Government to Study the Impact of Mission Kakatiya

The State government of Telangana has decided to conduct an in-depth study to assess the impact of de-siltation of tanks taken up under the Mission Kakatiya project.

A memorandum of agreement (MoA) has been signed between the State Government and the International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) where the latter would conduct an assessment study over a period of two years.

Key Facts

• As per the MoA , study would cover aspects like impact of de-siltation on water availability for irrigation, changes in cropping pattern and recharge of groundwater.
• The objective of the study includes assessment of economic benefits of application of silt in terms of plant nutrients and developing scientific integrated nutrient management strategy for major crops.
• It also intends to assess the suitability of tank silt for use in agriculture based on heavy metal and salt content and long-term benefits for improved soil health in terms of physical, chemical and biological properties.

Mission Kakatiya

• Mission Kakatiya is a flagship programme launched by the Government of Telangana which aims at rejuvenation of water tanks and other water storage structures to provide assistance and help to the small and marginal farmers of the state.
• The name kakatiya is given in the memory of the valour and courage of the kakatiya rulers who ruled over the territory near Warangal and are known for there role in the development of large number of tanks in their kingdom.

Vidyalakshmi Portal for Higher Education

The Vidyalakshmi portal was launched by the Government of India in 2015 to provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships and educational loans to the poor and middle class students to pursue higher education of their choice without any constraint of funds.

Key facts

• The Vidyalakshmi portal is a first of its kind portal for students seeking educational loans.
• The portal has been developed and maintained by NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited (NSDL e-Gov) under the guidance of Ministry of Finance,Ministry of Human Resource Development and Indian Banks Association (IBA).
• Students can track there application status to the banks 24 hours by accessing the dashboard of the portal.
• It provides for a single window mechanism for the application and disbursement of government scholarships and educational loans provided by the banks.
• It also envisions to bring all the banks providing educational loans under one roof.

WHO Applauds Swachh Bharat’s Rural Component

According to a report of World Health Organisation (WHO), Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G) will result in preventing more than three lakh deaths due to diarrhoea and protein-energy malnutrition between 2014-2019.

• The progress report on potential health impact from increased sanitation coverage through the SBM-G was conducted by the WHO for the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Key Points

• India’s rural sanitation coverage escalated to 89.07% till August 2, 2018 and by 2019, the initiative aims to achieve 100% sanitation coverage.
• Under the SBM-G, 19 States and Union Territories were declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) and 7.9 crore toilets were built, while 421 districts were declared ODF. Also, about 5 lakh villages in the country were declared ODF.
• Before the initiation of SBM-G, unsafe sanitation caused 199 million cases of diarrhoea annually.
• 14 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) can be avoided between 2014 and 2019 by improving the sanitation facilities.
• WHO estimation of health impacts is based on comparative risk assessment (CRA) methods.
• The study found the evidence of improvement in drinking water supply, sanitation services and personal hygiene which had positive health impacts.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a national campaign launched by the Government on October 2, 2014 to clean the streets, roads and build social infrastructure of the country.
  The Government has decided to achieve the mission's objective by October, 2 2019.
• Mission Objectives
  • Elimination of Open Defecation
  • Eradication of Manual Scavenging
  • Modern and Scientific Municipal Solid Waste Management
  • To effect behavioral change regarding healthy sanitation practices
  • Generate awareness about sanitation and its linkage with public health
  • Capacity Augmentation for Urban Local Bodies
  • To create an enabling environment for private sector participation in Capex (capital expenditure) and Opex (operation and maintenance)
• Mission Components
  • Household toilets, including conversion of insanitary latrines into pourflush latrines
  • Constructing Community toilets and Public toilets
  • Solid waste management
  • Effective Public Awareness
  • Capacity building and Administrative & Office Expenses (A&OE)

HRD Ministry Approves Norms Against Plagiarism

The Ministry of Human Resource Development has approved new regulations on plagiarism drafted by the University Grants Commission (UGC). According the new norms, student researchers found guilty of plagiarism may lose their registration and teachers could lose their jobs.

