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MARCH 2020
Index

General Studies II

1. Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 ……………………..

2. Bulk Drug Parks …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Depletion of Groundwater ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
4. Public Finance Management System ………………………………………………………………………………..
5. Export Incentive Scheme ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
6. Entrepreneurial development of Tribal Women ………………………………………………………………

General Studies III

1. House Sparrow ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2. Huntington disease (HD) …………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing ………………………………………………………………………….
4. Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC 2.0) Scheme…………………………………………………….
5. Black carbon. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. Quantum coins …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7. Groundwater affects Himalayan slip ………………………………………………………………………………..

Short Liners
1. Government Schemes/Initiatives
2. India In/Out
3. Miscellaneous

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 GENERAL STUDIES II
Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill,
2020
Introduction
 The Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was introduced in Lok Sabha by
the Minister of Human Resource Development, Mr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‗Nishank‘ on March 4, 2020.
 The Bill amends Indian Institutes of Information Technology Act, 2014 and the Indian Institutes of Information
Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017.

Background
 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017 declares certain Indian
Institutes of Information Technology established under Public-Private Partnership mode as institutions of
national importance.
 Under the Act, 15 institutes are currently incorporated as institutions of national importance.

About the Bill

 The Bill seeks to declare five Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) set up under the Public Private
Partnership mode in Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala, and Raichur as institutions of national importance.
a. Currently, these institutes are registered as Societies under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and do not have
the power to grant degrees or diplomas.
b. On being declared institutions of national importance, the five institutes will be granted the power to grant
degrees.
 The objective of the present proposal is for formalization of IIITs at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and
Raichur. After passage of the Act by the Parliament, they will be covered under the IIIT (PPP) Act, 2017, similar to
the other 15 IIITs established under the scheme in PPP mode.

Conclusion
 Among the higher education institutions in the country, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have improved
their global rankings significantly. It will also enable the Institutes to attract enough students required to develop
a strong research base in the country in the field of information technology.The emerging needs of the industry
and the economy, as a whole for skilled technical manpower is expected to be met from the talent pool of trained
personnel of the institutes.

Bulk Drug Parks

Introduction
The Union Cabinet has approved the following schemes:
1. The scheme on Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks for financing Common Infrastructure Facilities in 3 Bulk Drug
Parks with financial implication of Rs. 3,000 crore for next five years.
2. Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for promotion of domestic manufacturing of critical KSMs/Drug
Intermediates and APIs in the country with financial implications of Rs6,940 crore for next eight years.
3. The scheme on Promotion of Medical Device Parks for financing CommonInfrastructure Facilities in 04 Medical
Device Parks with financial implications of Rs. 400 crore.

Background
 Indian pharmaceutical industry is the 3rd largest in the world by volume. However, despite this achievement,
India is significantly dependent on import of basic raw materials, viz., Bulk Drugs that are used to produce
medicines. In some specific bulk drugs the import dependence is 80 to 100%.

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Brief Descriptions
Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks
 Government of India will give Grants-in-Aid to States with a maximum limit of Rs. 1000 Crore per Bulk Drug Park
to develop 3 mega Bulk Drug parks in India in partnership with States.
 Parks will have common facilities such as solvent recovery plant, distillation plant, power & steam units, common
effluent treatment plant etc.
 It will be implemented by State Implementing Agencies (SIA) to be set up by the respective State Governments.
 The scheme is expected to reduce manufacturing cost of bulk drugs in the country and dependency on other
countries for bulk drugs.

Production Linked Incentive Scheme

 Financial incentive will be given to eligible manufacturers of identified 53 critical bulk drugs on their incremental
sales over the base year (2019-20) for a period of 6 years.Rate of incentive will be 20 % (of incremental sales value)
for fermentation based bulk drugs and 10% for chemical synthesis based bulk drugs.
 It will be implemented through a Project Management Agency (PMA) to be nominated by the Department of
Pharmaceuticals.
 The scheme intends to boost domestic manufacturing of critical KSMs/Drug Intermediates and APIs by attracting
large investments in the sector to ensure their sustainable domestic supply and thereby reduce India's import
dependence on other countries for critical KSMs/Drug Intermediates and APIs.

Medical Device Parks

 Medical Device is a growing sector and its potential for growth is the highest among all sectors in the healthcare
market.e Scheme aims to promote Medical Device Parks in the country in partnership with the States.
 The Scheme aim to boost domestic manufacturing by attracting large investments in medical device sector.

Impacts
a. Under the sub-scheme for Promotion of Medical Device Parks, Common Infrastructure Facilities would be created
in 4 Medical Device Parks, which is expected to reduce manufacturing cost of medical devices in the country.
b. The PLI Scheme for promoting domestic manufacturing of Medical Devices would boost domestic manufacturing
and attract large investments in the medical device sector, particularly in the identified target segments.
c. It is expected to reduce manufacturing cost and dependency on other countries of Bulk Drug in the country.

Way Forward
 Continuous supply of drugs is necessary to ensure delivery of affordable healthcare to the citizens. Any disruption
in supplies can have significant adverse impact on Drug Security, which is also linked to the overall economy of the
country. Self-sufficiency in manufacturing of bulk drugs is highly required.

Depletion of Groundwater
Why in News
 Dynamic Ground Water Resources of the country are being periodically assessed jointly by Central Ground Water
Board (CGWB) and State Governments.
 As per the 2017 assessment, total Annual Ground Water Recharge in the country is 432 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM)
and the Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource is 393 BCM.

Situation
a. Ground water levels in various parts of the Country are declining because of continuous withdrawal necessitated
by increased demand of fresh water for various uses, vagaries of rainfall, increased population, industrialization &
urbanization etc.
b. Depleting water table in some areas may have some effect on irrigation activities, however, Government has
initiated a number of measures for supply side and demand side management to improve the water table in water
stressed areas.

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Background
 Water being a State subject, initiatives on sustainable ground water management is primarily States‘
responsibility. A number of States have done notable work in the field of water management/conservation.
Example:
 ‗Mukhyamantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan‘ in Rajasthan
 ‗Jalyukt Shibar‘ in Maharashtra.
 ‗Sujalam Sufalam Abhiyan‘ in Gujarat.
 ‗Mission Kakatiya‘ in Telangana.
 ‗Neeru Chettu‘ in Andhra Pradesh.
 ‗Jal Jeevan Hariyali‘ in Bihar.

Initiatives taken by Government

 Government of India has launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan which is a time bound campaign with a mission mode
approach intended to improve water availability including ground water conditions in the water stressed blocks.
 The five important water conservation interventions are- water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation
of traditional and other water bodies/tanks, reuse, bore well recharge structures, watershed development and
intensive afforestation.

Some of the actions taken by the Central Government in accordance with the principles
indicated in the third National Water Policy (2012) are as follows:

1. Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

2. Ministry of Jal Shakti has prepared a draft National Water Framework Bill and draft River Basin Management
Bill, 2018.
3. Dam Safety Bill, 2019.
4. National Water Informatics Centre has been established under National Hydrology Project.
5. Central Water Commission has completed a study titled ―Reassessment of Water Availability in India using
Space Inputs‖.
6. Central Ground Water Board has prepared a conceptual document titled ―Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to
Ground Water in India‖.
7. A web based Water Resources Information System (India WRIS) has been set up and all unclassified data of
Central Water Commission and Central Ground Water Board have been uploaded on the website.

Public Finance Management System

Introduction
 PFMS is an online platform developed and implemented by the office of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA)
under the Union Ministry of Finance.The PFMS portal is used to make direct payments to beneficiaries of
government schemes.

Background
 The Public Financial Management System (PFMS),earlier known as Central Plan Schemes Monitoring System
(CPSMS), is a web-based online software application developed and implemented by the Office of Controller
General of Accounts (CGA).
 It was initially started during 2009 as a Central Sector Scheme of Planning Commission with the objective of
tracking funds released under all Plan schemes of GoI, and real time reporting of expenditure at all levels of
Programme implementation.
 Subsequently in the year 2013, the scope was enlarged to cover direct payment to beneficiaries under both Plan
and non-Plan Schemes.
 The latest enhancement in the functionalities of PFMS commenced in late 2014 wherein it has been envisaged that
digitization of accounts shall be achieved through PFMS and the additional functionalities would be built into
PFMS in different stages.

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Primary Objective
 To facilitate sound Public Financial Management System for Government of India (GoI) by establishing an
efficient fund flow system as well as a payment cum accounting network.
 PFMS provides various stakeholders with a real time, reliable and meaningful management information system
and an effective decision support system, as part of the Digital India initiative of GoI.

Brief Details
 The enhanced application is envisaged to cater to all Plan and Non Plan payments of GoI, all tax and non-Tax
receipts and also functions such as a comprehensive HRMIS and self-contained pension as well as GPF modules.
 In future, all the existing standalone systems currently catering to various functions in Government of India will
be subsumed in PFMS.

Way Forward
 The biggest strength of PFMS is its integration with the Core banking system in the Country. As a result, PFMS has
the unique capability to push online payments to almost every beneficiary/vendor. At present, PFMS interface is
having interface in addition to the Core Banking System (CBS) of all Public Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks,
major private sector banks, Reserve Bank of India, India post and Cooperative Banks.

Export Incentive Scheme

Introduction
 The Government is formulating a Scheme for Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products
(RoDTEP) under which a mechanism would be created for re-imbursement of taxes/ duties/ levies, which are
currently not being refunded under any other mechanism, at the central, state and local levels, but which are
incurred in the process of manufacture and distribution of exported products.

About RoDTEP
 RoDTEP is based on the principle that taxes and levies borne on the exported products should be either exempted
or remitted to exporters unlike the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), which is an export incentive
scheme.
 RoDTEP Scheme is being conceptualized keeping in view the WTO provisions, particularly the Agreement on
Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM).
 This scheme is going to give a boost to the domestic industry and Indian exports providing a level playing field for
Indian producers in the International market so that domestic taxes/duties are not exported.
 Under the Scheme an inter-ministerial Committee will determine the rates and items for which the
reimbursement of taxes and duties would be provided. In line with ―Digital India‖, refund under the Scheme, in
the form of transferable duty credit/electronic scrip will be issued to the exporters, which will be maintained in an
electronic ledger.
 The Scheme will be implemented with end to end digitization.
 The refunds under the RoDTEP scheme would be a step towards ―zero-rating‖ of exports, along with refunds such
as Drawback and IGST. This would lead to cost competitiveness of exported products in international markets and
better employment opportunities in export oriented manufacturing industries.

Export Incentives
 Export incentives are regulatory, legal, monetary, or tax programs that are designed to encourage businesses to
export certain types of goods or services.
 These are economic assistance that governments provide to firms or industries within the national economy, in
order to help them secure foreign markets.
 A government providing export incentives often does so in order to keep domestic products competitive in the
global market.
 Types of export incentives include export subsidies, direct payments, low-cost loans, tax exemption on profits
made from exports and government-financed international advertising.

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Entrepreneurial development of Tribal Women
Why in news?
 Union Minister for Tribal Affairs has emphasized on the entrepreneurial development of Tribal women all over the
country by providing them proper education and by enhancing their skills.
 The Government has launched a special campaign from 1st to 7th March, 2020 in the run up to the International
Women‘s Day on 8th March this year with Tribal Affairs being the theme on 5th March.

Brief Background
 During the current academic year, total number of tribal girl students enrolled in various Eklavya Model
Residential Schools across the country is almost 50% of the total number of students studying in different
EMRSs.
 National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFNDC) provides Concessional
loan under the scheme 'Aadivasi Mahila Sashaktikaran Yojna', under which Scheduled Tribe women can
undertake any income generation activity.
 Ministry of Tribal Affairs extends its support to NGOs which are concerned with education and health of tribal
girls.
 PM Van Dhan Yojna”, a recent initiative by Ministry of Tribal Affairs is helping in livelihood generation among
tribal women, ensuring maximum benefit through wealth of forest (Van Dhan) i.e. minor forest produce.
 TRIFED has taken a step forward to promote tribal handicrafts and goods by opening up of new outlets namely,
TRIBES INDIA at different locations across the country. Large number of handicraft items in these outlets are
produced by tribal women, thus helping tribal women to earn their livelihood and boosting their income.

Government Schemes and Initiatives

 Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing the many Scholarship schemes for Scheduled Tribe students in the
country including Girls and Women students with a view to provide them financial assistance, so that they can
complete their education viz. –

Scholarship to Students:
 This is an open ended demand driven Centrally Sponsored Scholarship Scheme.Under the Fellowship scheme,
fellowships are provided to ST Students each year for pursing higher studies in India for M.Phil ad PhD. Also,
scholarship is given to ST Students (Top-Class Scholarship) for pursuing studies in prescribed courses in any
of the 246 institutions of excellence across the country like IIT, AIIMS, IIMs, NIITs, etc. identified by the
Ministry.

Strengthening Education among ST Girls in Low Literacy Districts:

 The scheme aims to bridge the gap in literacy levels between the general female population and tribal women
in the identified districts or blocks, more particularly in naxal affected areas and in areas inhabited by
Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) by creating the required ambience for education for ST girls.
 It is a Central Sector gender specific scheme and the Ministry provides 100% funding. It is being implemented
in 54 identified low literacy districts where ST Population is 25% or more and ST female literacy rate is below
35% as per 2001 Census.

Vocational Training in Tribal Areas:

 The main aim of the Scheme is to develop the skills of the ST youth for a variety of jobs as well as self-
employment and to improve their socio-economic condition by enhancing their income.
 It has been decided to discontinue the Scheme from 2018-19 and the intervention is to be subsumed under the
Scheme Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS).

Way Forward
 With a population of over 10 crore, tribal groups form a large community in India. They are largely confined to
forests and villages of central, south, and northeast India. The tribal population has been dependent on the forest
and its produce for their livelihood.

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 By connecting agriculture and forest produce with markets using technology, creation of self-help groups,
empowering women, and creating self-sustainable enterprises, Tribal Entrepreneurship is a very essential
intervention.

GENERAL STUDIES III

House Sparrow
 House Sparrow, once an integral part of our immediate environment, all but disappeared almost two decades ago.
These lived in the cavities of our houses and polished off our leftover food. They are part of the red list of the
endangered species of The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
 Fossil evidence from a cave in Bethlehem dating back 4,00,000 years suggests that the house sparrow shared its
space with early humans.
 According to a 2018 Royal Society of London report, the bond between humans and sparrows goes back 11,000
years, and the starch-friendly genes of the house sparrow tell us a story linked to our own evolution. Agriculture,
the study said, triggered similar adaptation in three very different species – dogs, house sparrows and humans.

Background
 Around the start of agriculture, the urban house sparrow split from the wild birds; it has a pair of genes, AMY2A,
that helps it digest complex carbohydrates, the reason that it shares our love of starchy wheat and rice.

Challenges
The decline in the population of house sparrows is mainly due to
 Unfriendly architecture of our homes
 Chemical fertilisers in our crops
 Noise pollution that disturbs acoustic ecology and noxious exhaust fumes from vehicles.
 There may be no coincidence that the house sparrow started disappearing in the late 1990s, when mobile phones
came to India.

Steps taken
 A vigorous campaign by "Nature Forever" has led to March 20 being observed as the 'World Sparrow Day' and the
house sparrow being declared the state bird of Delhi in 2012.

World Sparrow Day

 World Sparrow Day is designated to raise awareness of the house sparrow and then other common birds to urban
environments, and of threats to their populations, observed on 20 March.
 It is an international initiative by the Nature Forever Society of India in collaboration with the Eco-Sys Action
Foundation (France) and numerous other national and international organisations across the world.
 To encourage efforts made towards this cause and to selflessly conserve the environment, NFS has instituted the
first Sparrow Awards in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on 20 March 2011.

