Current Affairs (CONSOLIDATION) - June 2020 - Drishti IAS
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Current
Affairs
(CONSOLIDaTION)
June 2020
(Part – I)
Drishti, 641, First Floor, Dr. Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi-110009
Phone: 87501 87501, WhatsApp: 92058 85200, IVR: 8010-440-440
Email: engweb@groupdrishti.com
Contents Polity and Governance............................................................................ 1 z Reservation Not a Fundamental Right: Supreme Court...............................................................................................1 z Inclusion of Reservation Laws in Ninth Schedule........................................................................................................2 z PM-CARES Not Under RTI.............................................................................................................................................3 z Vamsadhara River Water Dispute.................................................................................................................................4 z Water Dispute Between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh............................................................................................5 z PM SVANidhi: Micro Credit Scheme for Street Vendors..............................................................................................6 z Science Technology and Innovation Policy..................................................................................................................7 z Inner Line Permit and Citizenship Amendment Act.....................................................................................................8 z Draft Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules 2020....................................................................................................9 z QS World University Rankings 2021...........................................................................................................................10 z India Rankings 2020: NIRF..........................................................................................................................................11 z Re-establishment of PCIM&H.....................................................................................................................................12 Economic Scenario................................................................................14 z Universal Basic Income...............................................................................................................................................14 z Social Stock Exchange................................................................................................................................................15 z MSP Raised for Kharif Crops.......................................................................................................................................16 z Global Economic Prospects: World Bank...................................................................................................................17 z TULIP: The Urban Learning Internship Program........................................................................................................18 z Sahakar Mitra: Scheme on Internship Programme....................................................................................................19 z Import Cut to Become Self-Reliant.............................................................................................................................20 z Agricultural Sector Reforms........................................................................................................................................21 z Pan-India Real Time Market for Electricity.................................................................................................................22 z Gross Value Added.......................................................................................................................................................23 z Border Adjustment Tax................................................................................................................................................24 z Rights Issue..................................................................................................................................................................25 z USTR’s Probe into Digital Services Taxes..................................................................................................................26 z SWADES: Skill Mapping Exercise for Returning Citizens...........................................................................................27 z Central Employment Guarantee Council.....................................................................................................................28 z Indian Digital Payment System Outside India............................................................................................................28 z Shapes of Economic Recovery....................................................................................................................................29 z Fall in Direct Tax Collection.........................................................................................................................................30 z Fall in Money Remitted Abroad ..................................................................................................................................32 z GST Council Meeting...................................................................................................................................................33 z Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium..................................................................................................................34 International Relations..........................................................................36 z Proposed Expansion of G7..........................................................................................................................................36 z China’s Opposition to THAAD.....................................................................................................................................37 z Boosting Infrastructure Along China Border..............................................................................................................38 z Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie Road.......................................................................................................................39 z e-Diplomacy.................................................................................................................................................................40
z Violation of Armistice Agreement: UNC......................................................................................................................41 z India-Australia Virtual Summit...................................................................................................................................42 z Australia to be Included in Malabar Exercise.............................................................................................................43 z India’s Campaign Brochure for UNSC Seat................................................................................................................43 z MoU between India and Bhutan..................................................................................................................................44 z International Religious Freedom Report 2019............................................................................................................45 z Indian Naval LOs at Madagascar and Abu Dhabi......................................................................................................46 z Persian Gulf Region.....................................................................................................................................................47 z India-Laos Relations....................................................................................................................................................49 z India-Tanzania Relations............................................................................................................................................50 Science and Technology........................................................................52 z SpaceX Crew Dragon...................................................................................................................................................52 z DRDO’s Ultra Swachh..................................................................................................................................................53 z A3i: Unique Trait in Covid-19 in India.........................................................................................................................53 z microRNA.....................................................................................................................................................................54 