General Studies Paper 2

The FSIB has asked the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) to appoint an institution or firm to design and deliver a leadership development programme for PSU banks (PSBs).

• Recently, Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) stated it will select top officials of banks via a grooming process under a leadership development programme.
• The programme aims to groom business leaders of the PSBs who should be ready to assume top management and board level positions in PSBs and to drive long-term sustainable business in a competitive market place
• The firm which will design and execute the programme will be selected by the IBA through a bidding process.
• The objective is to develop future generation of leaders who are digitally savvy, strategic thinkers with capability to build highly collaborative teams and create a customer centric organisation that thrives in a very dynamic competitive environment.
• The programme will up-skill around 75 participants in the senior management.
• The proposed firm should have capability to design and deliver a training programme for senior officers of PSU banks that can be delivered through three modes — online as e-learning modules, online through live webinars, meetings and through in-person mode.

Financial Services Institutions Bureau

• Recently, Cabinet Appointments Committee (ACC) has passed a government resolution to establish the Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) in place of the Banks Board Bureau (BBB).
• The Financial Services Institutions Bureau will select the chiefs of public sector banks and insurance companies.
• The FSIB will have the clear mandate to issue guidelines and select general managers and directors of state-run non-life insurers, general insurers and Financial Institutions.
• FSIB will be the single entity for making recommendations for appointments of WTD (Whole-time Director) and NEC (Non-executive Chairman) in Public Sector Banks, India Private Limited company and Financial Institutions.
• The ACC has approved the appointment of Bhanu Pratap Sharma as Initial chairperson of FSIB for two years. He was the former Chairman of BBB.

Banks Board Bureau (BBB)

• The government, in 2016, approved the constitution of the BBB to make recommendations for appointment of whole-time directors as well as non-executive chairpersons of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and state-owned financial institutions.
• It was an autonomous recommendation body.

Issues

• Delhi High Court had struck down the BBB’s power to select directors of Public Sector Undertaking, general insurance companies
• Delhi High Court in 2020 ruled that the BBB couldn’t select the general managers and directors of state-run general insurers, as it was not a competent body.

General Studies Paper 3

A report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was released.

• The IPBES Assessment Report on the Sustainable Use of Wild Species has been carried out over four years.

Key findings

• A report has found that with the accelerating global biodiversity crisis, a million species of plants and animals are facing extinction.
• Humans depend on 50,000 wild species for various things, including food, energy, medicine, material and other purposes, directly depend on 10,000 species for food and that over-exploitation is one of the main reasons for biodiversity degradation.
• People all over the world directly use about 7,500 species of wild fish and aquatic invertebrates, 31,100 wild plants, of which 7,400 species are trees, 1,500 species of fungi, 1,700 species of wild terrestrial invertebrates and 7,500 species of wild amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
• Wild plants, algae and fungi provide food, nutritional diversity and income for an estimated one in five people around the world, in particular women, children, landless farmers and others in vulnerable situations.
• Approximately 4 billion people, or one-third of the global population, rely on fuel wood for cooking and an estimated 880 million people globally log firewood or produce charcoal, particularly in developing countries.
• Globally, wild tree species provide two thirds of industrial roundwood and half of all wood consumed for energy.
• Small-scale fisheries support over 90% of the 120 million people and about half of the people involved in small-scale fisheries are women.
• The report finds that 34% of marine wildlife is overfished.

• Over-exploitation has been identified as the main threat to wild species in marine ecosystems and the second greatest threat to those in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.
• Unsustainable fishing is the main cause for the increased extinction risk of sharks and rays over the past half century.
• Unsustainable hunting has been identified as a threat for 1,341 wild mammal species, including 669 species that were assessed as threatened.
• An estimated 12% of wild tree species are threatened by unsustainable logging and unsustainable gathering is one of the main threats for several plant groups, notably cacti, cycads, and orchids as well as other plants and fungi harvested for medicinal purposes.
• Unsustainable harvest contributes towards elevated extinction risk for 28-29% of near-threatened and threatened species from 10 taxonomic groups assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

General Studies Paper 3

In fight against climate change and its impact, Forest landscape restoration has gained focus.

• According to the IUCN, deforestation and forest degradation contribute around 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Typically, governments have relied on afforestation and reforestation as a means of establishing trees on non-treed land.
• These strategies have now evolved. The focus is now on forest landscape restoration — the process of regaining ecological functionality and improving human welfare across deforested or degraded forest landscapes.

