiency as a core component of urban planning, the plan calls for: Extending the existing Energy Conservation Building Code; A greater emphasis on urban waste management and recycling, including power production from waste; Strengthening the enforcement of automotive fuel economy standards and using pricing measures to encourage the purchase of efficient vehicles; and Incentives for the use of public transportation. National Water Mission: With water scarcity projected to worsen as a result of climate change, the plan sets a goal of a 20% improvement in water use efficiency through pricing and other measures. National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem: The plan aims to conserve biodiversity, forest cover, and other ecological values in the Himalayan region, where glaciers that are a major source of India’s water supply are projected to recede as a result of global warming. National Mission for a “Green India”: Goals include the afforestation of 6 million hectares of degraded forest lands and expanding forest cover from 23% to 33% of India’s territory. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: The plan aims to support climate adaptation in agriculture through the development of climate-resilient crops, expansion of weather insurance mechanisms, and agricultural practices. National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change: To gain a better understanding of climate science, impacts and challenges, the plan envisions a new Climate Science Research Fund, improved climate modeling, and increased international collaboration. It also encourages private sector initiatives to develop adaptation and mitigation technologies through venture capital funds. The NAPCC also describes other ongoing initiatives, including: Power Generation: The government is mandating the retirement of inefficient coal-fired power plants and supporting the research and development of IGCC and supercritical technologies. Renewable Energy: Under the Electricity Act 2003 and the National Tariff Policy 2006, the central and the state electricity regulatory commissions must purchase a certain percentage of grid-based power from renewable sources. Energy Efficiency: Under the Energy Conservation Act 2001, large energy consuming industries are required to undertake energy audits and an energy labeling program for appliances has been introduced. Implementation Ministries with lead responsibility for each of the missions are directed to develop objectives, implementation strategies, timelines, and monitoring and evaluation criteria, to be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change. The Council will also be responsible for periodically reviewing and reporting on each mission’s progress. To be able to quantify progress, appropriate indicators and methodologies will be developed to assess both avoided emissions and adaptation benefits. Further, as on July 2015, around 27 States and 5 Union Territories have prepared State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) consistent with the objectives of NAPCC, focusing on the state specific issues relating to climate change and strategies to tackle them. 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Electoral Bond
Electoral Bond An electoral bond is like a promissory note that can be bought by any Indian citizen or company incorporated in India from select branches of State Bank of India. The citizen or corporate can then donate the same to any eligible political party of his/her choice. The bonds are similar to bank notes that are payable to the bearer on demand and are free of interest. An individual or party will be allowed to purchase these bonds digitally or through When was electoral bond introduced? The electoral bonds were introduced with the Finance Bill (2017). On January 29, 2018 the government notified the Electoral Bond Scheme 2018. How to use electoral bonds? Using electoral bonds is quite simple. The bonds will be issued in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 100,000 and Rs 1 crore (the range of a bond is between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 crore). These will be available at some branches of SBI. A donor with a KYC-compliant account can purchase the bonds and can then donate them to the party or individual of their choice. Now, the receiver can encash the bonds through the party’s verified account. The electoral bond will be valid only for fifteen days. The 29 specified SBI branches are in cities such as New Delhi, Gandhinagar, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chennai, Kolkata and Guwahati. When are the bonds available for purchase? The electoral bonds are available for purchase for 10 days in the beginning of every quarter. The first 10 days of January, April, July and October has been specified by the government for purchase of electoral bonds. An additional period of 30 days shall be specified by the government in the year of Lok Sabha elections. Electoral bonds: Conditions Any party that is registered under section 29A of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and has secured at least one per cent of the votes polled in the most recent General elections or Assembly elections is eligible to receive electoral bonds. The party will be allotted a verified account by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the electoral bond transactions can be made only