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Quality of life, life expectancy, literacy, standard of living and migration in India

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Quality of life, life expectancy, literacy, standard of living and migration in India

Human development—a comprehensive approach

  • Human development is a process of enlarging people’s choices. But human development is also the objective, so it is both a process and an outcome. Human development implies that people must influence the processes that shape their lives. In all this, economic growth is an important means to human development, but not the end.
  • Human development is the development of the people through building human capabilities, by the people through active participation in the processes that shape their lives and for the people by improving their lives.
  • It is broader than other approaches, such as the human resource approach, the basic needs approach and the human welfare approach

Measuring human development

  • The composite Human Development Index (HDI) integrates three basic dimensions of human development.
  • Life expectancy at birth reflects the ability to lead a long and healthy life.
  • Mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling reflect the ability to acquire knowledge. And gross national income per capita reflects the ability to achieve a decent standard of living.
  • To measure human development more comprehensively, the Human Development Report also presents four other composite indices.
  • The Inequality-adjusted HDI discounts the HDI according to the extent of inequality.
  • The Gender Development Index compares female and male HDI values.
  • The Gender Inequality Index highlights women’s empowerment. And the Multidimensional Poverty Index measures nonincome dimensions of poverty.

India’s Human Development Index 2016

  • India was ranked 131 in the 2016 Human Development Index (HDI) among the 188 countries.
  • India scored 0.624 and was placed in medium human development category.
  • The index was unveiled recently as part of the Human Development Report (HDR) 2016 titled Human Development for Everyone published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  • India related facts: India’s HDI value increased from 0.428 in 1990 to 0.624 in 2015. However, its average annual growth in HDI (1990-2015) was higher than that of other medium HDI countries.
  • Life expectancy at birth: In India, it has increased from 68 years to an average of 68.3 years — 69.9 years for women and 66.9 years for men.
  • Access to knowledge: India’s expected years of schooling remains at 11.7 years, while mean years of schooling increased from 5.4 to 6.3 years.
  • India’s Gross National Income (GNI) based on per capita purchasing power parity (PPP): It has risen from $5,497 to $5,663.
  • Gender Inequality Index (GII): India ranked 125 among 159 countries. Only 12.2% of Parliament seats are held by women. 8% of women above the age of 15 years are part of India’s labour force — compared to 79.1% men. The ratio of maternal mortality is 174 against every 100000 live births.
  • Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI): It is difference between the HDI and IHDI, expressed as a percentage of the HDI, indicating the loss in human development due to inequality.
  • India’s HDI was pegged at 0.624, but its value falls 27.2% after being adjusted for inequalities, resulting in a HDI value of 0.455.
  • Life expectancy adjusted with inequalities between 2010 and 2015 fell 24%, resulting in a value of 0.565.
  • The percentage of inequality in education in 2015 was 39.4% or 0.324 and inequality in income 16.1% or 0.512.

Social Progress Index: India’s quality of life improves

  • The measurement of quality of life is critical to understand whether economic growth is fostering social development across the globe or not.
  • It is essential to ranks countries on the basis of government’s effectiveness at meeting basic human needs, at providing a foundation for well-being with basic education and environmental protection, and at creating opportunities for all citizens to make personal choices and reach their full potential.
  • This kind of framework is being used by the Social Progress Imperative to create the Social Progress Index. It is observed that the world incorporating 128 countries scores 64.85 on social progress.
  • It registers a 2.6 percent increase from 2014.
  • The performance is best in Basic Human Needs with a score of 89.62 followed by Foundations of Well-being and Opportunity.
  • The major factors that contribute to the improvements in social progress are increased access to information & communication and enhanced advanced education landscape. On the other hand, Personal Rights which includes measures of political rights and freedom of expression is declining in most countries.
  • A rapid deterioration of rights, especially in terms of falling political participation and worsening freedom of expression and assembly, points out that the choices of citizens are being threatened.
  • Also, the advancements in Personal Safety have been intangible. This is mainly due to the reverse changes in the homicide rate and violent crimes which some countries are experiencing.

Quality of life: Which is the best Indian city to live in?

  • One of the most difficult financial decisions one has to make in life is to decide the place where they would choose to stay. The location one chooses is influenced by a host of pros and cons. The cost of living, the availability of economic opportunities, the quality of life, education facilities, among others are some of the many deciding factors.
  • Mercer, the global human resources consulting firm, has released its 18th annual Quality of Living Survey, listing 2016 city rankings of best places to live in.
  • Mercer evaluated local living conditions in more than 440 cities surveyed worldwide according to 39 factors, grouped in 10 categories such as political and social environment, economic environment, socio-cultural environment, medical and health considerations, schools and education, public services and transportation, recreation, consumer goods, housing, and natural environment.
  • As per the Mercer ranking, Hyderabad has been ranked as the best city in India to stay in with a ranking of 139 out of 230 cities in the world.
  • Pune has been selected as the second best Indian city with a rank of 144.
  • Other Indian cities that found a place in the list are: Bangalore (145), Chennai (150), Mumbai (152), Kolkata (160), and New Delhi (161).

Literacy in India

  • The 15th official census in India was calculated in the year 2011. In a country like India, literacy is the main foundation for social and economic growth. When the British rule ended in India in the year 1947 the literacy rate was just 12%.
  • Over the years, India has changed socially, economically, and globally.
  • After the 2011 census, literacy rate India 2011 was found to be 74.04%.
  • Compared to the adult literacy rate here the youth literacy rate is about 9% higher. Though this seems like a very great accomplishment, it is still a matter of concern that still so many people in India cannot even read and write.
  • The numbers of children who do not get education especially in the rural areas are still high. Though the government has made a law that every child under the age of 14 should get free education, the problem of illiteracy is still at large.
  • Now, if we consider female literacy rate in India, then it is lower than the male literacy rate as many parents do not allow their female children to go to schools. They get married off at a young age instead.
  • Though child marriage has been lowered to very low levels, it still happens. Many families, especially in rural areas believe that having a male child is better than having a baby girl. So the male child gets all the benefits.
  • Today, the female literacy levels according to the Literacy Rate 2011 census are 65.46% where the male literacy rate is over 80%.
  • The literacy rate in India has always been a matter of concern but many NGO initiatives and government ads, campaigns and programs are being held to spread awareness amongst people about the importance of literacy. Also the government has made strict rules for female equality rights. India literacy rate has shown significant rise in the past 10 years.
  • Here are some facts about different states literacy rate, Kerala is the only state in India to have 100% literacy rate. It is followed by Goa, Tripura, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, and Maharashtra, Sikkim.
  • The lowest literacy rate in India is seen in the state of Bihar.
  • We also need to think why is the literacy rate is low here in India compared to other developed countries. Basically the population in India is very high. Being the 7th largest country its population stands 2nd in the world after China. There are over 1 billion people in India.
  • The number of schools and educational centers especially in rural areas is less. Even today many people are below the poverty line. Also people aren’t aware that children should get free education according to the law

Standard of living in India

  • Standard of living in India varies from state to state.
  • With one of the fastest growing economies in the world, clocked at a growth rate of 7.6% in 2015, India is on its way to becoming a large and globally important consumer economy.
  • According to Deutsche Bank Research, there are between 30 million and 300 million middle-class people in India. If current trends continue, India’s share of world GDP will significantly increase from 7.3 in 2016 to 8.5 percent of the world share by 2020.
  • In 2011, less than 22 percent of Indians lived under the global poverty line, nearly a 10 percent reduction from 29.8 percent just two years prior in 2009.
  • According to NCAER, India’s middle class population would be 267 million in 2016.
  • Further ahead, by 2025-26 the number of middle class households in India is likely to more than double from the 2015-16 levels to 113.8 million households or 547 million individuals.
  • Another estimate put the Indian middle class as numbering 475 million people by 2030.
  • It is estimated that average real wages will quadruple between 2013 and 2030.
  • The standard of living in India shows large disparity.
  • For example, there is widespread poverty in rural areas of India, where medical care tends to be very basic or unavailable, while cities boast of world class medical establishments. Similarly, the very latest machinery may be used in some construction projects, but many construction workers work without mechanisation in most projects.
  • However, a rural middle class is now emerging in India, with some rural areas seeing increasing prosperity. In general, the southern Indian state of Kerala ranks top for most of the indices.
  • In 2010, the per capita PPP-adjusted GDP for India was US$3,608.

