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IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-02

Financial Management and Governance Reform Initiatives in Ministry of AYUSH

Source: PIB India

News

• The Ministry of AYUSH has rolled out a set of initiatives to improve Financial Management and accelerate Governance Reforms. 

New initiatives

• These initiatives have two thrust areas, namely the Government Schemes (both Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored) and the Autonomous Bodies of the Ministry.
• These were taken up for implementation on priority by the different units of the Ministry. 
• Drawing up the list of financial and governance reforms, and designing programme/schemes to ensure that fund flow is reached to Project Implementation Agency in a seamless and direct manner are among the ground work activities identified. 
• These will be supplemented with timely release of funds to State Governments with matching shares and pre-defined triggers so that there is no parking of funds at any level. 
• These steps, thus serve to nullify some of the frequently observed bottlenecks that delay government projects.
• An immediate impact of this initiative has been the increased adoption of the Public Financial Management System, the modern and speedy accounts management system of the Government, by the Autonomous Bodies and Schemes Units of the Ministry.
• The practice of the Autonomous Bodies (ABs) entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ministry of AYUSH with performance targets has also been adopted and implementation with respect to many of the ABs. 
• Introduction of Third Party Evaluation of all Government Schemes of the Ministry is another step, and this will be carried out by November, 2020.  This will lead to objective evaluation of outcomes and consequent performance improvement.
• Considering that the National Ayush Mission (NAM) is a flagship project with country-wide impact on promotion of AYUSH systems, special efforts will be taken to streamline its operations. 

Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge across 243 Cities

Source: PIB India

News

• MoS, I/C, Housing and Urban Affairs launched the Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge at a webinar in New Delhi.

Aim: Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge which aims to ensure that no life of any sewer or septic tank cleaner is ever lost again owing to the issue of ‘hazardous cleaning.

Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge

• The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act (2013) and various judgements of Hon’ble Supreme Court expressly prohibit hazardous cleaning, i.e. manual entry into a septic tank or sewer without protective gear and observing operating procedures.
• Cities will be awarded in three sub-categories – with population of more than 10 lakhs, 3-10 lakhs and upto 3 lakhs, with a total prize money of Rs 52 crores to be given to winning cities across all categories.
• Since its launch in 2014, SBM-U has made significant progress in the area of both sanitation and solid waste management. 4337 Urban local bodies (ULBs) have been declared open defecation free (ODF) (except 35 ULBs of West Bengal), 1319 cities certified ODF+ and 489 cities certified ODF++. 
• Moreover, over 62 lakhs individual household toilets and over 5.9 lakhs community/ public toilets have been constructed. Additionally, over 59,900 toilets across 2900+ cities have been made live on Google Maps.
• In the area of solid waste management, 97% of wards have 100% door-to door collection while 67% of the total waste generated is being processed.
• A total of six cities have been certified as 5 Star, 86 as 3 star and 64 as 1 star under the Star Rating Protocol for Garbage Free Cities.

India – Luxembourg Virtual Summit

Source: PIB India

News

• Indian Prime Minister held a Bilateral Summit with H.E. Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in virtual format.

Strengthening India-Luxembourg relationship

• The two Prime Ministers exchanged views on strengthening India-Luxembourg relationship in the post-COVID world, especially in the areas of financial technology, green financing, space applications, digital innovations and start-ups.
• They welcomed the conclusion of various agreements between the two countries, including those between their financial market regulators, stock exchanges and innovation agencies.  
• The two Prime Ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation on realizing effective multilateralism and combating global challenges like the Covid-19 pandemic, terrorism and climate change.
• Prime Minister welcomed Luxembourg’s announcement to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), and invited it to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). 

Delhi Jal Board targets March 2023 for a clean Yamuna

Source: Financial Express

News

• The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has planned four interventions to clean Yamuna by March 2023, including treating polluted water from Haryana and UP and generating power and gas from septic tank waste.

Clean Yamuna

• The Delhi government will set up a modern technology to treat around 150 MGD of polluted water coming from the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh by natural wetlands and aeration method.
• Second, the wastewater in drains will be tapped into sewage treatment plants (STPs).
• Third, steps will be taken to improve the quality of the existing STPs, including upgrading equipment and using innovative processes.
• Fourth, all sludge and septage from septic tanks across Delhi will be collected by DJB and reused in the bio-gas plants to generate electricity and gas.