through this account. The electoral bonds will not bear the name of the donor. Thus, the political party might not be aware of the donor’s identity. Are electoral bonds taxable? In February 2017, the then finance minister Arun Jaitley said that the donations would be tax deductible. Hence, a donor will get a deduction and the recipient, or the political party, will get tax exemption, provided returns are filed by the political party. Why were electoral bonds introduced in India? Electoral bonds were being introduced to ensure that all the donations made to a party would be accounted for in the balance sheets without exposing the donor details to the public. The government said that electoral bonds would keep a tab on the use of black money for funding elections. In the absence of electoral bonds, donors would have no option but to donate by cash after siphoning off money from their businesses, the government said. Best Books for UPSC preparation Check Now Why is there a controversy over electoral bond? Experts are of the view that if the electoral bonds scheme had been introduced to bring about greater transparency, the government must not restrain from allowing details of such donations to be made public. Experts and several politicians say that since neither the purchaser of the bond nor the political party receiving the donation is required to disclose the donor’s identity, the shareholders of a corporation will remain unaware of the company’s contribution. Voters, too, will have no idea of how, and through whom, a political party has been funded. Opponents of the electoral bond scheme argue that since the identity of the donor has been kept anonymous, it could lead to an influx of black money. Some others allege that the scheme was designed to help big corporate houses donate money without their identity being revealed. According to civil rights societies, the concept of donor “anonymity” threatens the very spirit of democracy. The Congress party said that the donations made through electoral bonds were equivalent to money laundering. Restrictions that were done away with after the introduction of the electoral bond scheme Earlier, no foreign company could donate to any political party under the Companies Act A firm could donate a maximum of 7.5 per cent of its average three year net profit as political donations according to Section 182 of the Companies Act As per the same section of the Act, companies had to disclose details of their political donations in their annual statement of accounts. The government moved an amendment in the Finance Bill to ensure that this proviso would not be applicable to companies in case of electoral bonds. Thus, Indian, foreign and even shell companies can now donate to political parties without having to inform anyone of the contribution. What does the Supreme Court have to say on electoral bonds? In its order, the Supreme Court said that while it wanted to hear the matter at length at a later stage, for the interim it wanted a situation where the balance was not tilted in anyone’s favour. It has asked political parties to reveal details of the donations they received through electoral bonds to the Election Commission. The poll panel, on the other hand, has been asked to keep all the details in a sealed cover until further orders of the top court. Election Commission of India’s view on electoral bonds The Election Commission on April 10, 2019 told the Supreme Court of India that while it was not against the Electoral Bonds Scheme, it did not approve of anonymous donations made to political parties. “We are not opposed to electoral bonds…but want full disclosure and transparency. We are opposed to anonymity,” Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the poll panel told the apex court. The poll panel’s submissions came during a hearing on bunch of
Agri panel cites Godhan Nyay Yojana
Start scheme for procurement of cattle dung from farmers: Agri panel cites Godhan Nyay Yojana The Standing Committee on Agriculture asked the Centre to launch a scheme for procurement of cattle dung from farmers while citing the Godhan Nyay Yojana — Chhattisgarh government’s cow dung procurement scheme. Scrutinising the demands for grants of the Department of Agriculture, Co-operation and Farmers’ Welfare for 2021-22, the report said, “The Committee are of considered view that procuring of cattle dung directly from the farmers will not only augment their income and provide employment opportunity but also address the problem of stray cattle and promote organic farming in the country as the country has vast cattle population.” Read Also Fasal Rahat Yojana “The Committee, therefore, recommend the Department to initiate a scheme for procurement of cattle dung from farmers in coordination with Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying,” it said, citing the Chhattisgarh scheme which has a provision to procure cow dung from farmers at Rs 2 per kg and sell it back at Rs 8 per kg after processing it into vermicompost. The report also pointed to the large amount of funds surrendered by the agriculture ministry which may “adversely affect implementation” of schemes. “The Committee note that the Department has surrendered an amount of Rs 34,517.70 crore and Rs 17,849.89 crore (tentative) during 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively. Constrained to note that such large amount of funds surrendered would adversely affect the implementation of the schemes,” “The Committee are of the considered view that there should be maximum utilization of funds available under various schemes in order to achieve the targets and benefit the farmers. The Committee recommend the Department to vigorously pursue the matter with the state governments and other concerned organisations.” Read Also Kisan Suryodaya Yojana Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils out journey. Feel free to reach to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help JOIN NOW