Migration in India

  • One important facet of study on population is the study of migration arising out of various social, economic or political reasons.
  • For a large country like India, the study of movement of population in different parts of the country helps in understanding the dynamics of the society better.
  • At this junction in the economic development, in the country, especially when many states are undergoing faster economic development, particularly in areas, such as, manufacturing, information technology or service sectors, data migration profile of population has become more important.
  • When a person is enumerated in census at a different place than his / her place of birth, she / he is considered a migrant. This may be due to marriage, which is the most common reason for migration among females-or for work, what is the case as generally among males, etc.
  • It also happens that many return to their place of birth after staying out. To capture such movements of population census collect information on migration by last helps to understand the current migration scenario better.
  • In India, as per census 2001, about 307 million person have been reported as migration by place of birth. Out of them about 259 million (84.2%), migrated from on e part of the state to another, i.e., from one village or town to another village or town. 42 million (2%) from out side the country.
  • The data on migration by last residence in India as per Census 2001 shows that the total number of migrants has been 314 million. Out of these migrants by last residence, 268 million (85%) has been intra-state migrants, those who migrated from one are of the state to another.
  • 41 million (13%) were interstate migrants and 5.1 million (1.6%) migrated from out side of the country.

Why do people migrate?

  • People migrate for many different reasons. These reasons can be classified as economic, social, political or environmental:
  1. economic migration – moving to find work or follow a particular career path
  2. social migration – moving somewhere for a better quality of life or to be closer to family or friends
  3. political migration – moving to escape political persecution or war
  4. environmental causes of migration include natural disasters such as flooding
  • Some people choose to migrate, eg someone who moves to another country to enhance their career opportunities. Some people are forced to migrate, eg someone who moves due to war or famine.
  • A refugee is someone who has left their home and does not have a new home to go to. Often refugees do not carry many possessions with them and do not have a clear idea of where they may finally settle.

Push and pull factors of Migration

Push factors are the reasons why people leave an area. They include:

  1. lack of services
  2. lack of safety
  3. high crime
  4. crop failure
  5. drought
  6. flooding
  7. poverty
  8. war

Pull factors are the reasons why people move to a particular area. They include:

  1. higher employment
  2. more wealth
  3. better services
  4. good climate
  5. safer, less crime
  6. political stability
  7. more fertile land
  8. lower risk from natural hazards

Migration usually happens as a result of a combination of these push and pull factors.

Natural and Power resources of Arunachal Pradesh

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Natural and Power resources of Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh has an area of 83,743 sq kms. It is the largest state in the North Eastern region sharing its international boundaries with Bhutan in the west , China in the North and Myanmar in the East. It also shares border with state of Assam and Nagaland in the southern and south eastern area. Total forest cover is about 82% and the state has numerous turbulent streams , fast flowing rivers , deep gorges , lofty mountains , snow clad peaks and rich biodiversity.

Total generating capacity of the state was only 32 MW hydro and 28.63 MW diesel till now, which has increased substantially with the completion of 405 MW Ranganadi hydropower project. 600MW Kameng hydro power project is under construction and these projects will provide electricity not only to the Arunachal Pradesh and other states in the north eastern region but also to the power starved regions of the country.

The per capita consumption of Arunachal Pradesh is below 100 Kwh as compared to the national average of 373Kwh. The state plans to harness its enormous potential from natural resources like forests and hydro power and exploit its mineral wealth to usher in the era of economic development and raise the capita electricity consumption to the 500 Kwh.Natural and Power resources of Arunachal Pradesh

Power Installations In 2016-17

In June 2016, the state accounted for an installed capacity of power generation of 55.41 MW from thermal power plants out of which 43.06 MW is contributed by gas power plants and 12.35 MW from coal power plants.

For the installation of 40,000 MW grid connected solar rooftop system in the country by 2022, the target allocated for the state is 50 MW.

Use of  Conventional resources and its issues

Conventional resources of energy are rapidly depleting and there is no formation of conventional sources of energies in near future. So there is need to divert our attention to renewable energy resources. The main concern over the rapid consumption of Fossil Fuels is they are depleting at fast pace. And there should be use of renewable resources to meet the growing demands of utilization of  non-renewable products

In order  to preserve the energy resources through proper utilization, the power developers have to create awareness among the people about the use of renewable resources as non-renewable resources declining at a rapid rate due to increasing demands of its use in global market of energy conservation and make it a culture in the long run to be a efficient state. The power is the most important contributing factor of a developed state so to be efficient there should be exploration of  all possible avenues to produce power.

Prospects  on involvement of private sector in Hydro-Power generation is very benefitting. There is need for energy conservation and its efficiency. There is need to look for  Power renewable energy, power trading, T&D loss reduction and technologies  and equipments for effective energy generation.

The reserves of coal, oil and natural gas are limited and they do not regenerate. Hence such energies could be used only as long as they last and their emissions cannot be absorbed by nature. Consequently, none of these energy sources can satisfy both sustainability criteria. Therefore, the sustainability criteria are best satisfied by solar, wind, wave and most hydro-power options. The state will produce adequate energy in all ways and means that is safe and good for the state and its population.

Renewable energy in the state

The government has launched the programme for promoting power generation from renewable sources since the last 25 years. In India, the cumulative power generation from these sources is only around 11,272.13 MW and in State , Power generation from renewable resources is very less. Small hydro-power projects generating up to 25 MW power are also categorized as power renewable sources of energy.

However there are socio socio-economic problems associated with small hydro projects at place where it has caused hydro-projects blockade or diversion in downstream water affecting farming operations and causing drinking water availability problems in villages. India is also lagging behind in power generation from biomass, bagasse and waste despite its high potential.

Technology improvement for Renewable Energy

Technological improvements, better quality control, standardization and increased number of suppliers/ manufacturers/vendors in technologies such as wind manufacturers/vendors turbines, biomass cogeneration and hydro power, biomass gasification, small and micro micro-hydro, bio-diesel and solar photovoltaic are also aiding the growth of renewable energy.

Efficiency in energy utilization needs to be a continuous activity as there is huge continuous un productive energy utilization has seen. The world is moving towards a sustainable energy future with an emphasis on energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources.

The North East has abundant renewable energy resources but their utilization has not been adequate. Apart from small hydel power projects, biomass holds a lot of scope in the region. Effective utilization of renewable energy could be of immense benefit in electrification of remote villages. The 11th Plan targeted utilization of renewable energy to the tune of 3,500 MW with a capacity addition of another 3,200MW. The private sector participation is very much encouraging in this regard. Continued growth of Indian economy will depend on large scale investments in its large-scale energy sector.

Central and State Governments should also address these issues for faster implementation of projects. Further, any development in the generation and objects transmission / sub-transmission infrastructure can only be sustained through transmission .Continuous cash-flow from end consumers, adequate focus needs to be on  strengthening of the distribution sector through administrative and management sector reforms. the Central Government sponsored schemes such as the R-APDRP, and development of the human resources through appropriately designed training and development programs.

The state is sparsely populated and the wide dispersion in population makes the centralized generation and long T&D network a costly option. This explains the presence of distributed generation, having installed capacities of several KW only which cater for the local areas. The Arunachal Pradesh Electricity Department, a vertically integrated entity, is vertically-integrated responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of power in the State.

Although the state has a huge hydro potential to the order of 55,000 MW, it is mostly unexplored .The State’s own installed capacity is only 61 MW and is primarily dependent on primarily purchase of power from CPSUs (share of 119 MW). Peak demand of the state stood at130 MW in 2008-09 and peak demand and energy deficit stand at 39.2% and 36.4% respectively which are way above the national average figures.

The best way of contributing to the nation is to tap the hydro potentials in Arunachal Pradesh, which can meet the nation’s one one-third power requirements. Of the projected 60,000 MW of power potentials in the State, only 4 5% has so far been exploited. 4-5%Highlighting the vast potentials for renewable energy in North Eastern states

The dams are constructed using best of scientific technologies to maximize power production and minimize the hypothetical negative impact.

Mega Power Policy and Small Hydro Power Policy

The Government of Arunachal Pradesh has formulated Mega Power Policy and Small Hydropower Policy for project under 25 MW under Build, Own, and Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model. Projects are classified according to their size and the project identification, allocation and various statutory clearances are detailed in the policy. various. The private sector companies will have the option to execute hydro projects on Build, Own, Operate (BOO) or Build, Own, Transfer (BOT). The land required for construction of the project shall be acquired and leased to the developer against payment of land.

Objective is to formulate effective policy, proper technology delivery and besides capacity building for realizing the potential of the renewable energy sector.