Huntington disease (HD)

Introduction
 Huntington disease (HD) is a progressive genetic disorder affecting the brain that causes uncontrolled
movements, impaired coordination of balance and movement, a decline in cognitive abilities, difficulty in
concentrating and memory lapses, mood swings and personality changes.

Background
 A team of scientists from National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) in Pune led by Dr. Amitabha Majumdar have
been working to gain insights into this by studying the HTT gene in fruit flies.
 They observed that the pathogenic Huntingtin protein causes a decrease in the overall protein production in cells
and that the Huntingtin clumps collect together (sequester) molecules of another protein called Orb2, which is
involved in the process of protein formation.

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 They speculated that the Huntingtin clumps were possibly making molecules of Orb2 unavailable to carry out their
normal function associated with protein formation, leading to the observed reduction in proteins in the cell.

About the Disease

 It is caused by a mutation in a gene called HTT. The HTT genes are involved in the production of a protein called
huntingtin.
 They provide the instruction for making the protein. When the genes mutate, they provide faulty instructions
leading to production of abnormal huntingtin proteins and these form into clumps.
 The clumps disrupt the normal functioning of the brain cells, which eventually leads to death of neurons in the
brain, resulting in Huntington disease.

HTT Genes
 Although the exact function of this protein is unknown, it appears to play an important role in nerve cells
(neurons) in the brain and is essential for normal development before birth.
 Huntingtin is found in many of the body's tissues, with the highest levels of activity in the brain.
 Within cells, this protein may be involved in chemical signaling, transporting materials, attaching (binding) to
proteins and other structures, and protecting the cell from self-destruction (apoptosis).

Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing

Introduction
 The Union Cabinet has approved the Production Incentive Scheme (PLI) for Large Scale Electronics
Manufacturing.
 The scheme proposes production linked incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments
in mobile phone manufacturing and specified electronic components including Assembly, Testing, Marking and
Packaging (ATMP) units.

Background
 The production of mobile phones in the country has gone up significantly from around INR 18,900 crore (USD 3
Billion) in 2014-15 to INR 1,70,000 crore (USD 24 Billion) in 2018-19 and the domestic demand is almost
completely being met out of domestic production.
 According to the Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA), the electronic components market in India
has increased from INR 68,342 crore in 2015-16 to INR 1,31,832 crore in 2018-19.
 Domestic production of electronic components is valued at approximately INR 63, 380 crore (USD 10 Billion), of
which around INR 48,803 crore (USD 7.7 Billion) is domestically consumed.

Details
 The Scheme shall extend an incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales (over base year) of goods manufactured in
India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies, for a period of five (5) years subsequent to the
base year as defined.
 The total cost of the proposed scheme is approximately INR 40,995 crore.

Impact
 The scheme has a direct employment generation potential of over 2 lakh jobs over 5 years.
 However, it is expected that the scheme would lead to large scale electronics manufacturing in the country and
open tremendous employment opportunities.
 Indirect employment will be about 3 times of direct employment as per industry estimates.
 Thus, total employment potential of the scheme is approximately 8 lakh.
 The proposed scheme is likely to benefit 5-6 major global players and few domestic champions, in the field of
mobile manufacturing and Specified Electronics Components and bring in large scale electronics manufacturing in
India.

Way Forward
 Electronic components are the basic building blocks for electronics manufacturing. By integrating ―Assemble
in India for the world‖ into ―Make in India‖, India can significantly increase manufacturing output.

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Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC 2.0) Scheme
Introduction
 Union Cabinet has approved financial assistance to the Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC2.0)
Scheme for development of world class infrastructure along with common facilities and amenities through
Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs).
 It is expected that these EMCs would aid the growth of the ESDM sector, help development of entrepreneurial
ecosystem, drive innovation and catalyze the economic growth of the region by attracting investments in the
sector, increasing employment opportunities and tax revenues.

Background
 Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC)
Scheme which was open for receipt of applications upto October, 2017.A period of 5 years (i.e. upto October, 2022)
is available for disbursement of funds for the approved projects.

Brief Details
 The Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC 2.0) Scheme would support setting up of both Electronics
Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) and Common Facility Centers (CFCs).
 An Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) would set up in geographical areas of certain minimum extent,
preferably contiguous, where the focus is on development of basic infrastructure, amenities and other common
facilities for the ESDM units.
 For Common Facility Centre (CFC), there should be a significant number of existing ESDM units located in the
area and the focus is on upgrading common technical infrastructure and providing common facilities for the
ESDM units in such EMCs, Industrial Areas/Parks/industrial corridors.
 The total outlay of the propose EMC 2.0 Scheme is Rs. 3,762.25 crore.

Impact
 The Scheme will create a robust infrastructure base for electronic industry to attract flow of investment in ESDM
sector and lead to greater employment opportunities. Following are the expected outputs/outcomes for the
Scheme:
a. Availability of ready infrastructure and Plug & Play facility for attracting investment in electronics sector.
b. New investment in electronics sector.
c. Jobs created by the manufacturing units.
d. Revenue in the form of taxes paid by the manufacturing units.

Way Forward
 India‘s electronics production has increased from at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 25%.
India‘s share in global electronics manufacturing grew from 1.3% (2012) to 3.0% (2018). It accounts for 2.3% of
India‘s GDP at present.
 There is a need for continuation of such scheme in modified form for further strengthening the infrastructure base
for electronics industry in the country and deepening the electronics value chain.

Black carbon
Why in News
 Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), an autonomous institution under Department of
Science & Technology, in a study conducted at Chirbasa station near Gangotri Glacier, for the Year 2016, found
that Black carbon concentration in the region increases by 400 times during summer. Agricultural burning and
forest fire are the main reasons behind this seasonal increase.
 Light-absorbing nature of black carbon can trigger glacial melt.

About Black Carbon

 Chemically, black carbon (BC) is a component of fine particulate matter (PM ≤ 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter).

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 It is formed through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuel, and biomass, and is emitted in both
anthropogenic and naturally occurring soot.Black carbon causes human morbidity and premature mortality.
 In climatology, black carbon warms the Earth by absorbing sunlight and heating the atmosphere and by reducing
albedo when deposited on snow and ice (direct effects) and indirectly by interaction with clouds.
 It stays in the atmosphere for only several days to weeks, whereas carbon dioxide (CO2) has an atmospheric
lifetime of more than 100 years.

Spatial Distribution
 Black carbon emissions are highest in and around major source regions. This results in regional hotspots of
atmospheric solar heating due to black carbon. Hotspot areas in India include:
a. the Indo-Gangetic plains of India
b. Eastern China
c. most of Southeast Asia and Indonesia
d. equatorial regions of Africa
e. Mexico and Central America
f. most of Brazil and Peru in South America.

Impact
 Climate Impacts: The Equivalent Black Carbon (EBC) aerosols contribute significantly towards global warming
due to its light-absorbing nature. Their presence in the eco-sensitive zone, such as the Himalayan glacier valleys, is
a matter of serious concern and needs to be meticulously monitored.
 Black carbon has a more warming impact on climate than CO2.

Health Impacts
 Black carbon and its co-pollutants are key components of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, the leading
environmental cause of poor health and premature deaths.

Ecological Impacts
 Black carbon may affect ecosystems in following ways
a. Depositing on plant leaves and increasing their temperature
b. Dimming sunlight that reaches the earth
c. Modifying rainfall patterns which is also important in Indian perspective as it is a country dependent on Monsoon.

 Impact on Soil :black carbon in soils significantly contributes to fertility as it is able to absorb important plant
nutrients.

Way Forward
 Black Carbon has some adverse effects on different aspects of human lives and nature. It is therefore the need of
the hour to put some control mechanism. Globally The International Network for Environmental Compliance &
Enforcement had issued a Climate Compliance Alert on Black Carbon in 2008 which cited reduction of carbon
black as a cost-effective way to reduce a major cause of global warming.
 Locally India also needs to take steps in this sphere.

Quantum coins
Why in News
 Researchers from Raman Research Institute (RRI), an autonomous institution under the Department of Science &
Technology, have devised a new test for fairness of quantum coin or ‗qubit‘ (the basic unit of information in a
quantum computer) using entanglement theory.
a. The test uses entanglement to test the fairness of the quantum coin.
b. It brings out the crucial role of entanglement in improving our ability to discriminate quantum states.
 Entanglement is a special type of correlation that exists in the quantum world with no classical counterpart.

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 They also carried out experiments on the IBM quantum computer which have brought out the shortcomings of the
experimental hardware and their work is expected to pave the way towards improving the experimental devices
(by reducing gate errors and noise due to decoherence) used in the IBM quantum computer facility.

About Quantum Coin

 A quantum coin can be in a superposition of heads and tails. Given a string of qubits representing a series of trials,
one can measure them individually and determine the state with a certain confidence.

Utility
 In Quantum coin concept, all coins of the same denomination are represented by identical quantum states.
 These are transferable, locally verifiable, and unforgeable, and have some anonymity properties.
 Each coin generated by the bank should be a copy of the same quantum state, and hence coins should be
indistinguishable from one another.
 Additionally, a circuit is provided to allow the coins to be verified locally and then transferred for later use.

Way Forward
 The domain of Quantum Information and Quantum Computing Technology is a growing area of research which is
expected to influence Data Processing, which in turn, plays a central role in our lives in this Information Age. For
instance, bank transactions, online shopping and so on crucially depend on the efficiency of information transfer.
 Thus the recent work on quantum state discrimination is expected to be valuable in people‘s lives in the current
era.

About Qubit
 A qubit is a quantum bit, the counterpart in quantum computing to the binary digit or bit of classical computing.
 It is the basic unit of information in a quantum computer.
 Examples include: the spin of the electron in which the two levels can be taken as spin up and spin down; or
the polarization of a single photon in which the two states can be taken to be the vertical polarization and the
horizontal polarization.

About Quantum Computer

 A quantum computer is any device for computation that makes direct use of distinctively quantum mechanical
phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data.
 In a classical (or conventional) computer, information is stored as bits; in a quantum computer, it is stored as
qubits (quantum bits).

Groundwater affects Himalayan slip

Why in News
 Researchers from Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), an autonomous institute under the Department of
Science & Technology, have found the mighty Himalayas subside and move up depending on the seasonal changes
in groundwater.
 The study will help in understanding how hydrology affects climate.

Background
 Himalayan foothills and the Indo-Gangetic plain are sinking because its contiguous areas are rising due to tectonic
activity associated with landmass movement or continental drift.
 The new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research shows that subsidence and uplift are found to be
associated with seasonal changes in groundwater, apart from the normal, common reasons.
 Water acts as a lubricating agent, and hence when there is water in the dry season, the rate of slip of the fault in
this region is reduced.

Technology Intervention
 The researchers have made the combined use of Global Positioning System(GPS) and Gravity Recovery And
Climate Experiment (GRACE) data, which has made it possible for them to quantify the variations of hydrologic
mass.

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 The GRACE satellites, launched by the US in 2002, monitor changes in water and snow stores on the continents.
This made it possible for the IIG team to study terrestrial hydrology.

How does it Happen

 In the Himalaya, seasonal water from glaciers, as well as monsoon precipitation, plays a key role in the
deformation of the crust and the seismicity associated with it. The subsidence rate is associated with groundwater
consumption.
 According to the researchers, the combined GPS and GRACE data suggest a 12% reduction in the rate of the
subsurface slip.
 This slip refers to how fast the fault is slipping relative to the foot and hanging wall.
 The slip occurs at the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT), due to hydrological variations and human activities, over
which there is the periodic release of accumulated strain.

Impact
 Himalayas play a very important role in influencing climate in the Indian subcontinent, the study will help in
understanding how hydrology affects climate. It may also guide earth scientists and policy-makers in dealing with
current phenomena where urban areas in the Himalayan region is running dry despite high water availability.
 In the Himalaya, seasonal water from glaciers, as well as monsoon precipitation, plays a key role in the
deformation of the crust and the seismicity associated with it.The subsidence rate is associated with groundwater
consumption.

Conclusion
 Therefore as per the new study , the Sinking of Himalayan foothills and the Indo-Gangetic plainnow cannot be
attributed only to geological phenomena(tectonic activity associated with landmass movementor continental drift)
but also to variationsof water availability beneath the ground.
 The findings show why rivers must flow free to rechargeaquifers annually. It highlights how little isunderstood or
appreciated of the key role of delicateecology of Indo-Gangetic plain and its subsurface reservoirs.

SHORT LINERS
Government Initiatives/ Schemes

1. Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT)

 Government is successfully running an online ‗Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT)‘ for the last two
years for professional development of higher education faculty.
 Using the MOOCs platform SWAYAM, the programme was launched in 2018 to fulfil Government‘s commitment
towards quality education. It is a major and unique initiative of online professional development of 15 lakh higher
education faculty.
 ARPIT is a great platform for teachers to learn about latest developments in their field and develop their teaching
qualities. It encompasses both enhancing the quality of teaching as well as learning experience.

2. Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN)

 This scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Under the Scheme, financial assistance
is provided to patients belonging to families living below State/UT-wise threshold poverty lines and who are
suffering from major life threatening diseases/cancer/rare diseases, for medical treatment at Government
hospitals.
 Financial assistance upto Rs.15 lakh is provided for eligible patients in the form of ‗one-time grant‘ to the Medical
Superintendent of the Government hospital where the treatment is being received.
 The scheme has three components
a. Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) – to provide financial assistance to patients suffering from life threatening diseases
other than Cancer

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b. Health Minister‘s Cancer Patients Fund (HMCPF) - to provide financial assistance to patients suffering from
Cancer.
c. Scheme for financial assistance for patients suffering from specified rare diseases.
 Financial assistance under the schemes is not released to States/UTs, but to the hospitals where eligible patients
receive treatment.

3. 'One Nation, One Ration Card' Scheme

 Under PDS reforms, a scheme on "Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS)" is being
implemented w.e.f. April 2018 in all States/UTs.
 The main objective of the scheme is to introduce nation-wide portability of ration card holders under National
Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), through ‗One Nation One Ration Card' system.
 This system enables the migratory ration card holders to lift their entitled food grains from any Fair Price Shop
(FPS) of their choice in the country by using their existing/same ration card issued in their home States/ UTs after
biometric authentication on electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices installed at the FPSs.
 Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is governed under the provisions of the National Food security Act,
2013 (NFSA); which is implemented in all States/ UTs.
 NFSA provides coverage for about 81 crore persons to receive subsidised foodgrains through TPDS, which is about
2/3'd of the country's population as per census 2011.

TPDS is operated in joint responsibilities of central States/UT Governments where in inter-alia the
operational responsibilities of identification of eligible households/ beneficiaries under NFSA as per
the criteria evolved by them, issuance of ration cards, etc.' rests with the concerned State/UTs
Governments.

4. Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana

 Ministry of Textiles is implementing converged Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana (MGBBY) for providing
social security benefits like life, accidental & disability insurance coverage to handloom weavers/workers in the
age group of 51-59 years across the country, who have already enrolled under the scheme on 31.5.2017.
Brief Details
Government of India Rs.290/- Benefits:
Weaver Rs.80/- Natural Death Rs.60,000/-
Implementing Agency Rs.100/- Accidental Death Rs.1,50,000/-
Total Premium Rs.470/- Total Disability Rs.1,50,000/-
Partial Disability Rs.75,000/-

 To provide the benefits to all handloom weavers/workers in an effective manner, the Government of India has
organized Hasthkala Sahyog Shivirs in handloom clusters across the country in association with State
Governments and LIC for creating awareness among the weavers for enrollment under the Scheme.
 The claim benefits are provided by LIC directly into the bank account of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit
Transfer (DBT).