Sri Lanka invites Myanmar junta’s Minister
Sri Lanka invites Myanmar junta’s Minister BIMSTEC Sri Lanka has invited Myanmar’s junta-appointed Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin for a virtual meeting of members of regional body BIMSTEC, which Sri Lanka currently chairs. Pro-democracy activists in Myanmar slammed the move on social media, as Colombo’s outreach comes just over a month after Myanmar’s military seized power in Yangon. Issue: Hundreds of Facebook users identifying as citizens of Myanmar left a trail of critical comments on the official page of Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry. They urged the Sri Lankan government to stand with the people of Myanmar, and not recognise or accept the military junta as legitimate government. Commenting on Colombo’s invitation, Admiral (Retd.) Jayanath Colombage, Secretary to the Foreign Ministry, said Sri Lanka has invited the incumbent Foreign Ministers of all the fellow BIMSTEC members — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Thailand. Sri Lanka – Myanmar Close ties Sri Lanka and Myanmar share close religious and cultural ties, as the majority community in both countries follow the Theravada strand of Buddhism. Meanwhile, nearly 40 Sri Lankan activists staged a demonstration outside the Myanmar Embassy in Colombo, in solidarity with Myanmar’s protesting civilians. Unless BIMSTEC expels Myanmar, Sri Lanka has no mandate to exclude them. Seeking to make a distinction between Colombo’s BIMSTEC summit invite to Myanmar, and its stance on the junta takeover. BIMSTEC: The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity. This sub-regional organization came into being on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration. It constitutes seven Member States: five deriving from South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and two from Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and Thailand. Initially, the economic bloc was formed with four Member States with the acronym ‘BIST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation). Following the inclusion of Myanmar on 22 December 1997 during a special Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, the Group was renamed ‘BIMST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation). With the admission of Nepal and Bhutan at the 6th Ministerial Meeting (February 2004, Thailand), the name of the grouping was changed to ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC). The regional group constitutes a bridge between South and South East Asia and represents a reinforcement of relations among these countries. BIMSTEC has also established a platform for intra-regional cooperation between SAARC and ASEAN members. The BIMSTEC region is home to around 1.5 billion people which constitute around 22% of the global population with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of 2.7 trillion economy. In the last five years, BIMSTEC Member States have been able to sustain an average 6.5% economic growth trajectory despite global financial meltdown. Read India Sri Lanka Relations Bay of Bengal: The objective of building such an alliance was to harness shared and accelerated growth through mutual cooperation in different areas of common interests by mitigating the onslaught of globalization and by utilizing regional resources and geographical advantages. Unlike many other regional groupings, BIMSTEC is a sector-driven cooperative organization. Starting with six sectors—including trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism and fisheries—for sectoral cooperation in the late 1997, it expanded to embrace nine more sectors—including agriculture, public health, poverty alleviation, counter-terrorism, environment, culture, people to people contact and climate change—in 2008. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils out journey. Feel free to reach to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help JOIN NOW
Lingaraj Temple
Lingaraj temple All over in Bhubaneshwara, Lingaraj temple is considered to be the most ancient and the largest of all the temples. The temple has been named so, as to denote the king of the Lingam which is in the phallic form of Shiva. It’s known that when the King of Jaipur in 11th century shifted his capital to the Bubaneshawra city, he embarked on the journey of constructing the Lingaraj temple.. HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE Though, it is believed that some parts of the temple was built originally in the 6th century but was renovated and was build in a fully fledged way only in the 11th century. There is also a mention of this temple in the Brahma Purana which is a revered scripture of the Hindu religion. It’s said that while the construction of the temples was on the verge of completion, the jagannath cult