Daily News Simplified -

DNS
08 08 20
Notes
SL. THE HINDU
TOPICS
NO. PAGE NO.

18 killed as landslip buries tea workers’ quarters in Idukki +

1 01/09
2011 report had flagged unsafe conditions at Calicut airport

2 Food Vision 2050 Prize for Naandi Foundation 08

Alert amid uncertainty

3 06
Title 1. 18 killed as landslip buries tea workers’ quarters in Idukki + 2011 report had flagged unsafe
Project proposals
conditions must
at Calicut include
airport (The drone survey
Hindu - Page No. report,
01/09) says State
4
Syllabus Prelims: Current Affairs 05
Theme wildlife board
About Safety of Civil Aviation
Highlights According to an aviation safety report submitted to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2011, the runway at
Calicut International airport where an Air India Express flight from Dubai overshot the runway resulting
in the death of at least 11 persons, was unsafe for flight operations due to inadequate safety area along
the runway and at the end of the runway to safeguard against planes skidding off.
 
There are three regulatory bodies in the civil aviation sector in India—
 
1. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
2. Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and
3. Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)
 
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) - Primarily dealing with safety issues.
 
1. Enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety, and airworthiness standards.
2. The DGCA also co-
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ordinates all regulatory functions with the International Civil Aviation Organisation
(ICAO).
3. Registration of civil aircraft.
4. Formulation of standards of airworthiness for civil aircraft registered in India and grant
of certificates of airworthiness to such aircraft.
5. Licensing of pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers and flight engineers
6. Licensing of air traffic controllers.
7. Conducting investigation into accidents/incidents and taking accident prevention
measures 
8. Coordination at national level for flexi-use of air space by civil and military air traffic
agencies
 
 
Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS)
 
9. Initially set up as a Cell in the DGCA in January 1978, reorganized into an independent
department under the Ministry of Civil Aviation on 1st April, 1987. 
10. The main responsibilities of BCAS IS Laying down Aviation Security Standards in
accordance with Chicago Convention of ICAO for airport operators, airlines operators,
and their security agencies responsible for implementing AVSEC measures.
 
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)
 
Formed in 2011 as an obligation under Chicago Convention.
It investigates aircraft accidents and incidents in India.
AAIB is responsible for classification of “Safety Occurrences” involving aircraft operating in the Indian
Airspace into Accidents, Serious Incidents and Incidents.
AAIB also makes “Safety Recommendations” on the basis of safety studies conducted from time to time.
 
 
 Airports Authority of India
 The Airports Authority of India (AAI) was formed on 1st April 1995 by merging the International Airports
Authority of India and the National Airports Authority
 
11. Design, Development, Operation and Maintenance of international and domestic
airports and civil enclaves.
12. Construction, Modification and Management of passenger terminals.
13. Development and Management of cargo terminals at international and domestic
airports.
14. Provision of passenger facilities and information system at the passenger terminals at
airports.
15. Expansion and strengthening of operation area, viz. Runways, Aprons, Taxiway etc.
 
 
 
Other important bodies under Ministry of Civil Aviation
 
Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India
 
Established as a statutory body under The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008.
16. It  determine the tariff for aeronautical services taking into consideration the capital
expenditure incurred, quality of service provided, concession offered by the Central
Government and timely investment.
17. Economic and viable operation of major airports.
 
The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) , working under the administrative control of the Ministry of
Civil Aviation of the Government of India, deals with matters pertaining to safety of rail travel and train
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operation
 
 
 
Status of Civil Aviation Safety in India
 According to an aviation-safety audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation
(ICAO), India one of the lowest-ranked countries in air safety in the Asia-Pacific region,
 
The ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme seeks to identify if countries have consistently
implemented a safety-oversight system.
 
India’s ‘air safety oversight score’, is lower than that of Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka, Nepal and North Korea in the Asia-Pacific region.
 
