International Labour Organization - kpias.com · Its governing structure is tripartite which...
Transcript of International Labour Organization - kpias.com · Its governing structure is tripartite which...
International Labour Organization
Context: India dispute ILO’s salary repeat.
ILO:
It is an agency of United Nations to deal with labour issues.
They mainly focus of International labour standards. Social protection and
work opportunities for all.
It was formed in1919 after WW-II for social justice as a part of treaty of
Versailles as an agency of League of Nations.
Functions of ILO:
To promote equal rights at work.
Decent employment opportunities will be encouraged.
Provide social protection and social justice.
Handling work related issues and strengthening dialogue.
Eliminate child labour, slavery, forced lablour and trafficking.
To set labour standards.
Develop policies and programs for welfare of labour.
Composition.
Out of 193 UN member countries, 185 are in ILO India joined as a 183
country.
It consists of permanent Secretariat at and personal staff.
Headquarters- Genera of Switzerland.
Its governing structure is tripartite which represents government
employers and workers.
This enables an open debate among government and social partners.
Composition of Governing body
28 government representation.
14 workers representation
14 employer’s representatives.
Paryatan Parv
Context: Paryatan Parv of the ministry of tourism begins today across the
country.
The Paryatan Parv will culminate in a 3 day event in New Delhi from 23rd
to 25th
October 2017.
Importance of Paryatan Parv:
Paryatan Parv programme will show case the cultural diversity of the
country with cultural performances, crofts bazaar, food court showcasing
folk and classical dance.
Representation from all regions and states of the country will show case
music, handicrafts and handlooms.
The programme is organized with the objective of drawing focus on the
benefits of tourism.
It also showcasing the cultural diversity of the country and reinforcing the
principle of Tourism for All .
Parytan Parv will have three main components:
1) Dekho Apna Desh
2) Tourism for All
3) Tourism and Governance
Dekho Apna Desh
It aims to encourage Indians to visit their own country.
This includes video, photograph and blog competitions of sites visited
during the event.
Stories of India through travelers eyes on social media tourism related quiz,
essay, debate and painting competitions for students.
Tourism for All
Tourism sites across all states in the country.
The activities at these sites include illumination in and around the sites,
cultural programmes of dance, storytelling,
Sensitization programmes for stake holders around the sites, tourism,
exhibition, cuisine and handicrafts.
These will be people’s events with large scale public participation.
Tourism and Governance
Interactive sessions and workshops with stake holders on various themes.
1) Skill development in tourism sector.
2) Innovation in tourism
3) For inducting Ex. Service men as service providers for taxi operation.
4) Developing rural tourism in locations near established destination.
5) Community sensitization workshops on home stay and B&B
opportunities.
12Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharata Abhiyan (PMGDSHA)
Context: 6 Crore rural Indians to get digital literacy under PMGDI.
PMGDISHA ?
Vision of Digital India is making one person in every family digitally
literates.
Objective:
So PMGDISHA is the scheme to make 6 crore persons in rural area across
states/UTs, digitally literate, reaching to around 40% of rural households by
2019. Under supervision of ministry of electronics and IT.
Salient features:
1) Impart digital literacy to6 crore citizens in rural India.
2) Provide access to information, knowledge, education, and healthcare and
livelihood generation.
3) Enable financial inclusion through use of digital payments.
4) Train to avail various government schemes and citizen centric services.
5) Empower women and marginalized communities through digital inclusion.
Scheme aim:
To bridge the digital divide, specifically targeting the rural population
including marginalized section of society like SC, ST, Minorities, BPL, women
and differently abled persons.
Appreciation of Digital Literacy:
To make a person digitally literate, so that he/she can operate digital
devices (tablets, smart phones etc.) send and receive emails and browse
internet for information and undertake digital payment etc.
Age – 14 to 60 years.
ICRIER Survey:
According to Indian council for Research on International economic
relations survey, if mobile penetration increases by 10% then GDP rise by
1.2% , broad band connection by 10% GDP rise 2 and if all government
services provided through mobile phones GDP rise by 3.2%
Concerns/Challenges:
1) Present India’s infrastructure is not up to the stay at which we receive
benefits from info and communication technology.