started taking its shape and this fact has been testified by the evidence that Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are revered here at this temple. The temple is a one among the oldest structures of India and is believed to be a structure which is around 1000 years old. T There is a mythological story associated with the temple which tells us that once Lord Shiva explained to his beloved Parvathi, why he favours the city of Bhubaneshwara more than Banaras. Upon hearing the story, Parvathi embarked on the journey to find out a testimony to the fact. So, she took the form of normal female cattle and went out exploring the city. While she was on her journey, two demons came into her way who wanted to marry her. Even after her continuous refusal, they kept on following her and so in order to keep herself safe, she vanished them and set herself free. After the incidence, Lord Shiva created the Bindu Sara Lake in order to bring in eternity to the space. Read Also Gupta Empire KEY SHRINES AT THE TEMPLE: The main temple has been divided into four distinct parts which are Yajna Shala, Natya Shala, Garbh Griha and Bhoga Mandap. Here the Garbh Griha, the Lingam has been believed to have originated on its own and so is called as Swayambhu and people, therefore worship it both as Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. While entering the temple, a trident can be seen, which consists of a statue of Lord Shiva and two statues of Lord Vishnu on both the sides of the entrance gate. The temple is the witness to the concord of two sects and so is revered as Hari-Hara which has a hidden meaning. Hari is for Lord Vishnu and Hara is for Lord Shiva, which combine together to become Hari-Hara. The Lingam here is believed top have been built of granite and is worshipped everyday with milk, water and bhanga. The Nata temple here has some evidences of the Devadas tradition and also here the Parsva devata which include, the statues of Lord kartikay, Lord Ganesha and Goddess Parvati are placed in different direction. All the statues have been aesthetically decorated with beautiful draperies and ornaments. Read Also The Harappan Culture ARCHITECTURE: There’s a whiff of the Kalinga style in the structural build of the temple! The temple’s structure is made up of the stone of the darkest shade. The temple is built in vast area in Bhubaneshawara and the height of the temple is around 55meteres. Inside the temple premises are a large number of small shrines dedicated to worshipping several Gods and Goddesses. Beautiful scriptures have been carved onto the walls of the temple and all the shrines over there in the temple are safely built. You can enter into the temple through the lion gate where lions on both the sides of the gate and the lions crushing an elephant have been showcased at the lion entrance. Because of an optical influence the temple looks much larger than what it actually is. Practice Prelims Mock Test Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils out journey. Feel free to reach to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help JOIN NOW
Features of the Representation of People Act
Features of the Representation of People Act Article 324 to 329 of Part XV of the Constitution deals with the electoral system in our country. Constitution allows Parliament to make provisions in all matters relating to elections to the Parliament and State Legislatures. In exercise of this power, the Parliament has enacted laws like Representation of the People Act 1950 (RPA Act 1950), Representation of the People Act 1951 (RPA Act 1951). The act was passed by the parliament under Article 327 of the constitution. It provides for the conduct of election to the parliament and state legislatures. It also clarifies about the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of those Houses. Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950: All seats in Lok Sabha to be filled by direct election. One seat for every constituency and one person for one seat. In all states and UTs except Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, the extent of a constituency is to be determined by the Delimitation Commissionmade under Delimitation Act 1972. For Sikkim, the extent of assembly to be defined by Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 1976, and Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 1980. Election commission conferred the power to keep Delimitation Order up-to-date. The Presidentof India has been conferred the power to amend orders delimiting constituencies, only after consulting the ECI. In Lok Sabha, there is a reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The ECI has the power to determine the constituencies to be reserved for scheduled tribes in the states of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Each state to have a Chief electoral officer nominated or designated by Election Commission in consultation with the state government. The Election Commission will also appoint district level election commissioners in consultation with the state government. Each constituency has to have an electoral roll. No person to be registered in electoral rolls of more than one constituency. No Person to be registered more than once in any constituency. A person shall be disqualified for registration in an electoral roll if he is either not a citizen of India or is of unsound mind