Namami Gange

 Syllabus: GS Paper-2-Important Policies 

Why in News?

15 people has electrocuted at a sewage treatment plant of the Namami Gange Project.

 Namami Gange:

· It is a flagship programme started in the year 2014.

· It was introduced to accomplish two objectives. They are: a) Abatement of Pollution and b) Rejuvenation of River Ganga.

 · Ministry-Ministry of Jal Shakti

 · Implementation-It is implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and its State counterpart organization.

 · Its main aim is to connect various interest groups including scientists, technology companies, investors and community members. 

 · During the phase 2 of Namami Gange Programme (2021-26) the states will focus on: 

a) Preparation of bankable Detailed Project Report for projects 

b) Revival of small rivers and wetlands 

c) Health cards for at least 10 wetlands should be developed in the Ganga region. 

 d) Adopting policies for reuse of treated water and other by products. 

 Main Pillars:

· Sewage Treatment Infrastructure-To treat sewage and industrial effluents

 · River-Front Development-To improve the aesthetics and crematoria along the river banks

 · River-Surface Cleaning-To collect the floating solid waste from the river surface

 · Biodiversity-To protect the endangered aquatic species of the river

 · Afforestation-To increase the green cover in the catchment area

 · Public Awareness-To educate the public about the importance of clean Ganga

 · Industrial Effluent Monitoring-To enforce pollution norms by industries 

 · Ganga Gram-To develop model villages along the river

UDAN Scheme 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-2-Important Policies 

 Why in News? 

 More than 1.23 crore passengers have travelled on RCS UDAN flights since the inception of the scheme 

 UDAN:

· UDAN stands for Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik which is a part of the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016. 

 · Ministry-Ministry of Civil Aviation 

 · This scheme is applicable for a period of 10 years. 

 Objectives:

· To improve the air connectivity to regional areas in our country. 

 · To enable the common people to fly on the Aeroplan with affordable rates.

 · To develop the remote areas. 

 · To promote trade and tourism

 · To provide employment in the aviation sector. 

 Important Points:

 · Under this scheme, the airlines should maintain the cap of airfares for 50% of the total seats at 2,500 rupees per hour of flight.

 · It can be achieved through the Viability Gap Funding.

· VGF indicates the grant provided to the airlines by the Government.

 · It will bridge the gap between the cost of operations and expected revenue. 

 · For this Regional Connectivity Fund was created to meet the Viability gap funding requirements.

 · The partner State governments except the UTs and NER states will contribute a 20% share to this fund.

 · Whereas the UTs and NER states will contribute 10% share to this fund.

 · Currently UDAN 5.0 is implementing in the country.

e-Shram 

Syllabus: GS Paper-2-Important Policies 

 Why in News? 

India makes a presentation on e-Shram during the 4^th G20 Employment Working Group meeting. 

 e-Shram Portal:

· It contains the database for unorganized workers.

 · It helps them to access various benefits of the central and state government welfare schemes.

 · Implementation-Ministry of Labour & Employment

 · The workers will have the e-Shram card which have the unique 12 digit number. 

 · Its main aim is to register 38 crore unorganized workers.

 · Construction labourers, Migrant workers, street vendors, domestic workers etc. are included in this portal.

 · This portal is available in public for open access. 

 · The workers can self-enroll in the portal through Aadhaar and Mobile numbers. 

 · Then the workers will be provided with the e-Shram card which have the unique 12 digit number. 

 · The registered person will get the Accidental Insurance cover of 2 lakh rupees. 

 · It will allow the workers to get the direct benefit transfer through the e-Shram Unique ID number. 

 Government Initiatives for Unorganized Sector:

· PM Shram Yogi Maan-dhan 

 · Labour code 

 · PM SVANidhi 

 · PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana 

 · PM Rojgar Protsahan Yojana 

 · PM Kisan Samman Nidhi etc.

Black Sea Grain Initiative 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-2-International Relations 

 Why in News? 

 · India supports for the UN’s effort in continuing the Black Sea Grain Initiative

· The Black Sea grain deal was expired on July 17,2023. 

 · Russia did not agree to renew the deal. 