5. Pradhan Mantri Yuva Udyaimta Vikas Abhiyaan (PM YUVA)

 It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme on entrepreneurship education and training being implemented by the
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India.The scheme focuses on
students/trainees and alumni coming out from skilling ecosystem.
 It aims at creating an enabling ecosystem for Entrepreneurship development.

Objectives
a. Educate and equip potential and early stage entrepreneurs.
b. Connect entrepreneurs in enabling networks of peers, mentors, funds and business services.
c. Support entrepreneurs through Entrepreneurship Hubs (E - Hubs).
d. Catalyze a culture shift to encourage entrepreneurship

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 The scheme spans over five years (2016-17 to 2020-21) with a project cost of Rs. 499.94 crore, and will provide
entrepreneurship education and training to over 7 lakh students in 5 years through 3050 Institutes.
 It will also include easy access to information and mentor network, credit, incubator and accelerator and advocacy
to create a pathway for the youth.

6. Rail Madad
 With a view to merge all online and offline channels of grievances into a unique single platform, RailMadad was
launched in June 2018. It converges online modes of grievances like Web, APP, SMS, Phone & Social Media, and
also provides option for uploading offline complaints.
 All complaints coming in RailMadad are automatically routed to the concerned field staff for faster redressal.
 Due to its unique features, RailMadad has been awarded ‗Silver‘ in the category ―Excellence in providing citizen-
centric delivery‖ in the National e-Governance awards 2019-20.

7. Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Policy

 Government had constituted a Group of eminent persons under the Chairmanship of Shri Baba Kalyani, Chairman
M/s. Bharat Forge to study the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Policy of India on 04.06.2018. One of the terms of
reference for the Group was to make the SEZ Policy WTO compatible.

Few Important recommendations of the Group

a. Review specific exclusions proposed in NFE computation in light of ―Make in India‖ initiative, especially projects
of economic importance.
b. Sharing of duty exempted assets/ infrastructure between units to be allowed against specific approval.
c. Formalize ―de-notification‖ process for enclaves and delink its present mandatory usage for SEZs purpose only.
d. Broad-banding definition of services/allowing multiple services to come together.
e. Review/relax minimum land/built-up area requirement.
f. Developer should be allowed flexibility to enter into a long term lease agreement with stakeholders in Zones in line
with the State policies.
g. Funding mechanism for last mile connectivity for SEZs

8. Scheme for Promotion of manufacturing of Electronic Components

and Semiconductors (SPECS)
 Union Cabinet has approved to offer financial incentive of 25% of capital expenditure for the manufacturing of
goods that constitute the supply chain of an electronic product under the Scheme for Promotion of manufacturing
of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS).
 The scheme will help offset the disability for domestic manufacturing of electronic components and
semiconductors in order to strengthen the electronic manufacturing ecosystem in the country.
 The vision of National Policy on Electronics 2019 (NPE 2019) is to position India as a global hub for
Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) by encouraging and driving capabilities in the country for
developing core components, including, chipsets, and creating an enabling environment for the industry to
compete globally.
 A vibrant electronic components manufacturing ecosystem is vital for the overall long-term and sustainable
growth of electronics manufacturing in India and essential to achieve net positive Balance of Payments (BoP).

9. Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG)

 It is a sub-scheme under Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
 It has been universalized from 1.4.2018 for the out-of-school girls age group of 11-14 years for their self-
development and empowerment to improve their nutrition and health status, promoting awareness about health,
hygiene, nutrition, Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH).
 Anganwadi worker undertakes home visits in her area, with the help of PRIs, school teachers and other
stakeholders to identify out-of-school girls in the age group of 11+ to 14 years and advises them to register
themselves under the scheme for availing the services.

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10. Integrated Road Accident Database (IRAD) System
 Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has recently launched ―Integrated Road Accident Database (IRAD)
System‖.
 The primary purpose of IRAD is to enhance road safety, and thus endeavors to generate various types of insights
through the Analytics Dashboard, Trend Analysis etc. and therefore, decision making by Apex Authorities.
 The six states identified for piloting the project are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

11. „BHAVISHYA‟
It is a software with a digitized end to end solution for Pension settlement.
 Bhavishya, has been made mandatory for all Civil Ministries/Departments w.e.f. 01-01-2017 which means that all
cases have to be settled on this platform. The retiree fills the forms online and every file movement is marked with
an SMS to the retiree. There are strict time-lines set for every stake-holder to deal with the Pension settlement.
 Integration of Bhavishya software with all stake holders viz. PFMS and PARAS and e-Awas which has enabled
generation of e-PPO.

12. Incredible India Tourist Facilitators (IITF)

 Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has launched the Certification Programme, a Pan-India online learning
program that is open to all, subject to fulfillment of eligibility criteria, and can be undertaken from anywhere in
the country.There are two categories of IITF Certification Programme i.e Basic & Advanced (Heritage &
Adventure) with an optional specialization programme of fluency in spoken foreign language other than English.
 The Programme aims at creating a pool of trained professionals for facilitating the visit of tourists at destinations
across the country.
 The programme will help in enhancing the overall experience of the tourists, who would benefit from the
knowledge of the local tourist facilitators and it will also help in creating employment opportunities even in the
remotest parts of the country.

13. Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA)

 It is an Act of Parliament of India enacted in 2003 to prohibit advertisement of, and to provide for the regulation
of trade and commerce in, and production, supply and distribution of cigarettes and other tobacco products in
India.
 The Act repealed The Cigarettes (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1975.
 This was enacted to give effect to the Resolution passed by the 39th World Health Assembly, urging the member
states to implement measures to provide non-smokers protection from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke.

Provisions
a. The Act prohibits smoking of tobacco in public places, except in special smoking zones in hotels, restaurants and
airports and open spaces.
b. Advertisement of tobacco products including cigarettes is prohibited.
c. Tobacco products cannot be sold to person below the age of 18 years, and in places within 100 yards radius from
the outer boundary of an institution of education, which includes school colleges and institutions of higher
learning established or recognized by an appropriate authority.
d. Tobacco products must be sold, supplied or distributed in a package which shall contain an appropriate pictorial
warning, its nicotine and tar contents.

Punishments
 The Act also gives power to any police officer, not below the rank of a sub-inspector or any officer of State Food or
Drug Administration or any other officer, holding the equivalent rank being not below the rank of Sub-Inspector of
Police for search and seizure of premises where tobacco products are produced, stored or sold, if he suspects that
the provision of the Act has been violated.
a. A person who manufactures tobacco products and fails to adhere to the norm related to warnings on packages
on first conviction shall be punished with up to 2 years in imprisonment or with fine which can extend to Rs. 5000

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14. Farmer debt
 As per the NSSO Report, about 52 percent of the agricultural households in the country were estimated to be
indebted. The average per capita income is Rs.77,112/- against the average amount of outstanding loan per
agricultural household is Rs.47,000/- (approximately).
 Government have taken the following major initiatives:
a. Interest Subvention for short-term crop loans upto Rs.3 lakh including loans through Kisan Credit Card (KCC)
for a period of one year available to farmers at the interest rate of 7% per annum and in case of timely
repayment, the same gets reduced to 4%.
b. The benefit of ISS has been extended to Animal Husbandry and Fisheries farmers‘ upto loan limit of Rs. 2
lakh per farmer.
c. Collateral fee loan limit for short term agri-credit has been raised from Rs.1.00 lakh to Rs.1.60 lakh.
d. To bring the maximum number of farmers under KCC.
e. NABARD Finances Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) of ‗BhoomiHeenKisan‘ for augmenting flow of credit to
tenant/landless farmers, extending collateral free loans to them and building natural trust and confidence
between banks and JLG members.

15. Crop Diversification Programme (CDP)

 Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) is implementing a Crop Diversification
Programme (CDP) for replacing paddy crop with less water consuming alternative crops to save water and protect
soil in the state of Punjab.

About The Scheme

a. It is a sub scheme of Rashtriya Krishi VikasYojana (RKVY)
b. It is being implemented in Original Green Revolution States to divert the area of paddy crop to alternate crops
and in tobacco growing states to encourage tobacco farmers to shift to alternate crops/cropping system.
c. Under CDP for replacing paddy crop, assistance is provided for four major interventions viz., alternate crop
demonstrations, farm mechanization & value addition, site-specific activities &contingency for awareness,
training, monitoring, etc.
d. For replacing tobacco crop, tobacco growing states have been given flexibility to take suitable
activities/interventions for growing alternative agricultural/horticultural crops.
 The state can promote crop diversification under RKVY with the approval of State Level Sanctioning Committee
(SLSC) headed by Chief Secretary of the State.

16. Jeevan Kaushal Curriculum

 University Grants Commission (UGC) has developed life skills (Jeevan Kaushal) curriculum for undergraduate
students at Universities and Colleges. This Curriculum covers the courses on communication skills, professional
skills, leadership & management skills and universal human values.
 UGC has requested Vice-Chancellors of all Universities to consider the curriculum for introduction in Universities
and affiliated Colleges/institutions at under-graduate level.
 Ministry of Human Resource Development is the nodal ministry.

Objectives
a. To enhance one‘s ability to be fully self-aware by helping oneself to overcome all fears and insecurities and to grow
fully from inside out and outside in.
b. To increase one‘s knowledge and awareness of emotional competency and emotional intelligence at place of
study/work.
c. To provide opportunity for realising one‘s potential through practical experience.
d. To develop interpersonal skills and adopt good leadership behaviour for empowerment of self and others.
e. To set appropriate goals, manage stress and time effectively.
f. To manage competency-mix at all levels for achieving excellence with ethics.

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17. Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)
 It is launched by the Government in April 2018.
 It primarily aims at creation of an ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in Defence and
Aerospace by engaging Industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes & academia,
and provide them grants/funding and other support to carry out R&D which has good potential for future
adoption for Indian defence and aerospace needs.
 iDEX will be funded and managed by a ‗Defence Innovation Organization (DIO)‘ which has been formed as a ‗not
for profit‘ company as per Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013 for this purpose, by the two founder members i.e.
Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) - HAL & BEL.iDEX will function as the executive arm of DIO,
carrying out all the required activities while DIO will provide high level policy guidance to iDEX.

Key Functions
1. Co-Innovation/co-creation
2. Piloting of candidate technologies in important platforms
3. Indigenization of various defence and aerospace related platforms being manufactured in the country based on
ToT.

18. National Biopharma Mission (NBM)

 It is an industry-Academia Collaborative Mission for accelerating biopharmaceutical development in the country.
 Under this Mission the Government has launched Innovate in India (i3) programme to create an enabling
ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship and indigenous manufacturing in the sector.
 The mission will be implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). The mission
was approved in 2017 at a total cost of Rs 1500 crore and is 50% co-funded by World Bank loan.
 It is managed through a dedicated Program Management Unit (PMU) at BIRAC.
 The program is promoting entrepreneurship by supporting small and medium enterprises for indigenous product
development (Novel Cell lines, indigenously developed Biologics, devices and Raw materials for Biologics
manufacturing) and through establishment of shared facilities and Technology Transfer Offices.

19. Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2020

 This bill will convert (i) Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi, (ii) Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit
Vidyapeeth, New Delhi, and (iii) Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Tirupati into Central Sanskrit Universities.
a. these 3 universities will have more opportunities to spread the knowledge of Sanskrit language not only in
India but also across the world in a better way.
b. This is one of the landmark Bills passed by the Parliament which has fulfilled the aspirations and long
standing wish of many sanskrit lovers, scholars and Sanskrit speaking people in the country.

INDIA IN/OUT
1. „Clean and Safe Meat Campaign‟
 FSSAI has launched ‗Clean and Safe Meat Campaign‘ wherein, in the first phase, States/UTs were advised to
conduct food safety audit of their municipal slaughter houses through FSSAI recognized third party audit agencies.
 In respect of the slaughter houses which were found to be non-compliant, Commissioner of Food Safety of the
concerned State/UT have been advised to issue necessary instructions to improve the hygienic and sanitary
conditions as per the provisions prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Rules and
Regulations made thereunder.
 Fish/Meat Markets and Slaughter houses in the country are controlled by local bodies and State Governments.
 Guidelines for slaughter houses in the country have been prescribed under regulation 2.1.2(1) (5), Schedule 4, Part
IV of the Food Safety and Standard (Licensing and Registration) Regulations, 2011.
 The guidelines cover specific hygienic and sanitary practices to be followed by Food Business Operators engaged in
manufacture, processing, storing and selling of meat and meat products. State /UT Governments also have their
own guidelines for slaughter houses and slaughtering of animals.

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 FSSAI has also launched a „hygiene rating‟ scheme aimed at improving the standards of food
hygiene in food businesses whereby various categories of food businesses, including meat retail
shops, have been encouraged to obtain „hygiene rating‟.
 Implementation and enforcement of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 primarily rests with the
State/UT Governments.

2. Special Courts under POCSO Act,2012

 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 provides for establishment of Special Courts for
trying the offences under the POCSO Act.
a. Section 33(4): The Special Court shall create child-friendly atmosphere by allowing a family member, a guardian, a
friend or a relative, in whom the child has trust or confidence, to be present in the court.
b. Section 33(5): The Special Court shall ensure that the child is not called repeatedly to testify in the court.
c. Section 33(6): The Special Court shall not permitaggressive questioning or character assassination of the
child and ensure that dignity of the child is maintained at all times during the trial.
d. Section 33(7): The Special Court shall ensure that the identity of the child is not disclosed at any time during
the course of investigation or trial.
e. Section 37: The Special Court shall try cases in camera and in the presence of the parents of the child
or any other person in whom the child has trust or confidence.
f. Section 36(1): The Special Court shall ensure that the child is not exposed in any way to the accused at the
time of recording of the evidence.
 Section 44 (1) of the POCSO Act provides that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)
shall monitor the implementation of the provisions of the POCSO Act.As per information provided by NCPCR
there are 664 Special Courts established across the country till 30th June, 2019.

3. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

 Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has taken various initiatives to strengthen Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR) Regime in India like, legislative improvements, modernisation of IP offices, manpower
augmentation, use of IT and technology in e-filing of applications, acceptance of email in all Indian Patent Office
(IPO) transactions, online delivery of certificates of grant/registration of patent, trademark and designs in digital
format, use of video-conferencing for hearing of IP applications, SMS alert to give updates, expedited examination
of IP applications, spreading awareness in IPR.
 India‘s accession to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) administered treaties and signing of
pilot Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) project with Japan in the month of December 2019.

Impacts of the initiatives taken

a. Period of examination of new Trademarks applications has been reduced to less than 30 days.
b. Trademark is registered in less than 7 months, if there are no objections or opposition filed.
c. Time required for patent examination reduced to average around 36 months in 2019.
 Government of India has been working steadily to improve India‘s ranking in Global Innovation Index (GII) and
this is evident from the fact that India has been consistently moving up on global ranking in past few years.
 India‘s ranking has improved from 81 in 2015 to 52 in 2019 in GII.

4. Pragyan Conclave 2020

 ―PRAGYAN CONCLAVE 2020‖, a two-day Indian Army International Seminar being organized by Centre for Land
Warfare Studies (CLAWS) was recently held in New Delhi. The event brings together a cross-domain national
and international experts to deliberate on the complex subject of ‗Changing Characteristics of Land Warfare and
its Impact on the Military.

About CLAWS
 Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi, India is an autonomous think tank on strategic studies and
land warfare.
 It is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and is a membership-based organisation.
 It is governed by a Board of Governors and an Executive Council.

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 The objective of the organization is to convey policy recommendations based on interactions, consensus and
research projects to policymakers and experts.
 CLAWS has been ranked 67th amongst World Top Defence and National Security Think Tanks as per '2017 Global
Go To Think Tank Report' published by University of Pennsylvania, USA.