or is disqualified from voting. The electoral roll for each constituency has to be prepared in the prescribed manner. Any person whose name is not included in the electoral roll of a constituency may apply to the electoral registration officer for the inclusion of his name in that roll. Power to make rules under this act conferred to Central Government, which can exercise this power in consultation with Election Commission. The Civil Courts have also been barred to question the legality of any action of electoral registration officer regarding revision of such electoral roll. 1950 Schedules The First Schedule:Allocation of seats in the House of the People The Second Schedule:Total number of seats in the Legislative Assemblies The Third Schedule:Allocation of seats in the Legislative Councils The Fourth Schedule:Local authorities for purposes of elections to Legislative Councils Representation of People’s Act 1951: Key Highlight: Actual conduct of elections. Administrative machinery for conducting elections. Election offences. Election disputes. By-elections. Registration of political parties. The Representation of People Act, 1951 has great significance for good functioning of Indian egalitarianism because it checks the entry of persons with illegal background into the representative bodies. Voter Qualification: A person must be anelector in the constituency. The minimum agefor becoming an MLA/MPs (Lok Sabha) is 25 years. At the panchayat and municipality levels, the minimum age limit for contesting elections is21 years. Only an elector can be a representative. If a person is not qualified to vote, he cannot represent the people in parliament . In case of Lok Sabha, if the seat is reserved for SC, a non-SC voter cannot be elected to that seat; if the seat is reserved for ST, a non-ST voter cannot be elected to that seat. He must be from these categories however; he may be a voter registered from any other constituency within India. However, in case of autonomous districts of Assam, Sikkim, ST seat for Lakshadweep, the elector should be enrolled as a voter in the same constituency. The same criteria are followed in legislative assembly of state, barring that the elector should be an eligible voter in the same state. · Disqualification matters If a person is convicted under a punishable offence related to promoting enmity, bribery, undue influence or personation at an election, rape, cruelty towards a woman, creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes, promoting religious acrimony, practice of untouchability, import and export of prohibited goods, any other unlawful activities, FEMA, laws related to Narcotics, terrorism acts, offences related to religious places and religious practices, offences related to insulting the National Insignia, Constitution of India, offence related to practice of Sati and so on… will be disqualified if sent to jail for at least 2 years.This disqualification is for six year after the person is released from jail. The other grounds for disqualification are as follows: If found guilty of corrupt practices Dismissed for corruption Disqualified for a contract entered into with government related matters A person remains disqualified as long as he managing agent, manager or secretary of any government company or corporation If fails to lodge expense accounts of elections Provisions related to political parties: Every association or body in order to become a political party must be registered with the ECIwhose decision regarding registration will be Registered political parties, in course of time, can get recognition as’State Party’ or National Party’. Change in name and addressof a registered political party must be communicated to the ECI. The ECI can not derecognisea party. A registered political party may accept any voluntary contribution by any person or company within India other than a government company. Political parties are not allowed to seek and receive contribution from a foreign source. Each political party has to prepare the report related to contribution more than ` 20,000 from persons and companies in year and submit it to the Election Commission. National Party Vs State Parties: Structurally, a party is recognized as state political party if it has secured at least 6% of the total
National Social Assistance Programme
National Social Assistance Programme NSAP stands for National Social Assistance Programme. NSAP was launched on 15th August, 1995. The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) represents a significant step towards the fulfillment of the Directive Principles in Article 41 and 42 of the Constitution recognising the concurrent responsibility of the Central and the State Governments in the matter. In particular, Article 41 of the Constitution of India directs the State to provide public assistance to its citizens in case of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved want within the limit of its economic capacity and development. Objectives of NSAP: National Social Assistance Programme is a social security and welfare programme to provide support to aged persons, widows, disabled persons and bereaved families on death of primary bread winner, belonging to below poverty line households. The NSAP at its inception in 1995 had three components namely: National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) and