UPSC DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS (19TH SEPTEMBER, 2023)

SHREYAS Scheme

Syllabus: GS2/Education

In News

• The government shared the progress made under the SHREYAS Scheme. 

About

• It is an umbrella scheme which comprises 4 central sector sub-schemes namely “Top Class Education for SCs”, “Free Coaching Scheme for SCs and OBCs”, “National Overseas Scheme for SCs” and “National Fellowship for SCs”. 
• From 2014-15 till 2022-23 a total of 1628.89 crore rupees have been released to benefit 21326 beneficiaries.

Free Coaching Scheme for SCs and OBCs

• Objective: To provide coaching of good quality for economically disadvantaged Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) candidates to enable them appear in competitive and entrance examinations. 
• Income Ceiling: Total family income is 8 lakhs per annum. 
• The ratio of SC: OBC students is 70:30 and 30% slots are reserved for females in each category.
  • In no case, a less than 50% SC students shall be permitted.

Top-Class Education for SCs

• Aim: Recognizing and promoting quality education amongst students belonging to SCs, by providing full financial support. 
• The Scheme will cover SC students for pursuing studies beyond 12th class. 
• The scholarship, once awarded, will continue till the completion of the course, subject to satisfactory performance of the student. 
• Income Ceiling: Total family income is 8 lakhs per annum. 
• Under the scheme:
  • full tuition fee and non-refundable charges (there will be a ceiling of Rs. 2.00 lakh per annum per student for private sector institutions),
  • Academic allowance of Rs. 86,000 in the first year of study and Rs. 41,000 in every subsequent year, to take care of living and other expenses is provided.

National Overseas Scheme for SCs

• Objective: Financial assistance is provided to the selected students from SCs; De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes; landless agricultural labourers and traditional artisan categories, for pursuing masters and Ph.D. level courses abroad. 
• Eligibility: Total family income including the candidate is less than Rs. 8 lakhs per annum, who have more than 60% marks in the qualifying examination, is below 35 years of age and secured admission in top 500 QS ranking foreign Institutes/ Universities. 
• Under the scheme, total tuition fee, maintenance and contingency allowance, visa fee, to and fro air passage etc. are provided to the awardees.

National Fellowship for SC Students

• Objective: Fellowship is provided to Scheduled Castes students for pursuing higher education leading to M.Phil/ Ph.D degrees in Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences in Indian Universities/Institutions/ Colleges recognized by University Grants Commission (UGC).
• Eligibility: Qualified the National Eligibility Test- Junior Research Fellowship (NET-JRF) of UGC and Junior Research Fellows for Science stream qualifying UGC-Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (UGC-CSIR) Joint Test.

Lead Poisoning

Syllabus: GS-2/Health , GS-3/Science and Technology

In News

• Recently, a study published in ‘The Lancet Planetary Health Journal’ has highlighted the impacts of Lead Poisoning.

What is Lead?

• Lead (Pb) is in a bluish-white color and is soft and ductile metal.
• It is a naturally occurring toxic metal found in the Earth’s crust, whose widespread use has caused environmental contamination and health problems in many parts of the world. 

What is Lead Poisoning?

• Lead poisoning is a serious health issue caused by the accumulation of lead in the body.
• According to a 2020 report by the United Nations Children’s Fund and Pure Earth around one in three children worldwide record blood lead levels of over five μg/dL.
  • Normal range of lead in blood for adults: less than 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL).
  • For children: less than 5 µg/dL.
• Countries with the highest burden are Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen, Peru, Vietnam, the Philippines and parts of Central Africa.

Sources of Lead Poisoning

• Anthropogenic Sources
  • Mobilization of lead in raw materials such as fossil fuels and other extracted and treated ores and metals.
  • Releases during the manufacture, use and disposal of products using lead (e.g. paint, batteries, toys).
  • Direct releases from waste to soil and aquatic environment.
  • Leaded gasoline.
• Natural Sources
  • Volcanoes.
  • Weathering of Rocks.
  • Exudates from vegetation.

Impacts of Lead Poisoning

• Impact on Humans:
  • Once lead enters the bloodstream, it goes directly to the brain because there is no specific blood-brain barrier to restrict its movement.
    • The Low and Middle Income Countries are majorly affected, with children losing an average of 5.9 IQ.
    • It can harm young children’s health by doing damage to the brain, slowed development and learning difficulties.
  • In adults, it can create a risk of cardiovascular diseases,chronic kidney diseases and learning disabilities.
    • 5.5 million died due to cardiovascular diseases caused by lead exposure in 2019.
  • During pregnancy, if the mother consumes lead, there is no placental barrier, so the lead is transferred to the fetus.
• Environmental Impact: 
  • It can also lead to losses in biodiversity, changes in community composition, decreased growth and low reproductive rates in plants and animals, and neurological effects in vertebrates.

