WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The Noida International Airport at Jewar is spread across an area of 5,000 acres and is being developed by Zurich International Airport AG at an estimated cost of Rs 29,560 crore
• The Swiss Airport company had won the bid in November 2019 following which a concessionaire agreement had been signed with the state government.
• The airport, which spans over a whopping 1,300 hectares of land in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, has been heralded as Asia’s largest airport.
• With Jewar airport, UP to become first Indian state to have 5 international airports

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has granted permission for the mass production of AK-203 rifles and GSAT-7C Satellite for the Indian Air Force
• About:
• The procurement of GSAT(Geostationary Satellite)-7C satellite and Ground Hubs worth Rs 2,236 crore for real-time connectivity of Software Defined Radios (SDRs).
• The manufacturing of the Kalashnikov Rifles will be done in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh jointly by the Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt Ltd (IRRPL),
• It was created as a joint venture between the Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) and the Russia’s Rosoboronexport and Concern Kalashnikov.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

European Space Agency (ESA) Council approved the Matosinhos Manifesto to accelerate the use of space in Europe.

About:

• By accelerating the use of space in Europe, Matosinhos Manifesto aims to tackle the unprecedented societal, economic and security challenges faced by Europe and its citizens.
• This resolution defines three “accelerators” to further advance Europe’s space ambitions.
• The first accelerator is for the ESA to work towards the ‘Space for a Green Future’, so that people are better able to understand the current state of Earth and to develop scenarios and solutions for sustainable life here.
  • This is in line with achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emission targets by the year 2050.
• Second accelerator ‘Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response’ aims to support governments to act decisively on crises facing Europe, from flooding and storms to wildfires.
• The third accelerator is ‘Protection of Space Assets’, whose objective is to safeguard ESA astronauts and assets from interference by space debris and space weather.
• Other than this, the council recognised two “inspirators” to reinforce European management in science, expertise growth and inspiration,

1. An icy moon pattern return mission and
2. Human space exploration.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, the Chhattisgarh government has formulated draft rules under the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996, terming it the Chhattisgarh Panchayat Provisions (Extension of the Scheduled) Rules, 2021.

• Tribals in Chhattisgarh have been demanding the enactment of PESA rules for some time, as it would give them more power over their resources.
• The bill envisages instituting devaluation of power and strengthening the gram sabha’s at the village level.
• Six states (Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Maharashtra) have formed the PESA laws, and Chhattisgarh would become the seventh state if the rules are enacted.

About PESA Act 1996:

• Background: To promote local self-governance in rural India, the 73rd constitutional amendment was made in 1992.
  • Through this amendment, a three-tier Panchayati Raj Institution was made into law.
  • However, its application to the scheduled and tribal areas under Article 243(M) was restricted.
  • After the Bhuria Committee recommendations in 1995, PESA Act 1996 came into existence for ensuring tribal self-rule for people living in scheduled areas of India.
• Role of State Government: PESA was enacted by the Centre to ensure self-governance through gram sabhas (village assemblies) for people living in scheduled areas.
  • State governments were required to amend their respective Panchayat Raj Acts without making any law that would be inconsistent with the mandate of PESA.
• Objective: It legally recognises the right of tribal communities, residents of the scheduled areas, to govern themselves through their own systems of self-government.
  • It acknowledges their traditional rights over natural resources.

Importance of Gram Sabha in PESA Act:

• Democratic Decentralisation: PESA empowers gram sabhas to play a key role in approving development plans and controlling all social sectors. This includes management of :
  • Resources over jal, jangal, zameen (water, forest and land)
  • Minor forest produce
  • Human resources: Processes and personnel who implement policies
  • Managing local markets
  • Preventing land alienation
  • Regulating intoxicants among other things
• Preserving Identity: The powers of gram sabhas include maintenance of cultural identity and tradition, control over schemes affecting the tribals, and control over natural resources within the area of a village.
• Conflict Resolution: The PESA Act thus enables gram sabhas to maintain a safety net over their rights and surroundings against external or internal conflicts.
• Public Watchdog: The gram sabha would have the powers to monitor and prohibit the manufacturing, transport, sale and consumption of intoxicants within their village limits.

Issues Related to PESA:

• Partial Implementation: The state governments are supposed to enact state laws for their Scheduled Areas in consonance with this national law.
  • This has resulted in the partially implemented PESA.
  • The partial implementation has worsened self-governance in Adivasi areas, like in Jharkhand.
• Administrative Hurdles: Many experts have asserted that PESA did not deliver due to the lack of clarity, legal infirmity, bureaucratic apathy, absence of a political will, resistance to change in the hierarchy of power, and so on.
• Followed in Letter Rather than Spirit: Social audits conducted across the state have also pointed out that in reality different developmental schemes were being approved on paper by Gram Sabha, without actually having any meeting for discussion and decision making.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, NITI Aayog under the Indo-German Cooperation released the inaugural Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Urban Index and Dashboard 2021–22.