The State has got abundant renewable energy resources and made a strong pitch for improving power generating capacities. Power-generating through improved technologies so as to meet the future power requirements of the country. Around 15 per cent of energy is being lost in distribution and transmission system, besides the unauthorized tapping of power

Solar Energy

India has abundant solar insolation and state is also have potential for solar energy. There is also need to emphasized on tapping the solar energy to meet the electricity needs of people of border areas in the state.

Focus is on tapping the resources for renewable energy and eradicate hurdles in tapping them. There is need to provide solar power in border areas of the state as it has vast potentials for renewable energy in North Eastern states.

Bio diversity in the state

There is need to conserve power and bio diversity as well. Bio-diversity in Arunachal Pradesh with 82per cent forest cover will put all efforts in saving its natural bio- biodiversity and at the same time will march forward with other states in terms of development by becoming energy efficient.

To protect the bio diversity, the government will soon  eliminate the jhum cultivation and introduce tea and rubber cultivation. It will help in maintaining the economic balance and conserve bio diversity.

Efforts are being done in saving its natural bio diversity and at the same time co operate with other states in conserving bio diversity. Efforts are also done in terms of development by becoming energy efficient by producing adequate energy in all ways and means that is safe and good for the state and its population.

Wind Energy

Emphasizing the need of enhancing renewable energy  wind power could be transform into effective energy in the state. India now ranks as a “wind superpower” with an installed wind power capacity of 1167 MW and about 5 billion units of electricity have been fed to the national grid so far.

In the state, around 15 per cent of energy has been lost while distributing power in various states. State has been focusing on minute details on the energy efficiency and conservation and renewable energy.

Biogas based Power Generation Programme (BPGP)

Biogas based power units can be a reliable decentralized power generation option in the country. In order to promote this route of power generation, specifically in the small capacity range (3 kW to 250 kW), based on the availability of large quantity of animal wastes and wastes from forestry, rural based industries (agro/food processing), kitchen wastes, etc; a number of projects of different capacities and applications will be taken up for refining the technical know-how, developing manpower and necessary infrastructure, establishing a proper arrangement of operation & maintenance and large scale dissemination. Various small bio gas power generations has been installed in the state.

Effective Policy for future generations

Sustainable energy is the provision of energy that meets the needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Technologies that promote sustainable energy include renewable energy sources, such as energy from hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, bio gas,  tidal power and also technologies ,designed to improve energy efficiency needs to be enhanced. The reserves of coal, oil and reserves natural gas are limited and they do not regenerate. Hence, such energies could be used only as long as they last and their emissions cannot be absorbed by nature. Consequently, none of the energy sources can satisfy both sustainability criteria. Therefore, the sustainability criteria are best satisfied by solar, wind, wave and most hydropower options.

Other options help to meet the sustainability goals were energy savings and increase energy efficiency.

 

31.01.18 Arunachal Pradesh(APPSC) Current Affairs

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NORTH-EASTERN STATES

  • Nagaland receives no instruction from EC

 

  • Nagaland state election authority has not received any instruction from the Election Commission 24 hours after all major political parties agreed not to contest the upcoming assembly polls slated for February 27 alleging the Centre’s failure to resolve the main political problem.

 

  • According to state election department sources, the authority was aware of the decision and they passed the message to the ElectionCommission.

 

  • Many political functionaries in Kohima callerstate chief election officer Abhijeet Sinha on Tuesday who said that they won’t halt the process until they receive any instruction from the country’s poll panel which announced the poll scheduled two weeks back.

 

  • All major political parties on Monday signed a joint statement prepared by the civil society organizations not to contest the polls without a complete solution of the vexed decade old problem.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

  • India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) sign $250 Million Loan

 

  • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $250 million loan to finance the construction of 6,254 kilometers all-weather rural roads in the States of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal under the Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Program (PMGSY).

 

  • The First Tranche Loan is part of the $500 million Second Rural Connectivity Investment Program for India approved by the ADB Board in December 2017.

 

  • The program is aimed at improving rural connectivity, facilitating safer and more efficient access to livelihood and socio-economic opportunities for rural communities through improvements to about 12,000 kilometers Rural Roads across the 5 States.

 

·        India Ranks 6th In The List Of Wealthiest Countries

 

  • India ranked sixth in the list of wealthiest countries with the total wealth of 8,230 billion US dollars.
  • The list was topped by the United States of America, according to a report by New World Wealth.
  • He was the best-performing wealth market globally in 2017 as its total wealth swelled from 6,584 billion dollars in 2016 to 8,230 billion dollars in 2017, registering a 25% growth.

 

 

  • India ranks 62th in inclusive development index by World Economic Forum

 

Inclusive Development Index

 

  • 103 countries
  • 74 –developing countries
  • India ranked 62th
  • Three individual pillars — growth and development; inclusion; and inter-generational equity — has been divided into two parts. The first part covers 29 advanced economies and the second 74 emerging economies.

 

  • Growth score (6 level)— receding, slowly receding, stable, slowly advancing and advancing.

 

  • The top-five most inclusive emerging economies are Lithuania, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Latvia and Poland.

 

  • India ranks 72nd for inclusion, 66th for growth and development and 44th for inter-generational equity.

 

  • Three parameters -Standard of living-  Environment stability – future generation indebtedness

 

  • India is above only from South africa in BRICS countries.

 

NATIONAL

 

·        India becomes third largest producer of crude steel

 

  • According to a recent report published by World Steel Association (WSA), India overtook the US to become the world’s third-largest steel producer in 2018.
  • China has remained world leader by producing 831.7 MT in 2017, up 5.7% from 786.9 MT in the year-ago period.
  • Japan is second largest global steel producer.
  • The Global steel production had reached 1,691.2 MT in 2017, up by 5.3% compared to 2016 when output was 1,606.3 MT.
  • It includes over 160 steel producers with 9 of the 10 largest steel companies, national and regional steel industry associations, and steel research institutes.
  • It was founded in July 1967 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

 

  • Stree Swabhiman Initiative launched for Women Health and Hygiene

 

  • The Information Technology and Electronics Ministry of the country has announced to launch the new scheme initiative under Stree Swabhiman Drive.

  • The new initiative has been introduced by the Ministry and CSC to ensure and maintain perfect health for Women and at the same time to maintain Health Hygiene.

 

  • Prime Minister to launch Khelo India School Games in the Capital

 

  • Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will launch the first Khelo India School Games at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on January 31, 2018.

 

  • The Khelo India programme has been introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country and establishing India as a great sporting nation.

 

  • Talented players identified in priority sports disciplines at various levels by a High-Powered Committee will be provided annual financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh per annum for 8 years.

 

  • The Khelo India School Games are being held from 31st January to 8th February, 2018 in New Delhi.

 

  • It is being implemented in 150 Colleges and 20 Universities.

 

  • Under-17 athletes have been invited to participate across 16 disciplines.

 

·        India to witness super blue moon with lunar eclipse

  • India would witness a ‘super blue blood‘ moon between 5:15 PM and 7:37 PM on as the Moon goes from east to west.
  • Occurring for the first time since 1866, the second Full Moon of the month, often called a Blue Moon, would coincide with a lunar eclipse giving it a blood-red tint, with the Moon also being a supermoon.

 

·        Indian Navy launches third Scorpene class submarine Karanj

 

  • The Indian Navy launched ‘Karanj,’the third Scorpene class submarine.
  • The submarine, constructed by shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL)in Mumbai.
  • The first of the six Scorpene-class submarines, Kalvari, was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month.
  • He had called its induction a big step in the country’s defense preparedness.
  • On the occasion, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had called submarine building a sophisticated and exacting craft, which only a handful of countries possess in their industrial capacity.

 

  • The second one, INS Khandari, was launched on January 12 this year is currently undergoing sea trials.

 

  • The Scorpene submarines are a primary modernization requirement of the Indian Navy, which is currently faced with an ageing submarine fleet, and that too when the Chinese navy has a growing presence in the Indian Ocean.

 

  • The technology being used for construction of the Scorpene class submarines has ensured superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels and hydrodynamically optimized shape. These stealth features give it an invulnerability, unmatched by most submarine.

 

·        Environment Minister Harshvardhan Launches PetaFlop Super Computer

 

  • Environment Minister Harshvardhan launched a 8 PetaFlop capacityhigh-performance computer system ‘Mihir’ in Noida.
  • The system will be able to predict weather and climate accurately. This will be helpful in addressing the various issues of agriculture operations and fishing in the country.
  • The system will help the department in predicting severe climate-related calamities and warnings for fishermen.
  • With the launch of the system, India has joined the elite 30 member group of countries which have this advanced technology.

