National Nutrition Mission ( Poshan Abhiyaan )

National Nutrition Mission / Poshan Abhiyaan National Nutrition Mission (renamed as POSHAN Abhiyaan) was set up in December 2017. It is a flagship program of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. This mission is aimed at improving the nutritional status of children from 0-6 years, Adolescent girls, Pregnant women and lactating mothers in a time-bound manner during a three year period starting from 2017-2018.  Key proposals The NNM, as an apex body, will monitor, supervise, fix targets and guide the nutrition-related interventions across the Ministries. Mapping of various Schemes contributing towards addressing malnutrition. Introducing a very robust convergence mechanism. ICT based Real-Time Monitoring system. Incentivizing states/UTs for meeting the targets. Incentivizing Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) for using IT-based tools. Eliminating registers used by AWWs. Introducing measurement of the height of children at the Anganwadi Centres (AWCs). Social Audits. Setting-up Nutrition Resource Centres, involving masses through Jan Andolan for their participation in nutrition through various activities, among others. Key facts POSHAN ABHIYAAN will address three aspects—the food that should be given to rein in stunting, undernourishment, low birth weight and anaemia; the delivery system required for it; and monitoring of the entire process. Under the mission, the government is targeting a reduction of 2% a year in stunting, under-nutrition and low birth weight among 100 million people. Also, it aims to reduce anaemia among young children, women and adolescent girls by 3% a year. The mission would include several components like an ICT (information and communications technology)-based real-time monitoring system, incentivizing of states and Union territories to meet their targets, social audits, and setting up of nutrition resource centres.  Implementation Under the National Nutrition Mission, the ministries of women and child development, health and family welfare, and water and sanitation work together. The implementation strategy for the National Nutrition Mission was based on intense monitoring and a convergence action plan up to the grass-roots level. The programme is undertaken in a phased manner, covering 315 districts in 2017-18, 235 districts in 2018-19 and the remaining districts in 2019-20. National Nutrition Mission is implemented using information technology as the basic tool. Read Also  Shanta Kumar Committee Recommendations The Progress and achievements till date All districts of 36 States/UTs have been covered for roll-out. State, District and Block level Convergence meetings are held regularly in most of the States/UTs. 17,477 Master Trainers have been trained. States/UTs are at various stages of procurement of smartphones. 3.2 lakh Smart Phones have been procured by the States/UTs. The guidelines /manuals of POSHAN Abhiyaan covering all aspects of the ICDS-CAS software, implementation, etc. have been formalized, printed and distributed up to district level. A ‘Call Centre’ has been established for interventions and beneficiary feedback. A comprehensive Jan Andolan Guidelines have been prepared in consultation with all partners and released to States/UTs and has been implemented by the States/UTs. Mass Media Campaign has also been rolled out through Television and Radio. September 2018 was celebrated as the Rashtriya Poshan Maah(Month) across the country. Under Incremental Learning Approach (ILA), functionaries have been trained on thematic modules following the cascade mode of training of State Resource Group (SRG), District Resource Groups (DRGs) and Block Resource Groups (BRGs  Community-Based Events (CBEs) are organized in a converged manner in Anganwadi Centres with the field functionaries.  Conclusion It is very important to invest in nutrition in India because a balanced diet and healthy nutrition play a pivotal role in the overall development of women and children. Healthy women deliver healthy children and nurture a good society, and healthy and nourished children are the country’s future. Therefore, to tackle under-nutrition problem in the country, various ministries need to work in convergence and not silos and  POSHAN ABHIYAAN is a platform to do so. POSHAN ABHIYAAN will ensure convergence and lead to better results. Read Also Paris Climate Agreement 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