 · It is because of the unmet promises and difficulties in its agricultural exports due to Western Sanctions. 

 Black Sea Grain Initiative:

 · This deal was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey between Ukraine and Russia.

 · It was signed in Istanbul in the year 2022. 

 · It was initiated to tackle the escalating food prices and to resume fertilizers exports from Ukraine. 

 · This treaty creates procedure to safely export grains from certain ports.

 · It allows safe maritime humanitarian corridor for Ukraine exports from its three key ports in the Black Sea. 

They are: a) Chornomorsk b) Odesa c) Pivedenny 

 Joint Coordination Centre:

· It was established to monitor the implementation of the initiative.

 · It comprises senior representatives from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and UN.

 · The commercial ships should register directly with the JCC to ensure monitoring, inspection and safe passage. 

 Why had this deal launched?

· Ukraine is the significant exporter of food grains.

 · It contributes to the UN’s food aid programs. 

 · Russia’s Invasion raised the concerns about food security and soaring prices. 

 Reasons for Russia’s Opposition: 

 · Russia claims that promises made under this deal were not fulfilled.

 · It faces challenges with the payment platforms. 

 · It claims that the deal is affecting its own agricultural exports. 

 · Russia claims that Ukraine has exported to high and middle income countries.

Henley Passport Index 

 Syllabus: Prelims-Important Reports 

 Why in News? 

· India has climbed seven places on Henley Passport Index, 2023.

 · It ranked 80^th from rank 87 last year. 

 · Indian passport holders can travel visa-free to 59 destinations. 

 Henley Passport Index:

· It is the original ranking of all the world’s passports.

 · It is measured according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

 · It was started by Henley and partners.

· The ranking will be done based on the exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). 

 · IATA maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information. 

 · It was launched in the year 2006

· It includes 199 different passports and 277 travel destinations. 

 Global Rankings:

· Singapore topped the list which is now officially the most powerful passport in the world.

 · Its citizens able to visit 192 travel destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free.

 · Germany, Italy and Spain occupied the second place. 

 · Japan which occupied the top position for five years dropped to the 3^rd place.

 · Four countries stood at last place for not permitting visa-free access for any passport. They are: 1. Afghanistan 2. North Korea 3. Papua New Guinea 4. Turkmenistan

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India 

 Syllabus: Prelims-Important Organizations 

Why in News?

TRAI has released the report on drive tests conducted at 20 locations across the country and surrounding areas. 

 Telecom Regulatory Authority of India:

· It is a statutory body which was established in 1997 by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.

· The headquarters is located in New Delhi.

 Objective:

· The main objective of the TRAI is to foster the circumstances for the growth of telecommunications in the country.

 Functions: · It regulates Telecom services 

 · Make recommendations for the revocation of licenses 

 · It lay down the standards of quality of service.

 · It conducts periodical surveys regarding the quality of services. 

 · It ensures the technical compatibility between different service providers. 

 Composition: 

 · Chairperson-Appointed by the Central Government

 · He/ She presides the meetings of the TRAI

 · Vice-Chairperson-The Central Government selects one of the Authority members as a vice-chairperson.

 · He discharges the powers and functions of the Chairperson in his/her absence.

 · Two whole-Time members · Two part-time members

 · They all are appointed by the Government of India.

 Tenure:

 · The tenure of the chairperson and other members are 3 years or till the age of 65 years.

Important Points:

· TRAI was amended in 2000 which established Telecommunications Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal 

 · It was established to take over the adjudicatory and dispute functions from TRAI. 

 · It consists of a chairperson and two other members. 

 · They have to be appointed by the Central Government. 

 · For the selection of members the Central Government consults with the CJI.

Veer Savarkar International Airport 

 Syllabus: Prelims-Governance 

 Why in News? 

Prime Minister of India has inaugurated the integrated terminal building of Veer Savarkar International Air Port.

About:

 · It is also known as Port Blair Airport.

 · It is a customs airport located 2km south of the Port Blair.

 · It is the main airport of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

· The architecture of Airport is inspired by the nature.

 · It is a shell-shaped architecture which depicts the sea and islands 

 · It is named after the freedom fighter of India Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

· It is a civil airport whose facilities are shared with the Indian Navy.

