International Seed Treaty

Why in News

The eighth session of the Governing Body of International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) is being held in Rome, Italy from 11^th to 16^th November 2019.

Key Points

• The Governing Body sessions are held biennially.
• India highlighted the need for conservation of plant genetic resources and the uniqueness of Indian legislation Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act to address the related issues.

International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

• It was adopted by the 31^st session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on 3^rd November 2001.
• Objective:
  
  • Farmers’ Contribution: To recognize the contribution of farmers to the diversity of crops,
  • Access and Benefit Sharing: Establish a global system to provide farmers, plant breeders and scientists with access to plant genetic materials,
  • Sustainability: To conserve and sustainably use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity.
• It is also known as Seed Treaty as it is a comprehensive international agreement for ensuring food security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use of the world's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA).
• India is a signatory to the treaty.

Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001

• It aims to protect Farmers’ and breeder’s rights.
• According to the act, a farmer is entitled to save, use, sow, resow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001 except the brand name.
• The Act is compliant to Article-9 of the Seed Treaty.
• Under the provisions of this Act, 138 farmers/farming communities have been awarded with the Plant Genome Saviour Awards by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority.
  
  • The award is given annually to the farmers engaged in the conservation of genetic resources of landraces (dynamic populations of a cultivated plant) and wild relatives of economic plants and their improvement.
• A few months back in April 2019, PepsiCo sued Gujarati farmers by invoking the provisions of the act.

Source: PIB

Base Year for GDP Calculations

Why in news

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) is considering changing of base year for GDP calculation from 2011-12 to 2017-18.

Base Year

• The base year of the national accounts is chosen to enable inter-year comparisons. It gives an idea about changes in purchasing power and allows calculation of inflation-adjusted growth estimates.
• The last series has changed the base to 2011-12 from 2004-05.

Need for Change

• Accuracy: Change of base year to calculate GDP is done in line with the global exercise to capture economic information accurately.
• Globally Aligned: GDP based on 2011-12 did not reflect the current economic situation correctly. The new series will be in compliance with the United Nations guidelines in System of National Accounts-2008.
  
  • Ideally, the base year should be changed after every five years to capture the changing economy.

GDP calculation in India

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) gives the economic output from the consumers’ side. It is the sum of private consumption, gross investment in the economy, government investment, government spending and net foreign trade (the difference between exports and imports).
  
  • GDP = private consumption + gross investment + government investment + government spending + (exports-imports)
• In 2015, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) did away with GDP at factor cost and adopted the international practice of GDP at market price and the Gross Value Addition (GVA) measure to better estimate economic activity.
  
  • GDP at market price = GDP at factor cost + Indirect Taxes – Subsidies

Gross Value Added (GVA)

• Gross Value Added (GVA) is a measure of total output and income in the economy. It provides the rupee value for the number of goods and services produced in an economy after deducting the cost of inputs and raw materials that have gone into the production of those goods and services.
• It also gives sector-specific picture like what is the growth in an area, industry or sector of an economy.
• At the macro level, from a national accounting perspective, GVA is the sum of a country’s GDP and net of subsidies and taxes in the economy.
  
  • Gross Value Added = GDP + subsidies on products - taxes on products

Comparison Between GVA and GDP

• While GVA gives a picture of the state of economic activity from the producers’ side or supply side, the GDP gives the picture from the consumers’ side or demand perspective.
  
  • Both measures need not match because of the difference in treatment of net taxes.
• GVA is considered a better gauge of the economy. GDP fails to gauge real economic scenario because a sharp increase in the output, only due to higher tax collections which could be on account of better compliance or coverage, rather than the real output situation.
• A sector-wise breakdown provided by the GVA measure helps policymakers decide which sectors need incentives or stimulus and accordingly formulate sector-specific policies.
  
  • But GDP is a key measure when it comes to making cross-country analysis and comparing the incomes of different economies.

Source: IE

Conference of Central and State Statistical Organizations

Why in News

The 27^th Conference of Central and State Statistical Organizations (COCSSO) was inaugurated at Kolkata, West Bengal on 11^th November, 2019.

• The Conference is organized by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India every year. The theme for 2019 is the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.
  
  • It is a major national forum for coordination between the Central and State Statistical Agencies with the objectives of putting in coordinated efforts for making available reliable and timely statistics to planners and policy makers.