2) According to world economic forum’s annual network reediness index
in2013 India ranks 68th
but in 2016India slipped to 91st
.
3) We need to bring optical fibre connecting to each gram panchayat and
increase 4G coverage in all villages.
4) Major problem in digital transaction is security and privacy so people need
to be trained on how to protect their financial information.
5) Authentication solely based on biometrics as in Aadhar enabled payment
system (AEPS) in insecure.
Solutions:
1) India needs at least 1.5 million cyber security professionals each year to
make digital transactions secure.
2) There has to be international standards like ISO for payment initiations,
security and asset transactions etc.
3) ISO has series from 27001 to 27004 for keeping information secure by
organization which may banks neglected.
4) Banks need to educate their customers regarding fraudulent emails and
messages.
5) Regulator for digital transaction has to be setup.
6) Government scheme DISHA provide 100% reimbursement if we train SC/ST,
BPL , Anganwadi and Asha workers and 75% for OBC and general.
Way forward:
Private sector institution and financial institutions need to take part in
digital literacy and educate customers this has to extend to every individual
who has bank account. People avoid these practices because it is ease of
use v ease of security.
The more secure the transaction the more difficult it becomes to carry it
out.
States in Indian Diplomacy
Context: The outcome of Sharjah ruler’s Kerala visit shows why more needs to
be done to involve states in foreign policy.
Background:
The principle of cooperative federalism promoted by Prime Minister of
India which aims to facilitate and deepen the external linkages of the
states/UTs engaged in the recent past.
Measures taken to improve external links.
1) Humanitarian operations made by India like operation Rahat (Yemen) and
operation Maitri (Nepal)
2) This division acted as a bridge by way of facilitates evacuation of Indians
from those countries and sending them to their respective states in a safe
and sewer manner.
3) Facilitation of visits of foreign dignitaries to India Ex. Facilitating the visit of
governor of one of Japan provinces to the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
4) Sister city and sister province agreement Ex. Chennai-Chongqing.
Apart from three listed above following activities were carried out by the state’s
division.
1) State and provincial leader’s forum which will deepen sub-national
cooperation between India and associated countries.
2) Outreach programmes like facilitating visits of delegations from Indian
states to other countries for specific matter.
3) Facilitating foreign visits of dignitaries from state governments.
Way forward:
Think tanks should be established in states to facilitate policy options and
to provide input to the states and the center.
A major change in mindset is necessary to accomplish it.
The states must also develop expertise on foreign affairs to be able to take
responsible decisions in their interaction with foreign lands.
China’s OBOR (One Belt One Road)
Bangladesh defended China’s OBOR project by stating that economic
benefits to the people are more important than the sovereignty issues.
What is One Belt One Road (OBOR)
It is about building massive infrastructure mostly around transport and
energy: road, bridges, ports, railways, gas pipelines and power plants for
improving connectivity an cooperation among Asian countries, Africa, China
and Europe.
Significance of the mane One Belt One Road
One Belt : It refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt. It envisions three
routes connecting China to Europe,
a) Persian Gulf (Via Central Asia)
b) The Mediterranean (Through West Asia)
c) The Indian Ocean (Via South Asia)
One Road : It refers to the 21st
Century maritime Silk Road. It is planned
to create connections among regional water ways.
International Support to OBOR:
Till now around 60 nations have joined the OBOR initiative by officially
participating in the recent OBOR summit, Belt and Road Forum.
Prominent countries to participate are USA, North Korea, UK, Germany and
France.
Why India Opposing OBOR?
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is a part of OBOR is passing
through Indian Territory i.e. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. It clearly affects
India sovereignty and China has not tried to attenuate Indian’s concerns.
Impact of India not participating in OBOR
All the India’s neighborhoods except Bhutan have joined OBOR about which
they are positive.
India’s non-participation may reduce its appeal in the region as Big Brother.
It is not wise to watch China altering the land space around it c
consolidating links with the neighborhoods and populating them with its
personal equipment, technology and standards.
Significance of OBOR to China:
China hailed it as Project of the Century and plans to set an example of
globalization, filling the void left by the US under Trump’s America First
Policy.
