News In Short 16-11-2024

Janjatiya Gaurav Divas  

Syllabus: GS 1/History 

In News 

• The Prime Minister launched development projects worth ₹6,650 crore, primarily for tribal welfare on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.

About Janjatiya Gaurav Divas

• It is celebrated annually on November 15 to honor the contributions of India’s tribal communities.
• It commemorates the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, a tribal leader and freedom fighter.
• It was established in 2021 during the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to mark 75 years of India’s independence
• It honors sacrifices of tribal freedom fighters like the Santhals, Tamars, Kols, Bhils, Khasis, and Mizos.
  • Highlights key tribal movements against British rule, including the Ulgulan (Revolution) led by Birsa Munda who fiercely resisted British exploitation and inspired national awakening, earning reverence as Bhagwan among tribal communities.
• Importance : It recognizes tribal contributions to India’s cultural diversity, heritage, and freedom struggle.
  • It promotes unity, pride, and recognition of tribal communities’ role in India’s freedom and progress.

Source: TH 

Bodoland Mahotsav

Syllabus: GS1/ Culture, GS2/ Polity and governance

Context

• Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the 1st Bodoland Mahotsav in New Delhi.

About

• It is a two-day cultural celebration dedicated to language, literature, and fostering peace in Bodoland.
• Theme: ‘Peace and Harmony for Prosperous Bharat’.
• It aims to capitalize on the richness of cultural and linguistic heritage, ecological biodiversity and touristic potential of Bodoland.
• The Mahotsav is celebrating the remarkable journey of recovery and resilience ever since the signing of the Bodo Peace Accord in 2020.

Bodo Peace Accord in 2020

• It is a significant agreement aimed at ending decades-long violence and unrest in Assam’s Bodoland region. 
• Key Provisions of the 2020 Accord;
  • Territorial Changes: The Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) was restructured and renamed as the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
  • Inclusion of More Villages: The BTR saw the addition of more Bodo-majority villages, while non-Bodo-majority villages were excluded.
  • Autonomy and Governance: Enhanced administrative powers were provided to the BTC, improving local governance with greater autonomy.

Source: AIR

Supreme Court’s Order on Mandatory Accessibility Standards

Syllabus: GS2/ Polity and Governance

Context

• The Supreme Court directed the Centre to implement mandatory accessibility standards aimed at improving access to public spaces for persons with disabilities.

About

• The court underscored the necessity of “meaningful access” for disabled persons to public spaces and mandated a two-pronged approach: 
  • Adapting existing infrastructures to accessibility standards, and 
  • Ensuring that all new infrastructure is designed to be inclusive from the outset.
• The judgment reaffirmed accessibility to public spaces for persons with disabilities as a fundamental right.

What is the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act?

• As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), India is obligated to promote accessibility as an essential right. 
• The RPwD Act was enacted in 2016 and aims “to ensure that all persons with disabilities can lead their lives with dignity, without discrimination and with equal opportunities.” 
• The RPwD Rules of 2017, framed under the Act, were to lay down specific accessibility standards.
  • The rules do not provide for “non-negotiable” compulsory standards but only persuasive guidelines.

Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) – It was launched  in 2015, by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. – It aims to enhance the accessibility of physical infrastructure, transportation systems, and information and communication technology for persons with disabilities (PwDs).  Key Objectives – Accessible Built Environment: Ensuring that government buildings and public spaces comply with accessibility standards for easier use by PwDs. – Accessible Transport: Making public transportation, such as buses, trains, and airports, more user-friendly for persons with disabilities. – Accessible ICT Ecosystem: Ensuring that websites, documents, and mobile applications are developed to be accessible, facilitating ease of use for visually or hearing-impaired individuals.

Source: IE

Australia’ s MATES scheme

Syllabus: GS2/IR

Context

• Australia has come up with a new scheme for Indians called Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES).

About

• In 2023, Australia and India entered into a Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement (MMPA). 
  • It is a bilateral framework that supports migration and mobility between the two countries, while addressing issues pertaining to illegal and irregular migration.
• MATES has been established under the MMPA.

MATES

• It gives Indian university graduates and early career professionals a chance to work in Australia for two years.
•  3,000 spots are available for primary applicants annually during the first pilot period.
• The scheme will be available to graduates from the top 100 Indian universities according to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking for 2024.
• Eligibility: MATES will be open to Indian nationals who:
  • are aged 30 or younger (inclusive) at the time of application;
  • have proficient English language skills;
  • have graduated within 2 years from an eligible educational institution at the time of application; 
  • and hold a qualification (Bachelor’s degree or higher) in one of the following: renewable energy, mining, engineering, Information Communications Technology (ICT), artificial intelligence (AI), financial technology (FinTech) agricultural technology (AgriTech).
• MATES participants are not eligible to take part in the Scheme more than once.

Source: BS

World Bank Boosts Lending Capacity

Syllabus: GS 3/Economy 

In News 

• The World Bank increased its capacity by 50%, offering a record $150 billion over the next decade.

About 

• A large portion of funds will be directed towards green projects and sustainable development.