National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS). The National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS) was subsequently transferred on 1st April, 2001 from the Ministry of Rural development to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. On 1st April, 2000 a new Scheme known as Annapurna Scheme was launched. This scheme aimed at providing food security to meet the requirement of those senior citizens who, though eligible, have remained uncovered under the NOAPS. In February 2009, two new Schemes known as Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS) were introduced. Presently NSAP comprises of five schemes, namely Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS), National Family Benefit Scheme NFBS) and For getting benefits under NSAP the applicant must belong to a Below Poverty Line (BPL) family according to the criteria prescribed by the Govt. of India. The other eligibility criteria and the scale of central assistance under the sub – schemes of NSAP are as follows. Besides the central assistance, states / UT contribute an equal amount as their share: Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS): The eligible age for IGNOAPS is 60 years. The pension is Rs.200 p.m. for persons between 60 years and 79 years. For persons who are 80 years and above the pension is Rs.500/ – per month. Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS): The eligible age is 40 years and the pension is Rs.300 per month. After attaining the age of 80 years, the beneficiary will get Rs.500/ – per month. Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS): The eligible age for the pension er is 18 years and above and the disability level has to be 80%. The amount is Rs.300 per month and after attaining the age of 80 years, the beneficiary will get Rs 500/ – per month . Dwarfs will also be a n eligible category for this pension. National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) : Rs. 20000/ – will be given as a lumpsum assistance to the bereaved household in the event of death of the bread – winner. It is clarified that any event of death (natural or otherwise) would make the family eligible for assistance. A woman in the family, who is a home maker, is also considered as a ‘bread – winner’ for this purpose. The family benefit will be paid to such surviving member of the household of the deceased poor , who after local inquiry, is found to be the head of the household. For the purpose of the scheme, the term “household’ would include spouse, minor children, unmarried daughters and dependent parents. In case of death of an unmarried adult, the term household would include minor brothers/ sisters and dependent parents. The death of such a bread – winner should have occurred whilst he/ she is more than 18 years of age and less than 60 years of age. The assistance would be given to every case of death of breadwinner in a family. Annapurna Scheme : 10 kgs of food grains (wheat or rice) is given per month per beneficiary. The scheme aims at providing food security to meet the requirements of those eligible old aged persons who have remained uncovered under the IGNOAPS. Read Also NIRVIK scheme Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils out journey. Feel free to reach to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help join now
Thalinomics
Thalinomics Amid the pandemic, thali prices exhibited significant variation among the states. The Economic Survey, however, said that the easing of CPI-C is expected to ease thali prices going forward. The Economic Survey 2019-20 offered a simple way of looking at the economy — thalinomics. What’s in the thali ? As the name suggests, the concept helps the common man gauge at the economic situation of a country through something as simplistic and easy to understand as food. This year too, the Economic Survey 2020-21 looked at the cost of a plate of food in the country. This year’s thalinomics shows that thali prices for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis declined significantly in January-March period, while rising sharply in April-November period in both rural and urban areas. Thali prices eventually eased in December. Amid the pandemic, thali prices exhibited significant variation among the states. The Economic Survey, however, said that the easing of CPI-C is expected to ease thali prices going forward. In June to December in the past year, the most expensive vegetarian thali in rural areas was in Andaman and Nicobar Islands at Rs 38.7, while the cheapest was in Uttar Pradesh for Rs 23.10. The most expensive non-vegetarian thali in the same period as in Arunachal Pradesh for Rs 48.50, while the cheapest was in Chandigarh for Rs 29.90. When it comes to urban areas, the most expensive vegetarian thali in June-December period was in Andaman and Nicobar Islands at Rs 40, while the cheapest was in Madhya Pradesh for Rs 24. The most expensive non-vegetarian thali in the same period was in Mizoram for Rs 52.40, while the cheapest was in Haryana for Rs 28. “Thali costs for the months of April and May are not compiled as sufficient price data was not available due to the lockdown situation of COVID-19 pandemic,” stated the survey. The Economic Survey 2020-21 said, “Overall, headline CPI inflation remained high during the COVID-19 induced lockdown period and subsequently, due to the persistence of supply side disruptions. The rise in inflation was