China plan to revive the ancient trade route that once connected most of
Asia to Europe and Africa Known as Silk Route, for increased movement of
goods from China.
To grow into a world power and challenge the current geo political realities.
To invest the surplus dollars that China has accumulated over the years as
Idle money is equal to no money .
Chinese money flow to Pakistan will increase the Chinese economic and
strategic influence on India’s hostile neighbor with which it has fought
four wars.
OBOR Projects:
As part of OBOR, six major economic corridors are planned to be
developed. They are,
a) The New Eurasian Land Bridge.
b) China-Mongolia-Russia.
c) China-Central Asia-Western Asia.
d) Indo-China peninsula.
e) China-Pakistan,
f) Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar.
What can be done for India to participate in OBOR
India and China need to ensure that their difference of political questions
do not prevent both sides from advancing economic cooperation.
India should consider the future of its Pakistan policy as the possibility of
India benefiting from regional connectivity by land would ensure a measure
of normalized ties with Islamabad.
Context: India among the worst effected by Climate change – IMF
study.
What is in the News?
Region that will be most affected by the global warming are,
1) According to the study of IMF, countries in the tropics will be worst
affected as a result of global warming.
Why: Because tropics are more exposure to the Sun.
Effect on India:
1) India is one of the worst affected, other countries in the region such as
Bangladesh, Pakistan, Srilanka, Indonesia, Malaysia will be similarly
affected.
2) Climate change has already caused more than 59000 suicides in India over
the last 30 years.
3) Climate change cause crop fail which leads to increase in suicides.
Effect on Developed Nations:
According to IMF, impact of most developed nations, located in
temperature zone is negligible.
Temperature Zone:
North Temperature Zone: Between Artic circle and Tropic of Cancer.
South Temperature Zone: Between Antarctic Circle Tropic of Capricorn.
According to IMF, some Northern countries such as Russia, Norway, and
Canada are improving.
Impact of Climate Change: India
1) Agriculture:
Crops are affected/impacted by rainfall change of pattern.
High rainfall leads to greater loss of soil due to erosion.
Rise in sea level may lead to loss of form land due to floods and increasing
salinity of ground water in coastal areas.
Major impact of climate change will be on areas which are rain fed or un-
irrigated crops.
2) Poverty:
Climate change also include un expected drought, the poorer are most
affected by severe drought that lead to food shortage and higher food
prices.
Climate change will further reduce access to drinking water and negatively
affect the health of poor people in many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin
America.
Government initiatives:
1) Subsidies for micro-irrigation.
2) Drought prone areas programme and Desert Development Program.
3) National watershed development project for rain fed areas.
4) Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana, its main objective is to give financial
support to the farmers if any of the failure of the notified crops.
5) National Action Plan on Climate change.
Way forward:
Measuring Poverty through different dimensions would help policy makers
figure out which aspects of poverty expose the poor.
Agriculture can be the key to solve eradication of poverty and maintain
stable climate corridor.
Less emission of Greenhouse gases, which leads to global warming, which is
the main reason for climate change.
Awareness in urban and rural areas about the impact of climate change.
Context: India needs a new IAS i.e. an increasingly specialized,
complex and changing world demands a more effective bureaucracy.
1) India is at junction of two trends that are fundamentally challenging the
world:
a) Rise of Asia, with the growing importance of Asian consumer.
b) Digitization.
Asian consumers rise between 2010 and 2020 will in dollar terms add a new
US to global consumption.
Digitization (Connectivity, unlimited storage, computing power, growth in
data, artificial intelligence, robotics, block chain etc.) is changing not by low
people live and interacts but how business and governments are.
Negatives of IAS:
a) How should our bureaucracy evolve to navigate the challenge this creates is
it time to question set up IAS in India?
Till 1991, IAS would have perhaps been most attractive service in India. The
entrance exam was among the most competitive and those who are bright.
Experience obtained in 1st
10 years in IAS is similar to all officers when
posted to district and in today specialized world, Missouri Academy need to
train to perform well in secretariat.
But officers after few years in state secretariat race among them to get jobs
at center.
