Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Context

• The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) received the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration, 2020 for its scheme ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ (ONORC). The award was presented under the category Innovation (General)-Central.
• The landmark plan of ONORC is a countrywide innovation that allows all NFSA beneficiaries, particularly migrant beneficiaries, to claim either full or part foodgrains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) of choice in the country through existing ration card with biometric/Aadhaar authentication in a seamless manner. The system also allows their family members back home, if any, to claim the balance of foodgrains on same the ration card.

PDS in India

• Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, about 81 crore persons are entitled to buy subsidized foodgrain — rice at Rs 3/kg, wheat at Rs 2/kg, and coarse grains at Re 1/kg — from their designated Fair Price Shops (FPS) of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
• PDS is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State Governments.
• The Central Government, through Food Corporation of India (FCI), has assumed the responsibility for procurement, storage, transportation and bulk allocation of food grains to the State Governments.
• The operational responsibilities including allocation within the State, identification of eligible families, issue of Ration Cards and supervision of the functioning of Fair Price Shops (FPSs) etc., rests with the State Governments.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

• On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence & ongoing Azadi ka Amrit Mahotasav, India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), a 100% government owned entity under Department of Posts (DoP) announced the launch of Fincluvation– a joint initiative to collaborate with Fintech Startup community to co-create and innovate solutions for financial inclusion.

About Payments banks 

• Payments banks are the new age banks with limited facilities. These banks mostly operate through the small vendors and shopkeepers. It exists in between the mobile wallet and regular banks.
• Payments banks are permitted to set up their own outlets such as branches, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Business Correspondents (BCs), etc. to undertake only certain restricted activities permitted to banks under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• A payments bank provides following services to its customers:

• Accept demand deposits (restricted upto 2 lakh)
• Remittance services
• Mobile payments
• Fund transfers
• Debit card and associated services (Payments banks, however, cannot issue credit cards)
• Net Banking services
• Sell third-party financial products like insurance and mutual funds

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

• With the vision to promote sustainable trade and create market linkages, a mega buyer-seller meet was recently organized at Jammu and Kashmir under One District One Product initiative of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

About the scheme

• One District One Product One District One Product (ODOP) scheme was launched by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• The objective is to convert each District of the country into an Export Hub by
  • Identifying products with export potential in the District,
  • Addressing bottlenecks for exporting these products,
  • Supporting local exporters/manufacturers to scale up manufacturing, and
  • Find potential buyers outside India with the aim of promoting exports,
  • Promoting the manufacturing & services industry in the District and generating employment in the District.
• The programme aims to promote local indigenous specialised products and the crafts of each district through various development initiatives, including providing loans to local production units, artisans, and farmers; establishing common facility centres; helping market these products at a global level; etc.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Context

• India has stressed on the importance of the United Nations Guiding Principles of Humanitarian Assistance and reiterated its call for immediate cessation of violence and hostilities in Ukraine.
• Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine’s humanitarian situation, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, R Ravindra said that humanitarian action must always be guided by the principles of humanitarian assistance that are humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.

About UNSC

• The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was established in 1946 as one of the six principal organs of the UN. It is generally viewed as the apex of the UN system.
• It is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.
• Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions.
• It is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

• With setting up of an unprecedented 1.03 lakh new manufacturing and service units and creation of over 8.25 lakh jobs, PMEGP has emerged as government’s most powerful tool of self-sustainability in the year 2021-22.
• This is for the first time since the launch of the PMEGP Scheme in 2008, that KVIC has established over one lakh new units in a financial year. These 1,03,219 units have been established at a total capital of nearly Rs 12,000 crore out of which KVIC disbursed a margin money subsidy of Rs 2978 crore while the bank credit flow was nearly Rs 9,000 crore.
• The margin money subsidy of Rs 2978 crore given by KVIC in the year 2021-22 is also the highest since 2008. A whopping 8,25,752 new employment were created across the country, which is also the highest so far under PMEGP.

