IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-01

Hoysala Temples in Karnataka finalised as India’s nomination for World Heritage List for 2022-2023

News

• The Hoysala Temples of Belur, Halebid and Somnathapura in Karnataka have been finalised as India’s nomination for World Heritage List for the year 2022-2023, the Union Culture Ministry said.

India’s nomination for World Heritage List

• The ‘Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala’ are on UNESCO’s Tentative list since April 15, 2014, and stand testimony to the rich historical and cultural heritage of this country.
• Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO Vishal V Sharma formally submitted the nomination of Hoysala Temples to UNESCO Director of World Heritage Lazare Eloundou.
• Following the submission of the dossier, technical scrutiny will be carried out.
• All the three Hoysala temples are protected monuments of the Archaeological Survey of India and therefore their conservation and maintenance will be done by its, culture ministry said.
• The state government will ensure the conservation of state-protected monuments which are around these three monuments since it would add to the visual integrity of the place, it said.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-02

Court in Italy dismisses investigation against marines over murder of Kerala fishermen

News

• Over seven months after the Supreme Court closed all proceedings pending in the country against two Italian marines accused of gunning down two fishermen off the coast of Kerala in February 2012, a Rome judge dismissed the murder investigation against the two, following an assessment by prosecutors last month that there was not enough evidence for a trial.

Dismissed the murder investigation

• Pointing out that this has brought a years-long event, during which the defence ministry never left the two marines and their families on their own, to an end, Italian Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerini welcomed the “positive outcome” for Master Sergeant Massimiliano Latorre and Sergeant Major Salvatore Girone.
• In June, 2021, the Supreme Court of India had quashed the FIR registered in connection with the case and discharged the bail bonds of the two marines.
• The bench gave the judgment after taking into account the fact that the Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982, – of which India is a party – had delivered its award on May 21, 2020, under which the Republic of Italy agreed to pay Rs 10 crore in compensation, over and above the ex gratia amount already paid (Rs 2.17 crore) and also that the tribunal had duly recorded Italy’s commitment that it will resume its criminal investigation into the incident.
• The court noted that accordingly, Italy deposited Rs 10 crore with the Union of India and that the Kerala government as well as the heirs of the deceased fishermen and the boat’s owner had agreed to accept the award.
• It had however directed that the Republic of Italy resume its criminal investigation in the events and cooperate with the Union of India and the State of Kerala in pursuit of that probe.

Italy had, in 2015, took the case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, which ruled last year that the marines were entitled to immunity. Latorre and Girone returned from India to Italy on September 13, 2014 and May 28, 2016, respectively.

Government makes experimental scheme to induct women fighter pilots permanent

News

• Over six years after the Indian Air Force (IAF) had started accepting women pilots on an experimental basis, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has decided to convert it into a permanent scheme, Defence Minister announced, calling it a testimony to the government’s commitment towards women empowerment.

Women empowerment

• Till date, 16 women fighter pilots have been commissioned in the IAF. The MoD has now given clearance to make it a permanent scheme.
• The Defence Ministry had approved allowing women to join the Air Force as fighter pilots in 2015, but the scheme for “Induction of Women SSC officers in Fighter Stream of Flying Branch” began in 2016.
• Women fighter pilots came into the spotlight just last week, when Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, India’s first female pilot for the Rafale fighter aircraft, was seen standing on the Air Force’s tableau in the Republic Day parade.
• She was the second-ever woman fighter pilot to be part of the Republic Day parade, the first being Flight Lieutenant Bhawna Kanth, who was a part of Air Force’s tableau in 2021.
• Last year has given a major boost to women joining the armed forces, as, after intervention from the Supreme Court, women have been allowed to join the National Defence Academy, that feeds officers into the three forces.
• Nearly a third of the candidates who appeared for the NDA’s entrance test in November were women.
• The Supreme Court had also intervened in 2020 to push the Army to allow Permanent Commission to women in all non-combat streams.

India, Oman to look at new avenues for defence industry cooperation

News

• India and Oman agreed to identify new avenues and examine areas of mutual interest for joint ventures to enhance the defence industry cooperation between the two countries.
• Oman is an important partner for India, especially at a time when India is trying to expand its footprint in the Indian Ocean Region. Oman is also the country’s strongest defence partner in the Gulf region.

