India submits Sixth National Report to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India submits Sixth National Report to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD).

India today submitted its Sixth National Report (NR6) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) .The report was submitted online to the CBD Secretariat by the Union Environment Minister, Dr. HarshVardhan, during the inaugural session of the 13th National Meeting of the State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) organized by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), New Delhi. The Minister also released the document ‘Progress on India’s National Biodiversity Targets: A Preview’ on the occasion.

Speaking at the inaugural sessionDr. Harsh Vardhan,said that India is among the first five countries in the world, the first in Asia and the first among the biodiversityrich megadiverse countries to have submitted NR6 to the CBD Secretariat. “While globally, biodiversity is facing increasing pressure on account of habitat fragmentation and destruction, invasive alien species, pollution, climate change and oversuse of resources, India is one of the few countries where forest cover is on the rise, with its forests teeming with wildlife.I am also happy to note that India is on track to achieve the biodiversity targets at the national level and is also contributing significantly towards achievement of the global biodiversity targets”,said the minister.
Submission of national reports is a mandatory obligation on Parties to international treaties, including CBD. As a responsible nation, India has never reneged on its international commitments and has earlier submitted on time five National Reports to the CBD. Parties are required to submit their NR6 by 31 December 2018.
The NR6 provides an update of progress in achievement of 12 National Biodiversity Targets (NBT) developed under the Convention process in line with the 20 global Aichi biodiversity targets. Briefly, the Report highlights that while India has exceeded/overachieved two NBTs, it is on track to achieve eight NBTs and in respect of the remaining two NBTs also, India is striving to meet the targets by the stipulated time of 2020.
With well over 20 percent of its total geographical area under biodiversity conservation, India has exceeded the terrestrial component of 17 percent of Aichi target 11, and 20 percent of corresponding NBT relating to areas under biodiversity management. Similarly, India has also made noteworthy achievement towards NBT relating to access and benefit sharing (ABS) by operationalising the Nagoya Protocol on ABS. Having published the first internationally recognized certificate of compliance (IRCC) under the Protocol in 2015, India has since published nearly 75% of the IRCCs published so far on ABS Clearing House. Thus, in respect of these two NBTs (6 and 9), the progress made by India has exceeded the targets.
India has done well on raising awareness about biodiversity, which is an important thrust area in several programmes of the Government. As a megadiverse country harbouring nearly 7-8% of globally recorded species while supporting 18% of the global human population on a mere 2.4% of the world’s land area, India’s quest for inclusive economic development while maintaining integrity of its natural capital is being pursued through various programmes and strategies. Measures have been adopted for sustainable management of agriculture, fisheries and forests, with a view to provide food and nutritional security to all without destroying the natural resource base while ensuring intergenerational environmental equity. Programmes are in place to maintain genetic diversity of cultivated plants, farms livestock and their wild relatives, towards minimising genetic erosion and safeguarding their genetic diversity. Mechanisms and enabling environment are being created for recognising and protecting the vast heritage of coded and oral traditional knowledge relating to biodiversity for larger human welfare while safeguarding the interests and rights of the local communities as creators and holders of this knowledge.
India has been investing a huge amount on biodiversity directly or indirectly through several development schemes of the Central and State Governments, to the tune of Rs 70,000 crores per annum as against the estimated annual requirement of nearly Rs 1,09,000 crores.India has nearly two third of the population of wild tigers in the world. The population of lion has risen from 177 in 1968 to over 520 in 2015, and elephants from 12,000 in 1970s to 30,000 in 2015. One-horned Indian Rhino which was on the brink of extinction during the early 20th century, now number 2400. Further, while globally over 0.3 % of total recorded species are critically endangered, in India only 0.08% of the species recorded are in this category. India is committed to protecting its rich heritage of biodiversity which are so vital to our economic and social development. (Source:pib)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

India submits Sixth National Report to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD).

Cabinet approves submitting report on greenhouse gas inventory to UNFCCC - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Cabinet approves submitting report on greenhouse gas inventory to UNFCCC.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved Submission of India's second Biennial Update Report (BUR) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change towards fulfilment of the reporting obligation under the Convention.

Salient Features:
i. The scope of BUR is to provide an update to India's first BUR to UNFCCC. The BUR contains five major components — National Circumstances; National Greenhouse Gas Inventory; Mitigation Actions; Finance, Technology and Capacity Building Needs and Support Received and Domestic Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) arrangements.
ii. BUR has been prepared based on a range of studies conducted at the national level.
iii. The BUR has undergone multitier review process, through peer review, review by Technical Advisory Committee of Experts chaired by Additional Secretary (Climate Change) and by National Steering Committee chaired by Secretary (EF&CC). The National Steering Committee is an inter-ministerial body comprising NITI Aayog, Agricultural Research and Education, Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Economic Affairs, External Affairs, New and Renewable Energy, Science & Technology, Coal, Power, Railway Board, Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Rural Development, Housing and Urban Affairs, Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Steel, Civil Aviation, Statistics and Programme Implementation and India Meteorological Department. The BUR has been finalized after addressing all the relevant comments and modifications as per the multi-tier review process.
iv. In 2014, a total of 26,07,488 Gigagram (Gg) CC-2 equivalent* (around 2.607 billion tonnes of CC-2 equivalent) of GHGs were emitted from all activities (excluding LULUCF) in India. The net national GHG emissions after including LULUCF were 23,06,295 Gg COa equivalent (around 2.306 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent). Out of the total emissions, energy sector accounted for 73%, IPPU 8%, agriculture 16% and waste sector 3%. About 12% of emissions were offset by the carbon sink action of forestland, cropland and settlements.
Major impact:
Submission of India's Second BUR will fulfil the obligation of India to furnish information regarding implementation of the Convention, being a Party.
Background:
India is a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Convention, in accordance with its Article 4.1 and 12.1, enjoins upon all Parties, both developed country Parties and developing country Parties to furnish information, in the form of a National Communication regarding implementation of the Convention. Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC in its sixteenth session decided vide paragraph 60 (c) of decision 1 that developing countries, consistent with their capabilities and the level of support provided for reporting, should also submit biennial update reports containing updates of national greenhouse gas inventories and information on mitigation actions, needs and support received.


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Cabinet approves submitting report on greenhouse gas inventory to UNFCCC.

New e-commerce rules regressive, will hit FDI in India - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

New e-commerce rules regressive, will hit FDI in India.

Flipkart and US-based Amazon -- the two largest players in the burgeoning Indian e-commerce sector -- are expected to be hit the hardest once the new norms come into effect from February 2019.

Expressing concern over India tightening restrictions on foreign e-commerce companies operating in the country, leading American industry advocacy groups have said that such a move would have a long-term negative impact on the foreign direct investment as well as consumers.

Earlier this week, the government announced changes to the foreign direct investment policy for the ecommerce sector, which would end discounts and cashback offers that online platforms with foreign investment were offering.
Flipkart and US-based Amazon -- the two largest players in the burgeoning Indian e-commerce sector -- are expected to be hit the hardest once the new norms come into effect from February 2019.
"The new e-commerce restrictions announced by the government of India on December 26 are a cause for concern. While we are still trying to understand the full implications, we fear that these restrictions will have a far-reaching negative impact both on US investments and on Indian consumers, said Nisha Desai Biswal, president of US India Chambers of Commerce (USAIC), a wing of the US Chambers of Commerce.
The former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia said the US-India Business Council (USIBC) said that a February 1 deadline is too rushed and does not allow sufficient time for companies to analyse the policy and to comply.
We urge the government to delay implementation and allow time for comment before the policy goes into effect, Biswal said.
Mukesh Aghi, president of US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) said "this is not in the best interest of the Indian consumers".
"Coming out with such a major policy change overnight without any consultative process eats into the predictability and reliability factor that all US companies are looking into India for any foreign direct investment," he said.
I wish there was a little more consultative process, because you have companies like Walmart, which has put in $16 billion and they are in the process of putting more money to streamline their investment, it makes our job more difficult because how do I go and tell them please invest more and the policy would not change overnight, said Aghi, who has been working with US companies to make large scale investment in India.
"I at the moment embarked on a campaign convincing US company manufacturing in China to move it to India. How do I tell them, hey policies overnight would not change, he said, adding that with such policy pronouncements, India can't have a transparent, predictable environment which is a must for any foreign company to invest.
Referring to Union Commerce and Industries Minister Suresh Prabhu's remarks that he wants to focus on bringing $100 billion FDI to India, Aghi said the first thing is to have a predictability in a regulatory environment. (Source: The Business Standard)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

New e-commerce rules regressive, will hit FDI in India.

