North East Rural Livelihood Project

The North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP) has empowered the poor and improved the lives of people in about 3,00,000 rural households in Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.

About North East Rural Livelihood Project

• Launched in 2012, the NERLP is a World Bank aided, multi-state ₹683 crore project under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
• The project has been implemented in 11 districts of Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim with an aim to improve rural livelihoods especially that of women, unemployed youth and the most disadvantaged, in the four North Eastern States.
• There are four components to the Project:
  
  • Social empowerment
  • Economic empowerment
  • Partnership development
  • Project management
• The specific project objectives are to :
  
  • Create sustainable community institutions around women Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Youth Groups of men and women (YG) and Community Development Groups (CDG).
  • Build capacity of community institutions for self governance, bottom up planning, democratic functioning with transparency and accountability.
  • Increase economic and livelihood opportunities.
  • Develop partnership of community institutions for natural resource management, microfinance, market linkages, and sectoral economic services.
• The project also works in partnerships with expert organizations to focus on cluster development through value chain.

Outcomes

• It has impacted the lives of about 18 lakh population, with creation of common economic assets (including rural infrastructure) worth around total Rs. 136 crores.
• Under the project, 10,462 boys and girls have been trained in various job skills and 5,494 of them are employed as of now.
• Various activities have been undertaken by CDGs such as reclamation of wasteland, construction of check-dams, plantation, horticulture projects etc.
• Livelihood activities pursued by SHG members have increased considerably, thus increasing family incomes.
• Women have become more knowledgeable and expressive and display better leadership qualities.

Source: PIB

Domestic Demand and Economy’s Animal Spirits

The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) annual report for the year 2018-19 has stated that the low domestic demand is holding back the animal spirits of the economy.

• The 'animal spirit' is a term coined by the famous British economist, John Maynard Keynes, to describe how people arrive at financial decisions, including buying and selling securities, in times of economic stress or uncertainty.

Insights from the Report

• The report emphasized the need for the revival of consumption and investment pattern in the economy during 2019-20.
• It claimed that the slowdown could be cyclical in nature rather than a deep structural one. But there are some crucial structural issues in land, labour, & agricultural marketing that require urgent reforms.
• Banks are recovering, but Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) have irrational exuberance and considerable overleveraging.
• Cases of frauds reported by banks saw a 15% jump in 2018-19 on a year-on-year basis.

State of the Economy

• There is a broad-based cyclical downturn in several sectors of the economy like, manufacturing, hotels, trade, transport, communication and broadcasting, construction, and agriculture, which need urgent structural reforms.
• Farm sector also requires crucial intense reforms such as reforms in cold storage facilities and the market mechanism, in order to double the farmer’s income by 2022.
• The investment rate (measured by the ratio of gross capital formation to GDP) had fallen to 32.3% in 2017-18, which is a cause of worry and needs grave attention.
• The Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPA) ratio of the banking system declined to 9.1% in March this year from 11.2% in the previous year, which is a healthy sign for the financial system.

Gross Non-Performing Assets

• An asset, including a leased asset, becomes non-performing when it ceases to generate income for the bank. A Non-Performing Asset (NPA) is a loan for which the principal or interest payment remained overdue for a period of 90 days.
• Gross NPA is the summation of all loan assets that are classified as NPA as per RBI guidelines. When the NPA occurs, it is not just an interest income loss to the bank, but a principal loss as well.
• Banks are required to classify NPAs further into Substandard, Doubtful and Loss assets.
  • Substandard Assets: A substandard asset would be one, which has remained NPA for a period less than or equal to 12 months. Such an asset will have well-defined credit weaknesses that jeopardize the liquidation of the debt and are characterised by the distinct possibility that the banks will sustain some loss if deficiencies are not corrected.
  • Doubtful Asset: An asset would be classified as doubtful if it has remained in the substandard category for a period of 12 months. A loan classified as doubtful has all the weaknesses inherent in assets that were classified as substandard, with the added characteristic that the weaknesses make collection or liquidation in full, - on the basis of currently known facts, conditions and values - highly questionable and improbable.
  • Loss Asset: A loss asset is one where loss has been identified by the bank or internal or external auditors or the RBI inspection but the amount has not been written off wholly. In other words, such an asset is considered uncollectible and of such little value that its continuance as a bankable asset is not warranted although there may be some salvage or recovery value.