28-29.01.18 Arunachal Pradesh(APPSC) Current Affairs

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NORTH-EASTERN STATES

  • Northeast children dominate list of bravery award winners

 

  • Four children from Nagaland, two from Mizoram and one of each from Manipur and Meghalaya are among the 18 bravehearts honoured with the National Bravery Awards 2017.

 

  • Among the eight from the northeastern states, two — F. Lalchhandama from Mizoram and Km Loukrakpam Rajeshwari Chanu from Manipur — were honoured posthumously.

 

  • Of the eighteen children selected for National Bravery awards this year, seven are girls. Nazia from Uttar Pradesh was honoured with the Bharat Award for raising her voice against illegal gambling and betting which has become rampant in her neighbourhood.

 

  • Last year the National Bravery Awards was given to 25 children from different parts of the country. Five of the awardees were from the North-Eastern states. The children for National Bravery Award are selected by a committee comprising representatives of various Ministries, NGO’s and office bearers of Indian Council for Child Welfare ( ICCWF). The national Bravery Award was initiated by the ICCWF to give recognition to children for outstanding deeds of bravery.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

·        India To Host Informal WTO Ministerial Gathering In New Delhi

 

  • Trade ministers from various countries including Australia, Japan, and Switzerland met for an informal WTO ministerial gathering in Davos, Switzerland.
  • India was represented by Deepak Jagdish Saksena, ambassador and permanent representative to the WTO.
  • India announced that it will host an informal WTO Ministerial gathering in March 2018.
  • The meeting would be held in New Delhi on March 19-20.

 

 

·        Worlds second largest food producer India ranks under Severe Hunger Levels

 

  • One of the highest food producers- India stands on the 100th rankfor the title ‘Hungry’.
  • Out of 119, India stood on 100th rank which is disturbing for the nation with the highest population.
  • ‘Global Hunger Index’ carried out by International Food Policy Research Institute chalked out nations that fall under ‘Starving’ category.
  • The 100 out of 119 countries on the GHI, while last year it was at 97 out of 118.
  • Even though India’s 2017 GHI score—31.4—has improved over the years, its hunger problem remains categorized as “serious.”
  • The rankings are based on four indicators: undernourishment, child mortality, child wasting, and child stunting.
  • A GHI score of between 20 and 34.9 points reflects serious hunger levels; between 35 and 49.9, it is alarming, and extremely alarming if over 50.

·        Doklam issue heated up

What is Doklam issue ?

 

  • Doklam, or Donglang in Chinese, is an area spread over less than a 100 sq km comprising a plateau and a valley at the trijunction between India, Bhutan and China. It is surrounded by the Chumbi Valley of Tibet, Bhutan’s Ha Valley and Sikkim.
  • Despite several rounds of engagement between China and Bhutan, the dispute between the two over Doklam has not been resolved. It flared up in 2017 when the Chinese were trying to construct a road in the area, and Indian troops, in aid of their Bhutanese counterparts, objected to it, resulting in the stand-off. Doklam is strategically located close to the Siliguri Corridor, which connects mainland India with its north-eastern region. The corridor, also called Chicken’s Neck, is a vulnerable point for India.
  • India and China have one of the world’s longest disputed borders and areas — which include 37,000 sq km of uninhabited Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh with 1.4 million residents and over 84,000 sq km.
  • Despite several rounds of negotiations between Special Representatives, the dispute is nowhere near a solution.

 

NATIONAL

 

·        2017 witnessed a 38% rise in social media URL blocking

 

  • A total of 1,329 social media URLs were blocked or removed on the recommendation of a government committee to deal with “objectionable content” last year till November 2017.
  • This is an increase of nearly 38% from 964 social media URLs blocked or removed for the whole of 2016.
  • URLs that were blocked or removed on account of court orders during the same period came down from 100 in 2016 to 83 in January-November 2017, according to an internal note of the Ministry of Electronics and IT
  • Also, the widespread usage of social networking sites and lack of awareness among users about the methods of cybercriminals, it added, is leading to a rise in the spread of malware such as Trojans and bots, and the theft of sensitive personal information.
  • Blocking is a sovereign power that is given to the government by virtue of Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. So under certain specified considerations, the power of blocking can be exercised… This power was inserted in the IT Act by virtue of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008, which came into effect from October 2009.

 

·        Sensors in Andamans to monitor earthquakes

 

  • The Indian Tsunami Early Warning System (ITEWS) of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is in the process of setting up an elaborate system of sensors on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands for real-time monitoring of earthquakes.
  • Strong Motion Sensors with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) have been installed at 28 locations on the islands.
  • INCOIS, which comes under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has in place a fail-safe satellite-based communication system, Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs), with VSAT based VoIP phone and fax, electronic display board, a computer-based earthquake alert and web access system.
  • The system is capable of displaying ticket messages related to tsunami events and triggering of a built-in siren alert system audible for up to 1 km, which can be triggered by INCOIS or by the EOCs.
  • The real-time data is collated at INCOIS in collaboration with the Indian Meteorology Department, the National Institute of Ocean Technology, the Survey of India and international sources.
  • It detects globally occurring earthquakes of 5 magnitude and above within 5-10 minutes of the event.

 

·        Finance Minister Arun Jaitley aim to ease doing business in India

 

  • Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reiterated that the government aims to provide an easy environment for doing business in India.
  • He was addressing a function to mark the International Customs Day in New Delhi.
  • He urged the officers of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) to be very sharp in the detection process to avoid tax evasion.
  • The role of customs in terms of detection changed a lot.
  • The appealed the officers to perform the role of trade facilitator to cut down costs, time and bring efficiency to the system.
  • He also launched ICETRAK app of CBEC.
  • The app tracks the status of consignments.

 

·        Bharat Net opens door for telemedicine and e-education facilities in Gram Panchayats

 

  • Under the purview of the telecommunication industry, the Gram Panchayats in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan are been provided access to telemedicine and re-education facilities riding on Bharat Net infrastructure.
  • With the aim of dreaming of a nation to use internet services, the government has taken immense efforts and pressure to provide people with easy access and availability of resources.
  • The rural area development has grown and the nation is moving towards progress at a faster pace.
  • The access to the internet has made the people more prone to the internet and use telecommunication at a higher level. Educating the masses and likewise providing them.
  • According to the survey it is found that Hamira is one among the one lakh Gram

panchayat covered under the BharatNet phase 1.

 

  • In total Rajasthan comprises of over8117 Gram panchayats under the BharatNet service.

24.01.18 Arunachal Pradesh(APPSC) Current Affairs

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NORTH-EASTERN STATES

 

  • Khandu inaugurates World War II Memorial Museum in Arunachal
  • Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu inaugurated the World War II Memorial Museum in the state’s Changlang district bordering Myanmar.

 

  • Built by the Union Culture Ministry, the Rs 2.25 crore museum in memory of those who laid down their lives in WWII is located adjacent to the historic Stilwell Road.

 

  • Khandu visited the war memorial where remnants of the war, personal belongings of the soldiers and others involved were preserved.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

·        Rachel Morrison 1st Oscar nominated female cinematographer

 

  • Rachel Morrison has become the first female cinematographer to receive an Oscar nomination in the 89-year-old history of the Awards. She has been nominated for her work in the film ‘Mudbound’. “The job of the cinematographer is to visualise emotion – things we as women are inherently good at,” said Rachel.

 

 

·        India inks $120 million loan agreement with World Bank to fund improved water supply in Uttarakhand

 

  • India signed $120 millionloan agreement with multilateral lending agency World Bank to help increase access to improved water supply services in in peri-urban areas in Uttarakhand.
  • The agreement was signed between Government of India, Government of Uttarakhand and World Bank Board.
  • The loan amount will be used for Uttarakhand Water Supply Program for Peri-Urban Areas to help the state to increase water supply coverage as well as ensure sustainable water supply service delivery in peri-urban areas.
  • The program will develop and implement service-oriented and efficient water supply for peri-urban areas, strengthen current monitoring and evaluation systems.
  • It will also provide dedicated incentives for preparation and adoption of of water supply ‘master-plans’ in peri-urban areas.

 

  • India Ranked 177 in Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

 

  • India has been ranked 177 among 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) – 2018. This index has been developed by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.