India only G20 nation doing its ‘fair share’ to meet 2 degree goal, says report

Source: Indian Express

News

• India is the only country on track among the G20 nations to meet its climate change mitigation commitments, according to the 2020 Climate Transparency report published.

Combat climate change

• Climate Transparency, an international partnership of 14 research and non-governmental organizations, examined efforts to combat climate change among the G20 nations examining their climate goals and actions taken.
• The report found that India’s “fair share” climate targets that it set under the 2015 Paris Agreement as well as the actions it’s taken in the years since make it “compatible” with the upper goal of curbing global warming by 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
• India has promised to reduce its emissions intensity by 33-35% by 2030 and took actions in its energy, waste, industry, transport and forestry sectors, the report said.
• Report noted that India continues to not be on track to reach the Paris Agreement’s long-term 1.5 C target. It added that India could be a “global leader” if it didn’t build new coal fired power and phased out the use of coal by 2040.
• The report comes at a time when India’s capital is grappling with its worst air quality in years.
• The report also called for a reduction of global CO2 emissions to curb global warming. While CO2 emissions levels fell owing to the lockdowns following the spread of COVID-19, the report said that some countries were back to the 2019 levels for CO2 emissions.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-03

$120 million loan signing between Government of India and the World Bank for the implementation of Meghalaya Integrated Transport Project (MITP)

Source: PIB India

News

• The Government of India, the Government of Meghalaya and the World Bank signed a $120 million project to improve and modernise the transport sector of state of Meghalaya.

Modernise the transport sector

• This will help Meghalaya to harness its vast growth potential for high-value agriculture and tourism.
• The project will improve about 300 km of strategic road segments and stand-alone bridges by using innovative, climate resilient, and nature-based solutions.
• It will also support innovative solutions such as precast bridges to reduce both time and cost of construction.
• Difficult hilly terrain and extreme climatic conditions make Meghalaya’s transport challenges particularly complex. On account, today, about half of the 5,362 habitations in the state lack transport connectivity.
• This operation will also support state government’s “Restart Meghalaya Mission” to revive and boost development activities affected due to COVID-19 pandemic.
• It will help restore transport services and generate direct employment of about 8 million person days.
• The $120 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a maturity of 14 years including a grace period of 6 years.

Government of India & NDB Sign Agreement for USD 500 Million to Provide Fast, Reliable, Safe and Comfortable Public Transport System in The National Capital Region

Source: PIB India

News

• The Government of India, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited and the New Development Bank(NDB) signed a loan agreement for lending USD 500 million for the ‘Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System Project’ to provide fast, reliable, safe and comfortable public transport system in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System Project

• The NCR is among the world’s largest urban agglomerations and a major economic centre of India. Due to lack of efficient public transport options, the number of private vehicles in NCR has increased.
• Fast transit system will support in achieving the goal of sustainable urban development in NCR region including National Capital Territory of Delhi.
• It will activate processes which will enable sustainable economic and social development with environmental protection, for future generations.
• The environment friendly and very low emission RRTS will carry many times more people at high speed (average speed 100 kmph) while occupying just 3 m space on land thus reducing congestion on the roads.
• Overall it will significantly reduce the total emissions from the transport sector in NCR.

Pakistan court sentences Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed to 10 years in jail in two more cases

Source: Indian Express

News

• Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed was sentenced to 10 years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan in two more terror cases.

UN designated terrorist

• Saeed, a UN designated terrorist whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty on, was arrested on July 17 last year in the terror financing cases.
• He was sentenced to 11 years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in February this year in two terror financing cases.
• He is lodged at the Lahore’s high-security Kot Lakhpat jail.
• Saeed and his two close aides – Zafar Iqbal and Yahya Mujahid – have been sentenced to 10 and a half years each, while JuD chief’s brother-in-law Abdul Rehman Makki was sentenced to six months imprisonment.
• A total of 41 cases have been registered by the CTD against the JuD leaders, out of which 24 have been decided while the rest are pending in the ATC courts. Four cases have been decided against Saeed so far.
• Saeed-led JuD is the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. He was listed under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008.