Cabinet approves Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Cabinet approves Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme.

Cabinet approves Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme Two unmanned & one manned flight planned First manned flight in 40 months Estimates for Phase-I expenditure- Rs 9023 Crores.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Gaganyaan Programme with demonstration of Indian Human Spaceflight capability to low earth orbit for a mission duration ranging from one orbital period to a maximum of seven days. A human rated GSLV Mk-lll will be used to carry the orbital module which will have necessary provisions for sustaining a 3-member crew for the duration of the mission. The necessary infrastructure for crew training, realization of flight systems and ground infrastructure will be established to support the Gaganyaan Programme. ISRO will collaborate extensively with National agencies, laboratories, academia and industry to accomplish the Gaganyaan Programme objectives.
Expenditure:
The total fund requirement for the Gaganyaan Programme is within Rs.10,000 crore and includes cost of technology development, flight hardware realization and essential infrastructure elements. Two unmanned flights and one manned flight will be undertaken as part of Gaganyaan Programme.
Benefits:
• Gaganyaan Programme will establish a broader framework for collaboration between ISRO, academia, industry, national agencies and other scientific organizations.
• It This will allow pooling in of diverse technological and industrial capabilities and enable broader participation in research opportunities and technology development benefitting large number of students and researchers.
• The flight system realization will be through Industry.
• It is expected to generate employment and train human resources in advanced technologies.
• It will inspire large number of young students to take up science and technology careers for national development.
• Gaganyaan Programme is a national effort and will involve the participation of the Industry, Academia and National Agencies spread across the length and breadth of the country.
lmplementation Strategy and Targets:
Gaganyaan Programme will be a national effort in collaboration with Industry, Academia and other scientific agencies and laboratories as stake holders along with ISRO. ISRO will be responsible for realizing the flight hardware through Industry. National agencies, laboratories and Academia will participate in crew training, human life science technology development initiatives as well as design reviews. First human space flight demonstration is targeted to be completed within 40 months from the date of sanction. Prior to this, two unmanned flights in full complement will be carried out to gain confidence on the technology and mission management aspects.
Impact:
• The programme is expected to spur research and development within the country in niche science and technology domains.
• Huge potential for technology spinoffs in areas such as medicine, agriculture, industrial safety, pollution, waste management, water and food resource management etc.
• Human spaceflight programme will provide a unique micro-gravity platform in space for conducting experiments and test bed for future technologies.
• The programme is expected to give impetus to economic activities within the country in terms of employment generation, human resource development and enhanced industrial capabilities.
• Human Spaceflight capability will enable India to participate as a collaborating partner in future Global space exploration initiatives with long term national benefits.
Background:
ISRO has completed the development of launch vehicle GSLV Mk-lll which has the necessary payload capability to launch a 3-member crew module in low earth orbit. ISRO has also tested the crew escape system which is an essential technology for human space flight. The aerodynamic characterization of crew module has b3een completed as part of GSLV Mk-lll X mission flight. Elements of life support system and Space suit also have been realized and tested. In addition, the orbital & re-entry mission and recovery operations have been flight demonstrated in Space Capsule Re-entry experiment (SRE) mission. ISRO has developed and demonstrated most of the baseline technologies essential for undertaking human spaceflight mission. Globally also, there is a renewed interest in undertaking manned exploration initiatives. (Source:pib)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Cabinet approves Indian Human Spaceflight Initiative: Gaganyaan Programme.

Govt approves amendments to POCSO Act - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Govt approves amendments to POCSO Act.

This category of offence includes assault on a child under the age of 12 years, gangrape, assault on a mentally or physically challenged child or one that is committed by a relative.

The government on Friday approved amendments to the POCSO Act 2012, to bring punishments for sexual assaults against boys on par with those against girls, including the provision of death penalty when a child is under 12-years-old.
Following the outrage over gangrapes in Unnao and Kathua earlier this year, the government had brought an Ordinance in April and followed it by passing a Bill in Parliament during Monsoon Session. The Bill was introduced to amend the Indian Penal Code to provide death penalty for gangrape of a girl under 12 years, and 20 years in jail to death penalty for rape of a girl under 12 years, among others.
Provisions were also added to provide imprisonment for the rest of one’s natural life for gangrape of a girl under 16 years, while rape of a girl in the same age bracket would be punishable with jail of 20 years up to life imprisonment.
However, the absence of changes to Prevention of Child Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012, which deals with sexual crimes against both girls and boys, meant that similar crimes committed against boys carried lighter punishment as those committed against girls. The latest set of changes approved by the Union Cabinet address these anomalies.
The Union Cabinet approved changes to Section 6 of the POCSO Act, which deals with punishments for aggravated penetrative sexual assault, enhancing the punishment of 10 years to life imprisonment to 20 years to imprisonment for remainder of a person’s natural life or with death.
This category of offence includes assault on a child under the age of 12 years, gangrape, assault on a mentally or physically challenged child or one that is committed by a relative.
The government has also amended the definition of aggravated penetrative sexual assault to include an offence that causes the death of a child. (Source: The Hindu)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Govt approves amendments to POCSO Act.

World's highest railway-arch bridge in Kashmir over river Chenab - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

World's highest railway-arch bridge in Kashmir over river Chenab.

Soon, India will have the world's highest railway-arch bridge over river Chenab in Kashmir. The Chenab Bridge, which is under construction between Bakkal and Kauri in the Resai district, is part of Indian Railways' mega plan to connect Kashmir valley with Udhampur known as Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line..

When complete, the 359-meter high bridge on river Chenab will be the world's highest. The base support of the bridge was completed in 2017 and according to the tweet by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, the construction work of the main arch is in full swing.
The bridge will also have a 14m-wide dual carriageway and a 1.2m-wide central verge. The bridge has 17 spans as well as 469m main arch span across the river. The bridge has two 36m-long approach spans.
The steel used in the bridge is blast proof and Railways is also installing an online monitoring and warning system to ensure swift response if the need arises. India's Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) is closely working with Indian Railways on this project.
The Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line will give a massive boost to the transportation sector in Jammu & Kashmir. The entire project is 345km long, of which, the Chenab Bridge is a key part.
On Thursday(December 27), India's Rail Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted that the Chenab Bridge will soon be a reality as the construction work is in full swing.
Piyush Goyal Railways is on track to achieve another engineering milestone with the Chenab Bridge in Jammu & Kashmir, set to be the highest railway arch bridge in the world
Salient features of the Chenab Bridge
- Blast proof steel has been used in construction for better security.
- The bridge is 1315 m (4,314 ft) long.
- The deck height of the bridge is 359m.
- BS: 5400 is being used as the basic guideline for the design and construction of the bridge.
- The bridge can stand wind speed up to 260km/hr.
The bridge which will be taller than Eiffel Tower is being considered as another engineering milestone for Railways after the Bogibeel Bridge on river Brahmaputra in Assam as the terrain in Kashmir is much more complicated. (Source:pib)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

World's highest railway-arch bridge in Kashmir over river Chenab.

Triple talaq bill passed in lok sabha - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Triple talaq bill passed in lok sabha.

The bill makes instant triple talaq a cognizable offence, attracting up to three years' imprisonment for the husband with a fine.

