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IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-01

Lockdown effect: 22 lakh more MNREGS labourers in Rajasthan this year than 2019

Source: Indian Express

News

• The labour force engaged in Rajasthan under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) by the end of June is 22 lakh more than what it was at this time last year, government data reveals.

MNREGS

• The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is meant to enhance the livelihood of the rural populace by guaranteeing at least 100 days of employment within 15 days of raising a demand, to every household wherein the adult members perform unskilled manual labour.
• With an allocation of ₹40,000 crore, as a part of the stimulus package to MGNREGS, the government hopes to increase employment generation in rural areas.
• The increase in the MNREGS figures accounts for those who earlier didn’t have to rely on the employment guarantee scheme but after the Covid-19 crisis has now joined the labour force under the scheme in absence of work.
• The data indicates that all 33 districts in the state saw an increase in the labour force employed when compared to the figures of June last year.
• Many of these labourers are migrant workers who returned to Rajasthan from other states after the lockdown was announced.

The wages of MNREGS in Rajasthan are fixed at the maximum of Rs 220, with the payments made fortnightly.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-02

Nepal party leaders tell PM Oli to prove India charge or resign

Source: Livemint

News

• Two days after Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli claimed that India was trying to topple his government with support from some politicians at home, party leaders, including three former prime ministers, asked him to prove his allegations or quit.

Prove India charge or resign

• According to a member of the standing committee, accused Oli of being insensitive and irresponsible in his remarks against a friendly country.
• Oli has come under criticism outside the party forum as well.

Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFCs and HFCs

Source: PIB india

News

• With a view to improving the liquidity position of NBFCs as well as HFCs, the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs announced, launch of a Special Liquidity Scheme of Rs. 30,000 crore. RBI will provide funds for the Scheme by subscribing to government guaranteed special securities issued by the Trust.

Special Liquidity Scheme

• The total amount of such securities issued outstanding shall not exceed Rs. 30,000 crores at any point of time.  Government of India will provide an unconditional and irrevocable guarantee to the special securities issued by the Trust.
• The Scheme is being launched on July 1, 2020 through a Special Purpose Vehicle in the form of SLS Trust set up by SBI Capital Markets Limited (SBICAP).
• Any NBFC including Microfinance Institutions registered with RBI under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (excluding those registered as Core Investment Companies) and any HFC registered with the National Housing Bank (NHB) under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987which is complying with the following broad conditions will be eligible to raise funding from the said facility:
• Compliance with RBI regulations on Capital adequacy
• Net NPA is less than 6% as on 31.03.2019
• Net profit in at least one of the two preceding financial years
• Rated as investment grade by a rating agency
• Is not reported under SMA-1 or SMA-2 category by any bank for their borrowing during the period one year prior to 01.08.2018

This facility is a part of the Government of India and RBI’s efforts to alleviate the concerns of the market participants on the availability of fundsto the sector.

US welcomes India’s ban on China-linked apps, says it will ‘boost national security’

Source: Indian Express

News

• Two days after the government announced an interim ban on 59 apps with Chinese links, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed the move and said that “India’s clean app approach will boost sovereignty, integrity and national security”.

59 apps banned

• Citing the “emergent nature of threats” from mobile applications, including popular ones of Chinese origin such as TikTok, ShareIt, UCBrowser, Club Factory and CamScanner, the Centre banned 59 apps based on information that they were engaged in activities “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity”, defence, security and public order.
• The ban is “interim in nature” and the firms behind these apps have been given 48 hours to provide clarifications on key issues.
• The move is seen as a retaliatory step amid the tense border standoff between India and China that led to 20 Indian Army personnel being killed on June 15. State-owned telecom companies have since moved to keep Chinese vendors out of their network upgradation tenders.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has formally designated Chinese telecom vendors Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation, all their parent and subsidiaries, as well as affiliate firms, as “national security threats”.

India, China call for expeditious de-escalation along LAC

Source: LiveMint

News

• The talks were the third time that Lt General Harinder Singh met his Chinese counterpart Maj General Liu Lin

Step wise de-escalation

• India and China have emphasised the need for “an expeditious, phased and step wise de-escalation as a priority.”
• The discussions reflected the commitment of both sides to reduce the tensions along the LAC ( line of actual control). The process of dis-engagement along the LAC is complex and in such a context, speculative and unsubstantiated reports need to be avoided.