Background

• The Conference of Central and State Statistical Organisations (COCSSO) was organized for the first time in the year 1971.
• In September 2016, MoSPI developed a National Indicator Framework (NIF) which is a consolidated list of possible national indicators. It consists of 306 statistical indicators to serve as a backbone for monitoring of SDGs.
  
  • First of its kind ‘SDG India Index’ has been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Global Green Growth Institute, United Nations in India, and NITI Aayog.
    
    • NITI Aayog has prepared the SDG India Index spanning across 13 out of 17 SDGs (leaving out Goals 12, 13, 14 and 17.
• The discussion at the conference will be centred around the enabling of the State Governments to develop their State Indicator Frameworks in line with the NIF and to strengthen the statistical system of the country.

Objectives

• To provide an overall perspective to the development of the statistical system and to make recommendations/suggestions on issues having bearing on the development of the statistical system;
• To solve the technical issues relating to statistics;
• To set up Working Groups on specific issues/tasks relating to official statistics;
• To provide guidelines in the collection of statistics and maintenance of statistical standards and quality, besides uniformity in statistical standards;
• To consider the Action Taken Report of the follow-up action on the recommendations of the previous meetings(s) of COCSSO; and
• To review the role of the Statistical Advisers in the Central and States/UT Governments.

Source: PIB

New Water Policy Committee

Why in News

The Ministry of Jal Shakti recently constituted a committee to draft a new National Water Policy (NWP).

Key Highlights

• Composition: The committee will be chaired by Mihir Shah (former Planning Commission member and a water expert) and comprises of 10 principal members.
  
  • National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency is proposed to be set up in order to enhance water usage efficiency, especially in domestic and industrial sectors.
• Underlying Need:
  
  • Updation: To update the National Water Policy, 2012 and recommend key changes in water governance structure and regulatory framework.
    
    • NWP was formulated to govern the planning and development of water resources and their optimum utilisation. The first NWP was adopted in September 1987. It was reviewed and updated in 2002 and later in 2012.

Key Features of National Water Policy, 2012

• Integrated Water Resources Management: It laid down the concept of an Integrated Water Resources Management approach that took the river basin/sub-basin as a unit for planning, development, and management of water resources.
  
  • Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is a process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.
• Minimum Water Flow: To maintain the minimum flow of a portion of a river to meet ecological needs.
  
  • In 2018, such an approach led the government to require minimum water levels to be maintained in the Ganga throughout the year by refraining from hoarding water beyond a point.
  • Emphasis was also made to make a minimum quantity of potable water available to citizens for maintaining essential health and hygiene.
• Inter-basin Transfers: To meet basic human needs and achieve equity and social justice, inter-basin transfers of water need to be considered on the basis of the merits of each case after evaluating the environmental, economic and social impacts of such transfers.
• Other reasons such as decreasing spring sets in Himalayas, budgeting and restructuring of water subsidies, irrigation, etc. demanded the prioritization of water usage.

Source: TH

Policy on Credit Rating for MSMEs

Why in News

The government is in the process of formulating a policy on credit ratings for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help investors and other players take an informed decision.

• The government plans to start digital data-based credit system.

Key Points

• Challenges with the current system-
  
  • Under-served: MSMEs have remained largely under-served by Financial Institutions despite their contribution to the economy.
  • Creditworthiness: It is a difficult task for banks and financial institutions to assess the creditworthiness, choosing enterprises with good CIBIL score, detailed audited financial statements or have assets to offer as collateral.
  • Availability of Finance: Service-oriented SMEs are unable to mortgage their equipment against loans like the manufacturing sector, posing a challenge for them to avail finance.
  • Credit Flow: There is a gap in the availability of funds to the SMEs and the government's focus on increasing credit flow to this segment which needs to be filled up.
• How will the digital data-based credit system help the sector?
  
  • Alternative credit scoring based on digital data gives the lender a more holistic view of a borrower's creditworthiness and associated risks for credit underwriting.
  • New sources such as transaction data and surrogate data like utility payments, bill payments give a detailed view of the business.
  • Deploying credit underwriting mechanisms powered by advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning and data analytics can provide useful insights.
  • Each of the data points can be treated as variables for credit appraisal and can be assigned specific weightage depending on the nature of the businesses within the overall MSME segment.