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the amended Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, which criminalises Triple Talaq, after over four hours of debate even as Congress and AIADMK MPs staged a walkout. The bill was passed with 238 MPs voting in its favour and 12 opposing it.
The bill, which will now go to the Rajya Sabha, proposes that instant Triple Talaq will be illegal and void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband. It also has a provision that only empowers a magistrate and not a local police officer to release the husband on bail. The proposed law would be applicable to the entire country, except in Jammu and Kashmir.
As soon as the Triple talaq Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Congress Leader in the House Mallikarjun Kharge demanded it be referred to a joint select committee of both Houses for greater scrutiny. He said several provisions of the bill were “unconstitutional”.
The fresh bill will supersede an earlier bill passed in the Lok Sabha and pending in the Rajya Sabha. The earlier bill, which was formulated after the Supreme Court declared Triple Talaq unconstitutional last year, was approved by the Lower House.
However, amid opposition by some parties in the Upper House, the government cleared some amendments, including the introduction of a provision of bail, to make it more acceptable. As the bill continued to face resistance in the Rajya Sabha, the government issued an ordinance in September, incorporating the amendments.


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Triple talaq bill passed in lok sabha.

World Bank AID for Rehabilitation of DAMS - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

World Bank AID for Rehabilitation of DAMS.

Central Water Commission (CWC) maintains National Register of Large Dams (NRLD) as per information provided by State Govts/ Dam owners. As per NRLD, 209 dams are 100 years or more old.

Union Government constituted National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) headed by Chairman, CWC and representatives from State Governments and PSUs. The objectives/mandates of NCDS are:
i) To oversee dam safety activities in various States and suggest improvements to bring these in line with the latest state-of-art consistently with Indian conditions.
ii) To act as a forum of exchange of views on techniques adopted for remedial measures to relieve distress.
iii) To monitor the follow-up action on the report on dam safety procedures.
iv) To recommend any other measures connected with dam safety.
The NCDS has been reconstituted from time to time and was last reconstituted on 15.10.2015.
Prime responsibility of preparation of Disaster Management Plan (DMP)/ Emergency Action Plan (EAP) rests with dam owners which are State Governments, central and state PSUs, municipalities and private companies etc. NCDS in its meetings has requested the State Governments/ Dam owners to prepare the DMPs/ EAPs of each large dam as per guidelines available on CWC website. As per information provided by State Governments, 398 DMPs/ EAPs have been prepared by the dam owners.
Government of India has started implementation of Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) with financial assistance from World Bank to rehabilitate 198 dam projects in 7 States viz. Kerala (28 dam Projects), Madhya Pradesh (25 dam Projects), Odisha (26 dam Projects), Karnataka (22 dam Projects), Uttarakhand (Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited) (5 dam Projects), Jharkhand (Damodar Valley Corporation) (3 dam Projects) and Tamil Nadu (89 dam Projects). The original budget outlay was Rs.2100 Crore and was a six year Scheme with scheduled closure in June 2018. The Project has been extended for two more years with revised closure in June 2020. Also, the Government of India has approved Revised Cost of the Project for Rs. 3466 Crore in October 2018.
Guidelines for “Developing Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for Dams” has been prepared and published during February 2016. The Guidelines were circulated to State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSO) and are available on DRIP website. (Source: pib)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

World Bank AID for Rehabilitation of DAMS.

China’s BeiDou navigation satellite, rival to US GPS, starts global services - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

China’s BeiDou navigation satellite, rival to US GPS, starts global services.

The positioning accuracy of the China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System has reached 10 metres globally and five metres in the Asia-Pacific region.

China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), touted as a rival to the widely-used American GPS, has started providing global services.
The construction of the BDS-3 primary system had been completed, BDS spokesperson Ran Chengqi said Thursday.

“This signifies that BDS has officially entered the global era as the BDS expands from a regional system to a global navigation system. From now on, no matter where you go, BDS will always be with you,” Ran said at a media conference here said.
The positioning accuracy of the system has reached 10 metres globally and five metres in the Asia-Pacific region. Its velocity accuracy is 0.2 metres per second, while its timing accuracy stands at 20 nanoseconds, he said.
Pakistan has become the first country to use the BeiDou system ending its reliance on the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Named after the Chinese term for the ‘Big Dipper’, the BeiDou system started serving China in 2000 and the Asia-Pacific region in 2012. It will be the fourth global satellite navigation system after the US GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo.
India too is building its navigational system called the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with an operational name of NAVIC.
By the end of 2018, there were a total of 33 BDS satellites operating in orbit for BeiDou. This included 15 BDS-2 satellites and 18 BDS-3 satellites.
China plans to launch another 11 BDS-3 satellites and one BDS-2 satellite in the coming two years to form a complete global network, which will further enhance the global service performance, Ran said.
More than 14,000 companies and organisations are doing business related to BDS, employing over 500,000 people, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The total number of satellite navigation patent applications in China has reached 54,000, ranking first in the world.
In China, about 6.17 million vehicles, 35,600 postal and express delivery vehicles, as well as 80,000 buses in 36 major cities, use BDS. The system is also used in 3,230 inland river navigation facilities and 2,960 marine navigation facilities. (Source: Livemint)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

China’s BeiDou navigation satellite, rival to US GPS, starts global services.

RBI constitutes Expert Committee headed by Bimal Jalan on Economic Capital Framework - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

RBI constitutes Expert Committee headed by Bimal Jalan on Economic Capital Framework.

The expert panel on RBI’s economic capital framework was formed to address the issue of RBI reserves—one of the sticking points between the central bank and the government.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday set up an expert committee, headed by its former governor Bimal Jalan, to suggest how the central bank should handle its reserves and whether it can transfer its surplus to the government.
The committee, which has been formed to review the existing economic capital framework (ECF), will have former RBI deputy governor Rakesh Mohan as its vice chairman. Other members are RBI central board directors Bharat Doshi and Sudhir Mankad; deputy governor N.S. Vishwanathan; and economic affairs secretary Subhash Chandra Garg. The panel will submit its report within 90 days of its first meeting.
The government has been insisting that the central bank hand over its surplus reserves amid a shortfall in revenue collections. Access to the funds will allow finance minister Arun Jaitley to meet deficit targets, infuse capital into weak banks to boost lending and fund welfare programmes. The Jalan panel will decide whether RBI is holding provisions, reserves and buffers in surplus of the required levels.
“[It would] propose a suitable profits distribution policy taking into account all the likely situations of the RBI, including the situations of holding more provisions than required and the RBI holding less provisions than required,” the central bank said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ECF committee will also suggest an adequate level of risk provisioning that the RBI needs to maintain. That apart, any other related matter, including treatment of surplus reserves created out of realized gains, will also come within the ambit of this committee.
The Narendra Modi government and the central bank have been at loggerheads over a clutch of issues, including relaxation of prompt corrective action norms on weak banks, special liquidity window for non-banking financial companies, RBI’s 12 February circular on defaulters and the transfer of surplus reserves to the government. These differences culminated in the resignation of RBI governor Urjit Patel.
The central bank’s core reserve —contingency fund—is only around 7% of its total assets and the rest of it is largely in revaluation reserves, which fluctuate with corresponding changes in currency and gold valuations. In 2017-18, the central bank’s contingency funds and revaluation reserves stood at ₹2.32 trillion and ₹6.92 trillion respectively.
RBI data shows that the growth in revaluation reserves has far exceeded the growth in contingency fund. While revaluation reserves have more than tripled from ₹1.99 trillion in 2008-09 to ₹6.92 trillion in 2017-18, the contingency fund has grown 50% during the same period from ₹1.53 trillion to ₹2.32 trillion. (Source: Livemint)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

RBI constitutes Expert Committee headed by Bimal Jalan on Economic Capital Framework.

How Rafale row bombed a groundbreaking move that would've changed Indian defence. - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

How Rafale row bombed a groundbreaking move that would've changed Indian defence.

The defence ministry has been unable to implement groundbreaking changes in policies on production and offsets, despite a budgetary speech promise and detailed inputs by the industry that saw the proposed amendments as key enablers.