• Earlier in June 2021, the third edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index and Dashboard 2020–21.

About:

• The index and dashboard are a result of the NITI Aayog-Germany’s International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and BMZ collaboration focused on driving SDG localization in our cities, under the umbrella of Indo-German Development Cooperation.
• It ranks 56 urban areas on 77 SDG indicators across 46 targets of the SDG framework.
• It will further strengthen SDG localization and institute robust SDG monitoring at the city level.

Ranking Scale:

• The urban areas are ranked on a scale of 0-100.
• A score of 100 implies that the urban area has achieved the targets set for 2030; a score of 0 implies that it is the farthest from achieving the targets among the selected urban areas.
• Overall or composite urban area scores are then generated from the Goal-wise scores to measure the aggregate performance of the urban area.
• Urban areas have been classified as below based on their composite score:
  • Aspirant: 0–49
  • Performer: 50–64
  • Front-Runner: 65–99
  • Achiever: 100

Performance of the States:

Top Performers:

• Shimla, Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.

Worst Performers:

• Dhanbad, Meerut, Itanagar, Guwahati and Patna.

Significance of the Index:

• Cities are fast becoming engines of growth. The SDG Urban index and dashboard will go a long way in instituting a robust SDG monitoring system in our cities and is a milestone step in our SDG localisation journey.
  • The Niti Aayog is of the view that this transformative change is quite essential, given the increasing prominence of our cities and urban areas in charting the future of development in India.
• It highlights the strengths and gaps of Urban Local Body (ULB) level data, monitoring, and reporting systems

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, USA’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius passed through the Taiwan Strait.

About Taiwan Strait

• A strait is a narrow piece of the sea that joins two larger seas
• It separates mainland China from the island of Taiwan.
• Also known as the Formosa Strait or the Tai-hai.
• It forms part of the South China Sea. Its northern portion is linked to the East China Sea

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) is likely to begin lending operations with loans to about 190-200 projects in the railways, roads and energy sector.

• The aim is to catalyse investment in the fund-starved India’s infrastructure sector.

What is the National bank of financing infrastructure and development or NaBFID?

• It is a development financial institution for funding infrastructure projects in India. 
• It is answerable to the parliament and submits audited accounts every year. 
• It is outside the purview of CBI, CVC and CAG to enable faster decision-making.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021 will be introduced in the winter session of Parliament.

About:

• Regulate cryptocurrency and ostensibly ban all private cryptocurrencies.
• Create a facilitative framework for the creation of the official digital currency to be issued by the RBI.
• So far, no public consultations have been held.

What is the Present Status?

• An inter-ministerial panel on cryptocurrency recommended that all private cryptocurrencies, except any virtual currencies issued by a state, will be prohibited in India.
• RBI has raised concerns about cryptocurrencies.

What are Cryptocurrencies?

• Digital currencies in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency.
• Examples: Bitcoin, Ethereum etc.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU)-UNESCO Peace Media Awards 2021 were presented at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

About:

• In the award event, Doordarshan and All India Radio received multiple awards.
• Multiple awards showcased the excellence of Prasar Bharati in quality content creation, TV shows and Radio shows, to the world.

Which programmes won the award?

• Programme ‘DEAFinitely Leading the Way’ of Doordarshan won the award under the ‘Living Well with Super Diversity’ category.
• All India Radio’s programme​​​ called ‘Living on the edge – The coastal lives’​ ​​won the award in the ‘Ethical & Sustainable Relationship with Nature’ category.

Who presented the award?

Awards were given by UNESCO in collaboration with ABU, under an initiative called ‘Together for Peace’ (T4P). This competition was open for TV, Radio and digital platforms.

‘DEAFinitely Leading the Way’ programme

This programme is about inspiring the journey of a specially-abled child. The purpose of this programme is to motivate specially-abled persons to live their life with dignity. It was produced and directed by the Programme Executive of Doordarshan Delhi, Mr Pradeep Agnihotri.

‘Living on the edge – The coastal lives​’​ ​​

This series by All India Radio explores life for fishing communities who are living on the edge of Visakhapatnam. The series was devised and produced by the Programme Executive of All India Radio, Delhi, Ms Monika Gulati.

ABU-UNESCO T4P Media Awards

This award highlight and promote the crucial role of ethical & independent journalism and citizens’ media literacy in order to build positive peace in human minds. Positive peace does not only mean the absence of conflicts & war but striving for equitable & fair societies having sustainable relations with the environment.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

According to ICMR, There is no scientific evidence so far to support the need for a booster vaccine dose against COVID-19

• According to officials, around 82% of the eligible population in India have received the first dose of the vaccine while around 43% have been fully vaccinated.

What is the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)?

• ICMR, New Delhi is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination, and promotion of biomedical research. 
• Ministry: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. 
• It is funded by the Government of India 
• The Governing Body of ICMR is presided over by the Union Health Minister.

‘Har Ghar Dastak ’ campaign

• A month-long ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign launched for house-to-house COVID-19 vaccination.