z Genetically Modified Seeds.........................................................................................................................................55 z Nature Index 2020: Index of Scientific Research.......................................................................................................56 z 163348 (2002 NN4): A Near-Earth Asteroid...............................................................................................................57 z New Drug for Amoebiasis............................................................................................................................................58 z Global Vaccine Summit...............................................................................................................................................59 z LiDAR Based Research in Tamar Valley.....................................................................................................................59 z RT-nPCR Test...............................................................................................................................................................60 Environment and Ecology......................................................................61 z Scorpionfish: Scorpaenopsis neglecta.......................................................................................................................61 z Sixth Mass Extinction..................................................................................................................................................62 z Environmental Performance Index..............................................................................................................................63 z Sunderbans Damaged in Cyclone Amphan................................................................................................................64 z Assam Gas Leak..........................................................................................................................................................65 z Oil Spill in Siberia.........................................................................................................................................................66 z World Environment Day...............................................................................................................................................67 z Microplastics in Deep Oceans.....................................................................................................................................68 z Biodiversity Park in Uttarakhand................................................................................................................................69 z World Oceans Day........................................................................................................................................................69 z Aerosols Radiative Forcing in Western Trans-Himalayas.........................................................................................70 z Rise in the Population of Asiatic Lions.......................................................................................................................71 z Athirapally Hydel Electric Project................................................................................................................................73 z Estimation Exercise of Indian Gaur in Nilgiris............................................................................................................74 z Expansion of the Amery Ice Shelf...............................................................................................................................75 z Poaching Increased During Lockdown.......................................................................................................................75 z Malabar Gliding Frog...................................................................................................................................................76 z Tropical Cyclone: Cristobal..........................................................................................................................................77 z Cyclone Nisarga...........................................................................................................................................................78 z Lonar Crater..................................................................................................................................................................79 Art & Culture..........................................................................................80 z NAIMISHA 2020...........................................................................................................................................................80 z SPIC MACAY.................................................................................................................................................................80
Social Issues.........................................................................................82 z Educational Complexes for Tribal Students: Odisha.................................................................................................82 z World Day Against Child Labour 2020........................................................................................................................83 Security.................................................................................................85 z 36th Anniversary of Operation Blue Star......................................................................................................................85 z Internal Displacement Caused by Disasters..............................................................................................................85 Miscellaneous.......................................................................................87 z Kohala Hydropower Project.........................................................................................................................................87 z Statehood Day of Telangana ......................................................................................................................................87 z Payments Infrastructure Development Fund.............................................................................................................88 z Nagar Van Scheme......................................................................................................................................................88 z iCommit Initiative.........................................................................................................................................................89 z Airborne Rescue Pod for Isolated Transportation: ARPIT.........................................................................................89 z Aditya: India’s First Solar Ferry...................................................................................................................................90 z Dropping Water levels in Germany’s Rhine River.......................................................................................................90 z IFLOWS-Mumbai: Flood Warning System..................................................................................................................91 z Renaming of Kolkata Port Trust..................................................................................................................................91 z Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants...................................................................................................92 z AarogyaPath: CSIR.......................................................................................................................................................92 z Digital Initiatives by WCL.............................................................................................................................................93 z World Food Prize 2020.................................................................................................................................................93
w w w. d r i s h ti IA S. c om CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE 2020 1
Polity and Governance
Highlights
z Reservation Not a Fundamental Right: Supreme Court z Science Technology and Innovation Policy
z Inclusion of Reservation Laws in Ninth Schedule z Inner Line Permit and Citizenship Amendment Act
z PM-CARES Not Under RTI z Draft Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules 2020
z Vamsadhara River Water Dispute z QS World University Rankings 2021
z Water Dispute Between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh z India Rankings 2020: NIRF
z PM SVANidhi: Micro Credit Scheme for Street Vendors z Re-establishment of PCIM&H
to Equality, Right against Exploitation, Right to
Reservation Not a Fundamental Freedom of Religion, Cultural and Educational
rights and Right to constitutional remedies.
Right: Supreme Court
They are mentioned in Part III (Articles 12 to 35)
of the Indian Constitution.