Hit by the Rafale controversy, the defence ministry has not moved to amend its offsets policy since May this year, when a draft was presented for comments. (The opposition has targeted proposed offsets to Reliance Defence in the Rafale deal.) A new defence production policy that was promised in 2018 has met a similar fate, with limited forward movement since the draft was issued in March.
The proposed changes would have allowed the establishment of a fund regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to promote startups to meet the offsets obligations of foreign vendors that are worth billions of dollars.
They also offer major incentives for investing in the defence manufacturing corridors of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
However, after several rounds of consultations with stakeholders, including industry bodies, the ministry has not been able to move ahead on implementing the new rules. Internal dissent and opposing views within the ministry are believed to have come in the way of moving forward.
The absence of incentives on offsets has also resulted in the defence manufacturing corridors remaining stagnant, despite verbal commitments by some players to set up shop. “Unless the offsets policy is clear and gives a defined multiplier credit, foreign vendors will not venture and cannot make plans for investments in the corridor,” an industry analyst who did not wish to be named told ET.
The draft amendments also proposed that foreign companies can invest a significant part of their obligations in Sebi-regulated funds for defence, aerospace and internal security, something that has been welcomed by several global players. This also has hit a wall. Waiting-game-123
Offsets have ended up being a tricky issue for the government, given that at least three big cases have come under the scanner for alleged corruption, including the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal and the now-defunct Offsets India Solutions (OIS) that was promoted by fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.
The bigger disappointment for the Indian private sector, however, has been the lack of progress in promulgating a new Defence Production Policy 2018 that was announced as an “industry-friendly” move in this year’s budget.
The new policy is meant to promote production by the private and public sector in collaboration with each other and with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). While a wellappreciated draft has been shared with stakeholders, a lack of consensus seems to have stalled progress. Rafale-infograph-123
Some of the initiatives mentioned in the policy — such as a defence startup challenge and a defence investors cell — have been implemented individually but insiders say that a new policy will be impossible to notify this calendar year. There is lack of clarity on whether it will be ready ahead of the next budget either.
The draft policy that called for enhanced foreign direct investment (FDI) for domestic production also spelt out the government’s target of generating 3 million jobs in the next seven years and taking India to the top five countries in the world in the aerospace and military sectors.
“If even a policy is taking so long to be finalised, what is the chance that the targets can ever be met?” said an analyst, reflecting a growing sentiment within the industry. The draft policy has an ambitious target for the defence sector in India by 2025, aiming for an extraordinary $5 billion of exports, besides achieving self-reliance in complex systems such as fighter aircraft, autonomous weapon systems and small arms.(Source:defencenews.in)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

How Rafale row bombed a groundbreaking move that would've changed Indian defence.

India's economy to overtake Britain, France in 2019, possibly 2020: Report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India's economy to overtake Britain, France in 2019, possibly 2020: Report.

China is likely to overtake the United States as the world's No. 1 economy in 2032, two years later than previously expected.

In the race to outpace developed economies, emerging countries such as China, India, and Brazil suffered a setback this year and will outgrow them later than previously expected, the Centre for Economics and Business Research said.
The Cebr consultancy's 2019 World Economic League Table was more downbeat on the global economy than last year's outlook.

"For the medium term, we are roughly as optimistic as we were a year ago, but suspect the route to growth will be more bumpy than we had assumed 12 months ago," said the report, which forecast the fortunes of 193 countries to 2033.
China is likely to overtake the United States as the world's No. 1 economy in 2032, two years later than previously expected, due to a more lax monetary policy and lower exchange rate, the Cebr said.
It expects Brazil to overtake Italy in 2020, not 2018.
India would overtake Britain and France, probably in 2019, but possibly 2020, rather than in 2018 as it predicted a year ago.
Britain would likely lose its place as then the sixth biggest economy to France next year due to Brexit-related disruption, but should regain that position by 2023.
The Cebr also projected Ireland to be among the fastest growing economies in the euro zone next year, but said Brexit posed a big downside risk to that forecast.
The effects of a trade war between the world's two biggest economies have made themselves felt across global markets this year, and dented world trade growth.
The volume of world trade growth is likely to be up 2.99 per cent this year, less than two-thirds of the increase in 2017, the Cebr estimates.
The report's forecasts chimed with a deepening sense that optimism about synchronised global growth was overcooked, and that markets got ahead of themselves.
A Reuters poll of economists in late October signalled the outlook for global growth in 2019 dimmed for the first time.
Ammunition for a recession
Markets have suffered this year as investors fled risky assets, afraid monetary tightening from the world's central banks is removing too much support from the economy as a trade war weighs on growth.
"With debt high and many of the structural problems that caused the great recession still in existence, a global recession could be more difficult to resolve than its predecessors," the Cebr said.
But policymakers and governments still have enough ammunition to see the world through the next recession, according to Douglas McWilliams, deputy chairman of the Cebr, though he saw a shift from monetary to fiscal action.
"We're in a world now where there's a sense that a certain degree of fiscal action will have to be applied in order to avoid the world falling flat on its face," McWilliams said.
Government spending is likely to rise, both from fiscal easing and from discretionary spending, he added, saying he saw governments delivering more support than central banks.
With many economies facing an infrastructure backlog and mega-projects such as China's Belt and Road ongoing, the Cebr forecasts global construction spending will rise from $11.5 billion to $27.4 billion or 15.5 percent of world GDP by 2033.
McWilliams expected the average fiscal deficit for the OECD area to come in at 5 per cent of GDP in 2020, higher than the OECD's forecast of 3.2 per cent.
"A 5 per cent spend is risking it a bit, but the developed economies are in a better position to take that risk than emerging economies," he said. (Source: The Business Standard)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

India's economy to overtake Britain, France in 2019, possibly 2020: Report.

NITI Aayog to Release Second Delta Ranking under the Aspirational Districts Programme - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

NITI Aayog to Release Second Delta Ranking under the Aspirational Districts Programme.

NITI Aayog will release the Second Delta Ranking of the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) tomorrow, i.e. December 27, 2018. Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog will release the Second Delta Ranking under ADP and brief the media on this occasion.

The ranking will measure the incremental progress made by districts between June 1, 2018 and October 31, 2018.

The districts have been ranked in a transparent basis on parameters across Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure through key performance indicators. The rankings are based on the data that is publicly available through the Champions of Change Dashboard, which includes data entered on a real-time basis at the district level.
The rankings, for the first time, will also factor in inputs from household survey conducted by NITI Aayog’s knowledge partners, namely, TATA Trusts and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
The Aspirational District Programme was launched by the Prime Minister on January 5, 2018. It aims to rapidly transform the districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas and have emerged as pockets of under-development, thereby posing a challenge to ensure balanced regional development.
The first Delta ranking for the Aspirational Districts was released in June 2018.It ranked the Aspirational Districts on improved performance across five developmental areas of Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure, over the months of April and May 2018, on the basis of self-reported data.


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

NITI Aayog to Release Second Delta Ranking under the Aspirational Districts Programme.

IMPRESS scheme has been launched to promote Social Science Research in the country - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

IMPRESS scheme has been launched to promote Social Science Research in the country.

The Government has approved “Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education by 2022”, as per which the scope of institutions to be funded through Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) has been enlarged to encompass School Education and Medical Education institutions, apart from Higher Education. The total authorized equity capital of HEFA has been raised to Rs.10,000 crore, with the facility to leverage additional resources from the market, based on requirement.

A total Government equity of Rs. 6,000 Crore, has been approved. All funds for educational infrastructure in centrally funded educational institutions will henceforth be in the form of ten year loans through HEFA to the institution, the interest liability of which would be borne by the Government.
The principal repayment would be undertaken by the institutions in part or full depending on their age profile and financial capability. For new institutions and those which have limited internal fund generating capacity, the entire principal and interest repayment would be undertaken by the Government. There is an additional window of financing for school and medical education institutions where the sponsoring Department would undertake to repay the principal and interest to HEFA. So far, HEFA has approved projects of Rs. 24430 Crore with total loan amount of Rs. 12307 Crore.