mostly driven by food inflation, which increased to 9.1 per cent during 2020-21 (Apr-Dec). Due to COVID-19 induced disruptions, an overall increase in the price momentum is witnessed, driving inflation since April 2020, whereas positive base effect has been a moderating factor. The difference in rural-urban CPI inflation, which was high in 2019, saw a decline from November 2019 that continued in 2020. Inflation ranged between 3.2 per cent to 11 per cent across States/UTs in 2020-21 (Jun-Dec) compared to (-) 0.3 per cent to 7.6 per cent in the same period last year. Thali prices for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian Thalis declined significantly in January-March 2020 before rising sharply during April to November in both rural and urban areas before easing in December 2020. The easing in CPI-C is expected to ease Thali prices going forward.” Amid the pandemic, thali prices exhibited significant variation among the states. The Economic Survey, however, said that the easing of CPI-C is expected to ease thali prices going forward. In June to December in the past year, the most expensive vegetarian thali in rural areas was in Andaman and Nicobar Islands at Rs 38.7, while the cheapest was in Uttar Pradesh for Rs 23.10. The most expensive non-vegetarian thali in the same period as in Arunachal Pradesh for Rs 48.50, while the cheapest was in Chandigarh for Rs 29.90. When it comes to urban areas, the most expensive vegetarian thali in June-December period was in Andaman and Nicobar Islands at Rs 40, while the cheapest was in Madhya Pradesh for Rs 24. The most expensive non-vegetarian thali in the same period was in Mizoram for Rs 52.40, while the cheapest was in Haryana for Rs 28. “Thali costs for the months of April and May are not compiled as sufficient price data was not available due to the lockdown situation of COVID-19 pandemic,” stated the survey. Shift in Thali dynamics: The Economic Survey 2020-21 said, “Overall, headline CPI inflation remained high during the COVID-19 induced lockdown period and subsequently, due to the persistence of supply side disruptions. The rise in inflation was mostly driven by food inflation, which increased to 9.1 per cent during 2020-21 (Apr-Dec). Due to COVID-19 induced disruptions, an overall increase in the price momentum is witnessed, driving inflation since April 2020, whereas positive base effect has been a moderating factor. The difference in rural-urban CPI inflation, which was high in 2019, saw a decline from November 2019 that continued in 2020. Inflation ranged between 3.2 per cent to 11 per cent across States/UTs in 2020-21 (Jun-Dec) compared to (-) 0.3 per cent to 7.6 per cent in the same period last year. Thali prices for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian Thalis declined significantly in January-March 2020 before rising sharply during April to November in both rural and urban areas before easing in December 2020. The easing in CPI-C is expected to ease Thali prices going forward.” Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils out journey. Feel free to reach to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help join now
Genetics of eye colour
Genetics of eye colour Human eye colour ranges from black, brown to blue, green, and even red. Eye colour is primarily determined by melanin abundance within the iris pigment epithelium, which is greater in brown than in blue eyes. There are two forms of melanin – eumelanin and pheomelanin – and the ratio of the two within the iris as well as light absorption and scattering by extracellular components are additional factors that give irises their colour. Absolute melanin quantity and the eumelanin–pheomelanin ratio are higher in brown irises, while blue or green irises have very little of both pigments and relatively more pheomelanin. Eye colour in Asians with different shades of brown is genetically similar to eye colour in Europeans ranging from dark brown to light blue. Previously a dozen genes (mainly HERC2 and OCA2) were found to influence eye colour. The researchers have now identified 50 new genes for eye colour (Science Advances). Genetic analysis of nearly 0.2 million people across Europe and Asia helped the researchers to identify the new genes. The findings collectively explain over 53% of eye colour variation using common single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Overall, the study outcomes demonstrate that the genetic complexity of human eye colour considerably exceeds previous knowledge and expectations, highlighting eye colour as a genetically highly complex human trait. Read Also One Health Approach Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils out journey. Feel free to reach to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help join now
Impact of Global Warming on Himalayan Ecosystem