There is a pecking order here with posting in finance, home, defense, being
preferred to minority affairs. Further more jobs in states were not as
attractive as posting in Delhi.
It is widely recognized that the prestige of service has fallen since 19191
reforms-reduced controls, power. Reform also saw emergence of
alternative professions in private sector whose pay is higher.
Equation between politicians and bureaucrats also changed in favor of the
politician.
The nature of jobs in state and center have may deportments (education,
health, finance, public works department etc.) planners, environmental
experts, economists, architects, management
Degree holders but if they hired are likely to be asked to do jobs outside
their specializations.
Generalists today perform all these disparate roles.
1) Would we not do better if we moved away from the colonial
paradigm?
2) Is it right to staff specialized ministers at center and states without the
requests skill?
Positives of IAS:
1) But IAS officer job has equal responsibilities as it has powers which depend
on pay scale. But IAS is not a job, it’s a service.
2) So when officials placed in different positions, assume the role,
responsibility and authority of that position.
3) IAS officer is responsible for framing and implementing policy under the
consultation of Minister.
4) As IAS officer is the person who has the capability, authority and
opportunity to help the life of the poor and needy man.
Way forward:
To address complex and changing world we need to think about correct
bureaucratic structure away from colonial paradigm through setting a
high powered committee to address challenges we face and facilitate
the changes we need.
India-EU
Context: 14th
India-EU summit to be held in this month(October,2017)
India – EU Relations:
India-EU relations are from 1960.
India is among the 1st
countries to establish diplomatic relation with
European Economic Community.
Till 1994, there was only relationship between trade and economic
cooperation. In 1994 a cooperation agreement signed beyond it.
Political Relations:
1st
India-EU summit took place in 2000
In latest summit, two sides reviewed bilateral relations as well as
exchanged views on regional and global issues.
Negotiations on the bilateral trade and investment agreement and
cooperation in security.
India and EU also interact regularly at the foreign minister level.
Economic and Commercial Relations:
EU (28 Countries) is India’s largest regional trading where as India is EUs 9th
largest trading partner.
India and EU are in the process of negotiating a bilateral broad based trade
and investment agreement (BTIA).
BTIA for easy commercial relationship.
EU is one of the largest sources of Foreign Direct Investment for India.
India-EU joint commission dealing with economic and commercial issues
meets annually.
India-EU relations are top in Marine products, pharmaceuticals and
biotechnology, agriculture related, textile and clothing etc.
Cooperation in the field of science and technology.
India and EU has setup energy panel in 2005 to enhance cooperation in the
energy sector and energy security.
At present a joint working group on environmental dealing with prevention
of pollution, waste minimization, sustainable forest management,
environmental education etc.
Bilateral Agreements:
Over the years, India and EU have signed a number of bilateral agreement
and MOUs.
Some of the important bilateral agreements are,
1) Science and technology agreement in 2001, again it is renewed in 2007.
2) MOU on cooperation in Employment and social affairs in 2006.
3) Joint declaration in the field of education and training 2008.
4) Cooperation in Energy.
5) Agreement in the field of nuclear fusion energy research 2009.
Rastriya Gokul Mission
Context: Embryo transfer technology (EFT), a promising revolution in Bovine
Breeding>
Embryo transfer technology is a tool to optimize the genetic improvement
in cattle.
Mass embryo transfer programme in Indigenous (local) breeds under the
scheme, national mission on Bovine (an animal of cattle group includes
buffaloes, bison).
Programme is implemented with objective of conservation and
development o indigenous breeds under Rashtriya Gokul Mission.
Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM)
1) It aims to conserve and develop indigenous breeds in a focused and
scientific manner. Ex. Professional farm management and superior
nutrition.
2) Mission is focused project under national programme for Bovine breeding
and dairy development during 12th
five year plan.
RGM importance and need for conservation for Local Breeds:
During 2012-13 about 45 million cattle were in milk and contributed around
59 million tons of milk.
Not only contributing milk production, but draught animals for agricultural
operation and transport in rural areas.
They also provide cow dung (organic manner) cow urine (medical value)
indigenous cattle are categorized zebn suited for draught power because
of the pressure of lump.
Indigenous cattle well known for quality of heat tolerance and with stand
extreme climatic conditions.