The Government of India, in August 2018, had sanctioned the scheme “Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences (IMPRESS)” at a total cost of Rs. 414 Cr for implementation up to 31.03.2021. Under the Scheme, 1500 research projects will be awarded for 2 years to support the social science research in the higher educational institutions and to enable research to guide policy making.
• The Indian Council of Social Science and Research (ICSSR) will be the project implementing agency.
• The broad objectives of the scheme are:
i. To identify and fund research proposals in social sciences with maximum impact on the governance and society.
ii. To focus research on (11) broad thematic areas such as : State and Democracy, Urban transformation, Media, Culture and Society, Employment, Skills and Rural transformation , Governance, Innovation and Public Policy, Growth, Macro-trade and Economic Policy, Agriculture and Rural Development, Health and Environment, Science and Education, Social Media and Technology, Politics, Law and Economics. The sub- theme areas will be decided on the basis of Expert Groups’ advice before notifying the scheme and calling for applications.
iii. To ensure selection of projects through a transparent, competitive process on online mode.
iv. To provide opportunity for social science researchers in any institution in the country, including all Universities (Central and State), private institutions with 12(B) status conferred by UGC.
v. ICSSR funded/ recognized research institutes will also be eligible to submit research proposals on the given themes and sub-themes.
• The following will be the modalities for implementation:-
a. There will be (4) calls for proposals- October, 2018, February 2019, September 2019 and February 2020. The process of evaluation of the proposals and selection will be completed within 90 days from the date of call for proposals.
b. The experts for evaluation of proposals will be persons of eminence and selected using objective criteria.
c. There will be a regular monitoring of the progress of projects using the online portal, in which the progress can be directly updated by the Project Coordinator.
d. There will be a third party evaluation of the projects in March 2021.


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

IMPRESS scheme has been launched to promote Social Science Research in the country.

80% Indians in 17 cities feel sick when the air quality worsens: Study - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

80% Indians in 17 cities feel sick when the air quality worsens: Study.

India is ranked as one of the world's most polluted countries, with 14 cities in the top 20 most polluted cities globally.

Almost 80% of Indians polled across 17 cities believe that air pollution affects their quality of life, and 32% reported an effect on lifestyles, according to a new study.

While 93% believe that air pollution has a negative impact on health, 80% feel sick when the air quality in their city worsens, the study, Perception Study on Air Quality, commissioned by The Clean Air Collective, a network of more than 80 civil society organisations, citizen groups and experts working on the issue of air pollution and conducted by CMSR Consultants, a research group, across 17 cities and 5,000 respondents, found.
The study noted that only 13% people always seek information about air quality in their city while 12% never seek such information.
Delhi has the highest number of people (100%) who have heard about air pollution, followed by Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune and Kolkata (all above 98%).
Air pollution has also become a household issue: 78% of people interviewed reportedly discussed air pollution at home on numerous occasions.
India is ranked as one of the world’s most polluted countries, with 14 cities in the top 20 most polluted cities globally, according to the 2018 Global Ambient Air Quality Database of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Rural deaths, life expectancy and air pollution: The Indian equation
In 2016, 195 deaths per 100,000 people in India were attributed to air pollution, just behind Afghanistan (406) and Pakistan (207), according to data from the State of Global Air, an initiative of independent population health research centres Health Effect Institute of Global Air and Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation.
Kanpur had the world’s worst fine particulate matter (PM 2.5)--known to pose the greatest threat to human health, these are particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres, or roughly 1/30th the thickness of the human hair--of 173 micrograms per cubic metre of air (μg/m3 annual mean), which is 17 times the WHO's annual mean of 10 µg/m³ and three times more than the national ambient air quality annual mean of 40 µg/m³, IndiaSpend reported on May 2, 2018.
High levels of PM 2.5 have reduced life expectancy of Indians by up to nine years relative to what it would be if the WHO-prescribed 24-hour safe level of PM 2.5 (25 µg/m3) was met, according to 2016 Air Quality Life Index by the University of Chicago.
The poorest and the marginalised appear to bear the brunt of air pollution. In 2015, about 75% of deaths linked to air pollution in India, some 1.1 million people, were in rural areas, Vox reported on October 31, 2018.
Two-thirds of the Indian population is rural with 80% households operating on biomass like wood and dung for cooking and heating, which together contribute to 25% of outdoor pollution in India.
Indoor air pollution caused 66,800 deaths of under-five children in India in 2016, 10% more than 60,900 deaths of under-five children caused by outdoor air pollution in the same year, IndiaSpend reported on October 29, 2018.
The affected know the least
The survey shows large disparity in awareness of air pollution and basic terminologies like PM 2.5, PM 10 and air quality index (AQI).
While more women (80%) than men (78%) discuss air pollution at home, awareness of technical terms, such as PM 2.5 and PM 10, was lower among women, 27.7% and 14.5%, respectively, compared to men (31.1% and 20.3%).
More women are aware of AQI (21.6%) than men (17.6%), but they don’t understand its importance.
More women (34.8%) felt that air pollution affected them to a “large extent” and to “some extent” (46.1%), compared to 31.3% and 44.9%, respectively, for men.
The awareness about technical terms was found to be lowest among respondents of smaller cities, such as Singrauli (12% for PM 2.5 and 6.3% for PM 10) in Madhya Pradesh and Angul (11.3% for PM 2.5 and 5.7% for PM 10) in Odisha. Dhanbad (63.7%) in Jharkhand and Raipur (83.3%) in Chhattisgarh had the most number of people who were not aware and did not understand the relevance of AQI.
These were also the regions with the highest proportion of people who regarded the air quality in their city as ‘unhealthy’: 85% in Angul, 64% in Lucknow and 62% in Korba.
Scope for improvement
The data not only highlight low awareness but also reflect how information is disseminated inadequately, especially among women and in small cities.
The reliance on government websites and AQI boards for information was reported to be 26% and 17%, respectively, as a source of awareness, compared to newspapers (70%) and mobile apps (36%).
While 32% “strongly agreed” that polluting companies needed to be closed, even if it put jobs at risk, more than 50% agreed on the need for laws to control air pollution.
As many as 70% of Indians polled said they had taken steps in their individual capacity to mitigate the impact of bad air quality, and 86% showed interest in knowing more about AQI. (Source: The Business Standard)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

80% Indians in 17 cities feel sick when the air quality worsens: Study.

Lok Sabha passes Transgender Persons Bill - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Lok Sabha passes Transgender Persons Bill.

Amid noisy protests over the Rafale deal and Cauvery issue, the Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill seeking to empower the transgender community by providing them a separate identity.

he Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, seeking to define transgenders and prohibit discrimination against them, was introduced in the Lok Sabha two years ago. It was passed with 27 amendments.
Amid din, five members, including Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar (All India Trinamool Congress) and Badaruddoza Khan (CPI-M), participated in the debate, questioning the provisions of the legislation.
The amendments moved by the government, along with some others moved by opposition members, were considered.
Dastidar said the Bill was hastily drafted and the different clauses mentioned in it were totally inconclusive.
“First we have to define what transgender means....This Bill has to be returned,” she said, adding that a properly drafted Bill had to be tabled.
In the midst of the uproar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government was ready was any kind of discussion.
Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said that the Bill was sent to standing committee and the government has accepted 27 amendments.
Khan said that the definition of the transgender mentioned in the Bill was not clear.
Earlier, seeking passage of the bill, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said the bill was complete and there was no need for more discussion. He said the objectives of the bill includes protecting interests of transgenders, defining of the term ‘transgender’, to give them recognition and setting up of a national transgender council.
“A long discussion has taken place on this issue. It has also gone to the parliamentary standing committee. We have included several of their suggestions,” he said.
Initiating the debate on the bill, Congress member Shashi Tharoor said the bill was “flawed” and the minister should withdraw it. “Defer consideration of the Bill as it needs serious discussion. I request the minister to withdraw the Bill,” he said.
“We need to recognise transgenders’ identity” as it goes beyond male and female, Tharoor said, adding the government has “blindly” borrowed the definition of transgenders. “The Bill also fails to define discrimination against transgenders,” and there is a need to redraft certain clauses, he said.
B. Mahtab (BJD) said there was no clarity on the term “self perceived gender identity” and “how it will be enforced”. He said the definition of transgenders was not complete and that other terms such as transmen and transwomen were not defined. Mahtab added that there were several laws in the country and it was not clear how these laws including the Companies Act would be applied to transgenders.
“Adequate attention has not been given in drafting this Bill,” he maintained, adding the government itself has moved 27 amendments.
Supriya Sule (NCP) said a transgender commission at the national level was not enough. “We are asking for a welfare board for transgenders. They need equal rights,” she said, demanding a helpline number for the community. (Source: The Hindu)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Lok Sabha passes Transgender Persons Bill.