5. International Conference on Nano Science and Nano Technology

(ICONSAT)
 The International Conference on Nano Science and Nano Technology (ICONSAT) under the aegis of Nano
Mission, Department of Science and Technology (DST), started at Biswa Bangla Conventional Centre, Kolkata.

Nano Science
 Nano science has a tremendous application in various areas and highlighted the success stories in fields like nano-
medicine, agriculture, environment and energy.
 It is an extraordinary sector to work in and have lot of opportunities for translation of benefits for the society.

6. Anju Rani
 Union Human Resource Development Minister ‗Nishank felicitated, a seventeen year young social activist Rani for
her outstanding contribution in eliminating child labour from her village and motivating their parents to allow
their child to pursue education.
 Her mission ‗BulandUdaan‘ is working on several other issues likeSo far, she has solved 965 child atrocity cases,
enrolled prevented 40 child marriages, intervened in 15 sexual- harassment cases, etc.
a. Shalini Kumari, at the age of 12, designed a walker with adjustable legs for disadvantaged/elder people to
help them climb stairs because her grandfather faced the same problem. At 13, Shalini received the IGNITE
2011 award.
b. At the age of 12, Bharti Kumari became a real teacher by teaching English, Hindi and Maths to children,
aged 4 to 10.
c. Meaidaibahun Majaw, a class 4 student, built an anti-bullying app, which will soon feature on Google
Store.
d. Anju Verma started NGO Buland Udaan to end child labour at 17.

7. Ekam Fest
 EKAM Fest is an effort for promoting entrepreneurship and knowledge among Divyangjan community, generating
awareness among society about potentialities of PwDs & providing a major marketing opportunity to PwDs
entrepreneurs.
 It was organised by National Handicapped Finance Development Corporation (NHFDC) under M/o Social Justice
& Empowerment.
 NHFDC is an Apex corporation under the aegis of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
(Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and is working since 1997.
 It is registered as a company not for profit and provides financial assistance to the Divyangjan/Persons with
Disabilities (Divyangjan/PwDs) for their economic rehabilitation and provides number of skill development
programmes to empower them to grow & sustain their enterprises.

8. World Heritage List

 Government of India has submitted two nomination dossiers namely ‗Dholavira: A Harappan
City‘ and ‗Monuments and Forts of Deccan Sultanate‘ for inclusion in the World Heritage List for the year 2020.
 Govt. of Madhya Pradesh has submitted the proposal of ‗Group of Monuments at Mandu‘ in the year 2019.
 The dossier was further forwarded to World Heritage Centre (WHC) for completeness check. Inputs received from
WHC have been conveyed to the State Government for further incorporation.
 A consultation workshop was organized by the Wild Life Institute of India and State Govt. of Madhya Pradesh to
inventorize and prioritize the potential World Heritage Sites of M.P. The workshop has proposed Bhedaghat
(Narmada Valley) as one of the recommended potential site subject to criteria set by UNESCO World Heritage
Centre.
At present, India has 38 World Heritage Sites.

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9. Export branding Strategy
 The India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), established by the Department of Commerce, promotes
and creates awareness in international market about Indian products and services through branding campaigns.
 Branding campaigns have been undertaken by IBEF around international events for select export sectors to
highlight their strength and achievements in major target markets through branding modes like venues,
advertising through outdoor and print, media interaction, digital marketing (including social media), use of
branding material etc.
 The branding strategy is reviewed regularly in consultation with concerned stakeholders to make suitable
adjustment and maximise benefits for Indian products.
 Based on the proposals submitted by the Export Promotion Councils/ Trade Promotion Organizations, an annual
plan for organizing participation of exporters in various international fairs and expos is drawn and supported
under the Market Access Initiative (MAI) Scheme. No targets of earnings from such events are fixed.

MISCELLANEOUS
Real-Time Information System (RTIS)
 Real-Time Information System (RTIS) has been developed in collaboration with Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).
 It is being installed on the locomotives for automatic acquisition of train movement timings at the stations,
including that of arrival & departure or run-through.
 They get automatically plotted on the control chart of those trains in the Control Office Application (COA) system.
 RTIS gives mid-section updates with a periodicity of 30 seconds. The Train Controllers can now track the location
and speed of RTIS enabled locomotives/train more closely, without any manual intervention.

Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011
 Regulation 2.3.6: The regulations allow that fresh fruits may be coated with bees wax (white and yellow) or
carnauba wax or shellac wax at levels not exceeding Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) under proper label
declaration.
 Sub-regulation 2.3.5: Use of acetylene gas, commonly known as carbide gas, in artificial ripening of fruits is
prohibited. However, the said sub-regulation permits the ripening of fruits by using ethylene gas at a
concentration upto 100 ppm (100µ/L) depending upon the crop, variety and maturity.
 Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations prescribe food
commodity specific Maximum Residue Limits/tolerance limits of contaminants, toxins and residues related to
pesticides, heavy metals, antibiotics etc.
 Provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 do not apply to any farmer or fisherman or
farming operations or crops or livestock or aquaculture, and supplies used or produced in
farming or products of crops produced by a farmer at farm level or a fisherman in his operations.

Consumer Protection Act,1986

 It was enacted to provide for better protection of the rights of consumers. Under the provisions of the said Act, a
three tier quasi-judicial machinery, called Consumer Fora, has been established at the District. State and National
level to provide simple, inexpensive and speedy redressal to consumer disputes.
 To further improve the consumer protection legislation, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has recently been
enacted, which on coming into operation will replace the existing Consumer Protection Act of 1986.
 The new Act provides for several measures for simplification of the adjudication process in the Consumer Disputes
Redressal Commissions such as deemed admissibility of complaints if not admitted within twenty-one days, e-
filing, videos conferencing for hearing and the provision of Mediation,etc.
 Under the provisions of Consumer Protection Act, 2019, Central Govt. is empowered to frame rules to prevent
unfair trade practices in e-commerce.

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Impact of Inflation on Poor People
 As per Economic Survey 2019-20, at the All-India level, for a vegetarian thali, an industrial worker has to spend
around 50 per cent of his/her daily wage in 2019-20 (April-October) to afford two thalis for a household of five
individuals.
 For a non- vegetarian thali, the share of wages he/she has to spend to afford two thalis for a household of five
individuals is around 79 per cent in 2019-20 (April-October).
 The workers in the organised sectors are entitled for the social security benefits as per Employees State Insurance
Act, 1948 or Employee‘ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provident Act, 1952 as applicable to them.

Social Security Benefits:

 Central Government also provides social security benefits to the workers in the unorganized
Sector including rural and agricultural labourers. The Government has enacted the Unorganized Workers‘
Social Security Act, 2008.
 This Act stipulates formulation of suitable welfare schemes for unorganized workers on matters relating to:
(i) life and disability cover
(ii) health and maternity benefits
(iii) old age protection
(iv) any other benefit as may be determined by the Central Government.
 Life and disability cover is provided through Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan
Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) to the unorganized workers depending upon their eligibility.Government
of India and State Governments pay the annual premium in equal share.
a. The health and maternity benefits are addressed through Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
b. For old age protection in the form of monthly pension, Government of India has launched Pradhan Mantri
Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM).
 Under the Scheme, minimum assured monthly pension of Rs. 3000/- will be provided to the unorganized workers
after attaining the age of 60 years. Prescribed monthly contribution is payable by the beneficiary and equal
matching contribution is paid by the Central Government.

Gaura Devi and Chipko Movement

 She was a leader of Chipko Movement in the Uttarakhand region during 1970s.She led the first all-women action
to save their community forest and mobilised the women of this region to protect their natural heritage.
 The Chipko movement or Chipko Andolan, was a forest conservation movement in India. It began in 1970s in
Uttarakhand, then a part of Uttar Pradesh (at the foothills of Himalayas) went on to become a rallying point for
many future environmental movements all over the world.
a. It created a precedent for starting nonviolent protest in India and its success meant that the world
immediately took notice of this non-violent movement, which was to inspire in time many similar eco-groups
by helping to slow down the rapid deforestation

INFORMATION
1. Government of India has implemented World Bank externally aided project National Dairy Plan Phase I from
2011-12 to 2018-19 in 18 major milk producing States.
 Under this programme, farmers were educated about the nutritional needs of cows and buffaloes and balanced
ration advisories were offered to them through Local Resource Persons.
2. Upto 2017-18, there was a provision of National Level Awards and State Level Awards to Anganwadi workers to
recognize their exemplary voluntary service in the field of child development and related areas under the ICDS
Scheme.
 However, from 2018-19, there is a provision for recognizing significant contributions of State Governments,
District and Block level teams and Field Functionaries under the POSHAN Abhiyaan at National Level and State
Level.
 Under POSHAN Abhiyaan, there is also a provision of AAAA&LS (Anganwadi Workers, Anganwadi Helpers,
Accredited Social Health Activist, Auxiliary Nurse and Midwives & Lady Supervisors).

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3. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaftfür
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (Germany) has launched a pilot project called „Economic
Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Start-ups by Women‟ to support aspiring and existing
women entrepreneurs in India.
 Presently, this pilot project is being implemented in the North Eastern Region (Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur),
Rajasthan and Telangana.
4. According to the Government mandate, all lanes of fee plazas on National Highways except one lane have been
declared as FASTag Lane of the fee plaza.
 As a result, waiting time in FASTag lanes has significantly reduced. However, the waiting time in the hybrid lane
which accepts cash has increased because of non-FASTag vehicles.
5. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on 20th February, 2018 had notified that new motor vehicles
conforming to Emission Standard Bharat Stage-IV manufactured before the 1st April, 2020 shall not be registered
after the 30th June, 2020 and the new motor vehicles of categories M and N conforming to Emission Standard
Bharat Stage-IV manufactured before the 1st April, 2020 and sold in the form of drive away chassis shall not be
registered after the 30th September, 2020.
 However, the Hon‘ble Supreme Court vide its order dated 24th October, 2018 has directed that no new motor
vehicle conforming to the emission standard Bharat Stage-IV shall be sold or registered in the entire country with
effect from 01.04.2020.
6. As per the latest key world energy statistics published by the IEA in 2019, India is the 3rd largest producer of
electricity in the world and it ranks 106th in terms of per capita consumption in 2017.
 India has become power surplus from power deficit situation. Thus, power sector reforms now focus on supply of
24x7 quality power to consumers, higher standards of service, promotion of renewable energy sources,
development of hydro power, improving efficiency, especially in distribution sector, etc.
7. March 15 is celebrated as the World Consumer Rights Day throughout the world. The Ministry of Consumer
Affairs, Government of India observed this day by organizing a webinar on this year‘s theme, ‗The Sustainable
Consumer‘.
8. Assistance is provided to State Governments for abatement of pollution in identified stretches of various rivers
(excluding river Ganga and its tributaries) under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National River Conservation
Plan (NRCP) on cost sharing basis between the Central & State Governments for taking up various pollution
abatement works relating to interception & diversion of raw sewage, construction of sewerage systems, setting up
of sewage treatment plants, low cost sanitation, river front/bathing ghat development, public participation &
awareness programme, etc.
9. As reported by States/ UTs, as on 15.03.2020, 81.76% rural habitations having 77.54% population have provision
of minimum 40 litre per capita per day (lpcd) of potable drinking water and 15.32% rural habitations having
19.23% population have service level of less than 40 lpcd potable water, whereas 2.91% rural habitations having
3.24% population with water sources having quality issues.
10. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has planned 36 missions including satellites and launch vehicles for
the fiscal year 2020-21.
11. Agri-Export Policy announced by Government of India with ―Farmers‘ Centric Approach‖ suggests for developing
product specific clusters in the country to help improving productivity and quality of the varieties of crops with
special involvement of Farm Producer Organizations(FPOs).
 FPOs are an institutional innovation to help small holders to reduce cost of produce by procuring necessary inputs
in bulk at wholesale rates, aggregation of produce and bulk transport reducing marketing cost etc. and extend their
reach to modern technology and distant markets.
12. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has introduced the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019,
which inter alia, seeks to specify the flow and usage of personal data, defines sensitive data and aims to create a
framework for organisational and technical measures in processing of data, laying down norms for cross-border
transfer and accountability of entities processing personal data.
13. Government of India has undertaken a detailed exercise for formulating New National Education Policy (NEP) for
which a committee under Chairmanship of Dr. K. Kasturirangan was constituted .
 The draft National Education Policy (NEP) has proposed that yoga shall be integral part of the curriculum of
school education and higher education.
14. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has released a request proposal for an Automated Facial Recognition
System (AFRS) to be used by police officers across the country.

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 The AFRS will pull facial image data from CCTV feeds and compare these with existing records across databases
including the Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems (CCTNS), Inter-operable Criminal Justice
System (or ICJS), Immigration Visa Foreigner Registration Tracking (IVFRT), Passport, Prisons and state police
records.
15. As per 2011 Census, the number of main workers in the age group of 5-14 years in the country is 43.53 lakh
which shows a decline from 57.79 lakh as per 2001 Census.
16. The Land Ports Authority of India or LPAI is a statutory body (created through the Land Ports Authority of India
Act, 2010) working under the Ministry of Home affairs, Government of India is responsible for creating,
upgrading, maintaining and managing border infrastructure in India.
 It manages several Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) all across Borders of India.
17. Smt Amita Pandove was administered the oath of office of the Information Commissioner, Central
Information Commission (CIC) by the Chief Information Commissioner, Shri Bimal Julka. With her
induction, the total number of Information Commissioners in the Central Information Commission including
Chief Information Commissioner has gone up to 7.
18. The Government follows a policy of strategic disinvestment of CPSEs, which are not in ‗priority sectors‘. For this
purpose, NITI Aayog has been mandated to identify such CPSEs based on the criteria of (i) National Security; (ii)
Sovereign function at arm‘s length, and (iii) Market Imperfections and Public Purpose.
 Strategic disinvestment of CPSEs is being guided by the basic economic principle that Government should
discontinue in sectors, where competitive markets have come of age and economic potential of such entities may
be better discovered in the hands of strategic investor due to various factors such as infusion of capital,
technological upgradation and efficient management practices; and would thus add to the GDP of the country.
19. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has designed NavIC messaging system and developed a NavIC
receiver and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information System (INCOIS) is using this messaging system to
broadcast emergency warning messages like cyclone, tsunami and high waves as and when it occurs and also for
broadcasting of information of Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ).
20. Government of India, Government of Himachal Pradesh and the World Bank signed a US$80 million loan
agreement to improve water management practices and increase agricultural productivity in selected Gram
Panchayats (Village Councils) in Himachal Pradesh, a mountain state richly endowed with natural resources.

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 YOJANA COMPILATION
MARCH 2020
Index

1. Union Budget to Transform Urban Landscape

2. Environment and Forest

3. Gender Budgeting and Senior citizens

4. The Industry Perspective Budgeting

5. Universal Health Coverage

6. Fiscal Sustainability Framework and Deficit Indicators

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Union Budget to Transform Urban Landscape
Introduction
 India is making holistic effort to promote inclusive development for a rapidly increasing urban population. The
world urban prospects(WUP), 2018 estimates urban population in India at 34% of total population which is likely
to be 40% by 2030 and 50% by 2050.
 The urban share of GDP is projected to be 75% in 2030, an increase from 62-63% in 2009-2010.

Background of Urban Transformation

1. More than 4500 urban local bodies(ULBs) have been covered under flagship schemes like Swachh Bharat Mission
urban, Pradhan Mantra AwasYojona Urban and DeendayalAntyodayaYojona National-Urban Livelihood Mission
to address the issues of sanitation and cleanliness, affordable housing, and urban poverty alleviation.
2. Provision for universal water supply and sewerage/septage in 500 cities (with over 1 lakh population) has been
taken up under Atal Mission for rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
3. Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) was launched 12 cities with the aim to preserve
and rejuvenate the soul of their heritage character.
4. A big push in urban transport, largely in the form of support to Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS), has been
initiated.
5. The smart Cities Mission (SCM) was launched in 100 cities aimed at improving core infrastructure and providing a
decent quality of life to urban citizens using smart solution.