UPSC Mains 2019 Question, English Compulsory Paper

UPSC Mains 2019 Question, English Compulsory Paper Maximum Marks: 300 Time Allowed: Three Hours Question Paper Specific Instructions Please read each of the following instructions carefully before attempting questions. All questions are to be attempted. The number of marks carried by a question is indicated against it. Answers must be written in ENGLISH only. Word limit in questions, wherever specified, should be adhered to and if answered in much longer or shorter than the prescribed length, marks will be deducted. Any page or portion of the page left blank in the Question-cum-Answer Booklet must be clearly struck off. English (Compulsory)  Questions  Download Here Read Also  UPSC Mains 2019 Questions   GS1     GS2    GS3   GS4

Green Crackers and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation

Green Crackers and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation Introduction Apart from human activities like mining, construction, transportation, industry, etc. and natural phenomena like volcanic eruptions, wildfires etc., Firecrackers during festivities add to the air pollution which is one of the most serious environmental issues. The Supreme Court of India, in 2018, ruled out complete ban of firecrackers and allowed the use of green crackers. A network of CSIR labs has developed the idea of green crackers since. Why is there a need for Green Crackers? Traditional firecrackers cause air pollution and noise pollution. They contain harmful chemicals such as lead, chromium, cadmium, magnesium, aluminium, nitrates, carbon monoxide, copper, potassium, sodium, manganese dioxide, zinc oxide etc. which can bioaccumulate and damage health. They cause severe health effects like heart diseases, respiratory or nervous system disorders. It also aggravates lesser conditions such as the common cold and coughs. Noise pollution causes restlessness, temporary or permanent hearing loss, high blood pressure; sleep disturbance and even poor cognitive development in kids. Supreme Court Directive The Supreme Court has imposed a ban on the use of five harmful heavy metals like lithium, antimony, mercury, arsenic and lead in the manufacturing of firecrackers as they cause air pollution. The apex court held that it is the responsibility of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) to ensure compliance of ban order particularly in Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu where there are large numbers of firecracker manufacturers. It also asked CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) and PESO to make collaborative efforts for setting up of standards with regard to air pollution caused by the bursting of fire-crackers. PESO Suggested that Improved formulation for manufacturing green crackers would reduce the emission of pollutants by 25-30 per cent. What are Green Crackers? Green crackers are crackers devoid of harmful chemicals and within the permitted decibel range. They cause fewer emissions than conventional firecrackers. Hence, they cause reduced air pollution and sound pollution. Components in firecrackers are replaced with others that are less dangerous and less harmful to the atmosphere. It avoids the use of ash or filler materials and uses charcoal as per specifications of Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). Commonly used polluting chemicals like aluminium, barium, potassium nitrate and carbon have either been removed or sharply reduced to slow down the emissions by 15 to 30%. Read Also Project 75 I SWAS, STAR and SAFAL The research teams of CSIR labs have come up with 3-4 formulations and tried to reduce 30-40% of active materials which reduce particulate matter. Several crackers such as Bijli (electric) crackers devoid of ash and sound-emitting functional prototypes that do not emit sulphur dioxide are in the testing stage. SWAS is Safe Water Releaser, STAR is Safe Thermite Cracker and SAFAL is Safe Minimal Aluminium. The particulate matter will be reduced by 30-35 per cent in SWAS and 35 to 40 per cent in SAFAL and STAR. These crackers release water vapour, have air as a dust suppressant and diluents for gaseous emissions and are on par with traditional conventional crackers in sound. Several crackers are now in a testing stage at the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation. Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation Petroleum And Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) is a non-statutory body that controls and administers the usage of explosives, petrol stations in India. The agency issues licenses for Operation of Petrol Stations, Licenses to operate Petroleum Product Transportation vehicles, Licenses for Refineries, Petrochemical Complexes, etc. The Department is headed by Chief Controller of Explosives and is headquartered at Nagpur. It is responsible for the administration of a host of laws pertaining to the regulation of explosives. These include the Explosives Act, 1884; the Inflammable Substances Act, 1952 and the Explosives Rules, 2008. Objectives: PESO is a subordinate office under the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP). The organization is serving the nation since 1898 as a nodal agency for regulating the safety of substances such as explosives, compressed gases and petroleum. Over the years, the role and responsibilities of PESO have increased manifold and expanded into diverse fields. Today, the organization deals with a wide range of subjects related to explosives, petroleum, compressed gases, pressure vessels, gas cylinders, cross-country pipelines, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Auto Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Auto LPG) etc. The increase in workload is manifested in the quantum jump in the number of licensed premises and other activities. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. JOIN NOW