 · The terminal of the airport is managed by the Airports Authority of India.

 · Whereas the traffic is managed by the Indian Navy. 

 Veer Savarkar: 

 · He was born on May 28, 1883 in Nashik, Maharashtra.

· He founded the Abhinav Bharat Society and Free Indian Society.

· He organized a youth group known as Mitra Mela in 1899. 

 · Book-The History of the war of Indian Independence 

 · He was the first person to mention mutiny of 1857 as the first struggle of Indian Independence. 

 · He was the promoter of Hindutva since his childhood.

 · He was the critic of INC and India’s Partition.

Gambusia Fish 

 Syllabus: Prelims-Important Species

Why in News?

The government of Andhra Pradesh has released 10 million Gambusia fish into the water bodies to combat the mosquito-borne diseases like Malaria and Dengue.

Gambusia Fish:

 · It belongs to the family known as Poeciliidae and the genus Gambusia.

 · It is also known with the name Mosquito Fish.

· These fishes have high breeding capacity.

 · They produce about 900-1200 off-springs during the lifespan of female Gambusia.

 · They are used as the biological reagent to control mosquito larvae. 

 · They are small in size when compared to the freshwater fishes.

 · They are recognized for being the most widespread freshwater fish in the world.

 Concerns:

 · They are considered as one of the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world

 · In 1990,these fishes are introduced in Nainital to control mosquito borne diseases further which affected the ecosystem health of the Nainital Lake

 · The high breeding capacity lead to an imbalanced high population of these species in the aquatic ecosystems 

 Malaria:

 · It is a mosquito borne blood disease

 · It is caused by the plasmodium parasites. 

 · It spreads through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. 

 · After entering into the human body, parasites multiplie with the liver cells

. · Then they attack the Red Blood Cells. 

 · There are 5 parasites that cause malaria out of which 2 of these species are dangerous.

 · They are:

i. Plasmodium falciparum

ii. Plasmodium vivax. 

 Symptoms: · Fever · Flu · Chills · Headache · Muscle Aches · Tiredness

Questions

1.Consider the following statements regarding Namami Gange Programme:

 1. It was introduced in the year 2018. 

 2. It works under the Ministry of Jal Shakti 

 3. It is implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and its State counterpart organization 

 How many of the above statements are incorrect? 

 a) Only One

 b) Only two 

 c) Only three

 d) None

2.Consider the following statements regarding UDAN scheme: 

 Statement-I: It was implemented in the year 2016. 

 Statement-II: This scheme is applicable for a period of 20 years. 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect 

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct.

3.Consider the following statements regarding e-Shram Portal:

 Statement-I: It is introduced for the Female Self help groups 

 Statement-II: It is implemented by Ministry of Labour & Employment 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct.

4.Consider the following statements regarding Black Sea Green Initiative: 

 Statement-I: This deal was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey between Ukraine and Russia

 Statement-II: It was signed in Ukraine in the year 2022. 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect 

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct.

5.Consider the following statements regarding Henley Passport Index, 2023:

 1. The rank of India has improved by seven places 

 2. Indian passport holders can travel visa-free to 26 destinations. 

 3. HPI was launched in the year 2006 

 How many of the above statements are correct? 

 a) Only One 

 b) Only two

 c) Only three

 d) None

6.Consider the following statements regarding TRAI: 

 Statement-I: It is a statutory body which was established in 1997 by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997. 

 Statement-II: The headquarters is located in Mumbai. 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect 

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct.

7.Consider the following statements regarding Veer Savarkar International Airport: 

 1. The terminal of the airport is managed by the Airports Authority of India while the traffic is managed by the Indian Navy

 2. The architecture of Airport is inspired by the nature

 3. It is a customs airport located 2km south of the Lakshadweep 

 How many of the above statements are correct? 

 a) Only One 

 b) Only two

 c) Only three 

 d) None

8.Consider the following statements regarding Gambusia Fish: 

 Statement-I: They are used as the biological reagent to control mosquito larvae

 Statement-II: They are large in size when compared to the freshwater fishes. 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct.

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