Budget 2020-21 initiatives

 National Infrastructure pipeline (NIP):To boost infrastructure development, the government has launched
the National Infrastructure pipeline (NIP) for the period 2020-25.
a. NIP is expected to improve ease of living and provide equitable access to infrastructure for all, thereby making
growth more inclusive.
b. It intends to facilitate supply-side intervention in infrastructure development to boost GDP growth.

Urban Infrastructure
 In the budget 2020-21, a total of Rs.20,000crore has been allocated for total MRTS and Metro Projects.
 Focus has been provided on digital connectivity through Bharat Net Programme for all ULBs along with prepaid
smart electricity meters with option for individual consumer to choose rates and provider/ sources of electricity.

Swachh Bharat Mission(Urban)

 Water and sanitation have received priority in the budget as there is a direct association between sanitation
practices and mortality and health outcomes. Under SBM(urban) , more than 66lakh toilets have been constructed
and more than 99% cities have become ODF.
 The progress in terms of Solid Waste Management (SWM) has also been commendable.
 Non-manual cleaning of septic tanks and sewers has been stressed upon in the budget speech, for which action is
underway.

Water Conservation as Jan Andolan

 The ministry has launched JalSaktiAbhiyan to make water conservation a ―Jan Andolan‖ with four major thrust
areas: a) Rain Water Harvesting; b) Re-use of Treated Waste Water; c) Rejuvenation of water bodies; d)Plantation.

Affordable Housing for All

 A separate mechanism through creation of National Urban Housing funds(NUHF) has been approved by Union
Cabinet to mobilise resources through Extra Budgetary Resources (EBR) to the tune of Rs.60,000 crore for
funding housing schemes.
 Government has created an Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) in the National Housing Bank (NHB) with an initial
corpus of Rs.10,000 crore using priority sector lending shortfall of banks/financial institutions.
 The Budget has allocated a total of Rs.8,000crore in the budget and providing extra budgetary resources(EBR) of
Rs.10,000crore for PMAY-U.

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 The finance minister has also provided certain tax concessions and extension of ongoing provisions to promote
Affordable Housing Sector under private initiatives.

Sustainable Poverty Alleviation:

 A mission mode approach to urban livelihoods in the form of DeendayalAntyodayaYojana-National Urban
Livelihood Mission (DAY-NULM) was initiated. The primary target of the scheme is urban poor, including the
urban homeless.

Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business

 MoHUA has released the first ever ‗Ease of Living Index‘ in 2018 covering 111 cities, and assessment for 2019 is
currently in progress.As per world Bank‘s Doing Business Report-2020, India‘s rank in Ease of Doing Business is
63, compared to its 2019 ranking 77.
 Currently, India ranks 27 in terms of construction permits, compared to rank of 185 in 2017.
 Online building permission system (OBPS) has been implemented in 2,506 cities, including 444 AMRUT cities.
 The Municipal Performance Index, launched by MoHUA in 2019 aims to build capacity and assess the
performance of India‘s municipal bodies on the five pillars of governance, technology, services, planning, and
finance.

Climate Change and Sustainable Urbanisation

 MoHUA has initiated the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework, a pioneering effort towards building
capacity of its 100 smart cities on climate change adaption and mitigation practices.
 As part of this endeavour, ministry has started a Climate Smart Cities Alliance amongst cities and like-minded
organisation.

Way Forward
 The government is committed to the vision of developing new India where towns and cities would function as
fulcrums of economic growth. Promotion of ease of living, responsive governance,clean and sustainable
environment, rapid economic growth, livelihood opportunities for the citizens; are all pathways identified for a
vibrant urban India.
 The ministry is committed to building cities of the future following a comprehensive, inclusive, participatory, and
data driven approach. It aims to scale up urban transformation with our learnings in smart cities and all other
Mission in the nation‘s journey towards US$5 trillion economy and New India.

Environment and Forest

Introduction
 According to the WHO, 91% of the world‘s population breathes polluted air which causes cancers, strokes, and
heart diseases, stunting children‘s growth and development.
 A new study by IQ Air Visual and Greenpeace has identified cities where air pollution is highest. The list is
dominated by India, ranking seven of the worst 10 cities, and 22 of the worst 30.

About PM2.5
 These are microscopic particles 20 times smaller than the width of a human hair and are the most damaging to
human health. They can be metals, organic, compounds or the by-products of combustion from coal-fired power
stations, wood and charcoal-burning stoves, vehicle engines and factories.
 The World Bank estimates that air pollution costs India the equivalent of 8.5% of GDP – a huge drain on
resources.

Government Initiatives:
 Recognising the severity of the adverse air quality standards, the government in 2019 launched a five year
National Clean Air Action Plan (NCAP); a time bound national-level strategy for pan India implementation
to tackle the increasing air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner to achieve 20-30%
reduction in concentration of particulate matter by 2024.

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 The plan was to focus on 102 non-attainment cities with consistent poor air quality than the National Ambient
Air Quality Standard.

Budget 2020-21
 Allocation has been increased by nearly 5% with respect to the allocations made in the budget 2019-20 with no
change in the outlay to pollution abatement and climate change action plan.
 For Climate Change action Plan (CCAP), an outlay rs.40crore has been made, whereas Rs.460crore were
allotted to control pollution; both were same as in the last budget.
 The allocation for Green India Mission, a centrally sponsored scheme has been raised from Rs.240crore
in the last financial year to Rs.311crore.
 In wildlife arena – the government – initiated projects – allocation for project Tiger, has reduced to
Rs.300crore from rs.350crore and for project Elephant, it has increased to rs.35crore from Rs.30 crore.
 The budget for National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under the Ministry
responsible for tiger census and conservation of wild life cats, saw a minor raise of Rs.50lakh from Rs.10crore in
budget 2019-20 to Rs.10.5crore for 2020-21.
 The budget for National Coastal Mission was also raised slightly with the government allotting it Rs.103crore
this year, compared to Rs.95crore in the last fiscal.
 Under this mission ministry is responsible to ensure livelihood security of coastal communities including fisher
folks, to conserve, protect the coastal stretches and to promote sustainable development based on scientific
principles.
 “The Clean Air Policy”will focus on those cities that have a population of one million and parameters for the
incentives would be notified by the ministry. It was announced that all coal-fired power plants not meeting
prescribed standards will be closed down.
 Two international initiatives in the climate change arena; namely, the Coalition for Disaster
Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) will also help achieve India‘s
commitment to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, enhance adaptation and achieve the 2030
sustainable Development Goals.
 India has submitted its Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement in 2015 on a
―best effort‖ basis, keeping in mind the development imperative of the country.
a. It mentioned that India has committed to reduce by 2030 the emission intensity of its GDP by 33-35% over
2005 levels.
b. It has pledged to generate 40% of India‘s power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources and create an additional
‗carbon sink‘ of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by
2030.
c. It has committed to scrap single-use plastic by 2022, increase its share of non-fossil fuel, renewable energy
capacity and proportion of bio-fuel blend in petrol and diesel, besides initiatives for the conservation and
rejuvenation of river Ganga, and the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Forest Cover in India:

 According to economic survey 2019-20, our forest cover was 24.56% of the total geographical area of the country.
The key finding area of the Indian Forest Survey Report (ISFR), 2019 are that the carbon stock in forest has
increased as compared to 2017 but is still far away from our Paris agreement commitment of 2.5 to 3 billion tons.
 Carbon stock is the amount of carbon that has been squeezed from the atmosphere stored within
forest ecosystem.
 Green India Missionaims to increase green cover in India to the extent of five million hectares (mha) and
improve quality of existing green cover on another 5mha.
 It also aims to improve eco-system services like carbon sequestration, hydrological services and biodiversity and
provisioning service like fuel, fodder, and timber and non-timber forest produces.
 It also has to increase forest-based livelihood income for about three million households.
 The plantation activity under GIM would have to increase by around 45

Challenges
 The institutions engaged in regulatory functioning both at the central Government and states level lack capability
in maintaining environmental regulation standards in large cities/urban centres.

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 The institutions are understaffed and often lack infrastructure. To a large extent an effective regulation system will
reduce pollution at various levels.
 There is an urgent need to strengthen these agencies. Taking up Research and Development recruitment of
professionals having domain knowledge and provisioning of infrastructure are necessary.

Way Forward
 The budget announcement of clean air policy is a step in the right direction considering the challenges posed due
to growing air pollution reported in the large cities. This would enable emission level under check through an
effective monitoring mechanism in place.
 Regulatory agencies like Central Board and State Pollution Control Boards are understaffed and lack
infrastructure. To keep pollution levels under check, these agencies need to be adequately strengthened.

Gender Budgeting and Senior citizens

Introduction
 Union budget 2020-21 is mainly based on three overreaching themes, to improve standard of living, boost
economic development for all and building a human and compassionate society.
 Many groups are excluded from development because of their gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability
or poverty.
 Development cannot effectively reduce poverty unless all groups contribute to the creation of opportunities, share
the benefits of development and participate in decision making. The goal of inclusive development is to achieve an
inclusive society that is able to accommodate differences and value diversity.

Women Empowerment: A Perspective

 Women‘s empowerment is a process in which women increase their choices and freedom to participate, negotiate,
influence and hold accountable institutions that affect their lives is a step in the right direction.
 This empowerment will be achieved only when women perceive gender empowerment as a meaningful goal that is
worth striving for. This necessities harnessing women‘s power, utilising their potential and encouraging women to
work towards these goals defined by them.
 Creating conditions wherein these goals are a possibility demands the incorporation of women‘s voice and agency
as central prerequisites in gender empowerment policies and programmes.
 The grim scenario of women having no voice in their own houses has undergone major transformation in recent
times. The modern woman is no longer confined to the four walls of the house. Women are now realising their
worth in the every way and demanding gender equality and justice both at home and in the workplace. They have
broken the glass barrier in almost every field, be it technology, space science, sports or armed forces.

Three-Pronged Plan for Ease of Living

 Three pronged agenda of ―Aspirational India”, “Economic Development”, and “caring Society” to
achieve ease of living for all its citizens.

„Caring India‟ to Take Care of Mother and Child

 The government announced setting up of a task force to recommend steps to lower maternal mortality rate. The
task force will submit its report within six months.

Need for the task force

 Women‘s age of marriage was increased from fifteen years to eighteen years in 1978, by amending the erstwhile
Sharda Act of 1929. As India progresses further, opportunities open up for women to pursue higher education
and careers. There are imperative of lowering MMR as well as improvement of nutrition levels.
 Categorising women and children under the larger budgetary theme of “caring India”, an allocation of
Rs.35,600crore for nutrition-related programmes.
 The FM highlighted the need to improve nutritional status of children(0-6 years), adolescent girl, pregnant women
and lactating mothers through “PoshanAbhiyan” which was launched in 2017-18. More than 6lakh
Anganwadiworkers are equipped with smart phones that are used to upload nutritional status of more than
10crore households.

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 Awareness building and outreach under “BetiBachao, BetiPadhao” scheme is yielding results. Gross
enrolment ratio of girls across all levels of education is now highest than boys. At elementary level, it is 94.32% as
against 89.29% for boys. At secondary level, it is 81.32% as compared to 78% for boys. At higher secondary level
girls have achieved a level of 59.70% as compared to 57.54% for boys.

ALLOCATION FOR Ministry of WCD Hiked by 14%

 The budget allocation over Rs.30,007crore for the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), an increase
of over Rs.3,822crore from the current year.
 The total amount allocated for the social services sector, which includes nutrition and social security and welfare,
has been increased from Rs.3,891,71crore to Rs.4,036,49crore.
 The budget for the National Nutrition Mission or PoshanAbhiyan has been increased from Rs.3400crore to
3700crore. The PoshanAbhiyan which aims to bring down stunting of children in the age group of 0-6 years,
from 38.4% to 25% by 2022, has been a key focus area of the Ministry.
 The allocation for ―one stop centre” scheme saw a major boost, increasing from Rs.204crore to 385crore. The
schemes aims to facilitate access to an integrated range of services, including medical aid, police assistance, legal
aid and psycho-social counselling to women affected by violence, including sexual assault.

Maternity benefit and child protection services

 The allocation for PradhanMantriMatruVandanaYojona a maternity benefit programme, has been increased
from Rs.2,300crore to Rs.2,500crore. Under the programme, Rs.6,000crore is given to pregnant and lactating
mothers for the birth of the first living child.
 The allocation for the child protection services programme under the integrated child development services has
been increased to Rs.1,500crore from Rs.1350crore.
 “BetiBachao, BetiPadhao” has been allocated Rs.220crore in the current financial year.
 The allocation for the Mahila Shakti Kendras has been doubled from Rs.50crore to Rs.100 crore.
 On the issue of providing safety to all women, the budget for Ujjwala, a scheme for prevention of trafficking,
rescue and rehabilitation of the victims, has been increased from Rs.20crore to Rs.30crore.
 The announcements relating to the ―Blue Economy‖ especially fisheries will also benefit women due to their
significant participation in the sector.

Senior Citizens
 In the 2019 Union Budget, senior citizens (aged 60 years or above but less than 80 years) income up to Rs.3lakh
were exempted from tax. Income from Rs.300,001 to Rs.5lakh was taxed at 5%, from Rs.500,001 to Rs.10lakh at
20% and above Rs.10lakh at 30%. For super senior citizens, aged 80 years and above, income, income up to
Rs.5lakh is exempt from tax.

Conclusion
 A path to development must include health, education and empowerment of women who constitute almost 50% of
the India population. Senior citizens are equally important. A multidirectional organised approach to their
development is sure to take the country way beyond this path. And in India, the forces are marching in the right
direction to take the nation to new horizons.

Transport Infrastructure in India

Road Sector
1. In the roads sector, the policy thrust is on increased categorisation of national highways building expressways,
increased use of electronic tolling and advanced technologies for traffic control.
2. This sector has experienced with different forms of PPPs, including Build Operate Transfer (BOT), Hybrid Annuity
Model (HAM) and Toll Operate Transfer (TOT), enabling more projects to be undertaken.

 However the roads sector is still affected by land acquisition and environmental clearances causing significant
holdups and time overruns.
 Many of the projects have turned into non-performing assets for lending institutions.
 Safety issues have still not been addressed comprehensively.

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 On the matter of climate impact, the direction seems to be one of getting away from petrol and diesel and moving
towards electric vehicle (EVs), through the pace of adoption is still open.

Railway
 The idea of involving private sector participation in passenger trains is a welcome move.
 Unlocking value from railway stations by improving customer service and real estate value has been talked about
for many years. The accelerator still needs stepping on if stations are proposed to be developed in this formal.
 There has been a thrust on improving technology and capacity in the railways. The outcome of these is projects
related to the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and High Speed Rail (HSR). There are also proposals for semi
High speed Rail Corridor.
a. This is expected to give a boost to freight movement on the railways on the high demand routs and
consequentially improve passenger train capacity on the conventional parallel routes.
b. There are concern about pricing and track access charges, and how it can be best leveraged to ramp up traffic
on the DFCs.
c. Another concern is the availability of rolling stock to utilise the DFC standards.