RBI’s solution for MSME loan woes: Public credit registry - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

RBI’s solution for MSME loan woes: Public credit registry.

The RBI is preparing a public credit registry, which will help reduce interest rates for borrowers due to easier risk assessment: RBI deputy governor Viral Acharya.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) preferred fundamental changes to smoothen loan flow to micro-businesses through a public credit registry, rather than doling out forbearances, deputy governor Viral Acharya said on Saturday.

The statement comes almost a month after the central board “advised” the monetary authority to consider a restructuring scheme for loans up to Rs 25 crore for stressed standard assets of borrowers from the micro, small and medium enterprise sector.
The advisory was issued amid pressure from the government to do more to support small businesses, which had been hit by the twin shocks of demonetisation and GST.
The government had also pitched for easing the prompt corrective action norms, under which the RBI had placed 11 of the 21 state-run banks, to help banks to lend more.
“At the RBI, we are quite excited about how we can solve the credit problems at the grassroots for micro entrepreneurs in a fundamental way rather than saying that when they default we will just give them forbearance and give them another six or nine months to pay up,” he said while addressing IIT-Bombay’s annual Techfest.
Acharya, an alumni of the engineering institute, said the RBI was putting together a public credit registry that will give banks the entire profile, including past loan details, and also regular income flows of borrowers. This can make a lender more confident and also reduce the rate of interest for a borrower as the risk assessment becomes easier, according to Acharya.
When asked about privacy concerns of such a registry, Acharya admitted it was a “delicate” matter and advocated an access rights design upfront rather than a lot of information being gathered by companies. The deputy governor also said in most countries with public credit registries, there existed a separate legislative framework focussing on critical aspects, including access rights.
“We’ve not yet fully engaged with the government to get such a legislation through because the RBI already has certain rights under existing legislations,” he said.
Work on the registry was happening in a “modular” manner and would take three-five years before every financial transaction is recorded, he said.
Acharya said there was need to judiciously allocate finance to entrepreneurs rather than just giving away money. He also said there was an urgent need to focus more on skilling, since it was a very important determinant for growth. (Source: Livemint)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

RBI’s solution for MSME loan woes: Public credit registry.

Countries agree rules for implementing Paris climate treaty at UN summit - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Countries agree rules for implementing Paris climate treaty at UN summit.

Delegates from nearly 200 states finalised a common rule book designed to deliver the Paris goals of limiting global temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius.

Nations on Sunday struck a deal to implement the landmark 2015 Paris climate treaty after marathon UN talks that failed to match the ambition the world’s most vulnerable countries need to avert dangerous global warming.
Delegates from nearly 200 states finalised a common rule book designed to deliver the Paris goals of limiting global temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit). “Putting together the Paris agreement work programme is a big responsibility,” said COP24 president Michal Kurtyka as he gavelled through the manual following the talks in Poland that ran deep into overtime.
“It has been a long road. We did our best to leave no-one behind.” But environmental groups said the package agreed in the Polish mining city of Katowice lacked the bold ambition needed to protect states already dealing with devastating floods, droughts and extreme weather made worse by climate change.
“We continue to witness an irresponsible divide between the vulnerable island states and impoverished countries pitted against those who would block climate action or who are immorally failing to act fast enough,” executive director of Greenpeace Jennifer Morgan said.
The final decision text was repeatedly delayed as negotiators sought guidelines that are effective in warding off the worst threats posed by our heating planet while protecting the economies of rich and poor nations alike.
“Without a clear rulebook, we won’t see how countries are tracking, whether they are actually doing what they say they are doing,” Canada’s Environment Minister Catherine McKenna told AFP.
At their heart, negotiations were about how each nation funds action to mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as how those actions are reported.
Developing nations wanted more clarity from richer ones over how the future climate fight will be funded and pushed for so-called “loss and damage” measures.
This would see richer countries giving money now to help deal with the effects of climate change many vulnerable states are already experiencing.
Another contentious issue was the integrity of carbon markets, looking ahead to the day when the patchwork of distinct exchanges -- in China, the Europe Union, parts of the United States -- may be joined up in a global system.
“To tap that potential, you have to get the rules right,” said Alex Hanafi, lead counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund in the United States.
“One of those key rules -- which is the bedrock of carbon markets -- is no double counting of emissions reductions.” The Paris Agreement calls for setting up a mechanism to guard against practices that could undermine such a market, but finding a solution has proved so problematic that the debate has been kicked down the road to next year.
One veteran observer told AFP Poland’s presidency at COP24 had left many countries out of the process and presented at-risk nations with a “take it or leave it” deal.
Progress had “been held up by Brazil, when it should have been held up by the small islands. It’s tragic.” One of the largest disappointments for countries of all wealths and sizes was the lack of ambition to reduce emissions shown in the final COP24 text.
Most nations wanted the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to form a key part of future planning.
It highlighted the need for carbon pollution to be slashed to nearly half by 2030 in order to hit the 1.5C target.
But the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait objected, leading to watered-down wording.
The final statement from the Polish COP24 presidency welcomed “the timely conclusion” of the report and invited “parties to make use of it” -- hardly the ringing endorsement many nations had called for.
“There’s been a shocking lack of response to the 1.5 report,” Morgan told AFP. “You can’t come together and say you can’t do more!” With UN talks well into their third decade sputtering on as emissions rise remorselessly, activists have stepped up grassroots campaigns of civil disobedience to speed up action on climate.
“We are not a one-off protest, we are a rebellion,” a spokesman for the Extinction Rebellion movement, which disrupted at least one ministerial event at the COP, told AFP.
“We are organising for repeated disruption, and we are targeting our governments, calling for the system change needed to deal with the crisis that we are facing.” (Source: Livemint)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Countries agree rules for implementing Paris climate treaty at UN summit.

India all set to test long range Pralay, K5 to stalemate China soon - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India all set to test long range Pralay, K5 to stalemate China soon.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is set to throw up some pleasant surprises early next year. Along with the induction of 5,000-km range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-V, the premier defence research agency is readying for the maiden test of its long range Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) K-5.

K-5 missile developed under the secret ‘K Series’ project is the fastest missile in its class and can deliver nuclear warhead of more than one tonne 5,000 km away. The three-stage missile propelled by solid propellants can deceive enemy radar making it more lethal. While 750-km range K-15 (B-05) and 3,500 km range K-4 of the K-family have already been test fired successfully several times and are in the process of induction, the newly developed K-5 will add more teeth to the arsenal.
Defence sources said the missile will be flight tested from a submersible pontoon launcher in Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam coast for a suppressed range to validate some new technology incorporated in the system before it is put under tests for full range in operational configuration.“The K-5 missile was sanctioned in 2015. The weapon system is now being readied for initial phase trials. Though the test window has not been finalised, it is expected to fly in the sky soon.
A successful trial would pave the way for the development of its longer range cousin K-6,” said a senior defence official.With India perceiving China as a potential threat, the focus now seems to have been laid on development and deployment of long range missiles having underwater launch capabilities.
The K-5 missile will undergo a series of developmental trials before its induction in armed forces. It will equip S4 nuclear powered submarine, currently under development. Indigenously developed INS Arihant submarine, which completed sea patrol recently, will be equipped with K-15 and K-4 missiles.
Before the K-5 trial, the DRDO is also planning for first test of surface-to-surface tactical Short Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM) Pralay from a defence base off Odisha coast on December 18.
Earlier planned in September, the test was reportedly deferred for administrative reasons.
The much faster and accurate Pralay has a strike range upto 500 km and weighs around five tonne. It can be compared with China’s Dongfeng 12 and Russia’s 9K720 Iskander, both short-range tactical ballistic missiles.“Preparation is also on for a user trial of 4,000 km range Agni-IV missile by the Strategic Forces Command. The missile will be fired in a lofted trajectory like the recent test of Agni-V. The trial is likely to be conducted on December 26,” the official added.
Sky shield
- SLBM K-5 is the fastest missile in its class.
- Can deliver nuclear warhead of more than one tonne 5,000 km away.
- To be flight tested from a submersible pontoon launcher off Visakhapatnam coast.
- SRBM Pralay to be test-fired from a defence base off Odisha coast.
- Has a strike range upto 500 km.
- Weighs around five tonne (Source:defencenews.in)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

India all set to test long range Pralay, K5 to stalemate China soon.