• The Ministry had notified the UGC (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2018.
• The UGC had approved the regulations in its meeting held in March, 2018 prescribing graded punishment for plagiarism.

Key Points

• For students, plagiarism of up to 10% would not invite any penalty while that of between 10-40% would mean the students will have to submit a revised research paper within six months.
• In case the similarities are between 40-60% , students will be debarred from submitting a revised paper for one year.
• A student’s registration for a programme will be cancelled if the similarities are above 60%.
• Teachers whose academic and research papers have similarities ranging from 10-40% with other papers will be asked to withdraw the manuscript.
• In case the similarities are between 40-60%, they will not be allowed to supervise new masters, M.Phil, PhD students for two years and will also be denied the right to one annual increment, it said.
• In case of repeat plagiarism of over 60% similarity, the faculty members will be suspended, even dismissed.
• The new regulations prescribe that if any member of the academic community suspects plagiarism, he or she shall report it to the Departmental Academic Integrity Panel (DAIP).
• Upon receipt of such a complaint or allegation the DAIP shall investigate the matter and submit its recommendations to the Institutional Academic Integrity Panel (IAIP) of the Higher Education Institutions (HEI).
• The authorities of HEI can also take suo motu notice of an act of plagiarism and initiate proceedings under these regulations. Similarly, proceedings can also be initiated by the HEI on the basis of findings of an examiner. All such cases will be investigated by the IAIP.

Reasons for Plagiarism in India

• From the very beginning, the traditional mode of learning in India has essentially focused on rote learning, whereby students are expected to commit to memory and then reproduce volumes of text verbatim in their examinations right from a young age. Students are not taught to think, analyse or check on sources.
• Lack of awareness of what plagiarism is, has been another major problem. Few schools go out of their way to inculcate in students the moral integrity that treats plagiarism as a serious.
• Widespread access to the internet often leads to the non-acknowledgment of sources by the user.
• There is no real action against people indulging in the malpractice. Institutions of higher education, which should push students to strive for originality, actually don’t want to punish those who indulge in plagiarism.

Way Forward

• Counselling should be provided to students and parents to encourage education based on interest and aptitude. In addition, curriculum design should be aligned with skill building. It should encourage critical thinking among students.
• Quality teaching should be incentivised and conversely, a ‘no-tolerance policy’ towards non-performance should be adopted.
• Overhauling the evaluation system by focussing more on application of knowledge and introducing ‘non-traditional’ assessment techniques, such as verbal tests and critical paper reviews, could contribute in reducing the need for and incidence of cheating.

Mattala Project With India is On: Sri Lanka

In a recent statement, the Sri Lankan government has stated that the talks on ‘Mattala Project’ are ‘progressing’ with India.

What is the ‘Mattala Project’?

• India and Sri Lanka have agreed that India, with a 70% stake in the joint venture, will contribute $225 million to revamp and run the Sri Lanka’s loss-making Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Hambantota, while the Sri Lankan side will invest the balance.
• India had proposed establishing a flying school and a maintenance hub at Mattala airport to boost airport revenues while it builds up traffic. In future, the airport could also be a destination for Indian tourists.
• The facility, 241 km south-east of Colombo, is dubbed the “world’s emptiest airport” due to a lack of flights. However, India will operate the airport on a 40-year lease.
• It is an open secret that India’s strategic interests in running the airport, located near the China-controlled port in Hambantota, outweighs commercial considerations.
• The matter also remains highly sensitive in the island, since opposition forces, have objected to the “sale of national assets” to foreign countries.

Analysis

• India is worried about China's growing role in the Indian Ocean as Sri Lanka recently formally handed over control of Hambantota port to China, as part of a $1.1 billion, 99-year lease.
• From a security perspective, Hambantota would make a fine logistics point for an expanded Chinese naval presence. Although Sri Lanka has repeatedly claimed that no Chinese naval facility will be permitted in Sri Lanka, India worries that China's influence will expand over the Sri Lankan territory.
• A key element in any overseas naval base is easy access by air for people and supplies. A naval base also requires maritime air surveillance capabilities.This is where the world's emptiest airport comes in handy.
• Control over Hambantota airport will give India considerable control over how the port is used as it is difficult to conceive of the Chinese navy developing a significant facility at Hambantota without also controlling the airport.