Enhance the defence industry cooperation

• Oman’s Secretary General at the Ministry of Defence, Mohammed Bin Nasser Bin Ali Al Zaabi is in the country on a four-day visit, and called on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Al Zaabi and Singh, the Defence Ministry said in a statement “discussed ways to enhance defence cooperation between the two countries”. The Omani official is the executive head of the country’s defence establishment, as Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Shihab holds the charge as its minister.
• Defence ties with Oman are significant for India for many reasons. All three services have bilateral exchanges and exercises with Oman’s services, and the country provides operational support to the Indian Navy for anti-piracy missions in the Arabian Sea.
• Also, India had got access to the Duqm port in Oman, strengthening India’s capability and maritime strategy in the Indian Ocean Region, especially against China’s aggressive advance in the region.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-03

Union Budget 2022-23

Source: PIB INDIA

News

• The Union Budget for Financial Year 2022-23, presented by the Finance Minister, has given further impetus to modernisation of Defence Services and Defence Security Infrastructure development, including the Border Road Infrastructure and Coastal Security Infrastructure.

Union Budget 2022-23

• The Union Budget 2022-23 envisages a total outlay of Rs 39.45 lakh crore. Out of this, Ministry of Defence has been allocated a total budget of Rs 5.25 lakh crore, which is 13.31% of the total budget. This includes an amount of Rs 1.19 lakh crore for Defence Pensions.
• The total Defence Budget represents an enhancement of Rs 46,970 crore (9.82%) over Budget Estimates 2021-22.
• Through enhanced budgetary support over the years, the Government has placed modernisation and infrastructure development of the Armed Forces at the centre stage of the National Security and Defence Planning process.
• The total allocation under Capital Outlay of the Defence Services has been increased from Rs 86,740 crore in 2013-14 to 1.52 lakh crore in 2022-23. There is an enhancement of 76% over a period of nine years.
• Further, during this period, the total Defence Budget including Defence Pensions has increased by 107.29%, from Rs 2.53 lakh crore in 2013-14 to Rs 5.25 lakh crore in 2022-23.

Sustained thrust on Modernisation & Infrastructure Development: In the Union Budget 2022-23, the Capital Allocations pertaining to modernisation and infrastructure development of Armed Forces has been significantly increased to Rs 1.52 lakh crore. This represents an increase of Rs 17,308 crore (12.82%) over FY 2021-22. Further, cumulative increase in the Capital Budget since 2019-20 has been Rs 48,975 crore (47.37%).

• In order to give push to indigenous Domestic Enterprises under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, the share of domestic capital procurement, which was earmarked at 64% in 2021-22, has been enhanced to 68% of the Capital Acquisition Budget of the Defence Services (Rs 1.24 lakh crore) for the FY 2022-23, which would be Rs 84,598 crore.
• The Capital segment of the MoD (Civil) budget catering to organisations such as Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and Directorate General Defence Estates (DGDE) etc has also seen a notable jump of 55.60%. In absolute terms, this amount is Rs 8,050 crore in FY 2022-23 against Rs 5,173 crore in FY 2021-22.
• Underlining the importance of overall maritime security, the Capital Budget of the Indian Navy has been enhanced by 44.53%, with a total allocation of Rs 46,323 crore in FY 2022-23.
• This increase is aimed at acquisition of new platforms, creation of Op and Strategic Infrastructure, bridging of critical capability gaps and building a credible maritime force for the future.
• Additionally, to boost the Coastal Security, the Capital budget of Indian Coast Guard has been enhanced by 60.24% to Rs 4,246 crore in FY 2022-23 vis-à-vis Rs 2,650 crore in FY 2021-22.
• This enhancement is aimed at building up of assets such as acquisition of ships & aircraft, augmentation of infrastructure, establishment of coastal security network and building up technical & administrative support structures.
• Rs 173.03 crore and Rs 131.08 crore have been provisioned under DGDEs Capital Budget for BE 2022-23 and RE 2021-22, respectively, mainly for construction of boundary posts/pillars and perimeter fencing of Defence Land. This is directed towards preventing encroachment on Defence Land.
• Towards hand holding of the newly created seven Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), Rs 1,665 crore in RE 2021-22 and Rs 1,310 crore in BE 2022-23 has been earmarked for their planned modernisation. Additionally, Rs 2,500 crore in BE 2022-23 and also in RE 2021-22 has been set aside as Emergency Authorization Fund