India, Nepal, Bhutan plan joint task force to protect wildlife - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India, Nepal, Bhutan plan joint task force to protect wildlife.

Kanchenjunga Landscape, spread across the countries, to be monitored.

The governments of India, Nepal and Bhutan are actively considering having a joint task force for allowing free movement of wildlife across political boundaries and checking smuggling of wildlife across the Kanchenjunga Landscape, a trans-boundary region spread across Nepal, India and Bhutan.

The developments comes up after forest officials and representatives of non-government organisation of the three countries visited parts of the landscape and later held a meeting at Siliguri in north Bengal earlier this month.
Participants from India and Bhutan who attended the meeting told The Hinduthat setting up of a joint task force was a key requirement in the road map on achieving the objectives of free movement of wildlife and checking smuggling of wildlife.
The landscape stretches along the southern side of Mount Kanchenjunga covers an area of 25,080 sq km spread across parts of eastern Nepal (21%), Sikkim and West Bengal (56%) and western and south-western parts of Bhutan (23%).
From India, Ravinkanta Sinha, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, West Bengal participated in the meeting, whereas Nepal was represented by G.P. Bhattarai, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation of that country. The Bhutanese delegation was led by Tashi Tobgyel, Department of Forest and Park Services, Bhutan. Representatives of South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network, an inter-governmental wildlife law enforcement agency, which held its first ever meeting in India in May 2018, were also present during the meeting.
Severe loss
According to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ( ICIMOD), a regional knowledge development and learning centre, 1,118 sq km of riverine grassland and tree cover were lost in the landscape between 2000 and 2010. 74 % of the area was converted into rangeland and 26% to agricultural land.
Other than seven million people, the Kanchenjunga Landscape is also home to 169 species of mammals and 713 species of birds.
Studies by the ICIMOD suggest that between 1986 and 2015, as many as 425 people were killed by elephants (an average of 14 human deaths every year) and 144 elephants were killed between 1958 and 2013 (an average of three elephants every year).
S.P. Pandey of SPOAR, a north Bengal-based wildlife organisation, who also participated in the discussion, said that every few months there were cases of elephants, rhino and gaurs and other mammals crossing over political boundaries, triggering panic among locals across the border and also posing danger to the wildlife.


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

India, Nepal, Bhutan plan joint task force to protect wildlife.

MAKE IN INDIA : India's first private UAV factory comes up in Hyderabad - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

MAKE IN INDIA : India's first private UAV factory comes up in Hyderabad.

India' first private sector unit for manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) opened at Adani Aerospace Park here on Friday.

Built by the Adani Group and Israel-based Elbit Systems, the 50,000 square feet facility will develop Hermes 900 medium altitude long-endurance UAVs for the Indian and global markets.
The unit will begin with the manufacture of complete carbon composite aerostructures for Hermes 900, followed by Hermes 480, catering to global markets. It will further be ramped up for assembly and integration of complete UAVs.
The plant has been built at Adani Aerospace Park, the first defence and aerospace complex of Adani Group, at Hardware Park on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
The facility also houses advanced composites and high precision machining capabilities.
The plant was inaugurated by Telangana's Home Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali in the presence of Pranav Adani, Adani Enterprise Ltd, Karan Adani, CEO, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones, Bezhalel Machlis, President and Chief Executive Officer, Elbit Systems and Ashish Rajvanshi, Head Adani Defence and Aerospace. (Source: The Business Standard)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

MAKE IN INDIA : India's first private UAV factory comes up in Hyderabad.

Rafale: How 126-jet deal replaced with pact for 36 fighters - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Rafale: How 126-jet deal replaced with pact for 36 fighters.

• The SC narrated how the UPA's deal for 126 Rafale jets got replaced in 2016 by an inter-government agreement to procure 36 fully-loaded jets
• Centre told SC that HAL would require 2.7 times higher man-hours compared to French side to manufacture the jet.
• The stalemate resulted in the process of RFP to procure 36 jets.

The Supreme Court on Friday narrated how the UPA's deal for 126 Rafale jets, of which 18 were to come in flyaway condition and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was to manufacture the rest under licence, got replaced in 2016 by the NDA government — which went for 36 fully-loaded jets with Reliance Aerostructure Ltd as Indian offset partner.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on June 29, 2007, granted acceptance of necessity for procurement of 126 medium multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA), including 18 flyaway aircraft (equivalent to single squadron) to be procured from original equipment manufacturer with remaining 108 jets to be manufactured by HAL under licence, to be delivered over a period of 11 years from the date of signing the contract. Six vendors submitted proposals in April 2008 and and these were subjected to technical and field evaluation.
Commercial bids were opened in November 2011 and Dassault Aviation was declared the lowest bidder in January 2012. “Negotiations commenced thereafter and continued but without any final result. In the meantime, there was a change of political dispensation at the Centre sometime in the middle of 2014,” the SC said.
The Centre told the SC that HAL would require 2.7 times higher man-hours compared to the French side for the manufacture of Rafale aircraft and that issues over Dassault undertaking contractual obligations for 108 aircraft to be manufactured by HAL remained unresolved for three years.
“Such delay is said to have impacted the cost of acquisition, as the offer was with ‘in-built escalation’ and was influenced by euro-rupee exchange rate variations. The stalemate resulted in the process of RFP (request for procurement) withdrawal being initiated in March 2015,” the SC said.
On April 10, 2015, an Indo-French joint statement for acquisition of 36 Rafale jets in flyaway condition through an inter-governmental agreement was issued and the same was approved by the DAC. The RFP for 126 Rafale jets was finally withdrawn in June 2015. Negotiations were carried out and the process was completed after inter-ministerial consultations with the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security.
The contract, along with aircraft package supply protocol, weapons package supply protocol, technical agreements and offset contracts was signed with respect to 36 Rafale jets on September 23, 2016.
These aircraft were scheduled to be delivered in a phased manner from Oct 2019.


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Rafale: How 126-jet deal replaced with pact for 36 fighters.

COP24: Nations still worlds apart at crunch UN climate summit - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

COP24: Nations still worlds apart at crunch UN climate summit.

Ministers at the COP24 talks must agree on a common rule book to make good on promises they made in the landmark 2015 Paris accord.

Nations at UN climate talks were haggling Friday over the world’s plan to avert disaster as host Poland dumped a draft decision text on delegates just hours before the summit was due to end.
Negotiators told AFP that delegates from nearly 200 states were still far apart on several crunch issues -- from how nations report reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, to the levels of help given to countries already hurting from climate change.

