11 AUGUST 2021 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS CAPF AFCAT NDA SSB

1. SCHEMES FOR BEGGARS

The Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment informed Parliament about SCHEMES FOR BEGGARS.

About:

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated a scheme “SMILE - Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise”, which includes sub scheme - ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging’.
The focus of the scheme is on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, basic documentation, education, skill development, economic linkages of the persons found to be engaged in begging.
Ministry has released an amount of Rs. 1.50 crore to National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC) for conducting skill development programmes for the persons engaged in begging. So far, 514 persons engaged in Begging have been provided skill development training.

Source : PIB

2. NATIONAL MISSION FOR ENHANCED ENERGY EFFICIENCY (NMEEE)

Union Minister for Power informed Rajya Sabha about the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE).

NMEEE consists of four initiatives to enhance energy efficiency in energy intensive industries which are as follows:

Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme aims at reducing Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) i.e. energy use per unit of production for Designated Consumers (DCs) in energy intensive sectors, with an associated market mechanism to enhance the cost effectiveness through certification of excess energy saving which can be traded.
Market Transformation for Energy Efficiency (MTEE) aims for accelerating the shift to energy efficient appliances in designated sectors through incentives and innovative business models.
- Bachat Lamp Yojna (BLY): The programme was developed for replacement of inefficient bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs).
- Super-Efficient Equipment Program (SEEP): This programme was designed for market transformation of super-efficient appliances by providing financial stimulus innovatively at critical point/s of interventions.
Energy Efficiency Financing Platform (EEFP) was launched to provide a platform to interact with Financial Institutions (FIs) and project developers for implementation of energy efficiency projects.
Framework for Energy Efficient Economic Development (FEEED) was designed for development of fiscal instruments to promote energy efficiency.
Source : PIB

3. WORLD LION DAY

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted all those passionate about lion conservation on World Lion Day (August 10).

About:

Lions, listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, have lost a vast majority of their habitat -- and resultantly their population -- primarily because of conflict with humans, poaching, and trophy hunting.
Seeing this rapid decrease in their population, a group of non-profits and tourism companies created World Lion Day to celebrate the animal and redirect the world's attention towards them. Organisations such as Panthera and National Geographic Society's Big Cats Initiative support World Lion Day.
The Asiatic lions of India are a distant cousin of the much bigger African lions.
After seeing a decline for some time, the Asiatic lion population has increased steadily in Gujarat's Gir forest and the larger Saurashtra protected region. Their population has gone up from 523 in 2015 to 674 in 2020.

Source : PIB

4. GOGRA

After the talks on July 31, India and China have taken one more step towards restoring peace and normalcy on the LAC by disengaging at Gogra.

About:

It has taken 12 rounds of military-level talks to see both sides disengage and put in place buffer zones in the Galwan Valley, the site of the June 2020 clash that marked the worst violence since 1967, Pangong Lake, and now Patrolling Point 17 in Gogra.
The disengagement process at PP17 took place on August 4 and 5, with a return to permanent bases.
The next round of talks will discuss PP15 in Hot Springs. Demchok, where China has transgressed in relatively smaller numbers than the deployments seen in Pangong Lake, also remains unresolved.
Beijing has appeared unwilling to discuss the strategically significant Depsang plains, where the Chinese side has been blocking Indian patrols.

Important Info :

Hot Springs is a campsite and the location of an Indian border checkpost in the Chang Chenmo River valley in Ladakh near the disputed border with China.
Gogra is actually in a branch valley of the Changchenmo watered by the Khugrang River, northwest of Hot Springs.

Source : The Hindu

5. DRAFT INDIAN PORTS BILL 2021

The present draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021 was circulated on 10th June, 2021 for stakeholders’ comments, prior to the 18th meeting of Maritime States Development Council (MSDC) scheduled on 24th June 2021.