UPSC Mains 2019 Question Paper, Indian Language ( Malayalam )

UPSC Mains 2019 Question Paper, Indian Language ( Malayalam ) Maximum Marks: 300  Time 3Hr. Download UPSC PYQ UPSC Mains 2019 Question Paper, Indian Language ( Malayalam ) DOWNLOAD  Read Also, UPSC Mains 2019 Questions   GS1     GS2     GS3     GS4     English (compulsory) 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

Methods used by the Farmers Organisations to Influence Policymakers in India

Methods used by the Farmers Organisations to Influence Policymakers in India What are the methods used by the farmers’ organisations to influence policymakers in India and how effective are these methods? Approach It is a direct question. The candidate is expected to enumerate protest and pressuring methods used by farmer organisations to showcase their case and get policy concessions from the government. The answer may be either divided into two parts to explain the effectiveness of the methods as a whole later or the effectiveness of a particular method explained together with the method itself. The candidates are expected to write examples and link current situations to enrich their answer. Content for Answer Methods used by farmer’s organizations Prayers and Petitions The organisations send letters and petitions to the ministries and other executives of the government to argue their case and get concessions. For example, the representatives may meet ministers and civil servants and submit their demands at the stage of policy formulation or release of the budget. Read Also Project 75 I Protests and Demonstrations Protests may take any form – from a peaceful gathering to competing elections against some unpopular politician or even bandhs and hartals. Such methods help get media attention as well as the government’s attention. For eg, recently above 70 farmers filed nominations against a politician to pressure the party to include their demands in the manifesto. Vote Bank and Pressure group Farmers form a very big part of our population. They form several homogenous voting groups and pressure groups to put forward their case. For Eg, Kisan Sabhas Electoral Politics Often farmers’ organisations directly fight the elections and enter the Parliament and State Assemblies. They try to influence the government policies either supporting the government or pressuring it with the opposition. Ex: Political outfits such as Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathan in Maharashtra Read Also National Nutrition Mission / Poshan Abhiyaan Effectiveness These methods have only been partially successful and helped the farmers to gain some concessions such as loan waivers and raising of minimum support prices. Since agriculture still remains the major economic activity in India, any government cannot totally ignore farmers needs. But structural reforms are long overdue in the sector. Such major policy decisions have not been achieved through these methods. The loan waivers and assurances normally coincide with elections and later farmer demands are not properly followed up and goes into cold storage. For example, the governments of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan waived loans off immediately after coming to power but failed to follow up it with any real structural reforms in the agriculture sector of the states 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

Q & A : Do you think that the Constitution of India does not accept the principle of strict separation of powers