 

  • Top 5 countries are Switzerland, France, Denmark, Malta and Sweden.

 

  • Top bottom countries are Nepal, India, Congo, Bangladesh, Burundi.

NATIONAL

 

·        India to Host 16th International Energy Forum Meet

 

  • The 16th International Energy Forum (IEF) Ministerial meetingwill be held in New Delhi in April 2018.
  • According to the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, the meeting will be hosted by Government of India in New Delhi and co-hosted by the Government of China and South Korea.
  • Representatives from 92 countries will be participating in the conference, including 72 member countries of IEF and 20 guest countries.

 

·        Andhra Pradesh and Zurich Sign Sister State Agreement

 

  • The Andhra Pradesh Governmentand the Canton of Zurich signed a letter of intent, to promote mutual prosperity and development.
  • The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu and Government Counselor Minister Carmen Walker Spah for sister state relation.
  • This will bring the State of Andhra Pradesh and Canton of Zurich closer and ensure that a framework is created, which supports the exchange between both the parties.

 

  • Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palanichamy receives UNESCO Award.

 

  • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanichamy received UNESCO Award of Merit awarded to the iconic Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple in Tiruchirapalli. The award of merit was awarded by UNESCO Asia Pacific region for the reconstruction activities undertaken in temple without in least affecting its traditional splendour and Vedic rituals.

  • It is considered as one of the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams). It is Vaishnava temple built in Tamil or Dravidian style of architecture. It is located on an islet formed by twin rivers: Coleroon and Cauvery. The temple complex is situated in sprawling ground of more than 156 acres. The temple and 1000 pillared hall were constructed in the Vijayanagar period (1336–1565) .

 

 

·        Water storage level of India’s 91 major reservoirs drops 2%

  • The water storage available in 91 major reservoirs of the country for the week ending on January 11, 2018 was 80.484 BCM which is 50% of the total storage capacity of these reservoirs. This percentage was at 52 for the week ending January 4, 2018.

 

  • The total storage capacity of these 91 reservoirs is 161.993 BCM, which is about 63% of the total storage capacity of 257.812 BCM which is estimated to have been created in the country. Thirty seven of the 91 reservoirs have hydropower benefit with installed capacity of more than 60 MW.

 

  • The storage during the corresponding period of last year was 58% and average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period was 54% of live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, the storage during the current year is less than that of the previous year and is also less than the average storage of the last ten years during the corresponding period.

 

·        Monsoon rainfall down only 24mm in country since 1981

  • Over 50% of sub-divisions in India have witnessed a decreasing trend in monsoon rainfall from 1981 to 2016, but the country has seen a 24mm drop during the period, a fresh Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) report has found.

 

  • The study stated that the number of deficient monsoon years during this period have been more than excess monsoon years — with 20 excess and 27 deficient years.

 

Main Features of Arunachal Economy

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Main Features of Arunachal Economy

Introduction

  • The economy of Arunachal Pradesh is predominantly agrarian. Agriculture and allied activities have overriding importance as a source of livelihood to the people of Arunachal Pradesh.
  • The State’s economy is characterized by persistent stringent financial situation marked by a very low level of State’s own resources co-existing with high level of borrowing.
  • The State has been suffering from impaired economic development due to bottlenecks in development of roads, civil aviation etc. in terms of per capita State Domestic Product and other development indices such as power, road length, Arunachal Pradesh ranks below national average.
  • Arunachal Pradesh is one of the Special Category States and is largely dependent on Central Assistance for Plan investment as the scope of internal mobilization of resources is limited in Arunachal Pradesh in view of low tax base. Therefore, the prime mover of the growth of the economy has been the flow of funds from the Centre.
  • The relatively isolated economies of the tribal communities of the area, which were later reorganized as Arunachal Pradesh, were gradually integrated into the larger economy only after independence, and more particularly after the Indo-China war of 1962. Apart from the relatively late exposure to modernization, another specificity of the historical transformation of the Arunachal economy was the role of the State as the prime mover in this process of gradual transformation and integration of the economy.
  • Arunachal Pradesh has now witnessed remarkable social and economic changes within a comparatively short period of time. The State’s economy has not only experienced a remarkable growth over the past decades, it has diversified from agriculture and forestry based subsistence economy into a market economy.
  • In 1970-71 the per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) of Arunachal Pradesh was 56.14 percent of the per capita national income. Starting from a very low base, Arunachal’s per capita income increased at a faster rate than the country’s national income.
  • The predominantly barter economies are in the process of being transformed into a monetized economy. The market institutions are still underdeveloped in many respects, and there is a great deal of regional variations in the degree of integration with the market economy.
  • There is a significant change in terms of land tenure system, which is steadily leading to individual ownership by making collective ownership (clan, village, community ownership) a marginal phenomenon. In urban or semi-urban areas, land became a commodity for earning cash and ‘brewing social conflicts’
  • Subsistence nature of farming coupled with modern consumption structure is the driving force behind the changing economic institutions in Arunachal Pradesh. The rural urban migration, due to pull factors in the state, has resulted in substantial increase in employment in service sector. Thus, the process of modernization has led to the transformation of the traditional economic institutions in the State.
  • In the context of Arunachal Pradesh, power sector is the most vital infrastructure input for socio- economic development and has assumed centre stage because of huge hydropower potential.
  • At the time of independence there were less than 100 km. of dirt roads. At the time attaining statehood in 1987 the total road length was only 3419 km and today it stands at 21066.36 km i.e., 25.16 km/ 100 sq. km a quantum jump in progress.
  • The prospect of creating an industrial base in the state seems daunting in the light of the ecological and economic specificities of the state. However, a carefully designed strategy for establishing specific industries having strong forward and backward linkages has been envisaged in the New Industrial Policy-2008 of the State.

Economic Reforms

The Government of Arunachal Pradesh has been pursuing economic reforms for speedy development. There has been a significant fiscal correction in the last couple of years. Major reforms initiated by the State are

  • The State has taken various measures to curtail non-plan and unproductive expenditure and to increase State’s Own tax and non-tax revenue. The State’s own tax which was around Rs. 37.00 crore has now jumped to above Rs.80 crore this year. Because of various initiatives in development of hydropower, mines and minerals etc. The non-tax revenue is also increasing substantially.Main Features of Arunachal Economy
  • The State Govt. has enacted the ‘Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act 2006’ and in accordance the ‘Arunachal Pradesh Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Rule 2007’ have been framed to ensure prudence in fiscal management.
  • Mobilization of State’s own resource is pre-requisite for financing the annual plan. The Finance Department is in constant touch with revenue generating departments and monitoring meticulously for greater revenue generation.
  • The gross fiscal deficit which was at 13.85% of GSDP in 2004-05 has been reduced to 3.57 in 2007-08. • Serious restrictions have been put for the non-developmental expenditure including the post creation. • The Plan schemes are now being executed in Project Mode with the introduction of the concept of non-divertible earmarked allocation. The State Govt. has constituted very high level committee under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to scrutinize the project proposals.
  • The State Govt. has notified “Hydro Electric Power Policy 2008” to accelerate investments in development of hydro power projects having installed capacity above 25 MW. The Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh had also announced “Small Hydro Power Policy 2007“for small hydro power projects upto an installed capacity of 25 MW.
  • The State PWD has reduced its manpower by 7000 Nos. through VRS. It will lead a saving of Rs. 30.00 crore per year. Other departments with surplus man-power are also working out the modalities.
  • To minimize the burden of committed liabilities of salary, Government of Arunachal Pradesh has transferred 13265 Nos. Plan posts of 37 Nos. departments from 7th Five Year Plan onwards during Annual Plan 2008-09 in the first phase. Transfer of remaining 8 Nos departments as well as committed liabilities of 8 departments will be taken care in the second phase during Annual Plan 2009-10. As a result provision Direction and Administration has been reduced to 27.69% during 2008-09 compared to 44.14% during Annual Plan 2007-008.

 

02.02.18 Arunachal Pradesh(APPSC) Current Affairs

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NORTH-EASTERN STATES

  • Budget brings hope to bamboo-rich northeast

 

  • Bamboo is essentially a type of grass, but its classification as a tree for 90 years prevented the northeast, which grows 67% of India’s bamboo, from exploiting it commercially unlike China, the only country with richer bamboo genetic resources.

 

  • Now Budget 2018 has ignited farm hope for this tree-turned-grass which once fuelled insurgency in the northeastern states. The allocation of ₹1,290 crore for a restructured National Bamboo Mission (NBM) has raised hopes for a range of bamboo-based industries – from food professing to construction.