Due to global warming negatively impact milk production and reproductive
efficiency highest in cross breed cattle followed by buffaloes, indigenous
breeds are least affected by climate change due to they are most handy
and robust.
Objectives of RGM
1) Under take breed improvement programme for indigenous cattle breeds so
as to improve genetic makeup and increase the stock.
2) Enhance milk production and productivity of indigenous Bovines.
3) Upgrade non-descript cattle (consume more food, yield low quantity milk)
using elite indigenous cattle like Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi, Red sindhi.
4) Distribute diseases free high genetic merit bulls of indigenous breeds for
natural service.
Implementation:
1) State implementing agency (SIA) – Livestock boards stake Gav Seva Ayogs-
Mandated to sponsor proposals to the SIA AND monitor implementation.
2) Participating Agencies- All indigenous cattle development agencies Ex.
ICAR, Universities, NGOs and Gaushahas with best germ plasm.
Components:
Village level cattle centers i.e. Gokul Gram, establish Gopalan Sangh
(Breeder’s society).
Distribute disease free high genetic merit bulbs.
Award Gopala Ratna to farmers for best indigenous breeds.
Gokul Gram:
These are indigenous cattle centers, will act as centers for development of
indigenous breeds and establish
a) Native breeding tracts and
b) Near metropolitan cities for housing urban cattle.
High genetic breeding stock (Embryo transfer tech|) to farmers in breeding
tracts.
Self-sustaining and will generate economic resources from sale of milk,
organic manner, vermi-composting, urine distillates, and production of
electricity from bio-gas for in house consumption and sale of animal
products.
Also function as state of the art in situ training center for farmers; breeders
Mera Hou-Choungba Festival
Context: Manipur celebrates Mera Hou-Chongba festival, re-affirming close
bond and ties between hills and valley people at Konung.
Mera Hou-Chongba festival is mainly celebrated to strengthen the unity
between hill and valley people.
This festival is celebrated in Manipur and was celebrated at Manipur Royal
Palace (Sana Konung) Impal.
All the hill tribes are gathered under the Manipuri government.
A great number of different tribes assemble with their curious dress and
weapons, differing from each other in features and languages.
The hill men indulge in fests of strength as carrying heavy weights and also
indulge in war dances and sham fights.
This festival is mainly functioned as exchange of gifts between the King and
village chiefs and performance of cultural show and sports.
The festival is ended with a grand feast; food consists of curry of dried fish,
cows, buffaloes, dogs etc.
Mera Hou-Choungba is an important festival in Manipur. It is mainly
celebrated to maintain and strengthen the harmonious relationship among
the people of Manipur.
A Learning Crisis in the Developing World
Context: The failure of Children to achieve minimum proficiency levels despite
attending school is and economic and ethical crisis.
We have known that unacceptably large number of Indian children are
attending school but not learning enough.
Now research shows that this is not just an Indian problem New estimates
from the UNESCO institute of Statistics (UIS).
Estimates shows that about 617 million children are not achieving
minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics around the world.
It threating several low and middle income countries across the world.
Region specific data:
In Sub-Sahara Africa, according to UIS data about 88% of children are not
able to properly do simple math by the time they finish middle school.
South and Central Asia comes a close second with 81% of children in the
region not learning the basic minimum.
Level of Crisis in India:
In rural India, the latest edition of the Annual state of Education
Report(ASER) shows that only 47.8% of class V student scan read a class-II
level text.
And only 43% of class-III student s can do class-V level arithmetic.
This learning crisis comes at a time when enrolment levels have increased
across the board.
India has achieved near-universal enrolment and, globally the gap between
children attending school in developed and developing countries is closing.
So, access to education has improved but the quality of education hasn’t.
Comparison between Countries:
The World Bank describes the above issue as not just a learning crisis but a
moral crisis. It leads to inequalities between and within nations.
International assessments of literacy and numeracy have consistently
shown that students from low income countries perform worse than those
from high income countries.
For example:
Indonesia has significantly improved its performance in the program for
international student assessment (PISA) over the last 10-15 years.