Lead Poisoning in India

• The affected states are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh accounting for 40% of the population with high blood lead levels.
• Lead toxicity in India contributes to 4.6 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) and 165,000 deaths annually.

Government Initiatives

• National Programme for Prevention and Control of Fluorosis, Endemic Skeletal Fluorosis and Arsenicosis: It was launched in 2010 to take measures to prevent lead poisoning.
• National Health Mission (NHM): It was initiated by the government to provide comprehensive healthcare services, including screening for lead poisoning and treatment for affected individuals.
• Lead Battery Waste Management Rules, 2016: It was formulated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to regulate the disposal of lead-acid batteries and promote their recycling in an environmentally safe manner.
• National Programme for the Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE): It was launched by the government to provide healthcare services to the elderly population, who are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning.
• Center for Advanced Research on Environmental Health (CAREH) : It was established by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to conduct research on environmental health issues, including lead poisoning.

KVIC Signs MoUs to Promote Khadi Products

Syllabus: GS2/ Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies

In News

• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), operating under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), signed MoUs and laid the foundation stone for the ‘Modern Khadi of New India’ in Amritkal of Independent India.

About

• The objective of these MoUs is to prepare a roadmap to modernize the Khadi and Village Industries Commission and popularize its products among the youth as per the vision of ‘Local for Vocal’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

MoUs Signed

• The anchors of DD News and DD International channels will be seen in Khadi apparels.  This agreement with Prasar Bharati will prove to be a milestone in making Khadi popular among the youth. 
• NBCC (India) Limited will build new modern infrastructure for Khadi and Village Industries Commission across the country and to focus on keeping KVIC up-to-date with the latest technology.

Significance of Khadi

• During India’s freedom struggle, Khadi, which was made the key weapon of the Swadeshi movement by the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
• Khadi has been magnificently used for poverty alleviation, artisan empowerment, food security, women empowerment and has created the most powerful, capable and successful tool and weapon to eradicate unemployment. 

Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC)

• About: 
  • It is a statutory body established under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, 1956. It functions under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
• Objectives:
  • Social objective of providing employment
  • Economic objective of producing saleable articles
  • The wider objective of creating self-reliance amongst the poor and building up a strong rural community spirit.

Initiatives of Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC)

• Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)
• Market Promotion Development Assistance (MPDA)
• Interest Subsidy Eligibility Certificate (ISEC)
• Workshed Scheme for Khadi Artisans
• Strengthening the infrastructure of existing weak Khadi institutions and assistance for marketing infrastructure
• Khadi Reform and Development Programme (KRDP)
• Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI)
• Honey Mission

Bima Sugam Platform

Syllabus: GS2/Government Policies and Interventions

News

• Insurance regulator IRDAI has formed a steering committee, which will act as the apex decision making body for creation of its ambitious Bima Sugam platform.

About

• The steering committee is composed of members from IRDAI, LIC and private insurance companies like ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, Tata AIA Life Insurance and others.
• Responsibilities of the committee include incorporation of Section 8 not-for-profit company which will be the company owning the Bima Sugam platform. 
• The platform will support all personal and commercial/business insurance requirements and support in identifying and comparing optimal products to meet user requirements within stipulated timelines. 

Bima Sugam Platform

• Bima Sugam will enable individuals to buy life, health, motor or property insurance policies online. 
• The platform will enable easy access under a single roof for insurance companies, agents, brokers, banks and even aggregators.
• The platform will act as a centralised database which will assist consumers with all insurance related queries. 
• It will also pave the way for a speedy acceptance of new or sandbox products.
• It will be a centralized marketplace and a one-stop-shop for all insurance-related queries, including policy purchase, claim settlement, insurance advice and grievance redressal.

Operation Sajag

Syllabus: GS-3/Internal Security

In News

• The Indian Coast Guard conducted ‘Operation Sajag’, a Coastal Security Drill along the Western Coast.

About Operation Sajag: 

• This operation serves to revalidate the coastal security mechanism and raise awareness among fishermen at sea.
• A total of 118 ships including those from Customs, Marine Police, Ports & Indian Navy participated in the drill.
• Under this, extensive checking and verification of documents and crew passes of all fishing boats, barges and sea crafts are carried out.
• It occurs monthly for one day and helps in  monitoring of dhows, island security, and community interaction programs.
• Several measures have been implemented to strengthen coastal security-issuance of biometric cards for fishermen, color-coding of fishing boats by state, staffing of fish landing centers, access control at entry/exit checkpoints, coastal mapping, designation of specific marine band frequencies for security agencies, and marine police training by the Indian Coast Guard.