• Banks are staging recovery because of several reforms initiated in the past such as, Recapitalization, & Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
• In 2018-19, retail electronic payment transactions increased by 59% to Rs 23.3 billion from Rs 14.6 billion in the previous year, resulting in an increase in the share of electronic transactions in the volume of retail payments.

Required Reforms

• Reviving consumption demand and private investment is the need of the hour. It may involve:
• Strengthening the banking and non-banking sectors,
• Increased spending on infrastructure,
• Implementation of much needed structural reforms in the areas of labour laws & taxation.
• Other legal reforms, which will enhance the Ease of Doing Business in India.
• Faster implementation of capital expenditures by public authorities and similar other measures as announced by the Finance Ministry recently in this regard have the potential to inject growth impulses into the economy.

Source: TH

Electromagnetic Interference, Compatibility and Pulse

The Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER) with its vast experience in the areas of Electromagnetic Interference, Compatibility and Pulse (EMI/EMC/EMP) can help Defence Services, academic institutions, public and private industries to evolve better.

Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)

• It is a short burst of electromagnetic energy.
• A pulse's origin may be a natural or man-made in occurrence.
• It has the potential to disrupt, degrade, and damage technology and critical infrastructure systems.
• At higher energy levels a powerful EMP event such as a lightning strike can damage physical objects such as buildings and aircraft structures.
• It can also affect large geographic areas, disrupting elements critical to the nation’s security and economic prosperity and could adversely affect global commerce and stability
• In a world ridden with conflicts, electromagnetism can be misused and weaponised.
• Smart cities which are run on Information and Communication Technologies are also extremely vulnerable to EMP.
• It could also directly or indirectly permeate the national security establishment, including the military and intelligence community, undermining their ability to respond to the national command authority and provide for the country’s security.
• To avert threats like Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attacks, developing futuristic defence mechanisms and creation of EMP- resistant infrastructure is necessary.

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)

• When the radio frequency spectrum is disturbed by an external source it affects an electrical circuit by electromagnetic induction,it is called as Electromagnetic Interference.
• The disturbance may degrade the performance of the circuit or even stop it from functioning.
• Both man-made and natural sources can be generated by changing electrical currents and voltages which can create EMI.
• It can be used intentionally for radio jamming especially in electronic warfare.

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)

• It is the ability of electrical equipment and systems to function acceptably in their electromagnetic environment.
• It works by limiting the unintentional generation, propagation and reception of electromagnetic energy which may cause unwanted effects such as electromagnetic interference (EMI) or even physical damage in operational equipment.
• The goal of EMC is to maintain regular operation of different equipment in a common electromagnetic environment.

The Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER)

• It was set up as an autonomous R & D laboratory under the then Department of Electronics, Government of India.
• It aims to undertake R & D work in the areas of Microwave Engineering and Electromagnetic Engineering Technology.
• It has R&D centres at Mumbai,Chennai and Kolkata.
• It has developed:
  
  • India's first MST Radar which is also the 2nd largest in the world.
  • India's first indigenously developed Linear Accelerator for Cancer treatment.
  • Energy efficient Drying/Heating System for textile, Food, Ceramic, Chemical, Pharma, Rubber applications through RF/Microwave.
  • Microwave dis-infection system for hazardous hospital waste.

Source: PIB

Compensatory Afforestation Fund

The Union Environment Ministry has transferred ₹47,436 crore to 27 States for afforestation. The funds are long-pending dues, part of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF), that has been collected for nearly a decade as environmental compensation from industry.

• The funds transferred are in addition to State Budget. The centre expects that states will utilize the funds towards forestry activities to achieve the objectives of the Nationally-Determined Contributions (NDCs) of increasing forest & tree cover.
• The Fund will be used as per provisions of the CAF Act and Rules.

Compensatory Afforestation Fund

• The CAF Act was passed by the centre in 2016 and the related rules were notified in 2018.
• The CAF Act was enacted to manage the funds collected for compensatory afforestation which till then was managed by ad hoc Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
  
  • Compensatory afforestation means that every time forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency pays for planting forests over an equal area of non-forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land.
• As per the rules, 90% of the CAF money is to be given to the states while 10% is to be retained by the Centre.
• The funds can be used for treatment of catchment areas, assisted natural generation, forest management, wildlife protection and management, relocation of villages from protected areas, managing human-wildlife conflicts, training and awareness generation, supply of wood saving devices and allied activities.

Source: PIB

SKOCH Governance Gold Award for DAY-NULM

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) has been conferred the prestigious SKOCH Governance Gold Award for its Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access (PAiSA).