Do you think that the Constitution of India does not accept the principle of strict separation of powers rather it is based on the principle of ‘checks and balance’? Explain India, the land of diversity has its Governance mechanism designed in a way to protect and promote its Unity and Diversity hand in hand. The constitutional supremacy through checks and balances ensures that neither of organs of governance viz. The legislature, Judiciary or Executive doesn’t become authoritative. Executive and Legislature The Constitution of India states that the Executive branch of the State (Council of Ministers) shall be collectively responsible to the Legislature (House of the People). This implies that Parliament should oversee the work of the government and hold it responsible for its actions and omissions. Members of Parliament also have the responsibility of passing laws, authorising the expenditure of the government, and representing the interests of their constituencies. While the legislature holds the Executive accountable through parliamentary proceedings, the executive which holds the majority ensures the parliament doesn’t become an obstacle for the Governance. The executive can even recommend the dissolution of the legislature. Checks and Balances were also one of the primary reasons for India to adopt a Parliamentary system rather than a presidential system of governance. Legislature and Judiciary The doctrine of separation of powers implies that each pillar of democracy – the executive, legislature and the judiciary – perform separate functions and act as separate entities.  The executive is vested with the power to make policy decisions and implement laws.  The legislature is empowered to issue enactments.  The judiciary is responsible for adjudicating disputes.  The doctrine is a part of the basic structure of the Indian Constitution, Even though it is not specifically mentioned in its text.  Thus, no law may be passed and no amendment may be made to the Constitution deviating from the doctrine. Different agencies impose checks and balances upon each other but may not transgress upon each other’s functions. Thus, the judiciary exercises judicial review over executive and legislative action, and the legislature reviews the functioning of the executive. There have been some cases where the courts have issued laws and policy related orders through their judgements. Eg: The order of the Court directing the Centre to distribute food grains (2010). The appointment of the Special Investigation Team to replace the High-Level Committee established by the Centre for investigating black money deposits in Swiss Banks. Concerns: To see that judicial activism does not become judicial adventurism the courts must act with caution and proper restraint. The judiciary should act only as an alarm bell. There has been some discussion on the issue of activism by the judiciary, Also it must be noted that there are also instances of the legislature using its law-making powers to reverse the outcome of some judgements. ( eg: Issues regarding Customs Amendment and Validation Bill, 2011 issue) Join   MainSure 2022   Mains Answer Writing Practice Executive and Judiciary The extra-constitutional measures of the executive can be quashed by the judiciary as ultra vires. Through the principle of Separation of powers enshrined under Directive Principles of State Policy under Article 50, a great emphasis has been laid down on separating judiciary and executive. The higher judiciary also has the power to strike down laws and actions of the Executive as invalid, if they violate the Constitution. This is called the power of judicial review. Though there is no clear delineation, The Constitution provides for a separation of powers between Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary by demarcating their roles and responsibilities. It also lays down various ways by which (i) the Judiciary may guard against the unconstitutional exercise of power by Parliament, and (ii) Parliament may legislate on or act as a check-in matter related to the Judiciary. So  Each institution acts as a check and balance on the others’ powers

Gig Economy

Gig Economy A gig economy is a free market system in which temporary, flexible jobs are commonplace and companies tend toward hiring independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time employees. A gig economy undermines the traditional economy of full-time workers who rarely change positions and instead focus on a lifetime career. The gig economy can benefit workers, businesses, and consumers by making work more adaptable to the needs of the moment and demand for flexible lifestyles. At the same time, the gig economy can have downsides due to the erosion of traditional economic relationships between workers, businesses, and clients. Benefits Competition and efficiency among workers improved. Increase in operational efficiencies and reduction in project cost saved training time in organizations. There is a wide range of choices for the employment seeker as well as the job provider as proximity to the workplace does not matter here. People also change jobs several times. No fixed working hours hence women have more flexible working hours. Retired people can also stay active after retirement as this will keep them engaged. The travel costs and energy to travel to the workplace is reduced since work at home is possible. Employers hire people for specific projects and pay them. This is more economical for them. Factors promoting Gig Economy In this digital age, the workforce is highly mobile and work can be done from anywhere. Short term contract will be safe for the firms, as it avoids long term obligations. Software and technological changes taking away human efforts contributed to the gig economy. The uncertain business climate also tempted companies to go for short-term labours. Challenges faced in Gig economy There are no labour welfare emoluments like pension, gratuity etc for the workers. Gig workers may face unfair termination. They may also attain minimum wages and less paid leave. Workers do not have the bargaining power to negotiate a fair deal with their employers. Banks and other financial service providers resist extending lines of credit when steady income is not assured in situations where teamwork is essential and gig worker teams will likely produce tardy, inconsistent and poor output. Unionization of workers will be difficult. Confidentiality of documents etc of the workplace is not guaranteed The gig economy is not accessible for people in many rural areas where internet connectivity and electricity is unavailable. The social welfare objectives can be neglected if business and profitable avenues of freelancing are prioritized. Read Also, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Gig Economy in India Companies hire gig workers on a project-to-project basis. In India, freelancing as an employment option has not yet reached the rural landscape. The gig economy in India is being fuelled by start-ups. India can learn from developed countries like the US and basic training and courses on freelancing, etc. India can engage with the European Union and the United States and the discussion on the protection of the gig economy is already underway. In India, the Union government hired freelancers to digitization of documents as part of the Digital India initiative. Conclusion Gig workers control their employment with respect to the type of job they want to undertake and the time they wish to put in towards such a job. An estimated 56% of new employment in India is being generated by the gig economy companies across both the blue-collar and white-collar workforce. The labour legislation in India has been enacted to ensure that the employees and certain eligible workers, including contract workers, are entitled to all the benefits they require to sustain themselves. Hence in India, minimum wages, paid leave provisions and maternity benefits should also be available to workers. Companies should also introduce peer-to-peer mentoring and establish sharing platforms, both offline and online, to enable workers to connect among themselves 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