Air
 In the airports sector, there are two focus areas.
 The first is on increasing capacity and service levels in the top 30 airports, primarily through the PPP route.
 The second is on increasing the number of airports to about 100 and ensuring that all tier II and many tier III
cities have their own airports. Greenfield airports driven by state government as the authority have started being
awarded from 2016 on a BOT basis.
a. AAI airports that were modernised in the interim are now being awarded on a Operate Maintain Transfer
(OMT) basis.
b. Six airports have been awarded. Regarding the increase in airports to serve lower tier cities, the issue is one of
viability.
c. Airports authority of India is expected to be the fallback option, through with concerns from AAI regarding
managing many loss-making airport.

Port
 In the Port sector, Sagarmala is processing at a slow pace due to environmental and demand issues.
 Ports need modernisation for increased efficiency and infrastructure for better connectivity. PPP have made
reasonable inroads into the central government driven major ports, and more as private ports driven by state
governments.

The Industry Perspective Budgeting

Government Initiatives
 The ‗Blue Economy‘ initiative is a strategic move towards organising the aqua/fisheries sector and creating
capacities across the value chain.
 A fisheries development board is being created to regulate the sector. Accordingly the 16 points agenda for the
agriculture sector.
 There is also a strong message towards gaining people‘s confidence and trust through assurance about the stability
of the banking system, making proposals like decriminalising the companies Act, relooking at other laws, fine-
tuning the contract act, creating a taxpayers‘ charter in the statute to prevent harassment.
 The government has recognised the contribution of start-ups to the economy via incentives such as tax breaks on
ESOPs for 5 years, tax rationalisation for start-ups with Rs.100crore turnover and digital platform for start-up
IPR.
 Measures for improving the ease-of-doing business such as the NIRVIK (NiryatRinVikasYojona) scheme, removal
of Dividend Distribution Tax and simplification of the GST regime will boost investor‘s confidence.
 Micro, small and medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the lifeblood of a vibrant economy; therefore, the budget has a
focus on improving credit access and increasing cash in hand for these businesses.

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 Enabling non-banking financial companies to extend invoice financing the MSMEs through Trade Receivable
Discounting System (TReDS) will enhance the opportunity to fuel the Indian economy and widen the acceptability
and trust by the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector.
 The extension of government e-marketplace (GeM) as a unified procurement channel will bring move vendors
onto the platform.

Private interventions
 Recognising urban centres as the growth engines and giving importance to the role of the private sector, there are
proposals to develop five smart cities, promote electronics manufacturing, solar infrastructure, more trains,
airports and data centre parks under the PPP mode.
 The tax proposals in the budget are directed towards creating trust, bringing in certainly, attracting investments
and reducing litigation.

Tax Regime
 The key features of the tax proposals that deserve a special mention are-
 Reduction of tax rates for individual taxpayers in lower income range, the much-awaited abolition of dividend
distribution tax
 Tax exemption on dividends, interest and capital gains investments by sovereign wealth funds
 Extension of the concessional tax regime to power generation companies, harnessing technology by enabling
faceless appeals, relaxing compliances for MSMEs and the tax litigation settlement scheme.
 In indirect tax front, the development of an ecosystem for availing online refund of duties will provide relief to the
exporter.

Important proposals and forecast

1. The government of India proposes to spend around 30 thousand crore in 2020-21, which is 12.7% higher than the
revised estimate of 2019-20.
2. The receipts (other than net borrowings) are expected to increase by 16.3% to Rs.22 thousand crore, owing to
higher estimated revenue from disinvestments.
3. The government has assumed a nominal GDP growth rate of 10% (the real growth plus inflation) in 2020-21. The
nominal growth estimate for 2019-20 was 12%.
4. Revenue deficit is targeted at 2.7% of GDP, which is higher than the revised estimate of 2.45 in 2019-20.
5. Fiscal deficit is targeted at 3.55 of GDP, lower than the revised estimate of 3.8% in 2019-20.
6. The government is estimated to breach its budgeted target for fiscal deficit (3.3%) in 2019-20 and the medium
term fiscal target of 3% in 2020-21.
7. This does not include off-budget borrowings (0.9% of GDP in 2020-21).

Universal Health Coverage

 Universal Health Coverage (UHC), especially in India‘s perspective, rests on four pillars namely—ensuring
preventive health, providing affordable healthcare, improving supply of quality health services and effectively
implementing government schemes in a mission mode.

Preventive Health
 Priority has been accorded to immunization where the focus is not just to bring in new vaccines but also improving
the access in the remote and rural areas.To reign in the harmful efforts of smoking, especially among the youth,
the Government of India has gone a step further to put a complete ban on e-cigarettes and to control the spread of
illnesses from asthma to oral, throat and lung cancer.
 Since sanitation is a key contributor of health. Swachh Bharat or Clean India missionis helping to save millions of
lives through positive behavioural change towards the use of toilets.
 The Government of India launched an ambitious scheme Ayushman Bharat that aims to undertake path breaking
interventions to holistically address heath (covering prevention, promotion, curative and ambulatory care), at
primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
 Ayushman Bharat is India‘s bellwether in its efforts towards achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 3.8,
Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

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  Ayushman Bharat through its two components—Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) and PradhanMantri
Jan ArogyaYojana (PM-JAY)—addresses health holistically, covering preventive, promotive, curative and
ambulatory care.
 Under the first component of Ayushman Bharat the largest is to set up 150,000 HWCs across the country by
2022. HWCs are the primary care component of Ayushman Bharat with a focus on screening and management
of lifestyle diseases like cancer, diabetes, and cardio-vascular illnesses, among others.
 Affordable Healthcareis addressed by the second component of Ayushman Bharat scheme—PM-JAY. PM-JAY
is the world‘s largest publicly-funded health assurance scheme and provides more than 50 crore poor and
vulnerable citizens with a health cover of Rs.5 lakh for cashless secondary and tertiary inpatient care.
 The scheme was designated to provide access to timely and quality impatient healthcare to the poor without their
having to face financial hardship.
 It employs public health financing delivered through la federal administrative structure comprising a solid
partnership between the Centre and the States.
 In 2019 more than 5,000 special pharmacies have been set up under which 800 critical drugs have been made
available at affordable prices. Because of this initiative, the cardiac stents has been reduced by 80% and that of
knee implants by 50-70%.
 The prohibitive cost of dialysis which is a life-term requirement causes financial catastrophe to most families.
Under the PradhanMantri National Dialysis Programme, lakh of people are able to avail free dialysis at district
hospitals, bringing major relief for ESRD patients.
 Supply side expansion focuses on building medical infrastructure and providing quality medical education.
 A key reform in this area is the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.
 This will transform healthcare in the country by paving the way for the establishment of the country‘s new
regulator of medical education and certification, reducing the burden of multiple exams on students, ensuring
probity in medical education, simplifying procedures, enhancing the number of seats in medical colleges, and
providing wider access to quality healthcare to all.

Implementation
 Several vertical programmes focusing on maternal, neo-natal, reproductive and child health are in place that needs
to be taken to community.
 The Government of India launched PoshanAbhoyan or National Nutrition Mission to tackle anaemia and stunting
through the provision of adequate nutrition for the mother and child.
 As a signatory to Sustainable Development Goals, other mission mode interventions include eliminating
Tuberculosis by 2025 and single-use plastic by 2022, reducing not just environmental pollution but also
contributing to the health and wellness of all citizens.

Fiscal Sustainability Framework and Deficit Indicators

Introduction
 Fiscal policy plays a vital role in economic development and helps in seizing economic uncertainty of the country.
Fiscal consolidation through fiscal prudence is one of the prerequisites to restore economic stability of a country.
 To achieve fiscal consolidation and prudent fiscal management, the Government of India has enacted FRBMA (
Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act-2003).
 To fulfil the decree, the government through fiscal policy framework, is bringing efficiency in expenditure by
rationalisation and reprioritisation and augmenting revenue to contain revenue deficit and fiscal deficit at the
desired level over the years.

Fiscal deficit: Estimated vs. Actual

 Fiscal deficit is defined as ―the excess of government total expenditure over government total receipts except
borrowing‖. It indicates the total borrowing obligation to finance its deficit during a particular fiscal year and used
to measure fiscal discipline and governs the long-term economic policy of a country. In the post- FRBMA (2004-
05 to 2020-21) period, estimated fiscal deficit is used to access the impact and helps in reviewing the present
needs and future state of affairs of our country.
 The finance minister has kept the targeted fiscal deficit at 3.5% of GDP in the current budget (2020-21) and tried
to adhere to the FRBM review commitment recommendation.

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 Linkage between Fiscal Deficit and revenue Deficit
 The key constituents of fiscal deficit are revenue deficit and capital spending.
 Revenue deficit is defined as ―the excess of government‘s revenue expenditure over government‘s revenue
receipts‖. Revenue deficit indicates that the government is unable to meet its current/revenue expenditure from its
current/revenue receipts. So, the government adheres to borrowing to finance the revenue short fall or in meeting
the capital expenses.
 Fiscal prudence depends on how the government manages the revenue deficit in particular. Fiscal consolidation
can be possible through revenue augmentation, without curtaining of the development expenditure. Containing
fiscal deficit at its set target by reducing expenditure at the cost 0f socio-economic well-being of the nation; can
never be a welcome step. That‘s why; the only and the ultimate way to reduce the fiscal deficit is to reduce revenue
deficit. Revenue deficit can be minimised by revenue augmentation and revenue mobilisation through boosting
revenue from tax and non-tax sources.

Fiscal Glide and initiatives

 Based on FRBMA (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget management Act-2003), initially it was recommended to keep
the fiscal deficit at 3.0% of GDP but it was not attained even by today due to lack of seriousness or due to various
macroeconomic disturbances and instabilities.
 Kelkar committee in 2012 has recommended that the fiscal deficit (5.1% in 2012-13) should be kept at 3% of GDP by
2016-17, by the end of 12th plan. However, it was delayed by next two years to house the fiscal and structural
challenges like demonetisation and global uncertainties.
 In addition, post budget 2017-18, the finance minister set a committee under the leadership of former revenue and
expenditure secretary N.K. Singh to appraise the FRBM act after a gap of 13 years, to understand its relevance in
the present fiscal framework considering various macroeconomic challenges and global uncertainties.
 The committee recommended the shifting the focus of budget analysis in terms of ;fiscal deficit‘ to ‗debt-GDP
ratio‘ and set the target to keep the same at 60% by 2023 and keeping fiscal deficit at 3% for next three years.
 Further, the government has suggested to have the value of fiscal deficit to be in a ‗range‘ than a ‗fixed value‘; in
order to provide fiscal space to the government to accommodation any global shocks and economic uncertainties.
 Further to justify the easy path for fiscal glide, the government has embraced ‗Escape Clause‘ to deviate 0.5% in
the set fiscal deficit to accommodate structural complexities and uncertain fiscal changes. Despite it was found
that targeted fiscal deficits are not attained even after 17 years of FRBMA (period 2004-2020).

Fiscal sustainability and Fiscal Focus

 Success of the budget is measured by the outcome and its impact on the economy as a whole, not just by the total
outlay. Finance minister has set the fiscal deficit target of 3.5% of GDP, with a plan for augmented capital
expenditure.
 For that reason, the focus of the budget is in favour of capital expenditure.
 This will create more avenues for creation of assets and upsurge investment; which consequently contributes to
employment and output through multiplier effects. Besides, emphasis is given to rationalising and scrutinising all
kind of revenue expenditure in tune with the long-term fiscal goals and adhering to quality expenditure.
 Central government debts that are not part of market borrowings are used to fund the expenditure. Servicing of
interest and repayment of these debts as hitherto, are done out of consolidated fund of India.
 Accordingly, receipts for the year 2020-21 are estimated at Rs.22.46 lakh crore and further keeping in mind
commitment of the government towards various schemes and need for improvement in quality of life, level of
expenditure has been kept at Rs.30.42 lakh crore.
 Another ‗school of thought‘ opines that continuous adherence to high fiscal deficit over the set deficit reflects the
fiscal distress of an economy. Based on the historical perspective fiscal deficit in India will continue to be a
concern over the years to come; unless supported by corresponding increase in capital expenditure and
rationalisation of revenue expenditure.
 The crowding out effects of private investment on account of high fiscal deficit should not suppress the benefits of
higher capital expenditure.
 The debt liabilities both principal and interest payment always pose threat to an economy and hence fiscal
consolidation is the main aim to achieve long-term growth.

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Conclusion
 The success of a budget rests on the outcome rather than outlay; and its efficacy relies on how the government
implements various schemes and programs for the overall development of the nation and how does it contribute
and uplift the marginalised and hapless in particular.
 Effective administration of expenditure, increase in revenue base and potent tax buoyancy are the keys to fiscal
consolidation.
 Fiscal deficit can be reduced to its level only by reducing the revenue deficit, not the capital expenditure. This can
be possible through revenue augmentation and expenditure rationalisation. Effective management of expenditure
is the key to fiscal consolidation; that is why expenditure. In addition, centrally sponsored schemes are
restructured for greater synergy and effective implementation by which unnecessary overlapping expenditure can
be curbed.

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 KURUKSHETRA COMPILATION
March 2020

Index

1. Strengthening Agriculture, farmers and rural India.

2. Financial Inclusion.

3. Agriculture and Allied Sector.

4. Rural Resurgence through Trade, Tourism and Technology.

5. Skill Development and Employment Opportunities.

6. Education in Rural India.

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Strengthening Agriculture, farmers and rural India
Introduction
 Inclusive Development is multifaceted and can be attained through suitable policy formulation, proactive
intervention, effective policy implementation and peoples‘ participation in the Governance process. In India, rural
economy is very important because it is directly related to poverty, inequality and unemployment. Budget 2020-21
focuses on
1. Reduce poverty and inequality.
2. Maintain Price stability.
3. To curtail unemployment through job creation
4. Foster faster economic development by addressing all the needs of various segments of the society.
 Budget 2020-21 has 3 major components:
 Aspirational India: To focus on providing health and education to all sections of the society.
 Economic development: To focus on ‗Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka viswas‘.
 Ease of Living: There are 3 main subjects under this
a. Agriculture, irrigation and rural development.
b. Wellness, water and sanitation.
c. Education and skills.

Background
 Village and farmer play a major role in the Indian Economy. Agriculture holds the key, when it comes to the
development of Rural Economy. Agriculture gives employment to 70% of the people in India and most of them are
small and marginal farmers. However, due to the relative faster growth of non-Agricultural sector, the share of
Agriculture and Allied sector in GVA of the country has declined from 18.02% in 2014-15 to 16.5% in 2019-20.

Initiatives taken in Agriculture and related sector

 Many steps have been already taken in order to address the situation.
a. A 16 point action plan and provision of 2.83 lakh crore has been made in Budget in order to improve
agriculture, irrigation and rural development.
b. A target of Rs. 15 lakh crore to Farmers in the form of low interest and easy terms institutional credit has been
set.
c. All the PM-KISAN beneficiaries will be linked to Kisan Credit Card scheme.
d. A more comprehensive refinance plan by NABARD.
e. Comprehensive plan for 100 water-stressed districts will be prepared. In this, emphasis will be given on
Ground water levels, water conservation and water harvesting in these districts.
f. Under PM-KUSUM scheme, financial assistance to 15 lakh farmers will be provided to operate grid connected
pump sets and set up solar plants in their fallow or barren land.
 The target is set at producing 25750 MW of solar power by the year 2022, by selling which the farmers could earn
profit.
g. Kisan Rail: Government has announced Kisan Rail service through PPP for transportation of farm produce.
Air conditioned trains and compartments will be there in Express/Mail trains to carry perishable items such as
fruits, vegetables, dairy products, eggs, meats etc.
 There is a need to create a national cold supply chain in order to achieve the real goal of this mission. This has also
been proposed in the budget.
h. Krishi Udaan Yojana: It will be operated on both national and international air routes. This will enable
agricultural produce from the North-Eastern states and tribal areas to reach the market in a short time. As a
result farmers from these areas will get a wider market and better prices for their produce.
i. Blue Economy: The target for export of fish by the year 2024-25 is kept at Rs. 1 lakh crore. The target to
increase fish production to 200 Lakh tonnes by the year 2022-23 has been set. To promote fisheries sector,
sagar mitras and farmer producers‘ organization will take part in a big way.
 The cultivation of algae and sea weeds and cage culture would also be promoted to make fisheries sector more
widespread.
 The budget also will give the status of farmer to fishermen so that they can take the full government benefit in the
sector.