TRAI Calls for Zero Telecom Equipment Imports by 2022

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended the setting up of a Rs. 1,000 crore fund for promoting research and innovation in the sector.

• The recommendations were aimed at enabling Indian telecom equipment manufacturing sector to transition from an import-dependent sector to a global hub of indigenous manufacturing.
• One of the primary reasons for increasing imports and decreasing exports is the relentless competition from China, which is known for large-scale production and export of low-cost telecom equipment, besides imports from other countries such as Sweden, Finland and the US.
• The authority suggested manufacturing telecom equipment in the country to offset security concerns because of excessive reliance on foreign-made goods.

Key Recommendations

• India should aim at net zero imports of telecommunications equipment by 2022. As per available data, the export of telecom instruments stood at $1,201.7 million in 2017-18 while imports totalled $21,847.92 million.
• Mandatory testing and certification of the telecom equipment in the country.
• Creation of the Telecom Research and Development Fund (TRDF) for research and innovation
• A dedicated unit in Department of Telecommunication (DoT) should be made responsible for the facilitation and monitoring of telecommunication equipment design, development, and manufacturing of indigenous telecommunication equipment.
• Telecom service providers (TSPs) be incentivised to deploy indigenous telecom products, beyond the quantities to be mandated under the Preferential Market Access (PMA).
• Telecom Entrepreneurship Promotion Fund(TEPF) and Telecom Manufacturing Promotion Fund(TMPF) be set up so that the private sector can effectively participate in the manufacture of indigenous equipment and have market access for locally made gear.
• DoT should coordinate with Ministry of Finance for making available the financing options, in line with the practices followed by other export-oriented economies, to indigenous telecom equipment manufacturers such as venture capital in the form of equity and soft loans, project finance and contract financing options.
• A portal be developed for self loading and declaration of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs).
• Alternate Dispute Resolution Framework for time bound resolution of patent licensing disputes should be institutionalised in the country.
• All telecom products meant for use in the telecommunication network or by consumers and marketed in the country should be classified as either fully finished imported products or indigenous products.

Telecom Firms Oppose TRAI’s Public Wi-Fi model

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

There has been a decline in number of beneficiaries under PMFBY in 2017-18 from 2016-17.

• The decline in coverage of farmer applicants is mainly due to factors like:
  • announcement of Debt Waiver Scheme in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh,
  • farmer’s perception of mitigated risk in 2017-18, which was a good monsoon year, and
  • de-duplication due to Aadhaar being made mandatory for coverage etc. 
• In a recent report on Risk Management in Agriculture - the committee on doubling farmers’ too observed that the coverage of farmers under the scheme who do not avail crop loans (non-loanee farmers) has been low. Other observations by the Committee:
  
  • The number of bidders in the drought-prone rain-fed areas is relatively less resulting in high (actuarial) premium rates of up to 25%.
  • Fewer insurance companies bidding in rain-fed areas also imply that they may be cherry-picking low risk areas leaving out high-risk districts where farmers are more vulnerable.
  • Delayed settlement of claims could be one reason why farmers are losing interest in PMFBY.

Steps to Increase Coverage

• Though the scheme is optional for States, the Government has been urging the States to bring more areas and crops under the scheme so that maximum farmers may be covered under the scheme.
• The Government is also seeking active involvement of all stakeholders especially States and implementing insurance companies for conduct of publicity campaign/awareness programmes in the rural areas to build farmer awareness about crop insurance schemes.
• Other measures include:
  • release of advertisements on regular basis in leading national/local newspapers,
  • telecast through audio-visual media,
  • distribution of pamphlets in local languages, participation in agriculture fairs / mela,
  • dissemination of SMS and
  • conduct of workshops/ trainings of officials of State Governments and financial institutions and farmers
• Moreover, insurance companies have been asked to utilize 0.5% of gross premium collected by them for publicity and awareness generation.