But still, according to the World Bank report, with this rate Indonesia will
still take another five decades to reach the developed World’s average
score for mathematics and another seven decades for reading.
It is tempting to blame this on lack of resources but post war South Korea
or of Vietnam learning outcomes.
Why do some countries succeed while other fail?
Essentially, because the latter aren’t able to effectively integrate their key
elements.
The World Bank lists four such elements-students, teachers, school
administration and school infrastructure.
If anyone malfunctions the entire system is threatened totally students are
effected.
1) Students:
If children come to school sick or hungry or if parents aren’t able to care for
them not just after birth but also in the womb, then their learning levels
will be adversely affected.
2) Teachers:
The importance of teacher’s skills and capabilities should require no
elaboration.
Yet they receive little attention.
Most developing countries struggle to attract the best and the brightest to
their schools even when pay is competitive.
Teachers once hired, are given almost no training or professional
development support, leaving them ill-equipped in the class room.
3) School Administration:
A 2015 study by Stanford University’s Nicholas Bloom and others on
management practices across 1800 high schools in eight countries including
India.
This study showed that better management produced better educational
outcomes and schools with greater autonomy did especially well.
4) School Infrastructure
The relationship between learning levels and learning aids and tools such as
laptops and laboratories is often overemphasized.
Several studies have shown that similar investments can produce vastly
different outcomes depending on how the investment is utilized.
For example one assessment of Brazil’s one laptop per child scheme
showed that more than 40% of teachers rarely used the devices in class
rooms.
Way forward:
A disproportionate flows on such inputs and inadequate attention towards
outcomes is one of the most important reason why India’s right to
education legislation has performed below potential.
For there to be a shift in policy and practice one has to start with accessing
outcomes.
This is World Bank’s top recommendation for making education system
more effective.
Accessing, measuring and benchmark performance is the first.
Namdhapa National Park
Namdapha National Park is the largest protected area in the Eastern
Himalaya Biodiversity. It is located in Arunachal Pradesh in North East
India.
It is the third largest national park in India in terms of area.
It is located in the Eastern Himalayan Sub-region.
It is the richest areas in biodiversity in India.
Flora and Fauna
Flora and fauna lie in the international border between India and Myanmar
(Burma) within changing district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the
North East India.
Namdapha National Park is located at a few Km away from Miao amidst
misty blue hills along the turbulent Noa-Dihing river lies in the sprawling
tropical rain forest.
Flora:
There are about more than 150 timber species.
The Pinees Merkusi and Abies delavoui are not found anywhere else in
India.
The Orchids, the blue Vanala endangered are the rarest one is found here.
The most famous medicinal plant Mishmi Teeta (Copti Teeta) which is used
by the local tribal for all kinds of diseases.
Fauna:
There are total 1285 species in Nampadha National Park.
Faunal Group Number of Species
Earth worms 10
Leeches 5
Insects 430
Butterflies and Moths 140
Fishes 76
Amphibious 25
Reptiles 50
Birds 453
Mammals 96
4 Big cat species occur in the park are snow leopard, clouded leopard, and
Indian leopard and Bengal tiger.
Large herbivores like Indian elephant, wild boar, and Musk deer hog deer,
Sām har et .
Non-human primates like slump tailed macaque, slow Loris, capped languor
etc.
Endangered species of birds include green cocoa, purple cocoa, blue earned
Kingfisher, Himalayan wood owl etc.
Other birds group like laughing thrushes, parrot bills, fulvettes, shrike
babblers and scimitar babblers.
Mid-winter water fowl species is white-bellied heron.
Snow leopard Photographed in Arunachal Pradesh, camera traps have
captured images of the Big cat in community owned reserve.
Pradhana Mantri Yojana
Context: Union minority affairs minister addresses the common people, traders,
industries representate and people from social sector during Pradhana Mantri
Mudra Yojana promotion camp.
What is Mudra?
Mudra means micro units development and refinance agency.
It comes as a vision from PM by the slogan Fund the Unfunded and was
started after the success of PM Jan Dhan Yojana.
Objective:
To help people engaged in small business in facilitating micro credit up to
10 lakhs.