Sri Lankan courts ban LTTE commemoration events

Source: Financial Express

News

• Two Sri Lankan courts have banned events commemorating LTTE cadres, who died during a 30-year armed campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the north and east provinces.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

• The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which led an armed rebellion for over three decades against the Sri Lankan government to set up a separate Tamil homeland, was defeated by the Sri Lankan Army in May 2009.
• Before 2009, the LTTE celebrated November 26, the birthday of the LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabakaran, as Hero’s Day. The LTTE leader used to make a policy speech on their struggles on this day.
• Since the end of the war, Tamil politicians Organised events to light lamps.
• The LTTE was fighting the government troops since the mid-1970s to set up a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern regions of the island nation.
• Sri Lanka’s human rights record, particularly over the impunity enjoyed by law enforcement officers, has been the subject of international condemnation.
• The UN Human Rights Council has called for an international probe into the alleged war crimes during the military conflict with the LTTE.
• According to the government figures, around 20,000 people are missing due to various conflicts, including the war with Lankan Tamils which claimed at least 100,000 lives.

COVID-19 impact: Ransomware attacks increase worldwide, shows CrowdStrike survey

Source: Indian Express

News

• The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in increased ransomware attacks, cyberattacks on companies.
• Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike recently released its Global Security Attitude Survey produced by independent research firm Vanson Bourne that has highlighted the increase in these activities which pose a threat to various companies’ digital transformation moving forward.

Findings

• A big chunk of 56 percent have been victims of ransomware attacks last year. 27 percent of these organisations even resorted to paying them ransomware to save their data.
• Earlier, these ransomware attacks were at 42 per cent and 46 percent in 2019 and 2018 respectively.
• On average, companies paid $1.1 million as ransom. Nearly 71 per cent of respondents fear another round of ransomware attacks. In India, 83 percent of the 300 respondents fear the same.
• As per the report, organisations also believe that they are more prone to a nation state-sponsored attack amidst growing tensions internationally with China being the bigger concern than Russia.
• These attacks have been rising in the past couple of years. 58 percent of these believe that China will be a bigger threat.
• For India, it is the biggest concern as 79 percent of the respondents believe so. Also, 73 percent believe that the nation-state sponsored attacks will be the biggest threat to their organisation in 2021.
• With the increase in these attacks, organisations are also investing in bolstering their security. Over the past three years, 61 percent of them have already invested over one million dollars to accelerate the digital transformation.
• During the Covid-19 period alone, the 90 percent have spent at least 100,000 dollars to adapt to the challenges.
• Since a lot of employees have been working remotely instead of going to their offices, 60 percent have been working towards improving their security tools or an increase in cloud technologies to prevent a data breach.

27 lakh street vendors applied for micro-credit scheme: govt

Source: Economic Times

News

• Nearly 27 lakh street vendors have applied for interest-free bank loans under a government scheme to restart their business after the Covid-19 lockdown, and over 14 lakh of these applications have been sanctioned, the Centre said in a statement on Wednesday.

PM-SVANidhi

• Around 7.8 lakh loans have already been disbursed under the Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PM-SVANidhi), a micro-credit scheme under which street vendors, who have returned from their home states after the lockdown, are eligible for credit of Rs 10,000 as working capital, the statement said.
• PM-SVANidhi was launched to help kickstart the street vending economy that was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has been incentivising digital transactions and pushing states to speed up the process.
• There are an estimated 50-60 lakh street vendors across India.

The government plans to turn the programme into a comprehensive poverty alleviation scheme by mapping the socio-economic profile of the beneficiaries and linking them with Central welfare measures.

Himachal Pradesh: Area around Nargu sanctuary to be declared eco-sensitive zone

Source: Indian Express

News

• The central government has published a draft notification declaring 50-square kilometre area around the Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh as an eco-sensitive zone.
• The area declared as eco-sensitive zone includes 17 revenue villages in Jogindernagar and Mandi forest divisions.

Eco-sensitive zone

• The extent of the zone varies from zero to one kilometre around the boundary of the sanctuary it is zero where the sanctuary is contiguous with the adjoining Dhauladhar wildlife sanctuary.
• Several activities, such as commercial mining, setting of pollution-causing industries or brick kilns, establishment of a major hydro-electric project, use of polythene bags and discharge of untreated effluents will be prohibited in the notified zone.
• Some other activities such as building hotels, felling trees, civic infrastructure and tourism will be regulated and activities such as rain water harvesting and organic farming will be promoted in the zone.
• For effective implementation, a monitoring committee will also be formed, the draft notification said.
• The Nargu wildlife sanctuary is spread across 132 square kilometres in Mandi and Kullu districts. It harbours animals such as leopards, barking deer, black bear, ghoral, jackal and flying squirrel and birds such as Himalayan monal, white crested kalij and chukor.
• The flora found in the sanctuary includes deodar, kharsu, fir, maple, rhododendron, ban and several other tree species.