Source: TH

Def Connect 2019

The Ministry of Defence had organised the inaugural session of ‘Def Connect 2019’ to showcase the accomplishments of the Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative in New Delhi.

• iDEX portal and Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC)-III was also launched.

Innovation for Defence Ecosystem (iDEX)

• iDEX, launched in 2018, is an ecosystem to foster innovation & technology development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging innovators & entrepreneurs to deliver technologically advanced solutions for modernizing Indian Military.
• Core Objectives:
  
  • Indigenization: Rapid development of new, indigenized and innovative technology.
  • Innovation: Creates a culture of engagement with innovative startups to encourage co-creation.
• It provides funding/grants to MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovator, R&D institutes and academia to carry out research and development.
• iDEX is funded and managed by “Defence Innovation Organisation”.
• iDEX portal was launched to provide wider publicity and better visibility of iDEX activities and enable more efficient running of future challenges through better information management.

Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO)

• DIO is a not for profit organisation formed under section 8 of the Companies Act 2013.
• It is funded by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
• It provides high level policy guidance to iDEX.

Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC)

• DISC aimed at supporting Startups/MSMEs/Innovators to create prototypes and/or commercialize products/solutions in the area of National Defence and Security.
• It has been launched by the Ministry of Defence in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission.
• The vision of the DISC is two-fold:
  
  • Prototyping: Help create functional prototypes of products/technologies relevant for national security, and spur fast-moving innovation in Indian defence sector.
  • Commercialization: Help new tech products/technologies find a market and early customer in the form of the Indian Defence Establishment.
• Under DISC-III, three challenges from the ARMY, Navy and Air Force were thrown open to prospective start-ups.
• Under the program, the start-ups, Indian companies and individual innovators (includes research & academic institutions) can participate.

Source: PIB

Suranga Bawadi

Suranga Bawadi, situated in Bijapur Karnataka, has entered the World Monuments Watch List under “Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau” of the World Monument Funds.

• Suranga Bawadi is an integral part of the ancient Karez System of supplying water through subterranean tunnels.
• It was built by Adil Shah-I of Adilshahi dynasty of Bijapur in the 16th century to supply water to Vijaypura in Karnataka.

Karez System

• Karez is a water harnessing technology in which groundwater is brought to the surface by a tunnel.
• In this system, no mechanical pump or lift is used. Gravity alone brings the water from the underground source.
• The technology originated in Persia/Iran and was widely used during the medieval period.

World Monument Watch

• The World Monuments Watch is a biennial selection program of ‘at-risk cultural heritage sites’ that combine great historical significance with contemporary social impact.
• It is a nomination-based program that uses cultural heritage conservation to empower communities and improve human well-being.
• It was launched in 1995 on the occasion of the 30^th anniversary of World Monuments Fund to identify imperiled cultural heritage sites and provide direct financial and technical support for their preservation.
• The program also seeks to improve the resilience of communities, enhance social inclusion, and build new capacities in the heritage conservation field and beyond.
• Anyone can nominate a site to the World Monuments Watch, including private individuals and representatives of civil society organizations, community groups, government agencies, educational institutions, or other entities.

World Monument Fund

• World Monuments Fund is a private nonprofit organization founded in 1965 by individuals concerned about the accelerating destruction of important artistic treasures throughout the world.

Source: The Hindu

550th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Sri Guru Nanak Dev

Why in News

Recently, the Prime Minister of India participated in the special event organised at Dera Baba Nanak to inaugurate the Integrated Check Post (ICP) and the Kartarpur Corridor. He also released commemorative coin celebrating 550^th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Guru Nanak Dev

• Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti is observed to celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), who is first of the 10 Sikh Gurus and the founder of Sikhism.
• He advocated the 'Nirguna' (devotion to and worship of formless divine) form of bhakti.
• He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.
• He organised his followers into a community. He set up rules for congregational worship (Sangat) involving collective recitation.
• The fifth preceptor, Guru Arjan Dev, compiled Guru Nanak Dev’s hymns along with those of his four successors and other religious poets like Baba Farid, Ravidas (also known as Raidas) and Kabir in the Adi Granth Sahib.
• These hymns, called 'Gurbani', are composed in many languages.
• In the late seventeenth century the tenth preceptor, Guru Gobind Singh, included the compositions of the ninth guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and this scripture was called the Guru Granth Sahib.

Source: PIB