Parliament ‘Special Session’ 

Syllabus:GS2/ Polity

News

• A ‘special’ five-day session of Parliament began with a discussion on the parliament’s journey of 75 years.

Background

• Article 85 of the Constitution deals with prorogation and dissolution of Parliament. While there is no fixed schedule, the provisions of the Article specify that the President must summon the Houses to meet at least once within six months. 
• “The President shall from time to time summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session”.

Sessions of Parliament

• The Constitution doesn’t provide for a fixed number of sessions or days of sitting.
• Three sessions are typically held each calendar year — the Budget, Monsoon, and Winter sessions. 
• The Central government has the authority to call for a session, and the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA), determines the date and number of sittings. 
• After finalizing the session schedule, the President calls upon the Members of Parliament to convene for the upcoming session. The MPs are informed about the number of sittings and other details about the tentative business of the House through the summons sent by the President.

When is a ‘Special Session’ Conducted?

• The term ‘special session’ is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution or in the rulebooks of the two Houses of Parliament. There are no specific guidelines on how or when such a session can be convened. 
• However, Article 352, which deals with the proclamation of Emergency, refers to a ‘special sitting’ of the House. This clause was added through the 44th Amendment Act in 1978, which included safeguards against the Emergency.
• Several special sessions including midnight sessions have been called for a special purpose or agenda, or to mark occasions of national significance.

Special Sittings in the Past

• The first such sitting was held on the eve of Independence in 1947 to mark the transfer of power from the British to India. 
• This was followed by a special session in 1962 during the Indo-China war when the Winter Session was advanced to discuss the Chinese aggression. 
• In 1972 the government convened a sitting to mark 25 years of Independence. 
• In 1992, a midnight session was called to mark the 50th anniversary of the Quit India Movement. 
• In August 1997, a six-day special session was called to commemorate 50 years of Independence.
• The most recent was in June 2017 when the government held a special session to roll out the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Parliamentary Secretariat

Syllabus: GS2/ Parliament & State Legislatures, Conduct of Business, Structure & Functioning

In News

• Vithalbhai Patel, who in 1925 became the first elected Speaker (then called the President) of the Central Assembly, championed the idea of a separate secretariat for the legislature. 

About Parliamentary Secretariat

• Origin: Vithalbhai Patel believed that if the office of the Speaker had to work independently, it needed a staff directly under its control.
  • Patel also pushed for a separate security establishment for the legislature. 

• Rules of procedure: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha rules of procedure require that the “Secretary-General shall cause to be prepared a full report of the proceedings of the House at each of its sittings and shall, as soon as practicable, publish it in such form and manner” as directed by the presiding officer.
  • The rule’s genesis lies in an 1861 communication from the Secretary of State for India to the Governor General.
• Functions: Advises presiding officers of the two Houses,
  • Provides MPs with information to aid their legislative interventions and 
  • Ensures that the legislature functions smoothly. 
  • It has also been the custodian of procedure, precedent, legislative knowledge and their transfer across parliamentary terms. 
• Structuring the secretariats: The nature of parliamentary work meant different work streams in the Parliament secretariats.
  • In 1974, a committee of MPs recommended structuring the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats into 11 functional areas, like
    • legislative (dealing with the work of the Houses), 
    • library research and information, 
    • verbatim reporting, editorial and translation, 
    • Interpretation, printing and publication, and 
    • Watch and ward (renamed Parliament Security) service. 
• Staff & Services: With administrative consolidation, the roughly 2,200 Lok Sabha and 1,500 Rajya Sabha secretariat officers are organised into eight services.
  • The Constitution specifies that Parliament could make a law to regulate the recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to the secretarial staff of Parliament. 
  • But Parliament has made no such law; therefore, these are done according to the rules made by the presiding officers of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• Independence of office: While the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats are independent of the government, the same is not valid for state legislature secretariats.
  • The Secretary General remains in office till his/her retirement at the age of 60. 
  • He/she is answerable only to the Speaker, his action cannot be discussed or criticised in or outside the Lok Sabha.