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The draft Indian Ports Bill, 2021 proposes to leave the management and administration of the major ports to the Board of Major Port Authority for each port, constituted by the Major Ports Authorities Act, 2021 and to State Maritime Boards for the management and administration of all non-major ports in each State/UT.
It require every coastal State and Union Territory to constitute a State Maritime Board, if it does not already exist through State statutes and, which empower the said State Maritime Boards with uniform powers and functions including planning, development, supervisory, administrative and adjudicatory powers and functions.

Source : PIB

6. LOAN INTEREST SUBVENTION SCHEME FOR BIOMETHANATION PROJECTS

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India (GOI) launched the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded loan interest subvention scheme that provides financial assistance to innovative waste to energy biomethanation projects and business models.

About:

The industrial organic waste-to-energy bio-methanation projects are generally capital intensive and financially sensitive to both operating costs, including waste availability, and revenue, particularly biogas yield and its utilization scenario.
The loan scheme provides financial assistance to beneficiaries to reduce the financial burden on account of interest on the loan component faced by such demonstration projects.

Source : Business Standard

7. HYDRO POWER IN INDIA

The Government had taken several policy initiatives in the past for hydropower development in the country viz., National Electricity Policy 2005, National Tariff Policy 2016, National Rehabilitation & Resettlement Policy 2007 and Right to Fair Compensation & Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013.

About:

Subsequently, the Government has also issued measures to promote Hydro Power Sector on 8th March, 2019 under which the following provisions have been made:-
- Declaring Large Hydro Projects (>25 MW) as Renewable Energy source.
- Tariff rationalization measures for bringing down hydropower tariff.
- Budgetary Support for Flood Moderation/ Storage Hydro Electric Projects (HEPs).
- Budgetary Support to Cost of Enabling Infrastructure i.e., roads/bridges.
Subsequently, the Hydro Purchase Obligation (HPO) trajectory, for the period 2021-22 to 2029-30 has also been notified by the Government on 29.01.2021.

Source : PIB

8. PUSA DECOMPOSER TECHNOLOGY

Multiple efforts have been made to demonstrate the new low cost capsule i.e. Pusa Decomposer Technology developed by ICAR - Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi for crop residue management across the country as given below:

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IARI has licensed this technology to 12 companies for mass multiplication and marketing of the Pusa Decomposer. In addition, ICAR – IARI, New Delhi has produced about 20000 packets of Pusa decomposer at its own facility for use by the farmers.
A weekly You Tube channel of IARI named Pusa Samachar also regularly ran the programme on “Pusa Decomposer Technology” for the benefit of farmers.

Source : PIB

9. CRIMINALISATION OF POLITY

The Supreme Court warned Parliament that the nation is losing patience with the advent of criminals in politics even as it imposed fines on major political parties for covering up from voters the criminal past of the candidates they fielded in the Bihar Assembly poll last year.

About:

The court had directed political parties to publish the criminal history, if any, of their election candidates on the homepage of their websites under the caption ‘Candidates with criminal antecedents’ within 48 hours of their selection.
The court said it did not take political parties much time to flout its February 2020 judgment, which directed them to prominently publish the criminal antecedents of their candidates in newspapers and on social media accounts, including Twitter and Facebook.
The court further ordered the Election Commission of India to launch a dedicated mobile app for voters to get details of the criminal history of the candidates at the touch of a button. The Commission should also form a separate cell to monitor political parties on their compliance with the court’s judgment.

Source : The Hindu

10. 127TH CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT BILL, 2021

The Lok Sabha passed the 127th Constitution Amendment Bill, 2021, which seeks to restore the states’ power to make their own OBC lists.

About:

The Bill seeks to restore the power of State governments to identify OBCs that are socially and educationally backward after a Supreme Court order in May 2021 empowered only the Centre to do so.
The amendment was thought necessary because the SC, in its order on Maratha reservation, upheld the 102nd Constitutional Amendment Act.
It inserted Articles 338B and 342 A (with two clauses) after Article 342, which said the President of India, in consultation with the Governors, would specify socially and educationally backward classes, taking away the powers of State governments to do so.
The bill should be considered as the 105th Constitution Amendment bill after being renumbered.

Source : The Hindu

11 AUGUST 2021 DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS CAPF AFCAT NDA SSB

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