Self Help Group (SHG)

Self-help group Self Help Groups (SHGs) are small groups of poor people. The members of an SHG face similar problems. They help each other, to solve their problems.  SHGs promote small savings among their members. The savings are kept with the bank. This is the common fund in the name of the SHG.  SHG is an informal group and registration under any Societies Act, State cooperative Act or a partnership firm   A Self Help Group is defined as a “self-governed, peer controlled information group of people with a similar socio-economic background and having a desire to collectively perform a common purpose.” Objectives To inculcate the savings and banking habits among members. To secure them from financial, technical and moral strengths. To enable availing of loan for productive purposes. To gain economic prosperity through loan/credit. To gain from collective wisdom in organising and managing their own finance and distributing the benefits among themselves. To sensitize women of the target area for the need of SHG and its relevance in their empowerment. To enhance the confidence and capabilities of women. To motivate women taking up social responsibilities particularly related to women development. It acts as the forum discussion. SHG movement in India Formation of SHGs for savings and credit and their linkage to commercial banks was initiated in India by MYRADA (Mysore Resettlement and Development Agency), an NGO, in the mid-1980s. However, SHGs as a tool to address poverty became significant only when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a circular in 1992 to link about 500 groups under the NABARD-SHG bank linkage pilot program. This success has led to mainstreaming of SHGs into the financial landscape and especially the Indian banking system, with about 94 million poor linked with banks through 7.5 Million SHGs, availing them of collateral-free credit. As a part of the poverty alleviation measures, the Government of India launched the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY) in April 1999 where the major emphasis is on SHG formation, social mobilization and economic activation through micro-credit finance This success led to the genesis of a massive community mobilization initiative by the Government of India as National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) in 2011 Benefit of SHGs Social and financial inclusion Women empowerment and Gender Equity – SHGs empowers women and inculcates leadership skills among them. Empowered women participate more actively in gram sabha and elections. Pressure Groups – their participation in the governance process enables them to highlight issues such as dowry, alcoholism, the menace of open defecation, primary health care etc and impact policy decisions. Voice to marginalized section of the society. Improving the efficiency of government schemes and reducing corruption through social audits. Alternate source of employment – it eases dependency on agriculture by providing support in setting up micro-enterprises e.g. personalised business ventures like tailoring, grocery, and tool repair shops. Impact on Housing & Health – The financial inclusion attained through SHGs has led to reduced child mortality, improved maternal health and the ability of the poor to combat disease through better nutrition, housing and health – especially among women and children. Read Also Poshan Abhiyaan Challenges Lack of knowledge and proper training. Lack of supporting infrastructure and supporting facilities like credit, marketing facilities, etc Poor repayment of loans affecting making banks reluctant to lend further. Patriarchal mindset and Social stigma on women engaging in the public sphere Diversion of money for unproductive purposes Poor penetration of SFGs in high poverty states like UP, Bihar, etc Case studies Kudumbasree in Kerala: Since 1998 kudumbasree has played a crucial role in the socio-economic-political development of the state.  Pramila bisoi, a SHG worker from Odisha has won the 17th Lok sabha election. 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. jon now