• DAY-NULM is a flagship mission under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)

• The mission was launched in 2014 and is being implemented by the Urban Ministry of Housing & Poverty Alleviation.
• It aims to uplift urban poor by enhancing sustainable livelihood opportunities through skill development.
• It is Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
  
  • Funding will be shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25. For North Eastern and Special Category – the ratio will be 90:10.
• Its intended beneficiaries are urban poor (street vendors, slum dwellers, homeless, rag pickers), unemployed and differently-abled.
  
  • Skill Training and Employment: It provides for the development of vendor markets and also the promotion of skills for vendors through setting up infrastructure and special projects for rag picker and differently-abled, etc.
    • It provides for employment through Skill Training and Placement through City Livelihood Centres to reduce poverty and vulnerability.
    • It also provides subsidy to urban poor i.e. interest subsidy of 5% – 7% for setting up individual micro-enterprises with the loan of up to 2 lakhs and for group enterprises with a loan limit of up to Rs.10 lakhs.
  • Self-Help Groups: It also provides social mobilization and institution development through the formation of Self-Help Groups (SHG) for training members and hand holding, initial support of 10, 000 is given for each group.
  • Shelters: It fully funds the cost of construction of shelters for the urban homeless.

Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access (PAiSA).

• It is a centralized IT platform which simplifies and streamlines the release of interest subvention under the DAY-NULM.
• It offers end to end online solution for processing, payment, monitoring and tracking of interest subvention claims from banks on a monthly basis.
• The portal has been designed and developed through the Allahabad Bank.

SKOCH Awards

• It was instituted in 2003 and recognises people, projects and institutions that go the extra mile to make India a better nation.
• It recognises the best of efforts in the area of digital, financial and social inclusion, governance, inclusive growth, excellence in technology and applications, change management, corporate leadership, corporate governance, citizen service delivery, capacity building and empowerment.

Source:PIB

50th Foundation Day of Bureau of Police Research and Development

On occasion of 50^th foundation day of BPR&D, the Home Minister stressed upon modernising the police department and urged the security personnel to carry out their duties with responsibility.

• The Home Minister also made following announcements:
  
  • Police University and Forensic Science University will be set up at the national level.
  • Correctional Administration and Prison Reforms should adopt reformative approach and become centres of rehabilitation.
  • Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) require a complete review and changes in keeping with the present day requirements.
  • Need to strengthen the human intelligence (Khabri System) at the “Thana” level.
  • The police machinery should give away third degree methods and adopt scientific investigation.

Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D)

• The Government of India established the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), under the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1970s.
• It replaced Police Research and Advisory Council (1966), with the primary objective of modernization of police force.
• In 1995 Government of India decided to entrust issues relating to Correctional Administration Work to the BPR&D.
  
  • Thereby BPR&D has to ensure the implementation of prison reforms as well.
• The Government of India further decided to create National Police Mission under the administrative control of BPR&D to transform the police forces in the country.

Source:TH

Fit India Movement

• The Prime Minister on the occasion of National Sports Day launched the ‘Fit India Movement’ as the People’s Movement & urged people to make fitness their lifestyle.
• National Sports Day is celebrated every year on 29^th August to honor the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand Singh.
• The President of India on this occasion honoured the eminent athletes from various sports with the prestigious Khel Ratna, Arjuna Awards, Dronacharya Awards, and Dhyan Chand Award.

Source: PIB

Dindigul Lock and Kandangi Saree

The Geographical Indications Registry has granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to two products from Tamil Nadu: Dindigul lock and Kandangi saree.

• The Dindigul locks are known throughout the world for their superior quality and durability, so much so that even the city (Dindigul) is called Lock City.
  
  • Government institutions such as prisons, godowns, hospitals, and even temples use these locks instead of other machine-made ones.
• The Kandangi sarees are manufactured in the entire Karaikudi taluk in Sivaganga district.
  
  • Worn in summer, these are characterised by large contrast borders. Some are known to have borders covering as far as two-thirds of the saree which is usually around 5.10 m-5.60 m in length.
• A GI Tag indicates that the product originates from a definite territory in India and has unique characteristics or qualities.

Source: TH

Campaign Angikaar and E-Course

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched two initiatives: Angikaar, a campaign for behavioural change and an e-Course on ‘Vulnerability Atlas of India’.

Campaign Angikaar

• It has been launched for social behaviour change, focusing on issues such as water & energy conservation, waste management, health, tree plantation, sanitation and hygiene for beneficiaries of completed houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - PMAY (U).
  