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 j. One Product One District: This scheme has been introduced to improve the marketing and export system
in the horticulture sector. Uttar Pradesh Govt. has already implemented this.
k. Organic Culture: Budget 2020-21 has laid emphasis to promote the use of conventional organic fertilizers in
order to curtail excessive use of chemical fertilizers.
 Organic Farming portal will be launched to strengthen online national market of organic products. Farmers will
get more benefit at a lower cost due to increasing global demand for organic products.
l. Dhanya Laxmi Yojana: Under this scheme, women will be specifically linked to seed related programmes.
Women farmers will be given training in quality-checking of seeds and scientific farming. Loans and financial
assistances will be given to Self-Help Groups to involve rural women on a large scale in various storage
schemes.
 Under the rules and regulations of, government has also decided to build a warehouse in every village for safe
storage of farmers‘ grains.
 FCI and Central Warehousing Corporation will also build such store houses on their land.
 The state Governments implementing model acts like Agricultural Produce Market Act and Contract Farming will
be given incentives.
m. Livestock: With an increase of 8% in last five years, the role of livestock in income, employment and
nutrition has become more important. Some important points to remember:
 India is presently the largest milk producing country in the world and with a target of doubling the milk
production by 2025.
 Presently India has capacity of 53.5 MMT of milk processing, which is to become 108 MMT in future.
 Coverage of artificial insemination will be raised from present 30% to 70%.
 Special action plan will be prepared to eradicate Foot and Mouth Disease of cattle and Ovine Rinderpest by the
year 2025.
 SHGs will be promoted in order to eradicate poverty.
n. Infrastructure:Government has announced expenditure of Rs 103 Lakh crore over the next five years in
infrastructure related to Development of Roads, Water, Rail, airports and metro.
 Under National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), 6500 projects have been identified.
 Under UDAN scheme, 100 new airports will be developed by 2024.
 Number of airplanes will be doubled from present 600.
 Before 2024, 6000kms highway will be laid and 9000 kms of economic corridor will be built.
 Around 2000 km of road will be built each in coastal and strategic areas including North-East.
 Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will be completed soon by 2023.
o. Allocations under MGNREGS have been increased from 61815 crore to 71200 crore in order to provide
employment to the youth in their villages so that they are not forced to migrate to big cities for earning their
livelihood.
p. Digital Rural Connectivity: Under Bharatnet Project, during the year 2020-21 one lakh Gram Panchayats
will be connected to Fiber-to-the Home (FTTH). Rs. 6000 crore has been allocated for this purpose.
 The Government will soon come up with a policy to create Data Centre Parks across the country through the
private sector intervention.

Initiatives for Inclusiveness:

a. Jal Jeevan Mission and comprehensive sanitation programmes have been launched to support the health vision of
the government.
b. PMJAY is implemented to reduce the burden on the poor regarding health related expenditures.
c. Proposal to expand Jan Awadhi Kendras to all the districts by 2024 has been made.
d. Jal Jeevan Mission emphasizes on augmenting local water sources, recharging existing water sources and
promoting water harvesting and de-salinization.
e. Government has also focused on last mile delivery of basic services to the poor, on basic safety nets and on
creating pathways for the benefits of growth to reach the bottom tier of socio economic ecosystem.

Way Forward
 Our Agricultural policy is presently focusing on how to double the income of the farmers in a sustainable and
environment friendly manner. Diversification of Agricultural produce, Crop Insurance, Efficient irrigation
technology, linking agricultural produce with market are some ways to achieve the target set by our Government.
While on field interventions are very important to ensure ease of living of the farmers, infrastructure development

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 in rural India is also equally important for us to achieve a sustainable growth in Agriculture, both production wise
and income wise.

Financial inclusion
 The role of financial inclusion as a key enabler for achieving sustainable development has been acknowledged in
seven Sustainable Development Goals of 2030.Keeping in mind the importance, RBI‘s Financial Inclusion
Advisory Committee has initiated the process of formulation of National Strategy for Financial Inclusion(NSFI) for
the period 2019-24.
 RBI, in its report in January, 2020 has called for increasing outreach of banking outlets of scheduled commercial
banks, payment banks to provide banking access to every village within a 5 km radius of 500 households in hilly
areas by March 2020.

Background
 Financial Inclusion may be defined as the process of ensuring access to financial services and timely and adequate
credit needed by vulnerable groups at an affordable cost. These include Bank Accounts for savings and
transactional purposes, low cost credit for productive, personal and other purposes, financial advisory services,
insurance, overdraft and pension facilities.
 Financial Inclusion
a. Broadens the resource base of the financial system by developing a culture of savings among a large segment
of rural population and plays a significant role in the process of balanced economic development.
b. By bringing low income groups under the formal banking which will protect them during exigencies.

Present Scenario
 As per 2011 census, only 58.7% of households are availing banking services in the country. NSSO 70 th round survey
shows that institutional and non-institutional sources of credit have almost identical shares. Although banks are
playing crucial role in institutional credit expansion, small and marginal farmers still depend quite heavily on
moneylenders.

History of Financial Inclusion

 1969-80: Nationalization of Banks.
 2005: RBI report urged banks to work towards reaching out to masses.
 2008-Rangarajan Committee advice was for all banks to submit a board approved, 3 year Financial Inclusion plan
starting from April 2010.
 Deployment of Business Correspondents and facilitators
 Use of electronic/kiosk modes for provision of financial services.
 Opening of No-Frill accounts.
 For dispensation of credit, KCC, GCC were introduced.
 2012: RuPay, an Indian domestic debit card, introduced by National Payments Corporations of India has enabled
faster penetration of debit card culture among the masses.
 1992: SHG movement, initially introduced by NABARD in order to explore a new avenue for credit augmentation
has been a huge success so far.
 2004: JLG is yet another institutional intervention by NABARD with a view to enable landless/tenant farmers to
secure collateral free loans for productive purposes.
 2006: Kiosk banking through Business Correspondents has become very popular and viable option now days.
 2013: Direct Benefit Transfer has changed the mechanism of transferring subsidies directly to the people through
their bank accounts which itself is a big step as far as financial inclusion is concerned.
 2014: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana has given ultimate push towards financial inclusion. License to small
finance banks and post office bank has further provided great encouragement towards financial inclusion.
 Rise in Digital mode of financial transactions, KYC compliance and ease of operating digital transaction has given
the all-important voluntary public participation in the vision of Financial Inclusion.

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Challenges
1. Market specific loan products should be designed so that the sections of the society availing the loans will not be
under unnecessary stress. For example, the Agricultural credits largely depend on seasonal output from the
agricultural sector. Therefore, Loans for agricultural sector should be designed in such a way that the interest is
charged biannually and not monthly.
2. According to Standard and Poor‘s survey, basic financial literacy in India is Sub-par. RBI, NABARD and other
voluntary efforts need to be put in order to make India mature a country as far as financial literacy is concerned.
3. However there has been a significant rise in investment in Mutual Funds in India, it is mainly coming from Urban
India. However, in India there is a lack of income streams which are designed specifically for rural areas.

Budget Initiatives
 Budget 2020-21 exerts more focus on building emerging technologies to drive financial inclusion in the country.
As part of it, Knowledge transfer centers are expected to be set up across new emerging centers.
 100% Digital access to all public institutions.
 Fiber-To Home through Bharatnet will link 1 lakh Gram Panchayats in the Financial Year 2020-21.
 SHG mobilization and expanding the role of SHG‘s beyond microcredit facilities.
 To strengthen the co-operatives and get them into the ambit of formal banking bodies is one important step.

Way Forward
 While the first phase of FI has built the basic platform, the next phase will have less to do with policies and more
to do with educating people, disseminating financial and digital awareness in the society and making beneficiaries
aware about the role of Financial Inclusion in the development process.

Agriculture and Allied Sector

Introduction
 Agriculture and allied sector plays a critical role in rural livelihood, employment and national food
security.According to Economic Survey (2019-20) recently tabled in the parliament, ‗as high as 70 percent of its
rural households still depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihood, with 82 percent of farmers being small
and marginal (who own less than one acre of land each)‘. It has also stated ‗its contribution to national income has
gradually declined from 18.2 percent in 2014-15 to 16.5 percent in 2019-20, reflecting the development process
and the structural transformation taking place in the economy‘.
 The Union Budget(2020-21) provides robust roadmap for giving a boost to agriculture and allied sector through 16
action points.

Background
 The Government had constituted in Inter-Ministerial Committee under the Chairmanship Ashok Dalwai to
examine issues relating to doubling of farmers‘ income in real terms by the year 2022-23. The committee in its
Report in 2018 has identified seven sources of income growth;
 Improvement in crop and livestock productivity
 Resource-use efficiency or savings in the cost of production
 Increase in the cropping intensity
 Diversification towards high-value crops
 Improvement in real prices received by farmers
 Establishing cold supply chain.
 The committee is also looking into the investments in and for agriculture such as increasing public investments for
agriculture; building rural roads, rural electricity, irrigation facilities; and the need for policy support to enable
investments by corporate sector in agriculture.

Government Initiatives
 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi,(PM-KISAN), Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY), Soil
Health Care (SHC), Neem-coated Urea(NCU), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Pradhan Mantri
Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PMSSHA), Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), National Agriculture
Market scheme (e-NAM), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) have been launched since 2014.

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 National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), National
Mission on Oilseeds & Oil Palm (NMOOP), National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), National
Mission on Agricultural Extension & Technology (NKAET) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) have been
revamped for ensuring overall development of farm sector.
 The government has provided energy sovereignty through Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan
(KUSUM) and input sovereignty through Paramparagat Krishi Vikash Yojana besides providing direct income
support (Rs.6000 per annum per farmer) under PM-KISAN along with providing resilience to 6.11 crore farmers
insured under PMFBY.
 The focus on cultivation of pulses and expansion of micro-irrigation through Krishi Sinchai Yojana, have raised
the self-reliance of the country.

Budget 2020-21
 The key aspect of the Budget announcement was the 16 actions points for boosting agricultural incomes. These
are:
1. The finance minister urged state governments to implement three model laws enacted by the central government
 Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act, 2016;
 Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing(Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2017;
 Model Agricultural Produce and livestock Contract farming and Services (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2018.
2. The government is proposing comprehensive measures for one hundred water-stressed districts.
3. The PM-KUSUM scheme removed farmers‘ dependence on diesel and kerosene and linked pump sets to solar
energy. Besides, a scheme to enable farmers to set up solar power generation capacity on their follow on barren
lands and to sell it to the grid would be operationalized.
4. The finance minister stressed the need for encouraging balanced use of all kinds of fertilizers including the
traditional organic and other innovative fertilizers.
5. India has an estimated capacity of 162 million tonnes (MT) agri-warehousing, cold storage, reefer van facilities,
etc. NABARD will undertake an exercise to map and geo-tag them.
6. For building backward linkages in the agricultural sector, the Budget has proposed a village storage scheme which
would be run by the Self-Help Groups (SHGs). This will provide farmers‘ ability to hold stocks of agricultural
produce at the village level and reduce their logistics cost
7. The Finance minister also gave thrust on building a seamless national cold supply chain for perishables, inclusive
of milk, meat and fish for which the Indian Railways will set up a ‗Kisan Rail‘ through PPP mode.
8. ‗Krishi Udaan‘ will be launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on international and national routes. This will
immensely help improve value realization especially in North-East and tribal districts. Through collaboration with
a private airline, Tripura Government has initiated exports of Queen Pineapple to Dubai and Doha last year.
9. For better marketing and export, the Finance minister has proposed supporting horticulture-intensive states
through cluster-based approach with a focus on ‗one product, one district‘.
10. The Budget also proposes expansion of integrated farming systems in rainfed areas. Multi-tier cropping, bee-
keeping, solar pumps, solar energy production in non-cropping season will be added.
11. The Finance Minister has proposed integration of e-NWR with the e-NAM. Negotiable Warehousing Receipts (e-
NWR) are documents issued by warehouses to depositors (farmers) against commodities deposited in warehouses.
NBWRs can be traded, sold, swapped and used as collateral to support borrowing or loans from banks. These
receipts were made negotiable under Warehouse Act, 2007 and are regulated by Warehousing Development and
Regulatory Authority.
12. Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) and cooperatives are active in the agriculture credit space. The
NABARD re-finance scheme will be further expanded.
13. One of the significant measures announced was increasing the milk processing capacity from l53.5 million MT
currently to 108 million MT by 2025.
14. ‗Blue Revolution‘ is being implemented through a centrally-sponsored scheme for Integrated Development and
Management of Fisheries (IDMF) to achieve economic prosperity of fishermen and fish farmers and to contribute
towards food and nutritional security through optimum utilization of water resources for fisheries development in
a sustainable manner, keeping in view the bio-security and environmental concerns.
15. Youth in coastal areas benefit through fish processing and marketing. By 2022-23, the Finance Minister has aimed
at raising fish production to 200 lakh tones.
16. Under Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission, for alleviation of poverty, 58 lakh
SHGs have been mobilised.

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Rural Resurgence through Trade, Tourism and Technology
Introduction
 The three Ts, viz. Trade, Tourism and Technology play a meaningful role in boosting rural economic growth.
Announcements made in the Budget relating to each of these three Ts highlight the significance of reaping
economies of scale; the importance of specialization; need for inclusive growth and integrated development; and
the possibility of balancing demographic dividend with technological growth.

Tapping the potential on different fronts

Trade
 Budget has announced the launch of Krishi Udaan by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on both national and
international routes.
 As per Ministry of Commerce & Industry, agricultural products account for 12 percent of India‘s total exports.
Underscoring the importance of maintaining the quality of agricultural produce, especially perishables, from their
source to destination, the Budget has announced the setting up of a Kishan Rail through Public-Private
Partnership, which will have refrigerated coaches for products like milk, meat and fish.
 The Budget announcement on one produce one district, i.e., adoption of a product each by a district, is
undoubtedly an encouragement to specialization of particular areas in exporting particulars products.
 The intent of the Budget to involve youth in fishery extension through 3,477 Sagar Mitras and 500 Fish Farmer
Producer Organisations is a step towards augmenting fishery export. This initiative will have an added advantage
of developing the coastal areas which effectively will be beneficial for tourism purposes.
 Recognizing credit and refund requirement of exporters, the Budget has announced the launching of NIRVIK and
the Scheme for Reversion of Duties and Taxes.
 The former will provide higher insurance coverage, reduction in premium for small exporters and simplified
procedure for claim settlements.
 While the latter will digitally refund to exporters, duties and taxes levied at the Central, State and local levels,
such as electricity duties and VAT on fuel used for transportation which are not exempted or refunded under
any other existing mechanism.

Promoting Tourism
 The Budget has proposed to establish an Indian Institute of Heritage and Conservation which will have the status
of a deemed University.
 Further, five archaeological sites, viz. Rakhigarhi in Haryana, Hastinapur in Uttar Pradesh, Shivsagar in Assam,
Dholavira in Gujarat and Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu have been identified as iconic sites with onsite museums.
 The Budget has announced a museum on Numismatics and Trade and four more museums that will be taken up
for renovation, besides, support the setting up of a Tribal Museum in Ranchi.
 An innovative proposal is to set up a maritime museum in Lothal, the Harrapan age maritime site near
Ahmedabad, by Ministry of Shipping.
 As per the Budget a National Logistics Policy will be announced soon. The Policy will create a single window e-
logistics market and focus on generation of employment, skills and make Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
competitive.
 The Budget has announced augmenting connectivity through accelerated development of highways.
 It has also outlined measures important for railways, which carry as much as 40 percent of the total freight in the
country.