 

  • Bamboo is a wonder, multi-utility grass that more than 300 ethnic groups in the northeast have traditionally been using in every stages of life, from birth to death, besides it being a delicacy. Bamboo’s commercial journey began when it was struck off the list of trees by amending the Indian Forest Act last year.

 

  • The Budget provision is one of the best initiatives to promote holistic development of bamboo. But the restructured NBM needs to be more focussed on value-chain management and value-addition of bamboo at community level which will bring more income to the bamboo farmers and bamboo processors.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

·        India Slips to 42nd Place On EIU Democracy Index, Norway Tops

 

  • India slipped to 42nd place on an annual Global Democracy Index according to the data compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). India has moved down from 32nd place last year.
  • The top 5 Countries in the list are

    Norway,

    Iceland,

    Sweden,

    New Zealand and

    Denmark

 

  • The index ranks 165 independent states and two territories on the basis of five categories: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation and political culture.

 

  • The list has been divided into four broad categories- full democracy, flawed democracy, the hybrid regime and authoritarian regime.

 

  • North Korea is ranked the lowest at 167th, while Syria is a notch better at 166th place.

 

 

·        India Joins Ashgabat agreement

 

  • India joined Ashgabat Agreement on the establishment of an International Transport and Transit Corridor between the Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
  • The agreement was signed in 2011, which envisages facilitation of transit and transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.
  • According to the External Affairs Ministry, the accession to the Agreement would diversify India’s connectivity options with Central Asia and have a positive influence on its trade and commercial ties with the region.

 

NATIONAL

 

  • Union Budget 2018: Key takeaways and sector-wise highlights

 

  • Finance Minister Arun Jaitley delivered the current government’s fifth and last full financial budget (Budget 2018 for the fiscal year 2018-19) amid subdued economic growth, challenging fiscal situation and farm distress.

 

Here are the key highlights from the Union Budget 2018:

Economic Health

  • Economy firmly on course to achieve high growth of 8%
  • GDP growth at 6.3% in the second quarter of 2017-18 signals turnaround of the economy
  • Growth in the second half likely to remain between 7.2% to 7.5%

Agriculture and Rural Economy

  • MSP for all unannounced Kharif crops increased to 150%
  • Institutional credit for agri-sector increased to Rs.10 lakh crore in 2017-18
  • Fisheries, aquaculture and animal husbandry corpus at Rs.10,000 crore
  • New scheme Operation Greens with an outlay of Rs 500 Crore
  • Govt to develop and upgrade existing 22,000 rural haats
  • Agri-Market Infrastructure Fund with a corpus of Rs.2000 crore
  • Allocation for Ministry of Food Processing doubled to Rs.1400 crore
  • Loans to Self Help Groups (SHG) of women to increase to Rs.75,000 crore by March 2019.
  • Increased allocation of National Rural Livelihood Mission to Rs 5750 crore
  • Under Ujjwala Scheme distribution of free LPG connections will be given to 8 crore poor women
  • Housing for All by 2022 – more than one crore houses to be built by 2019 in rural areas

Education, Health, and Social Protection

  • Estimated budgetary expenditure on health, education and social protection at Rs.1.38 lakh crore
  • Ekalavya Model Residential School to be set up for tribal children
  • Investments for research & infra in premier educational institutions at Rs.1 lakh crore in next 4 years
  • Allocation on National Social Assistance Programme at Rs. 9975 crore
  • NHPS to cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries)
  • NHPS to provide coverage up to 5 lakh rupees per family per year for hospitalisation
  • Rs 1200 crore for the National Health Policy, 2017 – additional Rs.600 crore for TB patients
  • 24 new Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals

Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) and Employment

  • Major thrust for Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) – allocation at Rs. 3794 crore
  • Target of Rs.3 lakh crore for lending under MUDRA Yojana
  • 70 lakh formal jobs to be created this year
  • Govt to make 12% contribution of new employees in the EPF for all the sectors for 3 years
  • Outlay of Rs.7148 crore for the textile sector
  • Increase budgetary allocation on infrastructure for at Rs.5.97 lakh crore
  • To develop 10 prominent tourist sites into Iconic Tourism destinations
  • 35000 kms road construction in Phase-I at an estimated cost of Rs.5,35,000 crore

Railways

  • Railways Capital Expenditure pegged at Rs.1,48,528 crore
  • 4000 kilometers of electrified railway network slated for commissioning
  • Work on Eastern and Western, dedicated freight corridors
  • Over 3600 km of track renewal targeted in current fiscal
  • Redevelopment of 600 major railway stations
  • Mumbai’s local train network to have 90 kilometers of double line tracks at Rs.11,000 crore cost
  • 150 km of additional suburban network planned for Mumbai
  • Suburban network of 160 km at for Bengaluru metropolis

Air Transport

  • To expand airport capacity more than five times to handle a billion trips a year
  • Regional connectivity – 56 unserved airports and 31 unserved helipads to be connected
  • To establish unified authority for regulating all financial services

Digital Economy

  • NITI Aayog to initiate a national program to direct efforts in artificial intelligence
  • Department of Science & Technology to launch Mission on Cyber-Physical Systems
  • Allocation doubled on Digital India programme to Rs 3073 crore
  • To set up 5 lakh wifi hotspots to provide net-connectivity to five crore rural citizens
  • Rs. 10000 crore for creation and augmentation of telecom infrastructure

Defence

  • Development of two defence industrial production corridors.
  • Allocation of Rs 2.95 lakh crore to defence sector.

Emoluments

  • To revise emoluments to Rs.5 lakh for the President
  • Rs 4 lakhs for the Vice President
  • Rs.3.5 lakh per month to Governor
  • Pay for Members of Parliament – law for automatic revision of emoluments every 5 years
  • 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi- Rs.150 crore for commemoration programme

Fiscal Management

  • Budget Revised Estimates for Expenditure at Rs.21.57 lakh crore
  • Revised Fiscal Deficit estimates at 3.5% of GDP
  • To bring down Central Government’s Debt to GDP ratio to 40%

Jaitley announces ‘world’s largest healthcare programme’

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced two new initiatives under the Ayushman Bharat Programme in the Union Budget 2018.

  • Under the programme, Mr. Jaitley announced a new flagship National Health Protection Scheme, providing a health insurance cover of ₹5 lakh a family per annum.
  • The scheme will cover 10 crore vulnerable families, with approximately 50 crore beneficiaries.
  • Mr. Jaitley also announced the creation of health and wellness centres, which will “bring healthcare closer to home”.
  • These centres, 1.5 lakh in number, will provide free essential drugs and diagnostic services. A sum of Rs. 1200 crore had been allocated for this.

·         Thirty Second Surajkund International Crafts Mela Begins

 

  • The 32nd Surajkund International CraftsMela begun in Faridabad, Haryana.

    The Mela is organized by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.

    The 17-day cultural extravaganza will see a spectacular showcase of regional and international crafts, handlooms, traditions along with some mouth-watering multi-cuisine food for the visitors.

    This year Uttar Pradesh is the theme state and Kyrgyzstan is the Partner Nation.

25.01.18 Arunachal Pradesh(APPSC) Current Affairs

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NORTH-EASTERN STATES

  • Railways to invest Rs 48,000 crore to boost Northeast infrastructure

 

  • The Railways will invest nearly Rs 48,000 crore in the northeast to boost infrastructure and development in the region.

 

  • Tracks up to Imphal will come up by 2020. the Railways could not expedite work in Meghalaya as local councils are unwilling to part with their land. the Railways has acquired land stretching up to 17 km for train connectivity to Kohima in Nagaland.

 

  • Doubling of tracks in Assam has been sanctioned up to Lumding via Goalpara and the NFR is working to complete the task by 2020. 

    INTERNATIONAL

     

    • Japan’s Development Loan Assistance to India for an amount of Yen 45 billion

     

    • The Government of Japan has committed JICA Official Development Assistance loan for an amount of Yen 45 billion (Rs.2587 crore approx.) for the project.

     

    • The Notes in this regard were exchanged between Mr. S. Selvakumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India and H.E. Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India on Japanese official development assistance loan for Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Project (Phase 3) (I).

     

    • This Project will provide residents of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) area especially in 110 villages with safe and stable water supply and sewerage services by carrying-out construction of water treatment plant and sewage treatment plants thereby improving living conditions of the residents as well as the investment environment in the concerned areas in BBMP in the State of Karnataka.