About PMEGP

• Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) is a central sector scheme administered by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises since 2008-09.
• It is a major credit-linked subsidy programme aimed at assisting first generation entrepreneurs for setting up micro enterprises in the non-farm sector by helping traditional artisans and unemployed youth.
• At the national level, the Scheme is being implemented by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), a statutory organization under the administrative control of the Ministry of MSME, as the single nodal agency.
• At the State level, the Scheme will be implemented through State KVIC Directorates, State Khadi and Village Industries Boards (KVIBs) and District Industries Centres (DICs) and banks.
• Under the scheme, loans are being provided by all Public Sector Banks, selected Private Sector Banks and Co-operative Banks with margin money subsidy (refers to the amount that the government contributes to beneficiaries availing PMEGP loan) being given by the Ministry of MSME through KVIC.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

• Over three lakh e-Sanjeevani Tele-consultations were provided to the people in a single day (on 16th April 2022) through the Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres across the country.
• This is the highest number of teleconsultations ever done at Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres on a single day, surpassing its earlier record of 1.8 lakh teleconsultations per day.
• More than 1.17 lakh Health and Wellness Centres are now operational in the country and the common citizens are taking advice from the top doctors through this facility.

About ‘eSanjeevani’

• Launched in 2009 by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare ‘eSanjeevani’ is a web-based comprehensive telemedicine solution. It aims to provide healthcare services to patients in their homes.
• Besides enhancing the quality of medical services, addressing issues about uneven distribution and shortage of infrastructural as well as human resources, eSanjeevani also aims to make healthcare services equitable by bridging the digital divide that exists between the urban vs. rural, rich vs. poor etc.
• eSanjeevani can also be used to provide medical education to interns, people across Various Common Service Centers (CSCs), etc.
• The portal was designed & developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), a premier R&D organization of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Context

• The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is in the news now and often.
• It goes back to May 1, 1956, when an ‘Enforcement Unit’ was formed in the Department of Economic Affairs, for handling Exchange Control Laws violations under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA). 
• The ED today is a multi-dimensional organisation investigating economic offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, Foreign Exchange Management Act and FERA.

Powers of ED

• The PMLA was brought in to prevent parking of money outside India and to trace out the layering and the trail of money. The ED got its power to investigate these crimes under Sections 48 and 49 of the Act.
• Whenever any offence is registered by a local police station, which has generated proceeds of crime over and above ₹1 crore, the ED steps in. The ED can also carry out search (property) and seizure (money/documents) if it suspects money has been laundered.
• A person shall be guilty of the offence of money-laundering, if such person is found to have directly or indirectly attempted to indulge or knowingly assist a party involved in one or more of the following activities — concealment; possession; acquisition; use; or projecting as untainted property; or claiming as untainted property in any manner.
• If money has been laundered abroad, the PMLA court (constituted as per the Act) has the right to send a letter of rogatory under Section 105 (reciprocal arrangements regarding processes) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The said government can then share the documents and evidence needed by the agency.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

• The Navy is looking to procure variants of the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) modified for ship-based operations.
• The Navy which has taken an early lead towards indigenisation decades ago and in 2014 promulgated the Indian Navy Indigenisation Plan (INIP) 2015-2030 to enable indigenous development of equipment and systems is further ramping up indigenisation efforts especially in weapons and aviation related items.

What is Indian Navy Indigenisation Plan (INIP)?

• In pursuance of the Government of India’s vision of ‘Make in India’, the Indian Navy has embarked upon an initiative to evolve a guideline document, the “Indian Naval Indigenisation Plan (INIP) 2015-2030”, to enunciate the need for developing various advanced systems for its platforms.
• This document supersedes the Indigenisation Plan published in 2008 for the period 2008-2022.
• This document is aimed to enable indigenous development of equipment and systems over the next 15 years.
• Some of the focus areas include indigenous design and development and production of Anti-Submarine Weapons and sensors, Satcom and electronic warfare equipment, Anti-Ship Missiles and Medium Range Surface to Air Missile, combat management system, software defined radios, network encryption devices, Link II communication system, main batteries for submarines, distress sonar system, components of missiles and torpedoes etc.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent western sanctions on Russia have affected wheat exports from the Black Sea region and impacted food security in several countries, especially in Africa and West Asia.
• The disruption to global wheat supplies in turn has thrown open opportunities that India’s grain exporters are eyeing, especially given the domestic surplus availability of the cereal.
• Egypt, one of the largest importers of wheat, has recently agreed to source the cereal from India.