The two sides are still a way away from reaching an understanding on a solution to the current tensions.

The talks were the third time that Lt General Harinder Singh met his Chinese counterpart Maj General Liu Lin. The previous two were held on 6 June and 22 June.

Bombay HC permits minor rape victim to terminate 25-week pregnancy

Source: Indian Express

News

• The Bombay High Court has permitted a 17-year-old rape victim to terminate her 25-week pregnancy despite a report submitted by the civic-run KEM Hospital here advising against the abortion.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act

• Provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act do not permit a woman to terminate pregnancy, if it has crossed 20 weeks and she will have to seek the high courts permission to do so.
• A division bench gave the order while hearing the girl’s petition filed through her father, seeking permission to undergo medical termination of her 25-week pregnancy.
• As per the plea, the girl is a victim of rape and a case against the perpetrator is lodged at the Vakola police station in Mumbai.
• The victim, in her plea seeking permission to undergo medical termination of pregnancy, said her mental and physical health is at risk.

the court directed that  in case the child is born alive during the termination procedure and if the petitioner and her parents are not willing or are not in a position to take responsibility of the baby, then the state government and the agencies concerned will have to assume full responsibility of the child.

Plan to kick start cashless treatment of motor accident victims

Source: PIB Indian

News

• Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has prepared a blue print for implementing the scheme of cashless treatment of motor accident victims, as contemplated under the MV Act 2019.
• This includes  treatment of victims during the crucial Golden hour.

Cashless treatment

• The ministry has written to principal secretaries and secretaries in charge of transport in all States and union territories soliciting their views on concept note of the cheme by the 10th of this month.
• The scheme also includes creation of a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund.
• The National Health Authority being the nodal agency for PM-JAY and having footfall across the country with over 21,000 hospitals on board has been entrusted to implement the scheme.
• It has been envisaged in the scheme to provide compulsory insurance cover to all Road users in the country.  
• The Fund would be utilised for treatment of road accident victims and for payment of compensation to the injured or to the family of person losing life in hit and run cases. The proposed modalities of the scheme have been designed in a way that they allow access to quality care at the right time for all individuals, irrespective of their capability to pay.

Government of India removes Impediments in COVID-19 Testing

Source: PIB india

News

• With the aim to remove all impediments in testing, Health Secretary and DG (ICMR) urged the States/UTs to take immediate steps to facilitate and ramp up testing.
• They have reiterated that ‘test-track-treat’ is the key strategy for early detection and containment of the pandemic.

COVID-19 Testing

• Pointing out that in some States/ UTs, the capacity utilization of the testing labs, particularly the ones in private sector, is grossly sub-optimal, States/UTs have been strongly advised to take all possible steps to ensure full capacity utilization of all COVID-19 testing laboratories in the State/ UT.
• States/UTs have been advised to facilitate testing at the earliest by enabling all qualified medical practitioners, including private practitioners, to prescribe COVID test to any individual fulfilling the criteria for testing as per ICMR guidelines.
• ICMR has strongly recommended that laboratories should be free to test any individual in accordance to the ICMR Guidelines and State authorities must not restrict an individual from getting tested, as early testing will help in containing the virus and saving lives.
• In order to facilitate testing, States/UTs have also been advised to  make efforts in ‘campaign mode’ by setting up camps/ using mobiles vans in high incidence areas to collect samples of all symptomatic individuals as well as their contacts, and get those samples tested by using rapid antigen tests.
• The positive individuals should be treated according to the treatment protocol and the negative ones should be tested for RT-PCR. Also, the rate for RT-PCR test by private labs should be finalized by the States/UTs.
• They have been further advised to make it mandatory for all labs to upload the testing data on the ICMR database as well as report to State/ District/ City authorities for surveillance and contact tracing.

States/UTs have also been urged to pay attention to ‘contact tracing’ as it holds the key to containing the virus. States have also been asked to maintain strict vigil and continue to make all possible efforts for effective management of COVID-19.