Forest landscape restoration

• Forest landscape restoration seeks to involve communities in the process of designing and executing mutually advantageous interventions for the upgradation of landscapes.
• Nearly two billion hectares of degraded land in the world (and 140 million hectares in India) have scope for potential restoration as forest land.

Crucial Aspect

• A crucial aspect of this process is to ensure the diversity of the species while planting trees.
• Natural forests with diverse native tree species are more efficient in sequestering carbon than monoculture tree plantations.
• Planting diverse species is also healthier for local communities and their livelihoods

Importance of forest

• Forests are integral in regulating ecosystems, influencing the carbon cycle and mitigating the effects of climate change.
• Annually, forests absorb roughly 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. This absorption includes nearly 33% of the carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels.
• Millions of lives and livelihoods are intertwined with our forests.
• Forests are a boon for local communities and their livelihoods by functioning as a resource base for goods and services.
• Forest ecosystems enrich soil fertility and water availability, enhancing agricultural productivity, and in turn the rural economy.
• Tree planting prevents erosion and stems flooding.
• Sustainable forest crops reduce food insecurity and empower women, allowing them to gain access to more nutritional diets and new income streams.
• Agroforestry lessens rural-to-urban migration and contributes to an increase in resources and household income.

India and Programmes

• India joined the Bonn Challenge in 2015, pledging to restore 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030.
• An additional carbon sink of 5 billion-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through forest and tree cover is to be created by 2030 as announced recently.
• Government programmes includes Compensatory Afforestation, the National Afforestation Programme, the National Mission for a Green India (Green India Mission), the Nagar Van scheme and the Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme to name a few.
• There is a spotlight on youth via the Green Skill Development Programme for youth who aspire to attain employment in the environment and forest sectors.
• However, forest restoration in India faces hurdles in terms of the identification of areas for restoration, a lack of importance accorded to research and scientific strategies in tree planting, stakeholders’ conflicts of interest, and financing.

What is the right way to undertake tree plantation drives?

• Forest landscape restoration must be implemented proactively, bolstering landscapes and forest ecosystems to be durable and adjustable in the face of future challenges and societal needs.
• It also needs the involvement and the alignment of a host of stakeholders including the community, champions, government and landowners.
• Vulnerable forest-dependent communities should be factored in, and any effort should be tailored to the local socio-economic context and landscape history of a region.

General Studies Paper 3

India’s defence exports for 2021-22 were estimated at ₹13,000 crore, the highest ever.

• The United States was a major buyer, as also nations in Southeast Asia, West Asia and Africa.
• The private sector accounted for 70% of the exports, while public sector firms accounted for the rest.
• Earlier, the private sector used to account for 90% but now the share of defence public sector units had gone up.
• While India’s defence imports from the U.S. have gone up significantly in recent years, Indian companies have been increasingly becoming part of the supply chains of U.S. defence companies.
• In January, India signed a $374.96-million deal with the Philippines, its single biggest defence export order, for the supply of three batteries of shore-based anti-ship variant of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile.

Issues Retarding Defence Exports

• Excess reliance on Public Sector: India has four companies (Indian ordnance factories, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)) among the top 100 biggest arms producers of the world.
• Policy delays: In the past few years, the government has approved over 200 defence acquisition worth Rs 4 trillion, but most are still in relatively early stages of processing.
• Lack of Critical Technologies: Poor design capability in critical technologies, inadequate investment in R&D and the inability to manufacture major subsystems and components hamper the indigenous manufacturing.
• Long gestation: The creation of a manufacturing base is capital and technology-intensive and has a long gestation period. By that time newer technologies make products outdated.
• Unease in doing business: An issue related to stringent labour laws, compliance burden and lack of skills, affects the development of indigenous manufacturing in defence.
• Multiple jurisdictions: Overlapping jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Industrial Promotion impair India’s capability of defence manufacturing.
• Lack of quality: The higher indigenization in few cases is largely attributed to the low-end technology.
• Lack of R&D: A lip service to technology funding by making token allocations is an adequate commentary on our lack of seriousness in the area of Research and Development.
• Lack of skills: There is a lack of engineering and research capability in our institutions.

Steps taken by the Centre to boost defence production

• Licensing Relaxation: Measures announced to boost exports since 2014 include simplified defence industrial licensing, relaxation of export controls and grant of no-objection certificates.
• Lines of Credit: Specific incentives introduced under the foreign trade policy has facilitated Lines of Credit for countries to import defence product.
• Indigenization Lists: On the domestic front, to boost indigenous manufacturing, the Government had issued two positive indigenization lists consisting of 209 items that cannot be imported.
• Budgetary Allocation: In addition, a percentage of the capital outlay of the defence budget has been reserved for procurement from domestic industry.