     

    • India and Japan have had a long and fruitful history of bilateral development cooperation since 1958. In the last few years, the economic cooperation between India and Japan has steadily progressed.

     

    • This further consolidates and strengthens the Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan.

     

    NATIONAL

     

    ·        Eighth National Voters Day is observed on 25th January

     

    • The Election Commission of India celebrated the 8th National Voters’ Dayacross the country on 25th January for enhanced participation of citizens in the electoral process.
    • The National level function was held in New Delhi.
    • President Ram Nath Kovind gave away awards for best electoral practices to District Collectors, Superintendents of Police and other functionaries involved in election management.

     

    Gk bit – National Voters Day

     

    • National Voters’ Day or Rashtriya Matdata Diwasis celebrated on January 25 every year. The significance of National Voters’ Day is to encourage more young voters to take part in the political process. It is a day to celebrate the right to vote and vibrant democracy of India.

     

    • The day was first celebrated in 2011 to mark Election Commission’s Foundation Day. This will be eighth National Voters’ Day (NVD) and will be used to spread awareness among voters regarding effective participation in the electoral process.

     

    • ECI (Election Commission of India) is permanent and independent constitutional body established directly by Constitution of India to ensure fair and fair elections in the country. It is multi-member body and currently has three members including Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

     

    • Bharat Parv to be held at Red Fort on Republic Day

     

    • Cultural extravaganza Bharat Parvwill be held at the Red Fort in Delhi as part of the Republic Day celebrations.
    • The prime objective of the event is to promote rich cultural diversity of the country, generate a patriotic mood and to ensure wider participation of the general public.
    • The Bharat Parv event includes a display of Republic Day Parade Tableaux, Performances by Armed Forces Bands, Cultural Performances from a different region.

     

    ·        Union Government To Infuse Over Rs88 Thousand Crore In 20 PSB

     

    • The Union Government announced 88,139 crore rupees capital infusion in20 public sector banks, PSBs, during the current fiscal ending 31st March to boost lending and revive growth.
    • IDBI Bank will get the most- Rs10,610 crore followed by State Bank of India 8,800 crore rupees.
    • The 20 banks that will receive the capital infusion during this phase include Bank of India, UCO Bank, and Punjab National Bank.
    • In October last year, the government had announced over two lakh crore rupees bank recapitalization plan spread over spread over two financial years  2017-18 and 2018-19.

     

    • India to host 16th International Energy Forum meet

     

    • The 16th International Energy Forum (IEF) Ministerial meeting will be held in New Delhi on April 10 to 12.

     

    • It will be hosted by Government of India in New Delhi and co-hosted by the Government of China and South Korea.

     

    • Representatives from 92 countries will be participating in the conference, including 72 member countries of IEF and 20 guest countries.

     

    • India had last hosted the IEF ministerial conference in 1996.

     

    ·        Union Government to increase number of AMRIT pharmacy stores 4 times

    • The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced to increase the number of AMRIT pharmacy stores by four times by end of 2018 from the existing 111 outlets in a bid to make low-cost medicines more accessible. So far, 52 lakh patients have been benefited by buying discounted drugs (60 to 90% less than market price) from AMRIT (Affordable medicine and reliable implants for treatment) stores and have saved over Rs. 267 crores.
    • The AMRIT (Affordable medicine and reliable implants for treatment) scheme aims to reduce expenditure incurred by patients on the treatment of cancer.
    • Under it, retail outlets in the name of AMRIT pharmacy are opened to sell drugs for cancer and heart diseases at highly discounted rates on market rates.

     

     

    • SARAS PT1N makes its maiden flight

     

    • SARAS PT1N (14 seater) designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), a frontline aerospace research laboratory, has successfully made its maiden flight.

     

    • Union Minister for Science & Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, has congratulated the scientists of CSIR-NAL and other agencies involved in the successful maiden flight.

     

    • The aircraft took off at about 11 a.m from HAL airport and flew for about 40 minutes at the maximum height of 8500 ft at the speed of 145 knots.

     

    • The aircraft programme is named after Indian crane Saras. It was first conceptualised in the 1990s to establish short-haul civil aviation market. The original design of the plane included maximum take-off weight of 6,100kg and a maximum payload of 1,232kg.

     

    • Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls launched

     

    • Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Shri Rakesh Srivastava launched the Phase -1 i.e. the beneficiary module of the Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls – a web based on line monitoring for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls in New Delhi.

     

    • This Portal has been developed in collaboration with National Informatics Centre (NIC).

     

Arunachal Pradesh Trade and Commerce

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Arunachal Pradesh Trade and Commerce

  • Arunachal Pradesh is situated in the north eastern most part of India and is nearly 84,000 Sq. Km in area. It has a long international boundary with Bhutan to the west (160 Km), China to the North East (1080 Km) and Myanmar to the East (440 Km) stretching 1,680 Kms of international border.
  • The Department of Trade & Commerce was created and caArunachal Pradesh Trade and Commerceme into being in the state of Arunachal Pradesh during 1998.The main functions of the Department as per the Business of Allocation notified by the Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh are as under:
  1. Issue of Trade License.
  2. Facilities to Border Trade & Foreign Trade.
  3. Development and expansion of export production particular in plantation of crops, orchids, flowers and Handlooms and Handicrafts.
  4. Creation of Export commodities including Export Processing Zones etc

Activities of the Department by Department of Trade and Commerce Arunachal Pradesh

  • The Department of Trade & Commerce is the Nodal Department for issue of Trade Licences.
  • All the respective Deputy Commissioners/ ADCs of the Districts have been empowered to issue Trade Licences up to Rs. 10 lakhs.
  • Trade Licences involving more than Rs. 10 lakhs are also issued by the respective DCs after thorough examination by the Department of Trade & Commerce and subsequent approval of the Government.
  • Normally, Trade Licences are issued to Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) entrepreneurs only.
  • However, in exceptional cases where there is no APST entrepreneurs forth coming, Non-Tribals are also issued Trading licences with the approval of the Government subject to dully recommended by the respective DCs as a special case.
  • Moreover, trade licences can also be issued to industrial unit established by other than APST as per Arunachal Pradesh State Industrial Policy 2008

Facilities to Border Trade and Foreign Trade

  • By the advent of globalization and economic liberalization, The Government of India has given more emphasis on the development of Border Trade & Foreign Trade with the neighbouring countries for the overall economic development of the state in particular and country in general.
  • As a consequence, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh has taken up some ambitious proposals for re-opening of border trade with the neighbouring countries i.e. Bhutan, Myanmar & China.
  • In the past, the people of the state residing in the border areas had been maintaining trade relations with the neighboring countries though in traditional and unregulated manner.
  • People inhabiting in the border areas with Bhutan and Myanmar have been maintaining unregulated trade relation till today though trade relation with China was discontinued after Sino-Indian conflict in 1962.
  • The Government of Arunachal Pradesh has identified the following border trade points and further development of infrastructure is under active process in Indo-Myanmar and Indo-Bhutan sector.

BORDER TRADE

  • The Government of Arunachal Pradesh is presently planning to open a new horizon by opening Border Trade with our neighbouring countries, viz., China, Bhutan and Myanmar.
  • In most of the places, traditional way of trade is existing but Government is preparing proposals to create proper infrastructure for formal trade.
  • Border Trade in following sectors is being proposed:

Indo-China Sector

  1. Kenzamane (Zemithang) in Tawang District
  2. Bumla in Tawang District .
  3. Gelling (Kepangla Pass) in Upper Siang District
  4. Kibithoo in Anjaw District
  5. Mechuka (Lolla Pass) in West Siang District.
  6. Monigong (Dumla Pass) in West Siang District
  7. Taksing in Upper Subansiri District.

Indo-Myanmar Sector

  1. Pangsu Pass (Nampong) in Changlang District

Indo-Bhutan Sector

  1. Bleting (Namtsering) in Tawang District
  2. Dongshengmang and Bongkhar in Tawang District

Various scheme for Trade Development

Export Development Fund (EDF)

  • Following the announcement of the Prime Minister on June, 21-22, 2000 at Shillong, an Export Development of Fund (EDF) has been set up for promotion of the export development in the North Eastern Region including Sikkim.
  • The fund was set up initially with a corpus of Rs 5 crores and thereafter further contribution to the fund is to be provided by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry from any other budgetary or non budgetary sources of the government which is to be managed by the Agriculture & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the instruction of the Department of Commerce.