Technology and Integrated Development

 The contribution of software and information technology-enabled services in the country‘s GDP, employment and
exports has been rising in recent years. The Budget‘s vision is to provide digital connectivity to all public
institutions at Gram Panchayat level such as Anganwadis, health and wellness centres government schools, PDS
outlets, post offices and police stations.
 The target is to achieve Fibre-to-the-Home connections through Bharatnet which will link 1 Lakh Gram
Panchayats in 2020-21.

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 The Budget also mentions about
1. Creating a digital platform which would facilitate seamless application and capture of Intellectual Property Rights
(IPRs)
2. Establishing a Centre in an Institute of Excellence to work on the complexity and innovation in the field of IPR
3. Setting up of Knowledge Translation Clusters across different technology sectors
4. Scaling up Technology Clusters
5. Mapping India‘s genetic landscape through national level science schemes.

Way Forward
 Budget announcements pertaining to the three Ts reveal that these are not only integrated with each other, they
are also all-pervasive and more than just the three sectors mentioned. The three Ts entail development within the
global, and not merely local, framework, for enhancement of the three Ts, viz. trade, tourism and technology, the
Budget has advocated the three as, viz. affordability, availability and accessibility.

Skill Development and Employment Opportunities

Introduction
 Skill development has become very important and it requires the government, the industry and the academia to
come together to ensure that youth is equipped to make the most of the new opportunities. Re-skilling the current
workforce, training youth gearing up for their first jobs, upgrading and redesigning curriculums to meet the needs
of the industry, and ensuring enough institutional infrastructure for imparting knowledge with the help of
passionate faculty, is the need of the hour to bridge the skill demand-supply gap and propel the economy to a new
growth trajectory.

India‟s perspective
 India is accounting for the world‘s largest young population with over 600 million people under the age of 25
years. It is this demographic group that will provide the innovators, the leaders, the decision-makers, the
entrepreneurs, and form the bulwark of the Indian workforce, and thereby be the creators and change agents of a
wealthier and stronger ‗new‘ India.
 To optimally leverage this demographic, India needs to find ways to empower its manpower with appropriate skills
so as to help them find employment as well as meet the demand from its industries while also seizing global
opportunities by supplying talent to the global job market.

Budget Proposals for Skill Development

 The Budget lays special emphasis on the employability of India‘s young population and quality aspects of
education by earmarking a total outlay of Rs.99, 300 crore for the education sector in 2020-21 and Rs.3000 crore
for skill development.
 About 150 higher educational institutions will start apprenticeship embedded degree/diploma courses by March,
2020-21.
a. This will help to improve the employability of students in the general stream.
b. The government will also start a programme whereby urban local bodies across the country would provide
internship opportunities to fresh engineers for a period of up to one year.
c. National Skill Development Agency will give special thrust to infrastructure-focused skill development
opportunities.
 Degree level full-fledged online education programme will be started to provide quality education to students of
deprived sections of the society as well as those who do not have access to higher education, especially in rural
areas.
 However, these shall be offered only by institutions which are ranked within the top 100 in the National
Institutional Ranking Framework, to ensure that the quality of education imparted remains high.
 The Budget announced under the ―Study in India‖ programme, and Ind-SAT is proposed to be held in Asian and
African countries for benchmarking foreign candidates who receive scholarships for studying in Indian higher
education centres.
 In order to meet the requirement of qualified medical doctors, it is proposed to attach a medical college to an
existing district hospital in PPP mode.

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 a. Viability gap funding will be made available to the states that fully allow the facilities of the hospital to the
medical college and provide land at a concession.
b. The government will also encourage large hospitals with sufficient capacity to offer resident doctors DNB/FNB
courses under the National Board of Examinations.
 A National Police University and a National Forensic Science University have also been proposed in the domain of
policing science, forensic science, cyber-forensic in the Budget, thus not only ensuring that the law enforcement
forces are supported by technically qualified experts but ensuring that candidates get top-notch training in these
institutions.

Enhancing Employability
 The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is implementing its flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri
Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) through National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), with the aim of
providing skills training to 10 million youth by 2020.
 This scheme has two components—Centrally Sponsored Centrally Managed (CSCM) being implemented by
NSDC and Centrally Sponsored State Managed (CSSM) being implemented by State Skill Development
Missions of the states/Union Territories.
 NSDC, through its Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs) and other training partners, also conducts Rozgar
Meals (job fairs) on a pan-India basis to provide job opportunities to job seekers in the 18-45 years of age group by
connecting them with the employers on a common platform.
 Under the ongoing Environmental Information System (ENVIS) Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest &
Climate Change, the Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP) was launched in June 2017, on a pilot basis, at
10 locations, spread over 9 bio-geographic regions of the country to skill youth in environment, forest and wildlife
sectors and enabling them to be gainfully employed or self-employed.
 National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) has been initiated to scale higher order economic
activities in 13 high poverty states under DAY-NRLM. The key activities, under the project, include establishing
model cluster level federation, promoting large scale farmer-producer enterprises and farmer-producers groups,
and supporting individual and group non-farm enterprises.
 The Budget proposal to involve youth in fishery extension through 3477 Sagar Mitras and 500 fish farmer
producer organizations will also help augment rural employment opportunities, especially in the coastal states,
thus not requiring rural youth to migrate to urban centres in search of livelihood.

Way Forward
 The above initiatives of the government indicate its resolve to not just create employment opportunities for India‘s
youth, but also boost their job prospects through relevant skill training, thus unleashing India‘s youth power to
take the economy to greater heights. Budget 2020 reiterates the government‘s focus on skill development, reforms
in education and training, rural and social entrepreneurship and livelihood enablement.

Education in Rural India

 In our country lot of progress has been made in the field of school education especially post-independence. About
75 percent schools are set up in the rural areas. In these schools, 25.1 crores children are studying from primary to
higher secondary stages. About 90 lakh teachers are working in these schools, out of which 65 lakh are working in
rural areas. In this budget, allocation for school education has been Rs. 59845 crores in comparison to Rs.56,536
crores allocated last year.

Background
 By the year 2030, India is set to have the largest working-age population in the world. Not only they need literacy
but both job and life skills. Education and sustaining skill development is instrumental to boost employment in the
rural areas in both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors.
 In the budget Rs.3,000 crores for skill development have been allocated for achieving this endeavor and it is a
good initiative by the government.

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Important Initiatives

Eklavya Model Residential Schools:

 To facilitate access of education to the tribal children is the setting of Eklavya model residential schools in the
rural areas. The objective of the initiative is to ensure students can access quality education in the remote areas.
The Budgetary provision for Eklavya model residential scheme is Rs. 1313.23 crores for the education for
scheduled tribe students.

JawharNavodayaVidyalayas:
 Establishing JawharNavodayaVidyalayas as residential schools was the initiative by the Ministry of Human
Resource Development for rural children. The objective of opening these schools was to provide opportunities
equivalent to the best residential school system.
 These schools were set up in 1985 for providing free and compulsory education to rural children from classes 6 th to
12th.

SamagraShikshaAbhiyan:
 SamagraShiksha is a flagship programme of the government to promote holistic education.
 It was formulated in 2018 by bringing together three earlier centrally sponsored schemes i.e. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan
(SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher education.
 Government has also introduced NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic
Advancement), an initiative to train over 4.2 million teachers across the country.

Mid-Day Meal Scheme :

 MDMS is a centrally sponsored scheme formulated in 1995 which is a National Programme of Nutritional Support
to Primary Education (NP-NSPE). One of the main objectives of the scheme was to bring back children from rural
and disadvantaged sections of society to schools.
 Over the period of time, it was observed that there was an improvement in enrollment, attendance and retention
by providing free food grains to government run primary schools.

Digital Connectivity:
 Many areas of the country, especially rural areas are lacking in education with outdated teaching methods,
shortage of teachers, inadequate student-teacher ratio, and insufficient teaching resources. Increasing
accessibility of digital education and use of internet is rapidly increasing in rural areas due to the availability of
affordable data plans and cheaper mobile devices.
 In this Budget, government has announced to provide digital connectivity in the schools and the expenditure will
be met from the budget allocated to schools education.

Higher Education Sector

Study in India:
 Government has proposed in the budget to promote Study in India programme for bringing foreign students and
faculty to our institutions of higher learning.
 Measures will be taken to introduce Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in education sector and draw external
commercial borrowings and make India a preferred destination for higher education.
 The government has proposed to open doors for foreign universities through external borrowing and the foreign
direct investment route. However, at the same time not allowing them to set up full-fledged campuses in the
country.
 At present planning is underway to set up 20 higher Educational Institutions of international standard. The
initiative comes at a time when many Indian students are going abroad for higher studies.

Online Course:
 Government has announced in the budget that 150 higher educational institutions would start apprenticeship-
embedded degree or diploma courses by March 2021 to increase employability of fresh graduates.
 A full-fledged online degree-level education programme by institutions ranked within the top 100 in the National
Institutional Ranking framework will also be started.

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Medical Colleges:
 The Budget proposes to attach a medical college to an existing district hospital in PPP mode. Special bridge course
to be designed by the Ministries of Health, and Skill Development.
 The Government has to therefore, encourage large hospitals with sufficient capacity to offer resident doctors
DNB/FNB courses under the National Board of Examinations.

Way Forward
 Government provided about Rs.99,300 crores for education sector both for rural and urban areas for the year
2020-21. There is no separate allocation in the budget for rural areas. But it requires special attention, efforts and
support of the government for implementing different schemes and programmes to reach rural area.
 Time has come that we should recognize not just literacy, but also quality education and applied knowledge as a
basic need and fundamental right of every child.
 The Education Budget 2020 needs to focus on education and employment generation in the rural areas. In the
rural areas, adequate basic infrastructural facilities, adequate number of educational institutions, qualified
teachers and faculty should be provided.
 Internet reach in rural areas needs to be improved. The Government has made good efforts by allocating funds to
various programmes and schemes for the improvement of quality of schools and higher education. But still there is
need to improve the investment allocated under different schemes of education with a focus on education of rural
India. It is desired that the National Education Policy to be announced by the government soon will suggest a road
map in this direction.

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 MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Q1. Which among the following statements Q5. Which among the following statements
regarding Export Incentive Scheme is/are are Correct regarding Groundwater in
INCORRECT. India
1. Export Incentives are provided by Government to 1. A recent study shows that seasonal changes in
all the companies in order to make the export groundwater play important role in Himalayan
globally competitive. Subsidence.
2. Export Subsidies are not a form of export 2. Rainwater is a source of Ground Water in India.
Incentives. 3. India WRIS is a dedicated information system
3. Very recently, a Scheme has been formulated for realised by Department of Science and
re-imbursement of taxes at State level. Technology.
Select from the given codes Select from the given codes
(a) 2 Only (b) 2 and 3 Only (a) 2 Only (b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 1 and 2 only (d) 1 and 3 Only (c) All the Above. (d) None of the Above.

Q2. Which among the following statements Q6. Following are the list of schemes /
IS/ARE correct regarding Huntington initiatives of different State Governments
Disease. in India. Which among them IS/ARE
1. Impaired balance and Movement is one of the correctly matched.
result that may occur due to the disease. 1. ‗Sujalam SufalamAbhiyan‘ - Rajasthan.
2. Overall Protein production in affected cells is 2. ‗NeeruChettu‘ - Andhra Pradesh.
reduced due to the disease. 3. ‗Jal Jeevan Hariyali‘ Chhattishgarh.
3. Orb2 is a protein found in drosophila. 4. ‗JalyuktShibar‘ Maharashtra.
Select from the given codes Select from the given codes
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 Only (a) 1,2 and 3 Only (b) 2,3 and 4 Only
(c) 2 and 3 Only (d) All the Above. (c) 2 and 4 Only (d) 1,3 and 4 only

Q3. Read the following statements carefully Q7. Which among the following is/are
and Choose the CORRECT one/ones from CORRECT regarding House Sparrow.
the given alternatives. 1. Dogs, along with House Sparrow showed the
1. Black carbon has more warming impact on similar adaptation pattern with the advent of
Climate than Carbon Dioxide. Agriculture.
2. Black Carbon reduces Albedo. 2. AMY2A, a pair of genes, that is present both in
3. Brazil is one of the hotspot of Black Carbon Humans and House Sparrows.
pollution. 3. World Sparrow Day is celebrated on 20th March
Select from the given codes every year.
(a) 1 and 3 Only (b) 1 and 2 only Select from the given codes
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) All the Above. (a) 3 Only (b) 1 and 2 Only
(c) 2 and 3 Only (d) All the Above.
Q4. Which among the following
statement/statements are TRUE regarding Q8. Which among the following is TRUE
Quantum Computing. regarding Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in
1. Qubit is the basic information of Quantum India
computer. 1. Baba Kalyani is heading the Group of Eminent
2. Quantum coins are unforgeable. persons formed by Government to study the
3. Errors may occur in Quantum Computers due to Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Policy of India.
De-coherence. 2. India's SEZ policy is not totally compatible with
Select from the given codes WTO norms at present.
(a) 1 and 3 Only (b) 1 and 2 Only 3. One of the main objective to form the group was
(c) 2 and 3 Only (d) All the Above. to properly demarcate India's SEZ policy from its
CEZs.
(a) 1 and 2 Only (b) 1 and 3 Only
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) All the Above.

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Q9. Which among the Following is Q10. Which among the following statements
INCORRECT regarding IRAD System IS/ARE NOT TRUE.
1. It is implemented by Ministry of Road Transport 1. World Health Assembly is the decision-making
& Highways. body of WHO.
2. It is implemented throughout India. 2. 39th World Health Assembly, in Geneva, urged
3. Data on road accidents in India are collected by the member states to take necessary actions to
Transport Research Wing (TRW) of Ministry of implement blanket ban on smoking.
Road Transport & Highways. 3. Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003
4. The system is introduced in consonance with the was enacted to implement the decisions of 39th
United Nations Economic and Social World Health Assembly.
Commission for the Asia and the Pacific (UN- Select from the given codes
ESCAP). (a) 2 and 3 Only (b) 3 Only
(c) 2 Only (d) None of the Above

Answers
Q1. Option C. Q2. Option D.
Q3. Option D. Q4. Option D.
Q5. Option B. Q6. Option C.
Q7. Option D. Q8. Option A.
Q9. Option B. Q10. Option C.

UPSC CSE MAINS

Practice Questions

Q1. „ Financial Inclusion is a key enabler of achieving Sustainable Development‟- Elucidate. Also
critically analyse the provisions of Budget 2020-21 in order to ensure the Financial Inclusion to
enable Sustainable Development.

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Q2. What do you understand by Re-skilling of Youth. Briefly describe the importance of Re-skilling in
order to reap the benefit of the Demographic dividend that India presently is enjoying. Also give
examples of some of the Government initiatives regarding this.

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Q3. What is Gender Budgeting ? How is it related to Financial Inclusion ? Briefly describe different
Budgetary provisions to ensure Gender Budgeting in India.

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Q4. What is inflation ? What are it‟s impacts on the poor people of India. Critically analyse different
steps taken by Government in order to regulate inflation.

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Q5. Differentiate between Fiscal Deficit and Revenue deficit. Briefly describe the effect of Fiscal
Deficit on Economy of India. Examine different steps taken by the Government to ensure Fiscal
Sustainability.

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