  • The campaign will converge with schemes and missions of other Ministries dealing with the stated subjects.
  • The convergence would especially focus on Ujjwala for gas connection and Ayushman Bharat for health insurance to the beneficiaries of PMAY (U).
• The campaign will be initiated in all target cities on 2^nd October 2019 commemorating 150^th Gandhi Jayanti and culminate on the occasion of Human Rights Day, 10^th December, 2019.

E-course on Vulnerability Atlas

• It is a unique course that offers awareness and understanding about natural hazards, helps identify regions with high vulnerability with respect to various hazards and specifies district-wise level of damage risks to the existing housing stock.
• The e-course will be a tool for effective & efficient disaster mitigation & management in the field of Architecture, Civil Engineering, Urban & Regional Planning, Housing & Infrastructure Planning, Construction Engineering & Management and Building & Materials Research.

Source: PIB

Two New Species of Eels

Recently, two new species of Marine Eels have been discovered by Estuarine Biology Regional Centre (EBRC) of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).

• One of them, a short brown un-patterned Moray Eel, named Gymnothorax andamanensesis, is found near the south Andaman coast.
  
  • 10 species of short brown unpatterned moray eels have been discovered in the world, out of which two were found in Indian waters.
• Another is a new white-spotted Moray Eel, now named Gymnothorax smithi.

Moray Eels

• Moray Eels occur in all tropical and subtropical seas, they live in shallow water among reefs and rocks.
• They are known for two types of jaws: one is regular (oral) jaws with big teeth and the second jaw is called the pharyngeal jaw (which drags prey inside the eels stomach).
• There IUCN red list status is Least Concern.

Zoological Survey of India

• The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), a subordinate organization of the Ministry of Environment and Forests was established in 1916.
• It is a national centre for faunistic survey and exploration of the resources leading to the advancement of knowledge on the exceptionally rich faunal diversity of the country.
• It has its headquarters at Kolkata and 16 regional stations located in different geographic locations of the country.

Source: TH

War on Nature must End

Recently the teenage climate campaigner Greta Thunberg after completing her 15-day journey across the Atlantic via Zero-emission yacht urged “to end the war on nature.”

• She led the popular initiative #FridaysForFuture.

#FridaysForFuture

• It is a movement that began in Sweden in August 2018 to protest against the lack of action on the climate crisis.
• The hashtags #FridaysForFuture and #Climatestrike became so popular that many students and adults began to protest outside of their Parliaments and local city halls all over the world.
• #Climatestrike is a global event to demand an end to the age of fossil fuels & climate justice for everyone. It is a wake-up call to our generation to solve the greatest environmental challenge in human history.

Source: IE

A 3.8m-year-Old Skull was Discovered in Northern Ethiopia

Recently, a remarkably complete adult male skull called MRD-VP-1/1 or MRD for short., was found in Ethiopia.

• It is being dubbed as the face of the oldest species (ever known yet) that is part of the human evolutionary tree.
• It is the oldest-known member of the Australopithecus group.
  
  • Australopithecine, a pivotal group of early human ancestors, lived between 1.5 and 4 million years ago.
  • It dates back to a time when our ancestors were emerging from the trees to walk on two legs but still had distinctly ape-like protruding faces, powerful jaws and small brains.
• MRD’s species, which was bipedal but may also have been able to move around in trees, was much smaller than modern humans.
• This species is considered the direct ancestor of Australopithecus afarensis, the species are best known from the famous partial skeleton nicknamed Lucy unearthed in 1974.
• The 3.2-million-year-old Lucy belonged to a species of hominins (which include humans and their ancestors) called Australopithecus afarensis, the newly investigated skull belongs to the older species Australopithecus anamensis.
• Also after examining the skull it has been found that MRD’s species could have coexisted with Lucy’s because of a “speciation event”.
  
  • It is possible that a small group of MRD’s species became genetically isolated from the rest of the population and evolved into Lucy’s species, whose population eventually out-bred MRD’s species.
• The finding also helps bridge a big gap between the earliest-known human ancestors (about 6 million years old) and species like Lucy (2-3 million years old).
• The evolutionary lineage that led to people split from the chimpanzee lineage roughly 6 million to 7 million years ago, gradually acquiring traits such as bipedal walking, flatter face and increased brain size through a succession of species.
• Our species, Homo sapiens, appeared roughly 300,000 years ago in Africa.

Source: IE