World Bank Reforms

• Internal Reforms: Focus on faster processing, better collaboration, and mobilizing private sector financing.
• MDB Landscape Reforms: Guided by the G20-backed International Expert Group (IEG) report to strengthen Multilateral development banks (MDB) impact.
  • Recommended $3 trillion annual spending by 2030, including $1.8 trillion for climate action and $1.2 trillion for SDGs.
  • Advocated mobilizing $240 billion in private capital through risk-informed strategies and new lending instruments.

Benefits for India

• Largest Beneficiary: India, the World Bank’s biggest client, is expected to receive a significant share of the expanded funding.
• Increased Annual Lending: Lending to India surged to $5 billion annually, supporting sectors like energy, healthcare, rural development, and digital education.
• Cost Savings: Waiver of commitment fees for middle-income countries like India for four years, reducing annual borrowing costs by 0.25%, saving up to 1% cumulatively.

India’s Economic Outlook:

• The World Bank forecasts 7% growth in FY25, despite a slowdown to 6.7% in Q1 due to reduced government capital expenditure.
• Expected recovery in private investment, driven by strong returns on investments despite high borrowing costs.

Future Strategies

• Strategic balance sheet management to increase lending without needing additional capital.
• Member countries contribute hybrid capital without altering voting shares.
• Emphasis on mobilizing private financing and transformational projects for middle-income countries like India.

Source: LM

Operation Dronagiri

Syllabus: GS3/ Science and Technology

Context

• Recently Operation Dronagiri was launched by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

About

• It is a pilot project under National Geospatial Policy 2022 to demonstrate the potential applications of geospatial technologies and innovations in improving the quality of life of citizens.
• In the first phase, Operation Dronagiri will be implemented in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh & Maharashtra.
• The pilot projects will be demonstrated to showcase the potential applications of integration of geospatial data and technology in 3 sectors –Agriculture, Livelihoods, Logistics and Transport.
• Operation Dronagiri gains support from Integrated Geospatial Data Sharing Interface (GDI).
  • GDI which will make spatial data accessible, bringing transformation similar to the process in which UPI has brought about financial inclusion.

National Geospatial Policy 2022 – The Policy emphasizes on Atmanirbhar Bharat by empowering local companies to  1. generate and utilize their own Geospatial data;  2. encourages open standards, open data and platforms;  3. focuses on easy accessibility of Geospatial data through National Geospatial Data Registry and Unified Geospatial Interface;  4. supports innovation, incubation of ideas and start-up initiatives in the Geospatial sector; and  5. encourages capacity building.  – The Survey of India has launched a Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) Network towards redefinition of National Geodetic Framework.

Source: PIB

Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act

Syllabus: GS3/ Internal Security

In News

• The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) has been reimposed in six police station jurisdictions in Manipur amid escalating ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities. 

About Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) 

• Brief:
  • Originally promulgated by the British in response to the Quit India movement in 1942. 
  • Enacted by the Parliament and approved by the President in 1958.
  • Grants extraordinary powers & immunity to the armed forces to bring back order in the “disturbed areas”.
    • An area can be disturbed due to differences or disputes b/w members of different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities. 

• Provisions:
  • Section 3: Empowers the Governor of the State/Union territory to declare whole or part of the State or UT as a disturbed area. 
  • Section 4: Gives the powers to the Army to search premises and make arrests without warrants.
  • Section 6: Arrested persons and seized property are handed over to the police.
  • Section 7: Prosecution is permitted only after the sanction of the Central Government.
• States/Areas of Imposition:
  • NE, JK & Punjab were initially, later repealed in Punjab, Tripura & Meghalaya. 
  • Now, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, J&K, and parts of AP.

Reforms and Recommendations

• Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee (2005): Recommended the repeal of AFSPA, suggesting that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) could replace it.
• Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2007): Advocated for the modification of AFSPA to include more safeguards for human rights.
• Santosh Hegde Committee (2013): Conduct a review every six months to assess whether the continued implementation of AFSPA in designated “disturbed areas” is necessary.

Source: TH

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

Syllabus: GS 3/Environment

Context

• As Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to ‘severe ’ category, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) ordered the implementation of ‘Stage 3’ emergency measures under the GRAP to curb the city’s air pollution.

What is GRAP?

• The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a set of emergency measures designed to prevent further deterioration of air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR). 
• Approved by the Supreme Court in 2016, GRAP was initially implemented by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) and has been managed by the CAQM since 2021. 
• GRAP is activated based on real-time AQI data and meteorological forecasts provided by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The plan is structured in stages, with each stage corresponding to specific AQI thresholds:
  • Stage I: Poor (AQI 201-300)
  • Stage II: Very Poor (AQI 301-400)
  • Stage III: Severe (AQI 401-450)
  • Stage IV: Severe Plus (AQI >450)
• Revised GRAP (Effective October 1, 2023): To address the recurring issue of air quality deterioration during winter months, a revised GRAP was implemented across NCR starting October 1, 2023.

Restrictions and permissions after imposing GRAP Stage-3

• All non-essential construction and demolition activities are banned, and projects related to public services, such as roads, bridges, or hospitals, are permitted.
• Industries like brick kilns, hot mix plants, and stone crushers that do not run on clean fuels must shut down. 
• Diesel generators are prohibited except for essential services, such as hospitals and emergency power needs.
• The frequency of public transport like buses and metro trains will be increased to encourage commuters to leave their cars at home. Private vehicles, however, are not restricted under Stage 3.

Source: TH