Ministers at the COP24 talks must agree on a common rule book to make good on promises they made in the landmark 2015 Paris accord, which vowed to limit global temperature rises to “well below” two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
But with the starkest warnings yet from scientists highlighting the need to drastically slash fossil fuel emissions within the coming decades in order to meet the safer cap of 1.5C warming, delegates were urged to act now or condemn at-risk nations to disaster.
As negotiations entered the final stretch, several key areas of dispute emerged, often with different alignments of developed and developing nations straddling each divide.
In the draft text there was no resolution on how the climate fight will be financed, and developed nations -- responsible for the lion’s share of historic greenhouse gas emissions -- were accused of seeking to shirk funding promises made in Paris.
Harjeet Singh, global climate lead at ActionAid, said rich countries were “playing a cruel joke” on developing nations.
As it stands, “there is no obligation on their part on finance, both in terms of how much money they are going to provide and how to count that money,” he said.
One veteran observer told AFP that the US, despite President Donald Trump’s intention to withdraw from Paris, was seeking to water down “differentiation”, a bedrock principle of the underlying UN climate Convention.
Washington wants countries to contribute to the climate fight based on their current emissions levels, rather than their historic pollution, meaning the US would be less bound to help developing nations green their economies.
“US has let certain things slide in order to make sure they have parity,” said the observer.
The draft text gave short shrift to another red-line issue for poor countries exposed to the ravages brought on by global warming: so-called “loss and damage”.
Cutting greenhouse gas emissions and helping nations prepare for a climate-addled future have long been the twin pillars of the UN climate forum.
But more recently, a third plank of the regime was added to help nations cope with deadly heatwaves, drought and floods -- amplified by climate change -- happening today.
Another hot-button issue centres on how to avoid the double-counting of reductions in carbon pollution.
That can occur when one country takes actions to curb emissions -- reforestation, for example -- in another country and then both nations claim the credit as part of their pledges under the Paris Agreement
“If you have buyers and sellers in a carbon trading scheme, you want to be sure that those emissions reductions don’t get counted twice,” said David Waskow, director of the World Resources Institute’s Climate Change Initiative.
The European Union has been particularly aggressive in pushing for strict rules on “environmental integrity”.
The expectation is that talks will go deep into overtime with host Poland likely to publish an updated text in the early hours of Saturday.
One potential breakthrough came in the form of tentative consensus over how to treat the latest UN scientific report.
Most nations wanted the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- which highlighted the need for greenhouse gas emissions to be slashed to nearly half by 2030 in order to hit the 1.5C target -- to form a key part of future planning.
But the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait objected, leading to watered down language in the draft decision.
“Now that we are in the same boat we need to be able to have a rule book that sticks with the 1.5C there is no discussion, no possibility to question or have doubts on the 1.5C,” said Costa Rica’s environment minister Carlos Manuel Rodriguez.
As well as the IPCC issue, nations are also under pressure to up their ambition in their contributions to the climate fight ahead of a 2020 stocktake.
“If we don’t do that, we will not survive,” said former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed. “We would die. I’m sure it wouldn’t be an appropriate outcome for anyone.” (Source: The Business Standard)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

COP24: Nations still worlds apart at crunch UN climate summit.

Ground Water Extraction: Government notifies revised guidelines; to levy fee on water extraction from June 2019 - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Ground Water Extraction: Government notifies revised guidelines; to levy fee on water extraction from June 2019.

The government will levy a fee on ground water extraction from June next year to discourage misuse of water by industries and ensure a "more robust ground water regulatory mechanism" in the country, an official release said on Thursday.

The step is likely to make packaged drinking water dearer.

The Central Ground Water Authority has notified revised guidelines for ground water extraction which will be effective from June 1, 2019.
One of the important features of the revised guidelines is introduction of the concept of Water Conservation Fee (WCF).
The WCF payable varies with the category of the area, type of industry and the quantum of ground water extraction and is designed to progressively increase from safe to over-exploited areas and from low to high water consuming industries as well as with increasing quantum of ground water extraction.
The high rates of WCF are expected to discourage setting up of new industries in over-exploited and critical areas as well as act as a deterrent to large-scale ground water extraction by industries, especially in over-exploited and critical areas.
"The WCF would also compel industries to adopt measures relating to water use efficiency and discourage the growth of packaged drinking water units, particularly in over-exploited and critical areas," it said.
Other features of the revised guidelines include encouraging use of recycled and treated sewage water by industries, provision of action against polluting industries, mandatory requirement of digital flow meters, piezometers and digital water level recorders.
There will be mandatory water audit by industries extracting ground water 500 cubic metre per day or more in safe and semi-critical and 200 cubic metre per day or more in critical and over-exploited assessment units, mandatory rooftop rain water harvesting except for specified industries and measures to be adopted to ensure prevention of ground water contamination in premises of polluting industries/ projects.
As per the revised guidelines, agricultural users, users employing non-energised means to extract water, individual households using less than 1 inch diameter delivery pipe and armed forces establishments during operational deployment or during mobilisation in forward locations have been exempted from the requirement of no-objection certificate (NOC).
Other exemptions (with certain requirements) have been granted to strategic and operational infrastructure projects for armed forces, defence and paramilitary forces establishments and government water supply agencies.
India is the largest user of ground water in the world, extracting ground water to the tune of 253 billion cubic metre per year, which is about 25 per cent of the global ground water extraction.(Source: The Business Standard)


The above Article can also be read full Article:

Ground Water Extraction: Government notifies revised guidelines; to levy fee on water extraction from June 2019

Indian Navy inducts its first Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Indian Navy inducts its first Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle.

The Indian Navy Wednesday inducted its first 'Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle' into service here and was in the process of acquiring one more soon to deploy the vessels permanently at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam.

With the DSRV's induction, the Indian Navy has joined the select league of world navies that have an integral submarine rescue capability, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba said after the induction at the Western Naval Command here.
The maiden trials of the DSRV were successfully completed on October 15.
"The DSRV (induction) is a landmark event and it marks the culmination of years of focused efforts of the Navy in acquiring niche submarine rescue capability. With these capabilities, the Indian Navy has joined the select league of navies that operate such assets," Admiral Lanba said.
The second vehicle has already left for delivery to India and will be based at the naval base in Visakhapatnam, he said.
The endeavour is to provide rescue services in the Indian Ocean region and beyond, he said, adding that the Navy can extend services to friendly nations.
INS Nistar was the first submarine rescuer followed by INS Nireekshak which carries out dual role of diving support and submarine rescue vessel, he noted.
"A need was felt as early as 1980s to induct a dedicated, non-tethered DSRV to match the growing reach and depth of our submarines," Lanba said.
The inducted submarine -- a third generation product of Scotland-based JFD, a part of James Fisher and Sons Plc -- has the latest technology and capability, he said.
The vehicle is currently deployed on mother ship INS Sabarmati, provided by the Shipping Corporation of India, which will be placed in Mumbai.
JFD has won the contract of 193 million pounds for the supply and 25 years of maintenance of the two DSRVs.
More than 80 naval personnel have undergone training on DSRV operations and its exercises will continue in future as well, a Naval official said.
The vehicle can rescue as many as 14 people in one dive, the official said.
The Navy has also given a Rs 9,000 crore contract to the Hindustan Shipyard Limited for building two mother ships for DSRVs and deliver them by 2020, the official said.
The DSRV will be permanent deployed on the mother ship and it can be flown away in case of emergency rescue, the Navy said.


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Indian Navy inducts its first Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle.

Govt adds Korean Won, Turkish Lira in list of currencies for exchange rates - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Govt adds Korean Won, Turkish Lira in list of currencies for exchange rates.

Bilateral trade between India-South Korea grew to $16.36 billion during 2017-18.

The government on Wednesday included two currencies -- Korean Won and Turkish Lira -- in the list of currencies for which it notifies the exchange rate for assessing the value of imports and exports.
Currently, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) notifies exchange rates for 20 currencies for the purpose of valuation of imported and exported goods and it has been now decided to include two more currencies Won and Lira in the list.
"Under Section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962, the CBIC notifies the Rate of Exchange for the purpose of conversion of foreign exchange to Indian Rupees (INR) and vice versa for assessment of imports and exports," the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.
Bilateral trade between India-South Korea grew to $16.36 billion during 2017-18 from $12.59 billion in 2016-17. South Korea is ranked 8th amongst India's trade partners in terms of imports last financial year.
Also, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with South Korea is likely to increase the trade flow between the two countries.
Bilateral trade between India and Turkey stood at $7.2 billion during 2017-18. More than 150 companies with Indian capital have registered businesses in Turkey in the form of joint-ventures, trade and representative offices, it said.
Notifying Korean Won and Turkish Lira by the CBIC will facilitate trade and business by easing the process of conversion of these currencies into INR and vice versa.
The initiative is also anticipated to help exporters claim the benefits of Merchandise Export Incentive Scheme easily, as the rates of TRY (Lira) and Won will be readily available on the realisation date of remittances.
Overall, it is expected to decrease the transaction cost and enhance the ease of doing business, thereby, benefiting the Indian, Korean and Turkish businesses, the Ministry said. (Source: The Business Standard)


The above Article can also be read using the link below:

Govt adds Korean Won, Turkish Lira in list of currencies for exchange rates.