Budget Announcement 2022-23: Aatmanirbharta in Defence

• Government is committed to reducing imports and promoting AtmaNirbharta in equipment for the Armed Forces. 68 per cent of the capital procurement budget will be earmarked for domestic industry in 2022-23, up from 58 per cent in 2021-22.
• Defence R&D will be opened up for industry, startups and academia with 25 per cent of defence R&D budget earmarked. Private industry will be encouraged to take up design and development of military platforms and equipment in collaboration with DRDO and other organizations through SPV model.
• A new scheme, Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North-East,PM-DevINE was announced by the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget 2022-23 here today.
• On Agriculture front, the Finance Minister informed that Chemical-free Natural Farming will be promoted throughout the country, with a focus on farmers’ lands in 5-km wide corridors along river Ganga, at the first stage. Use of ‘Kisan Drones’ will be promoted for crop assessment, digitization of land records, spraying of insecticides, and nutrients.
• Implementation of the Ken-Betwa Link Project, at an estimated cost of Rs 44,605 crore will be taken up aimed at providing irrigation benefits to 9.08 lakh hectare of farmers’ lands, drinking water supply for 62 lakh people, 103 MW of Hydro, and 27 MW of solar power.
• Allocations of  Rs 4,300 crore in RE 2021-22 and Rs 1,400 crore in 2022-23 have been made for this project. Moreover, Draft DPRs of five river links, namely Damanganga-Pinjal, Par-TapiNarmada, Godavari-Krishna, Krishna-Pennar and Pennar-Cauvery have been finalized and once a consensus is reached among the beneficiary states, the Centre will provide support for implementation.
• The Finance Minister underlined that the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) has provided much-needed additional credit to more than 130 lakh MSMEs to help them mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic.
• The issuance of e-Passports using embedded chip and futuristic technology will be rolled out in 2022-23 to enhance convenience for the citizens in their overseas travel.
• An allocation of Rs. 60,000 crore has been made to cover 3.8 crore households in 2022-23 under Har Ghar, Nal Se Jal Scheme. Since 2014, the government’s focus has been on empowerment of citizens, especially the poor and the marginalized.
• Measures have included programmes that have provided housing, electricity, cooking gas and access to water. Giving more details, the Finance Minister said that the current coverage of Har Ghar, Nal Se Jal is 8.7 crores, out of which 5.5 crore households were provided tap water in last 2 years itself.

INTRODUCTION OF CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY ‘DIGITAL RUPEE’ ANNOUNCED

• The Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, announced the introduction of Digital Rupee to be issued by the Reserve Bank of India starting 2022-23.
• The Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will give a big boost to digital economy.
• Digital currency will also lead to a more efficient and cheaper currency management system, the Minister stated. The Digital Currency will use block chain and other technologies.

RISKS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE THE STRONGEST NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES THAT AFFECT INDIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES: UNION BUDGET 2022-23

Source: PIB INDIA

News

• The government aims to attain the vision of promoting energy transition and climate action during the Amrit kaal. 
• While presenting the Union Budget 2022-23 in Parliament, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, laid emphasis on this vision and put the same as one of the important priorities of the country for moving forward.

Energy transition and climate action 

• The Finance Minister has proposed an additional allocation of  19,500 crore for Production Linked Incentive for manufacture of high efficiency modules. This will also ensure the domestic manufacturing required for achieving the ambitious goal of 280 GW of installed solar capacity by 2030.
• Energy efficiency and saving measures through settingup of Energy Service Company (ESCO) business model in large commercial buildings will also facilitate capacity building and awareness for energy audits, performance contracts, and common measurement & verification
• Four pilot projectsfor coal gasification and conversion of coal into chemicals required for the industry have also been proposed to evolve technical and financial viability.

Tracking NCAP: Marginal dip in pollution levels, states not spending enough funds

News

• Three years into the launch of India’s National Clean Air Program (NCAP) in 2019, analysis of pollution data shows there has been a marginal decrease in pollution levels in targeted cities. It also shows insufficient expenditure of funds by the states to ensure air pollution reduction.

Decrease in pollution levels

• The NCAP was launched with an aim to reduce pollution by 20-30 % by 2024, particularly in 132 non-attainment cities. The analysis shows pollution – in terms of PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels – has actually gone up in some cities such as Mumbai over past few years.
• Under the NCAP, Rs 375.44 crore was provided to 114 cities from 2018-19 to 2020-2021 and Rs 290 crore allocated to 82 cities for 2021-2022. The programme has an allocation of Rs 700 crore envisaged for 2021-2026.
• Data presented at the NCAP’s National Apex Committee recently, and analysed by the NCAP Tracker, shows that most states have underutilised the funds allotted. Only Bihar and Chandigarh used 76% and 81% of the funds received towards NCAP. Uttar Pradesh, which has many of India’s most-polluted cities, used 16% of the allocated Rs 60 crore.
• With 18 non-attainment cities — the most in a state — Maharashtra has used less than 8% of its Rs 51 crore. This despite the fact that, according to Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System data, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Nashik saw pollution levels increase from 2019 to 2021.