 
The report says that one of the reasons behind India's dismal performance is the government's neglect
of aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). There has been ineffective
implementation rate in the area of personnel licensing.
 
The licensing of air-traffic controllers (ATC) was being carried out by state-run Airports Authority of India
(AAI), which was one of the key areas of concern. As per international practices, the DGCA should issue
licences to ATC officials who play a very important role in the seamless management of flight operations
across the country.
 
India is one of the fastest growing aviation markets. But the infrastructure needed to cater to this
growth is not keeping pace.
Personal Notes

Title 2. Food Vision 2050 Prize for Naandi Foundation – Article (The Hindu - Pg 8)
Syllabus Mains: GS Paper III- Indian Economy
Theme Indian Agriculture - ARAKUNOMICS
Highlights  The Rockefeller Foundation has selected Hyderabad-based non-profit, Naandi Foundation, as
one of the ‘Top 10 Visionaries’ in the world for the Food Vision 2050 Prize
 
 ARAKUNOMICS - It is a new integrated economic model of Naandi Foundation. Tribal
Communities of Araku in India show how Food & Nutrition for all, Profits for Farmers, quality for
consumers & Collateral Damage to None is Possible.
 
 The model is a tribute to the tribal farmers of Araku region for the world-class coffee.
 
Araku a notified tribal area with a population of 0.6 million tribal or indigenous people. It is characterised
by extreme poverty, denudation of forest, erosion of soil, high maternal mortality rates and increasingly
eco-fragile terrain.
 
 
How agriculture became Non-remunerative neglected sector of our economy?
Traditionally in India, agriculture was a culture, a way of life, where people lived in harmony with nature.
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With the onset of the green revolution in the 1970s, and introduction of minimum support prices for
paddy and wheat and high yielding variety of crops, there was a shift from agriculture as a way of life and
local food systems to farming as an economic activity, exploitative and profit oriented in nature, changing
the entire food system of the country. The agriculture and food system linkages collapsed and instead
mono-cropping, especially cash crops such as cotton and sugarcane, replaced food crops. This meant that
the traditional knowledge and practices became redundant. Farmers who used to be entrepreneurial and
in-charge of symbiotic food system networks became unskilled wage earners.The food system became
dependent on excessive flow of cash increasing the cost of farming hence increasing indebtedness.
Farmers began growing cash crops with high yield for quick profits, at the cost of food crops. The modern
mono-crop non-food farming that replaced the biodiverse agricultural practices has resulted in a food and
livelihoods crisis. The lack of biodiversity in food production is causing masses across the country to
follow often low nutrition diet made available through the public distribution system. Just as mono-
cropping affected the biomes of the soil, the stomach share and nutritional diversity of food also started
disappearing as people have started to depend on cheap fast foods or ‘food coupons’ resulting in an
overall lack of nutrition. The depletion of soil, nutrition, and knowledge as well as the inability to handle
the vicissitudes of climate change and pest attacks results in a very challenging scenario where farming
has become a loss making enterprise.
 
In future, with depleted soil, scarcity of natural resources and climate change characterised by increasing
drought conditions, and unfavourable weather conditions, the input costs for production of food will
further increase hence resulting in more expensive and less nutritious food. There is also the threat of
dwindling number of farmers as the new generation is increasingly moving away from farming. We feel all
this put together will lead to a complete cultural, health and economic collapse.
 
 
This vision of ARAKUNOMICS of Naandi Foundation can be summarized as the ‘ABCDEFGH’ approach:
 
 
AGRICULTURE, NOT FARMING
 
Traditionally, agriculture was a culture, a way of life where people lived in harmony with nature. Over
time, the world transitioned from agriculture to farming, an economic activity, an input versus output
battle focusing heavily on how to get more by putting in less.
 
BIOLOGY, NOT CHEMISTRY
 
Till the green revolution in India, the approach to agriculture was based on life science, on biology. At the
centre of it was the use of natural elements, activation of biomes & microbes, all of which contributed to
the goodness of the soil. It was only when we moved from biology to chemistry did we trigger the
collapse of the natural symbiotic agriculture system.
 