Impact of Global Warming on Himalayan Ecosystem Climate change has strong influence on the precipitation over Himalayas as well as melting response of glaciers/ snow cover in Himalayas. This in turn affects the runoff pattern of rivers draining from the glaciated catchments of Himalayas. Three major river catchments along with their several tributaries originating from Indian as well as Nepal part of Himalayas, receive significant contribution from Himalayan cryosphere, especially during the non-rainfall lean period of the year. The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, the region — spread over 3,500 square kilometres across eight countries including India, Nepal and China — is also known as the Water Tower of Asia due to its reserve of frozen water. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD): International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an intergovernmental body that works for the mountains and people of HKH. The HKH region is warming faster than the global average. And would continue to do so for this century. HKH: The assessment establishes HKH region firstly as an incredibly important asset for Asia and the world. It is a key source of water, energy, carbon stocks, as well as rich biodiversity. For example, the rivers starting from HKH are home to about 2 billion people, with 500 GW of hydropower potential. However, the region is under threat from climate change plus a host of other changes including ecosystem degradation, outmigration, and air pollution. Mountains warm up faster than global averages. Even if we could limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, mountain temperatures would rise above 2 degrees, and if current trends continue temperatures could go up by 4 to 6 degrees Celsius. This has dire consequences not only on glaciers, but on food, energy and ecosystems, and for the people who rely on them in terms of ecosystem change, changing water flow patterns, and increased hazards of disasters. In a 1.5 degree Celsius world, about one-third of our glaciers will disappear by 2100, and under the current emission scenario, we will lose two-thirds of our glacier volumes. Many major cities in and near the HKH have annual average PM2.5 concentrations almost 10 times higher than WHO guidelines. In addition to negative health impacts, this also adds to glacier melt. Already 70 to 80 per cent of habitat in biodiversity hotspots has been lost over the last 500 years, and one-fourth of the endemic species could be lost by 2100. Overall in the HKH region, poverty incidence is one-third compared to the national average that’s one-fourth. Over 30 per cent of HKH population suffers from food insecurity, and 50 per cent faces some form of malnutrition. About 80 per cent of rural populations living in HKH countries lack access to clean energy for cooking. There remains persistent gender and social inclusion in development. Read Also Himalayan trillium Issues and Challenges: Water and energy are essential requirements for an economy’s development. While they contribute independently to development, the two are inextricably connected. Energy is vital for enabling the water value chain and is needed whenever it is extracted, moved, treated, heated, pressurized, reused, or discharged. Similarly, water is needed throughout the energy supply chain, sometimes as a direct input as in the case of hydropower or geothermal energy, as a coolant in thermal power plants or more often for the extraction and processing of energy fuels. Hence, issues and challenges related to one sector have direct influence on the other. Increasing Water Stress: Increasing Energy Demand: Trade-offs between water and energy security Impacts on Financial Viability of energy projects Multiple regulatory institutions: Ecological Degradation Lack of clear understanding about the melt response of glaciers to climate change Limited support for glacier research on Himalaya Way Forward: There is a lot of work to do to reduce air and water pollution, to promote sustainable energy, to halt biodiversity loss and to assist some of the most poor and vulnerable people to adapt. Countries have to work with one another to do this. Countries do come together around mountain issues, especially environment and livelihoods. And also take inspiration from the Arctic Council where countries do unite to share information, to jointly develop solutions, and to speak with a common voice to the global communities about the impacts of climate change and other concerns. Then there is a need to bring the results to the global community and in global events. Reducing water footprints of energy utilities: Integrated Water Storage Policy: Watershed management by Energy Utilities: Glacier/ Source vulnerability assessment for the Hydropower plants: Promotion of research on Himalayan glaciers: Developing a comprehensive understanding about the status of Himalayan glaciers: Integrated River Basin Management to rejuvenate water potential: Assessment of GLOF potential: Joint coordination committee for Water and Energy: The HKH is indeed a unique region, and does need differing approaches, first, because of its topography and ecology, the impacts are quite different than other places — there is a rapid gradient in terms of species, and we already see flowering and migration patterns changing. And, the region is especially prone to different kinds of disasters like glacial lake outburst floods, and landslides. Second, the HKH is home to unique societies and traditional knowledge, people who have learned to adapt to harsh environments, and people who have secrets to our future survival. Blanket approaches will not work, and much attention is needed to understand and learn from this unique environment. Read Also Uttarakhand glacier burst. Central Asia Meet Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils out journey. Feel free to reach to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help join now