NCAER’s 2018 State Investment Potential Index

Delhi has emerged the most-attractive State for investors in the National Council for Applied and Economic Research (NCAER)’s 2018 State Investment Potential Index (N-SIPI).

• N-SIPI ranks India’s States’ on their competitiveness in business and their investment climate.
• The Index is designed to provide a systematic and reliable “go-to” reference for policy makers, existing businesses, and potential domestic and overseas investors.
• N-SIPI, 2018 ranked 21 major States on six pillars-
  
  • Land,
  • Labour,
  • Infrastructure,
  • Economic Climate,
  • Governance And Political Stability, and
  • Business Perceptions.
• Gujarat, previously No 1, slipped two places to the third position.
• The surprise elements in the index, was Tamil Nadu, which moved up four places to No 2.
• In the overall rankings, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra and Kerala emerged the most attractive States to do business, while Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand and Bihar were at the bottom.

Key Constraints

• According to the 1,049 business enterprises contacted, 55 per cent identified law and order situation as the primary constraint. 
• This time, the proportion of respondents identifying corruption as a major constraint declined - 46 per cent of the respondents identified corruption as a major constraint, down from 57 per cent in the 2017 round of survey.
• Other significant constraints identified by the respondents include:
  
  • Difficulty in getting approvals for land,
  • Transition to GST,
  • Quality of skilled labour,
  • Getting all approvals before starting business (second most pressing constrain), and
  • Access to finance.
• Interestingly, industry-related policies and the availability of unskilled labour were not found that problematic, while the availability of power and raw material, and rail and road quality and connectivity were seen to be the least problematic for the firms in the sample.

Important Facts For Prelims (August 4, 2018)

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

• PMUY was launched in 2016 and is implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas through its Oil Marketing Companies.
• Through PMUY, initially, 5 crores below poverty line (BPL) households were targeted for providing deposit free LPG connections to BPL households by 31st March, 2019. This target has been achieved.

BPL is a person/ household who suffers from at least one deprivation under the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) - 2011 Database.

• PMUY aims at providing clean-cooking fuel to the poor households and bringing in qualitative charges in the living standards.
• The scheme provides a financial support of Rs 1600 for each LPG connection to the BPL households.
• PMUY beneficiaries are identified through Socio-Economic Caste Census List-2011 and in such cases where names are not covered under SECC list, beneficiaries are identified from seven categories:
  
  • All SC/STs households beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana(PMAY) (Gramin)
  • Antyoday Anna Yojana (AAY)
  • Forest dwellers
  • Most Backward Classes (MBC)
  • Tea & Ex-Tea Garden Tribes
  • People residing in Islands
  • People residing in river islands.

E-Pashudhan Haat Scheme

• The Government launched e-Pashu Haat portal in 2016 for connecting breeders and farmers of indigenous breeds.
• Through the portal, farmers can obtain information on location of quality indigenous germplasm in the form live animals, semen doses and embryos.
• This portal is playing a crucial role in development and conservation of indigenous breeds.
• It has been launched under the scheme National Mission on Bovine Productivity.
  

Need

• India has the largest bovine population in the world.
• The Indigenous bovine breeds are sturdy, endowed with the quality of heat tolerance, resistance to diseases and ticks with the ability to thrive under extreme climatic conditions and survive with low inputs.
• However, most of the indigenous have low genetic potential for milk production and are suited for draught animal power. But, some breeds have potential to be highly productive under optimal nutrition and farm management conditions along with selective genetic breeding.
• Shortcomings in Animals Trade Market:
  
  • No authentic organized market - Decentralised, fragmented and dispersed for indigenous breeds- being sold in haats/animal fairs etc.
  • Difficult to get quality- disease free high genetic merit germplasm.
  • Misleading valuation due to lack of traceability and tracking.
  • Other malpractices include Horns removed & Teeth filed to mislead for their age.