COMPOST, NOT CHEMICALS
 
In all three Places we replaced the use of Chemicals with Compost. We also democratized scientific
knowledge about organic cultivation. As a result we not only enhanced produce, but also reversed soil
erosion and mitigated impact of climate change.
 
DECENTRALIZED DECISION MAKING
 
Compost preparation, Bio Fertilizer spraying, pruning and harvesting are all decentralized and executed in
a customized manner at the farm level.
 
ENTREPRENEUR, NOT SUBSISTENCE FARMER
 
A farmer should function as an entrepreneur and should be able to make profits through quality, value
addition and ownership. He or she should not have to rely on wages or subsistence income through
subsidies. Such an approach has been adopted in all our regions of work.
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FAMILY, NOT MALE ALPHA FARMER
Farming is sustainable only when it is made a viable option for the next generation.
 
GLOBAL MARKETS, RATHER THAN MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICES
Farmers are empowered not only to withstand impact of globalization but also to enter global markets.
Araku coffee farmers get the highest price a coffee farmer gets anywhere in India or the world.
 
HEADSTAND
Only when we turn the current approach on its head, can we expect to solve India’s food and agriculture
system crisis.
Personal
Notes

Title 3. Alert amid uncertainty (The Hindu Page 06)

Syllabus Prelims: Indian Economy
Theme Consumer Confidence Survey

Highlights Importance of Consumer Confidence

 In case of India, the consumption expenditure accounts for almost 60% of India's GDP and
hence it is considered to be the major driver of economic growth and development.
 The main driver of the consumption expenditure is the Consumer Confidence. If the
consumers are optimistic about the current and future economic state of country, then they
would spend more money leading to increase in the GDP. On the other hand, if the Consumer
confidence is low, this can lead to decrease in the consumption expenditure and hence impacts
the GDP Growth rate.
 Hence, there is a need to measure the consumer confidence in a country to understand the
prospects of economic growth.
 
About Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS)
 The Consumer Confidence survey is conducted by the RBI in 13 major cities of India and covers
almost over 5,000 respondents. The survey measures consumer perception (current and future)
on five economic variables - economic situation, employment, the price level, income and
spending.
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 The Consumer Confidence survey has two main indices - current situation index and future
expectations index. The current situation index measures the change in consumer perception
over an economic issue in the last one year while the future expectations index measures what
consumer thinks about the same variables, one year ahead.
 A consumer confidence Index above 100 gives optimistic perception of the consumers while
reading below 100 denotes pessimistic perception.
 
Snapshot of Consumer Confidence Survey- July 2020

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Title 4. Project proposals must include drone survey report, says State wildlife board (The Hindu Page 5)
Syllabus Prelims: Environment & Biodiversity

Theme State Board for Wildlife and Arabian Sea humpback whales
Highlights The Maharashtra government on Friday made drone survey and environment impact assessment
reports mandatory for projects seeking the approval of the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL).
 
State Board for Wildlife
 It is a statutory body.
 The SBWL is headed by Chief Minister, with the Forest Minister of the State as the Vice Chair.
 
The SWBL cleared a proposal to declare Sonneratia alba as the State mangrove tree and approved a
recovery programme for the Arabian Sea Humpback Whale.

Arabian Sea humpback whales

 The only non-migratory population of humpback whales in the world. 
 fewer than 100 individuals remain in the coastal waters of Oman
 This species migrates from the Oman coast through the Arabian sea, along the Indian coasts till
the Sri Lankan coast.
 very little is known about Arabian Sea humpback whales in other parts of the Arabian Sea.
 The standing committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has recently added four
species- Northern River Terrapin, Clouded Leopard, Arabian Sea Humpback whale and Red
Panda into Centre’s Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species.
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Notes