Inner-line permit system in North-East India

Inner-line permit system in North-East India What is an ILP? An Inner Line Permit is an official travel document required by Indian citizens to visit or stay in states and regions where it is applicable. Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland (except the city of Dimapur) are currently under the ILP system, and Indian citizens who do not belong to these regions need to have the document to visit or stay. Outsiders cannot overstay the timeline mentioned in their permits. An ILP is issued by the state government concerned. It can be obtained after applying either online or physically. It states the dates of travel and also specifies the particular areas in the state which the ILP holder can travel to. Different types of permits are provided based on the period of stay, For tourists For tenants For other employment purposes. Origin of ILP The system is an offshoot of the colonial-era Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873. The British had brought in these regulations to protect the commercial interest of the crown by regulating entry and exit of Indian citizens from outside these regions for the purpose of trade. After Independence; the Government of India chose to keep the ILP to protect the interests of the indigenous tribal communities of the Northeast. The words, “British subjects (Indians)”, in the original regulations were replaced by “Citizen of India”. Read Also Nagaland Peace Accord Why it is needed? To avoid and control the flow of illegal migrants mainly from neighbouring countries and limit Migrants from other states. To guard and protect the culture, tradition and social values of the inhabitants of the particular areas. Concerns with regard to CAB: The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill aims to make it easier for non-Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to obtain Indian citizenship. If it is implemented with provisions for excluding from its ambit the states under the ILP regime, it means that beneficiaries under CAB will become Indian citizens but will not be able to settle in these three states. As a matter of fact, the same restriction applies to existing Indian citizens. Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland are not among those drastically affected by migration from Bangladesh. Mizoram shares a border with Bangladesh. The three states that have seen the highest migration, however, are Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya, none of which has an ILP system. While Meghalaya has amended law, it is not yet clear what exact rules, visitors to the state would be subjected too. And officially, it has not been said to be a replication of the ILP regime. Demands for an ILP system have been made in various Northeastern states. The North East Students’ Organisation, an umbrella body of all-powerful students’ bodies of the regions, said in a press statement last month that it “reiterates its demand for the overall implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in all NE states”. Last year, the Manipur People Bill, 2018 was passed unanimously by the state Assembly and now is said to be awaiting Presidential assent. The Bill puts several regulations on ‘outsiders’ or ‘non-Manipuri people’ in the state. The Bill had undergone series of negotiations regarding defining the “Manipuri” people, after which a consensus was reached regarding 1951 as the cut-off year for the definition. In Assam too, there have been demands by certain sections for the introduction of ILP. Groups like the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, a youth organisation, has been organising protest demonstrations seeking ILP throughout the state. 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