Central Assistance to States for Developing Export Infrastructure and Other Allied Activities (ASIDE)

  • The Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India is implementing a central scheme, ‘Central Assistance to States for Developing Export Infrastructure and Other Allied Activities’ (ASIDE) for promotion and facilitation of export commodities and creation of necessary infrastructure in the state in order to maintain lower cost of production so as to make our exports internationally competitive.
  • The objective of the scheme is to involve the state in the export effort by providing assistance to the state government for creating appropriate infrastructure for the development and growth of exports as the states do not often have adequate resources to participate in funding of infrastructure for exports.

Setting up of World Trade Centre (WTC) in Itanagar

  • The World Trade Centre, Mumbai (WTCM) which is the lone Centre in entire Country is very much interested to set up one more such centre in the state of Arunachal Pradesh at Itanagar in view of the high potentiality of Border Trade scope in the region in tune with “Look East Policy” of the Central Government.
  • The W.T.C can facilitate in numerous ways, such as, holding of business exhibitions, Business centre with rooms for holding meetings, conferences, workshops, video conferencing, W.T.C club, undertaking research studies and dissemination of information through on-line, periodicals, training in foreign languages and taking and receiving trade missions.
  • Moreover the WTC can be a catalyst for all round development of the region, such as, renewal of urban areas, attraction of new business in the region, boosting of airport and air traffic and enhancing the trade capabilities of the trading community of the region

 

Arunachal Pradesh Trade & Commerce

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Arunachal Pradesh Trade & Commerce

The entire North-east India had a long tradition of trade relations with eastern Himalayan sub-region comprising Bhutan, Tibet, China and Myanmar (Burma). It is more so in case of Arunachal Pradesh, because most of the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh migrated from these countries. Therefore, they had maintained ethnic, cultural, commercial and even matrimonial relationships with their neighboring territories through ages.

The tribes of Arunachal Pradesh living along the international border had trade connections with China, Tibet, Bhutan and Myanmar through several trade routes). While the tribes living along the southern border of Arunachal Pradesh had trade relations with Assam, the eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh had trading relations

With Burma, and the western and the northern part of Arunachal Pradesh had well developed trade links with the Tibetans.

Arunachal Pradesh Trade & Commerce

Trade Dynamics

History has recorded a number of trade routes between Arunachal Pradesh and its neighbouring countries. As many as 27 trade routes (passes) including the famous

Tawang route which passed via Tawang and Tsona Dzong have been identified between Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet. Local goods of Tibet and Bhutan were brought through these trade routes to be exchanged for local goods of Arunachal and Assam at different trade fairs (Mela) held annually coinciding with certain religious festivals in the foothills.

 

On the eastern border of Arunachal Pradesh four trade routes have been identified including the famous Pangsu Pass between Arunachal Pradesh and Burma. A large number of hill tribes from the present Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh used to carry on trade in tea, blankets, matches, etc., at various places in Burma including in Bhamo, the most important trading centre on the bank of river Irrawaddy in Burma. The major articles from Burma side were amber (Jangphi), gum, nora cloth, silver, etc.

 

To speed up the process of development in the State, the present ‘inward looking’ paradigms of developmental policy is to be supplemented by an ‘outward looking’ approach based on market and trade. The changing scenario in international trade under WTO regime, India’s emphasis on signing trade agreements with several foreign countries including the South and South-east Asian countries (a few of which share common border with Arunachal Pradesh) and the ‘Look East’ policy of India can be of great help for Arunachal Pradesh in its efforts to introduce this ‘outward looking’ development strategy. ‘The global pattern of agrarian transformation initiated by GATT/WTO suggests that the major portion of third

world peasantries have no future simply as subsistence cultivators’

 

Prospects of Trade with Neighbouring Countries—Exploring New Frontiers

 

Arunachal Pradesh has potentials for producing some of the goods which currently India is exporting to various countries including those bordering Arunachal Pradesh.

China, the ASEAN region, Bangladesh and other SAARC countries which are geographically close to Arunachal Pradesh import substantial portion of each of

the above items in which Arunachal Pradesh has export potential.

 

Biodiversity:

Arunachal Pradesh with 2.54 per cent of country’s geographical area is custodian of more than 23.52 per cent of the flowering plants of India. It is one of the richest botanical treasure houses of the country. A few valuable items of such rich biodiversity of the State, identified on the basis of market demand, could be commercially exploited for economic benefit of the State.

 

Orchids:

Out of 925 varieties of orchids available in India, more than 500 varieties are found in Arunachal Pradesh due to its favourable soil and climatic conditions.

In fact, approximately 200 varieties are unique to the State and 60 per cent of these are ornamental in nature with high demands in international markets. Thus,

Arunachal Pradesh can be a major exporter of orchids.

 

Horticultural Crops:

Arunachal Pradesh is famous for production of apple, orange, pineapple, banana, walnut, kiwi and several spices (cardamom, black-pepper, ginger, etc.) including 4500 species of flowering plants. Nearly 55,000 hectares of land is under horticultural crops including spices. At present, Arunachal Pradesh is selling some of these fruit crops only to Assam and neighboring North-eastern states, but its soil and climate are so rich for flower and fruit crop plantation that it can be a major exporter of flowers, fruits and fruit products even to the neighboring countries.

 

Major Forest Products:

The vast area of forests of Arunachal Pradesh covering 51,540 sq km, which forms

about 62 per cent of the total geographical area of the State, are full of valuable timber trees like hollock, pine, chir, teak, etc., which grow naturally. The commercial use of these trees along with its scientific captive plantation can earn substantial revenue for the State. Value added products from such trees can also be exported to the neighboring countries.

 

Minor Forest Products (MFP)

 

(i) Herbal Plants: Arunachal Pradesh has a rich tradition of herbal health care. The tribes have so far identified over 500 species of plants, having medicinal properties. However, some of these ‘medicinal’ plants are yet to be authenticated by appropriate scientific testing. Due to lack of awareness, the State is yet to harness the full potentials of this wealth

 

(ii) Aromatic Plants: Arunachal Pradesh forests offer a vast array of aromatic plants such as citronella, lemon-grass, vanilla, patcholi, agaroo, etc., which can be used in aromatic industry for the manufacture of perfumes, incenses, etc., for export purposes.

 

Economic Mineral Resources of Arunachal Pradesh Trade & Commerce

Among the valuable minerals spotted in Arunachal Pradesh are petroleum, limestone, marble coal, dolomite, fuller’s earth and natural gas reserves are worth mentioning.

If properly assessed and explored with required infrastructural development, the products of some of these minerals can be used for making several value-added products locally in small and medium scale industries. Some of the value-added products can be exported to the neighboring countries.

 

Tourism Products

The State’s unique natural beauty, different species of wildlife, religious places, historical and heritage sites, diverse attractive tribal cultures, friendly and hospitable people could make Arunachal Pradesh, the Switzerland of the East. The sites which can be developed into world class tourist spots are Tawang for religious, adventure and eco tourists; Parusuramkunda and Malini Than, for religious and eco tourists; Namdapha Tiger Project, Mowling National Park, and ten wildlife sanctuaries of the State for wildlife tourists; ‘Lake of No Return’ on the border of Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar near Phangso Pass.

 

Hydro-electric Power

Arunachal Pradesh possesses immense potential of powers, primarily in the form of hydel. But the progress of this sector has not taken place on a scale proportionate to resource availability. The total unexploited hydel potential of the State is estimated to be 49000 MW. The National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) has undertaken survey and investigation works of Siang and Subansiri basins for establishing mega hydro power project with an installed capacity of 20700 MW. When this project will be completed, Arunachal Pradesh can be a major exporter of cheap hydel power not only to the entire North-east, but also to its neighbouring countries having power deficit like China and Myanmar.

 

Trade Routes

 

(i) Tezpur-Bomdila-Towang-Bum La (China)

(ii) Lakhimpur-Daparijo-Nacho (China)

(iii) Jonai-Sadiya-Mekha-Malvinil-Tajobum (China)

(iv) Sadiya-Tezu-Chirangal-Kahao (China)

(v) Tinsukia-Winstong-Mogung (Myanmar)

(vi) Khonsa-Wakha (Myanmar)

(vii) Ledo-Pangsou Pass-Myitkyina-Bhamo-Kunming

(Myanmar and China)

Out of these seven old border trade routes of Arunachal Pradesh, the most useful and economic route is the Ledo-Pangsou Pass-Myitkyina-Bhamo-Kunming route,

popularly known as StilWell Road.