Udyam Registration Portal For MSMEs Becomes Operational

Source: PIB india

News

• Udyam Registration Portal developed by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has become operational.

Single window system

• Alongwith launching the portal https://udyamregistration.gov.in for online registration, M/o MSME has also organized single window system at champions control rooms and DICs for facilitation.
• This new registration process will boost up ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and it will reduce transaction time and costs.
• Ministry has clarified that except the portal no other private online or offline system, service, agency or person is authorized to do MSME registration.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-03

Ministry of Railways  invites Request for Qualifications( RFQ) for private participation for operation of passenger train services over 109 Origin Destination(OD) pairs of routes

Source: PIB

News

• Ministry of Railways has invited Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for private participation for operation of passenger train services over 109 Origin Destination(OD) pairs of routes through introduction of 151 modern Trains (Rakes).

Private participation

• The 109 OD Pairs have been formed into 12 Clusters across the Indian Railway network. Each Train shall have a minimum of 16 coaches.
• The project would entail private sector investment of about Rs 30,000 crore. This is the first initiative of private investment for running Passenger Trains over Indian Railways network.                 
• Majority of Trains to be manufactured in India (Make in India). The private entity shall be responsible for financing, procuring, operation and maintenance of the trains.
• The objective of this initiative is to introduce modern technology rolling stock with reduced maintenance, reduced transit time, boost job creation, provide enhanced safety, provide world class travel experience to passengers, and also reduce demand supply deficit in the passenger transportation sector.
• The Concession Period for the project shall be 35 years.
• The Private Entity shall pay to Indian Railways fixed haulage charges, energy charges as per actual consumption and a share in Gross Revenue determined through a transparent bidding process.

• World Bank to give USD 750 mn to support 15 cr viable MSMEs

• Source: Financial Express

News

• The World Bank said it will give a USD 750 million-budget support to 15 crore MSMEs to increase liquidity access for viable small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

USD 750 million-budget support

• During the 2020 fiscal (July 2019-June 2020), World Bank has extended USD 5.13 billion loans to India– which is the highest in a decade. This includes USD 2.75 billion given in three months in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• This funding is under the multilateral lender’s Development Policy Law, which is a direct budget support.
• The funding would support the government’s initiative to protect the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector by unlocking liquidity, strengthening non-banking financial companies and small finance banks and enable inclusive access to financing.

Earlier, the lender had approved a funding of USD 1 billion each for social and health sector for support during the pandemic.

• IAF modifies Mi-17 helicopters for locust control spray

• Source: Indian Express

News

• Chandigarh based 3 Base Repair Depot (BRD) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the city-based Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) have developed an indigenous control system for two Mi-17 helicopters for spraying atomised pesticides to arrest locust breeding.

Arrest locust breeding

• Anticipating a locust attack, the Ministry of Agriculture had signed a contract with M/s Micron, UK in May this year to modify two Mi-17 helicopters for spraying atomised pesticide.
• Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK based firm would be able to manufacture and supply the modification kit to IAF only from September 2020 onward for system integration and testing.
• In view of locust attacks being reported across many states, the IAF tasked 3 Base Repair Depot to indigenously design and develop an Airborne Locust Control System (ALCS) for Mi-17 helicopters.
• Using all indigenous components, the atomised airborne spraying of pesticide has been successfully achieved in air through a configuration of nozzles mounted both sides on external trusses of a Mi-17 helicopter.
• The nozzles used for the purpose are a mix of commercially available nozzles as well as the nozzles developed by CSIO, Chandigarh.
• The pesticide Malathion, in appropriate concentration, would be filled in the internal auxiliary tank of 800 liters capacity fitted inside the helicopter.
• It would then be pumped into the nozzles by using an electrical pump as well as compressed air, achieving nearly 40 minutes of spaying duration in the infected zone covering an area of approximately 750 hectares in each mission.

A team of test pilots and test engineers of Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, Bengaluru, have successfully carried out ground and airborne trials of ALCS on a modified Mi-17 helicopter.

Being an indigenously developed system, the ALCS would offer inherent advantages of in-house maintenance, future upgradeability, saving of foreign exchange, and help in making the country self-reliant in aviation-related technology.