India and Terrorism

Terrorism (UN Definition) Terrorism – “Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for particular purpose are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them”. Terror is not a new phenomenon to India and has been a growing concern since Independence. India currently faces different types of terrorism, includes: Externally sponsored terrorism Hinterland terrorism Urban terrorism Leftwing extremism Northeast insurgency Religious terrorism Cyber  Nuclear Externally sponsored terrorism: Terrorism sponsored by external actors for disrupting the peace of the Nation, it dates back to 1947 and still continues. Eg: Pakistan intelligence backed the Khalistan movement in Punjab. The insurgency movements in J&K was directly funded and trained by the intelligence of Pakistan. On the Eastern borders, China has been involved with the northeast insurgency groups like the ULFA, PLA, UNLF etc. aiming the separation of the northeast from India. Hinterland terrorism: It refers to terrorism in the interior areas which are usually away from the coast. These areas are often disadvantaged compared to other regions in terms of development. Eg: insurgency in the Naxal-hit areas. Urban terrorism: Urban terrorism is the targeted use of terrorism in urban populations in order to cause the most harm, injury, death, or property damage. Since urban areas have significantly higher population densities than rural areas, targeting those areas can maximize the effect of the terrorist attack. Eg: The wave of terrorism witnessed in Punjab, it was unleashed in cities like Amritsar, Jalandhar etc. Leftwing extremism: It is an ongoing conflict between Maoist groups, known as Naxalites or Naxals, and the Indian Government. Deprivation, land alienation and exploitation of the underprivileged and the tribals have repeatedly been the reason for a popular uprising in the country even prior to independence. Religious terrorism: Religious terrorism in India includes acts of violence by followers of one religious group against followers and institutions of another religious group, often in the form of rioting. Eg: Radical Islamic groups, Hindu right-wing extremism, Sikh militancy etc. Cyber terrorism: A criminal act perpetrated by the use of computers and telecommunication capabilities resulting in violence, destruction and/or disruption of services to create fear within a given population with a goal of influencing a government or population to conform to a particular political, social or ideological agenda. “ According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, “ Cyber terrorism is any premeditated, politically motivated attack against information, computer systems, computer programs, and data which results in violence against non-combatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents.” Read Also  Terrorism Financing Nuclear terrorism: Nuclear terrorism is an offence committed if a person unlawfully and intentionally uses any way radioactive material with an intention to cause death or serious bodily injury, or with the internet to cause substantial damage to property or to the environment. Reasons for the spread Under development, alienation, exploitation, discrimination led to discontent among certain section of people. Regional disparity. Easy use of technology such as mobile phones, computer, pager etc in the encrypted mechanism for the conduct of terrorism. Targets of terrorism are not concentrated on a particular place such as religious location but rather it is more widespread (financial, commercial, tourist or software centres) in order to catch more attention at national and international level. Use of social media and communication to radicalize and recruit young people for conducting acts of terrorism. Competition for scarce resources and intolerance among the population. Some countries support terrorist groups and internationally recognize them as freedom fighters. The terrorist of one country is considered a freedom fighter for another country. The link between terrorism and organized crime to earn easy money and smuggling. Sources of terrorism financing It is believed that the terrorist are financially supported through various ways:- Donation from Islamic countries in the name of Jihad. Earnings from drug trafficking. Issuing fake currency notes. Organized crime. Hawala transactions. Extortion and taxation Read Also The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Strategies adopted by India Agencies fighting terror NIA: A central government investigative agency to probe terror attacks in the country, created by an Act of the Parliament of India on December 31, 2008, following the Mumbai Terror Attack of November 2008. Intelligence agencies: There are a set of agencies responsible for fighting terrorism in India. A major agency utilized for gathering cross-border information is the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)- the external intelligence agency. The Intelligence Bureau (IB), a division of the Home Affairs ministry is responsible for collecting intelligence information inside India. NATGRID: National Intelligence Grid is an intelligence grid interconnecting certain agencies of the government of India to collect and share intelligence that could be used by the intelligence agencies of various departments. Multi-Agency Centre (MAC): it is for counterterrorism whose mandate is to share terrorism-related intelligence inputs on a day to day basis. Armed forces: it directly deals with the terrorism and insurgency problems in J&K and in north-east parts of the country. Creation of four new NSG hubs: the inadequate security forces was addressed by opening four new NSG hubs at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. Police force: The police is the first to respond to a terrorist attack in our country. They take over the situation until the designated special encounter terrorist forces reach the spot. CAPF: Centre Armed Police Forces are used extensively in Maoist areas, Kashmir and North-East. Legal mechanism TADA 1985: TADA was the first anti-terrorism law enacted in India and it was repealed in 1995 due to its misuse. The law placed a restriction on granting bails and gave enhanced power for the detention of suspects and attaching the properties of the accused. Exclusive courts were also set up to hear the cases under the act. POTA 2002: It was enacted in the wake of India Airlines flight hijack in 1999 and Parliament attack in 2001. Under this act, a suspect can be detained up to 180 days by a special court. This was repealed in 2004. UAPA 1967: Under