What is the status of India’s wheat exports?

• Globally, Russia is the market leader for wheat exports (almost 15% share) and Ukraine is also a major producer. Exports from these two countries have been hit by the war and sanctions.
• India expects to produce 112 million tonnes of wheat in the current season. The government requires 24-26 million tonnes a year for its food security programmes. With surplus wheat production, opportunities have opened up for exports. Wheat exports in the 2021-2022 financial year were estimated at 7.85 million tonnes, a quadrupling from 2.1 million tonnes in the previous year.
• More countries are turning to India because of the competitive price, acceptable quality, availability of surplus wheat and geopolitical reasons. While the existing importers are buying more, new markets have emerged for Indian wheat. Exports this fiscal are expected to be almost 10 million tonnes worth $3 billion.

Which new markets are expected to buy from India?

• The different grades of wheat produced in India are of the milling quality. So, apart from Egypt and Jordan, countries in East Africa are also likely to source the foodgrain from India.
• The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Ministry of Agriculture are also sending delegations to several countries to resolve market issues, if any.

What is being done to facilitate exports?

• The Commerce Ministry has put in place an internal mechanism to facilitate it and get the paperwork ready for the related sanitary and phytosanitary applications to help facilitate shipments.
• Wheat is going in full vessel loads and needs to be transported to the ports from the growing areas. The railways is providing rakes on priority to move the wheat.

What norms are buyer countries using to approve Indian wheat?

• Countries that have not previously imported wheat from India insist on the completion of the Pest Risk Analysis to provide market access. There are also other different standards that the buyers share with their sellers here. While, at present, Indian suppliers are able to meet these criteria, Indian authorities are working closely to step in and negotiate resolution if any unreasonable standards are stipulated.

What is the future outlook?

• The government is optimistic about the long-term export opportunities not only for wheat, but for all cereals including millets and superfoods.
• Trade sources say if Indian wheat prices remain competitive and geopolitical and weather conditions stay favourable, the scope is good for wheat exports.
• India has won the confidence of markets such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It needs to establish itself in the new markets too and the government should facilitate it.

The Hindu link

https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/explained-why-is-india-looking-to-boost-wheat-exports/article65326806.ece

Question- How the Russia-Ukraine war has provided impetus to wheat exports from India? Explain.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Context

• Union Health Minister, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya chaired the 4th Anniversary celebrations of Ayushman Bharat -Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) through a video conference (VC) today with more than 1 lakh AB-HWCs, State Health ministers, senior Officials of all the States and UTs, healthcare workers from various hospitals and development partners.

About the scheme

• Ayushman Bharat is a flagship scheme of Government of India launched to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). It aims to undertake path breaking interventions to holistically address the healthcare system at the primary, secondary and tertiary level, by adopting a continuum of care approach.
• Launched in 2018, it is an umbrella of two major health initiatives, namely Health and Wellness Centres and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). 

Health and Wellness Centres

• Under this 1.5 lakh existing Sub Health Centres (SHC), Primary Health Centres (PHC) and Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHC) to be transformed as Health Wellness Centres (HWC) by 2022.
• These centres will deliver Comprehensive Primary Health Care that is universal and free to users, with a focus on wellness and the delivery of an expanded range of services closer to the community.
• HWC are envisaged to deliver expanded range services that go beyond Maternal and child health care services to include care for non-communicable diseases, palliative and rehabilitative care, Oral, Eye and ENT care, mental health and first level care for emergencies and trauma, including free essential drugs and diagnostic services.