Importance of Mudar Yojana;
a) MUDRA Yojana covers small business section which employs a large
number of people (120million) who generally come from less privileged
sections of society.
b) PM Mudra Yojana could change the trend by bringing small business
owners into the ambit of mainstream bank credit, who until now remained
outside.
c) PM Mudra Yojana fulfills the dream of many young budding entrepreneurs
as adequate core and organized management of credit facility is available.
d) It takes care of repayment concerns and brings both financial institutions
and needy small business owner on one single platform.
Stages of Mudra Yojana
1) Shishu: (Up to 50 thousand)
This caters to entrepreneurs who are primitive stage or require lesser
funds.
2) Kishore (Up to 5 lakhs)
Section of entrepreneurs who have already started their business and want
additional funds.
3) Tarun (UP to 10 lakhs)
Any entrepreneur meeting the eligibility conditions can apply for a loan up
to 10 lakhs.
Mudra loan card:
This card acts as a credit card with a pre-approved loan amount and also
acts as a debit card allowing ATM with drawls.
Kathak, Qawwali and Opera on same stage
Context: Over 150 artists have performed from across Britain and India for an
event pegged as the highlight of the 2017 UK year of culture.
1) Kathak (meaning To tell a Story )
It is one of the ten major forms of Indian classical dances.
It evolved during Bhakti movement.
It is found in three district forms (Gharanas)
a) Jaipur b) Banaras c) Lucknow
How it is Performed
It emphasizes rhythmic foot movements, adored with small bells and the
movement harmonized to the music.
The legs and torso are generally straight and the story is told through a
developed vocabulary based on the gestures of arms and upper body
movement facial expressions, stage movements, bends and turns.
The eyes work as a medium of communication of the story the dancer is
trying to communicate.
2) Qawwali:
Generally performed at Sufi Shrines or dargahs throughout South Asia.
How it is performed:
The performers (eight to nine men including a lead singer) sit crops legged
on the ground in two rows the lead singer, side singer and harmonium
players in the front row, and the chorus and percussionists in the back row.
Qawwali is an exclusively made business.
It is popular in Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, many parts of India
including North India, East India, Central India, Delhi, Hyderabad and many
Parts of Bangladesh.
3) Opera:
It is an art form in which singers and musician perform a dramatic work
combining text and music score, usually in a theatrical setting.
Opera is a key part of western classical music tradition.
In this singers do two types of singing.
a) Recitative-Speech-inflected style.
b) Arias-Melodic style.
The performance is generally given in an Opera house accompanied by an
Orchestra or smaller musical ensemble.
Context: IIT team develops system to monitor drought in South Asia.
Precipitation and temperature data provided at finer resolution than
before.
Real-time monitoring of drought will help policy makers in water
management.
IIT Gandhinagar researchers are offering a data base of precipitation,
temperature and drought indicators from 1980 to April 2017.
This data is covering the entire South Asian region.
Not only drought these data sets can also be used for monitoring heat and
cold waves in South Asia.
Earlier this monitoring is done by Indian metrology department where only
monsoon and rainfall are considered. But in latest development
temperature is also a factor.
Researchers used CHIRPS global rainfall data for their data set preparation.
This CHIRPS global rainfall data is available for every 5km resolution.
The errors and differences are corrected by IIT researchers.
This 5km resolution was evaluated against a standard rainfall database
called Aphrodite and also satellite based information.
This data set and information was tested in June to September,2015 to
access severity and extent of drought which was successful.
Dibang Biosphere Reserve
Context: Snow leopard photographed in the reserve.
It is situated in Arunachal Pradesh.
Mouling Natonal Park and Dibang wild life Sanctuary are located in this
Biosphere reserve.
It is also known as Dibang or Dehang.
It covers high mountains of Eastern Himalayas and Mishmi hills.
Mishmi hills:
It is located on the North East tip of the country in Arunachal Pradesh.
It is claimed by both India and China.
It lies on Mc Mohan line.
The reserve is rich in wild life. Rare mammals such as Mishmi Takin (type of
goat), Red Panda, and Asiatic Black bear etc.
IUCN – Endangered Species in this reserve are.
1) Mishmi Takin (a type of goat)
2) Red Panda
Both are endangered according to IUCN.