There is a need to create an environment for greater participation of private industry, a stable macro-economic and political environment, and a transparent business environment which encourages fair competition

General Studies Paper 2

Ministry of Women and Child Development issues Guidelines for Mission Vatsalya Scheme

About the Scheme

• The MW&CD is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Mission Vatsalya” erstwhile Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme, since 2009-10 for the welfare and rehabilitation of children.

The objective of Mission Vatsalya is to secure a healthy and happy childhood for each and every child in India.

Components under Mission Vatsalya include–

• Improve functioning of statutory bodies;
• Strengthen service delivery structures;
• Upscale institutional care/services;
• Encourage non-institutional community-based care;
• emergency outreach services;
• Training and capacity building.

Guidelines

• The guidelines detail the process by which funds will be disbursed to states under various heads by defining institutionalised arrangements.
• Funds to states will be approved through the Mission Vatsalya Project Approval Board (PAB), which will be chaired by the WCD Secretary, who will scrutinise and approve annual plans and financial proposals received from states and UTs for release of grants.
• Secretaries of the departments of Home Affairs, Social Justice and Empowerment, Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, Housing and Urban Affairs, Labour, Youth Affairs and Sports, Department of School Affairs and Literacy, and the Niti Aayog CEO, will be PAB members.
• It will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in partnership with state governments and UT administrations, with a fund-sharing pattern in a 60:40 ratio.
• For the eight states in the Northeast — as well as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the UT of Jammu and Kashmir — the Centre and state/UT’s share will be 90:10.
• The Centre will cover the whole cost in UTs without a legislature.
• At state level, there will be a committee headed by the Chief Secretary to monitor, review and promote convergence in the implementation of the scheme.
• There will also be a district-level committee.
• The guidelines state that Mission Vatsalya will support State Adoption Resource Agencies (SARA), which will support the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) in promoting in-country adoption and regulating inter-country adoption.
• SARA shall coordinate, monitor and develop the work related to non-institutional care, including adoption in the state.
• The Mission envisages setting up cradle baby reception centres in at least one specialised adoption agency in a district.
• Mission Vatsalya will execute a 24×7 helpline service for children, as defined under JJ Act, 2015.
• Separate children’s homes based on gender (including separate homes for transgender children) and age will be established for children in need of care, as well as for special needs children.
• States/UTs have also been directed to focus on special needs children in child care institutions, who are unable to attend school with physical or mental disabilities
• Financial support has also been prescribed for vulnerable children living with extended families or in foster care, supporting their education, nutrition and health needs.
• After-care has been provided for, for children leaving a child care institution on completion of 18 years, who will now be provided with financial support to facilitate the child’s re-integration into the mainstream of society.
• This support could also include finances to set up businesses.
• Under the guidelines, state governments are required to take up the exercise to grade each child care institution (CCI) at fixed intervals.
• The grading will be done based on infrastructure, quality of services, well being of children, especially in terms of health and education, restoration and rehabilitation of children, etc.

General Studies Paper 1

India has been elected as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for the 2022-2026 cycle.

• India has served as a member of the ICH Committee twice — from 2006 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2018.

Intergovernmental Committee

• The Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention consists of 24 members and is elected in the General Assembly of the Convention
• States Members to the Committee are elected for a term of four years.
• The core functions of the Intergovernmental Committee include promoting the objectives of the Convention, providing guidance on best practices, and making recommendations on measures for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.
• The Committee also examines requests submitted by States Parties for the inscription of intangible heritage on the Lists as well as proposals for programmes and projects.
• Some of the priority areas that India will focus upon include fostering community participation, strengthening international cooperation through intangible heritage, promoting academic research on intangible cultural heritage, and aligning the work of the Convention with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• India ratified the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in September 2005.
• With 14 inscriptions on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, India also ranks high in the listing of intangible cultural heritage.
• After the inscription of Durga Puja in 2021, India submitted the nomination for Garba of Gujarat to be discussed in 2023.

General Studies Paper 3

Centre to promote dragon fruit cultivation in 50,000 hectares.

• Following the footsteps of the Gujarat and Haryana Governments, the Centre has decided to promote the cultivation of dragon fruit, known as a super fruit for its health benefits.
• The Centre feels that considering the cost effectiveness and global demand for the fruit due to its nutritional values, its cultivation can be expanded in India.
• At present, the fruit is cultivated in 3,000 hectares; the plan is to increase cultivation to 50,000 hectares in five years.