About Secretary-Generals

• Appointment of Secretary-Generals: Two Secretary-Generals, one for Lok Sabha and the other for Rajya Sabha, are at the helm of the respective secretariats.
  • The presiding officers of the two Houses have discretion in appointing the Secretary-General. 
  • For example, the Rajya Sabha recruitment order specifies that the Chairperson of Rajya Sabha shall make the appointment to the post of the Secretary-General. The order also empowers the presiding officer of Rajya Sabha to fill senior positions like that of Secretary/Additional Secretary by “persons of equivalent stature and experience from other sources on contract basis”.
• Roles of Secretary-Generals: Secretary-Generals aid and advise the presiding officers of the two Houses in discharging their constitutional and statutory responsibilities.
  • The Parliamentary Pay Committee, in its 2009 report, described the role of the Secretary-General. The position of the Secretary-General has dual obligations:
    • Rendering advice to the Presiding Officer as well as the House on all matters relating to the running of the House and its Committees and
    • Being the Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the House. 
  • In the latter role, he acts as the head of the administration.
• Position of Secretary-Generals: The position was earlier equivalent to the post of the Secretary of the Government of India.
  • But considering its importance in 1990, the pay scale, position and status of the post of Secretary-General was made equivalent to that of the post of the Cabinet Secretary in the Government of India.

Tackling Food Inflation

GS Paper 3 Syllabus: Indian Economy/ Agriculture

Context: An ICRIER paper, “Tackling Food Inflation: Is restricting exports and imposing stocking limits the optimal policy?” discusses the causes of high food inflation in India, and government actions, and suggests alternative solutions.

Current status of India’s Food Inflation:

India’s retail inflation in August 2023 is at 6.83%, exceeding the desired ceiling of 6%. Food and beverages contribute significantly, making up 57% of retail inflation. Food inflation has risen sharply to 9.94%, impacting overall retail inflation.

Government initiatives to contain inflation:

Export ban impacts:

• Wheat Inflation Surge: After the May 2022 wheat export ban, inflation rose from about 9% to about 25% by February 2023.
• Market Uncertainty: Sudden bans caused market unpredictability, affecting traders and consumers.
• Rice Inflation Stagnation: Non-basmati rice export ban in July 2023 had a limited impact on 13% inflation, reducing it slightly to 12.5%.
• Consumer Panic: Non-basmati rice ban alarmed local and diaspora consumers.
• Implications for Farmers: Farmers faced the consequences of rapid government measures.
• Indicates a bias in favour of urban consumers and hurts farmer’s earnings
• Impacts global food security, as it has hit the African countries most.

Recommendations by the ICRIER paper for containing food Inflation:

About ICRIER:

Established in August 1981, ICRIER (Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations) is an autonomous, policy-oriented, not-for-profit, economic policy think tank.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

World Ozone Day

Context: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change celebrated the 29th World Ozone Day, commemorating the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which aimed to phase out Ozone Depleting Substances.

• The theme for World Ozone Day 2023 is “Montreal Protocol: fixing the ozone layer and reducing climate change.”

About Ozone Layer:

The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of Earth’s stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation. It contains a high concentration of ozone (O3) in relation to other parts of the atmosphere, although still small in relation to other gases in the lower part of the stratosphere (15-35 Km above the surface of the earth)

Montreal Protocol and its amendments are successful in eliminating up to 99% of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) (long-lived man-made chemicals which destroy the protective ozone layer). The ozone layer is predicted to return to 1980 levels over Antarctica by 2066, 2045 for the Arctic, and 2040 for the remainder of the planet.

India has been proactive in implementing the Montreal Protocol, phasing out harmful substances and achieving reductions. Initiatives include:

• India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) to address refrigerant transition, energy efficiency, and technology advancement in cooling systems
• The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol focuses on reducing the production and consumption of high global warming potential HFCs, with India committed to phasing them out gradually.
• The Ozone Cell collaborates with the Indian Institutes of Technology to promote research and development of low global warming potential chemicals.

‘Pralay’ ballistic missiles

Context: The Indian defence ministry has approved the acquisition of a regiment of ‘Pralay’ ballistic missiles for deployment along the Line of Actual Control and the Line of Control.

• ‘Pralay’ will become the longest-range surface-to-surface missile in the Army’s inventory and will form a key part of India’s Rocket Force, alongside the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

 About Pralay:

• ‘Pralay’ has a strike range of 150 to 500 kilometres and can carry a conventional warhead of 350 kg to 700 kg.
• It is highly versatile, capable of carrying different types of warheads, and features advanced technology to counter interceptor missiles.
• It can alter its trajectory mid-flight and is powered by a solid propellant rocket motor.
• Developed by the Défense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).