Dragon Fruit

• The dragon fruit – Hylocereus undatus is indigenous to the Americas.
• It is a member of the cacti family.
• It is also known as ‘Pitaya’, ‘Pitahaya’, strawberry pear, noblewoman and queen of the night throughout the world.

Features:

• Its flowers are hermaphrodites (male and female organs in the same flower) in nature and open at night.
• The plant sustains yield for more than 20 years, is high in nutraceutical and good for value-added processing industries.
• It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals.

Climatic Condition:

• It is hardy and grows in diverse climatic conditions with varied soils, especially in the semi-arid and arid regions of India.

Popularity in India:

• The dragon fruit was introduced to home gardens in India in the 1990s.
• The low maintenance and high profitability of dragon fruits has attracted the farming community throughout India.
• The cost of cultivation is initially high. But the plant doesn’t need productive land; it gives maximum production from non-productive, less fertile area.
• Presently Mizoram tops among the States that cultivate this fruit.
• India is now importing about 15,491 tonnes of dragon fruits and has potential to match the production of China, where cultivation of the fruit takes place in 40,000 hectares, and Vietnam, which grows the fruit in 60,000 hectares.

General Studies Paper 1

Some states of USA were hit by a storm system called a Derecho.

• As the storm hit, it turned the skies green.

What is a Derecho?

• A Derecho, according to the US’s National Weather Service is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.
• The name comes from the Spanish word ‘la derecha’ which means ‘straight’.
• Straight-line storms are those in which thunderstorm winds have no rotation unlike a tornado. These storms travel hundreds of miles and cover a vast area.
• Being a warm-weather phenomenon, a derecho generally – not always – occurs during summer time beginning May, with most hitting in June and July.
• They are a rare occurrence as compared to other storm systems like tornadoes or hurricanes.
• For a storm to be classified as a derecho it must have wind gusts of at least 93 km per hour; wind damage swath extending more than 400 km.

General Studies Paper 3

Recently, Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways approved a Draft GSR (general statutory rules) Notification seeking comments on a proposal to introduce the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (Bharat-NCAP).

What is Bharat NCAP?

• It is a new car safety assessment program which proposes a mechanism of awarding ‘Star Ratings’ to automobiles based upon their performance in crash tests.
• Bharat NCAP standard is aligned with global benchmarks and it is beyond minimum regulatory requirements.

Bharat NCAP Rating:

• The proposed Bharat NCAP assessment will allocate Star Ratings from 1 to 5 stars.
• The testing of vehicles for this programme will be carried out at testing agencies, with the necessary infrastructure.
• The voluntary Bharat NCAP would assign vehicles between one and five stars on parameters such as Adult Occupant Protection (AOP), Child Occupant Protection (COP) and Safety Assist Technologies (SAT).

Applicability:

• It will be applicable on type approved motor vehicles of category M1 with gross vehicle weight less than 3.5 tonnes, manufactured or imported in the country.
• M1 category motor vehicles are used for the carriage of passengers, comprising eight seats, in addition to driver’s seat.

Significance

• The proposed move follows focus on zero tolerance for road accidents.
• It is intended to increase the export-worthiness of vehicles and competition on safety parameters among manufacturers, as well as instil consumer confidence in their safety.
• Bharat NCAP will prove to be a critical instrument in making our automobile industry Aatmanirbhar with the mission of making India the Number 1 automobile hub in the world.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2 

The Union Cabinet gave the 13th extension to the Justice Rohini Commission, to submit its report.

• The commission was set up on October 2, 2017 under Article 340 of the Constitution.
• It was tasked with sub-categorisation of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and equitable distribution of benefits reserved for them.
• In 2015, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had recommended that OBCs should be categorised into extremely backward classes, more backward classes and backward classes.

Article 340

• The President may by order appoint a Commission consisting of such persons as he thinks fit to investigate the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes within the territory of India.
• A Commission so appointed shall investigate the matters referred to them and present to the President a report.
• The President shall cause a copy of the report so presented together with a memorandum explaining the action taken thereon to be laid before each House of Parliament.

OBC Reservation

• The Kalelkar Commission, set up in 1953, was the first to identify backward classes other than the SCs and STs at the national level.
• The Mandal Commission Report, 1980 estimated the OBC population at 52% and classified 1,257 communities as backward.
• It recommended increasing the existing quotas, which were only for SC/ST, from 22.5% to 49.5% to include the OBCs.
• The central government reserved 27% of seats in union civil posts and services for OBCs under Article 16(4).
• The quotas were subsequently enforced in central government educational institutions under Article 15 (4).
• In 2008, the Supreme Court directed the central government to exclude the creamy layer (advanced sections) among the OBCs.