Why in News
Recently, the Supreme Court of India has said that Constitutional Provisions for
reservation of seats provided to certain communities is Reservation in Education and Jobs
not a fundamental right. ¾ Various provisions in Article 15 and 16 of the
Constitution empower the State to make special
Key Points provisions in education and jobs respectively for
¾ All political parties from Tamil Nadu had filed a writ the socially and educationally backward section of
petition in the Supreme Court seeking direction the society and for the economically weaker section.
to the Centre to implement 50% Other Backward ¾ Although these provisions are mentioned in Part III
Class (OBC) reservation in the all-India NEET seats (fundamental rights) of the Constitution, their nature
surrendered by the state. is like directives to the state i.e. they are not binding
¾ They have accused the Centre of “violating the right on the state.
of the people to have a fair education” by neither ¾ SC/ST Reservation:
implementing the 50% quota for OBC in Tamil Nadu The state (both Centre and the states) is permitted
nor providing 27% reservation for OBC candidates in to make any special provision for the advancement
other states for the All India Quota seats. of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. For
¾ However, the Supreme Court pointed that a example, reservation of seats or fee concessions
writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution in public educational institutions and providing
can be filed only in case of violation of fundamental reservation in government jobs if they are not
rights. adequately represented.
¾ The Court observed that the Right to Reservation is The quota for SCs is 15% and for STs it is 7.5%
not a fundamental right. ¾ Other Backward Class (OBC) Reservation:
¾ Earlier, the Court had ruled that reservation in The state (both Centre and the states) is empowered
promotion is not a fundamental right. to make provision for the advancement of OBCs
The fundamental rights have been classified regarding their admission to educational institutions
under the six categories- Right to Freedom, Right and government jobs.
Note:
2 CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE 2020 www.d rish t i I A S . c o m
The quota limit for OBCs is 27%. However, various
Schedule of Constitution so that they are shielded from
state governments have different quota limits for judicial review.
OBCs in their state. E.g Tamil Nadu (50% reservation
for OBCs). Key Points
In the Indra Sawhney 1992 judgement, the Supreme ¾ The minister argued that reservation is not confined
Court fixed the upper limit for the combined just to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes
reservation quota i.e. should not exceed 50% of seats. (STs) and is available to Other Backward Classes (OBCs)
¾ Economically Weaker Section (EWS) Reservation: and poor sections of the upper castes as well and have
The 103rd Constitution Amendment Act, 2019,
been attached to Fundamental Rights.
empowers both Centre and the states to provide ¾ This demand comes after the Supreme Court’s recent
10% reservation to the EWS category of society observation that the Right to Reservation is not a
in government jobs and education institutions. Fundamental Right.
¾ Earlier, SC ruled that reservation in the matter of
Writ Jurisdiction promotions in public posts was not a fundamental
¾ The Supreme Court under Article 32 and the High right and that a state cannot be compelled to offer
courts under Article 226 of the Constitution can quota if it chooses not to.
issue the writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, ¾ Apart from that, there have been repeated challenges
prohibition, certiorari and quo-warranto. to the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of
¾ The Parliament under Article 32 can also empower Atrocities) Act, 1989 and its amendments.
any other court to issue these writs. However, no
such provision has been made so far. Ninth Schedule
¾ Difference in writs of Supreme Court and High court. ¾ The Schedule contains a list of central and state laws
The Supreme Court can issue writs only for the which cannot be challenged in courts and was added
enforcement of fundamental rights whereas a by the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951.
High court can issue writs for the enforcement The first Amendment added 13 laws to the
of Fundamental Rights and also for an ordinary Schedule. Subsequent amendments in various
legal right. years have taken the number of protected laws
The Supreme Court can issue writs throughout to 284 currently.
the territory of India whereas a High court can ¾ It was created by the new Article 31B, which along
issue writs within its territorial jurisdiction. with Article 31A was brought in by the government
A remedy under Article 32 is in itself a Fundamental to protect laws related to agrarian reform and for
Right and hence, the Supreme Court may not abolishing the Zamindari system.
refuse to exercise its writ jurisdiction. On the While Article 31A extends protection to ‘classes’ of
other hand, a remedy under Article 226 is laws, Article 31B shields specific laws or enactments.
discretionary and hence, a High court may refuse While most of the laws protected under the
to exercise its writ jurisdiction. Schedule concern agriculture/land issues, the list
z The Supreme Court is thus constituted as a includes other subjects.
defender and guarantor of the fundamental ¾ Article 31B also has a retrospective operation which
rights. means that if laws are inserted in the Ninth Schedule
after they are declared unconstitutional, they are
Inclusion of Reservation considered to have been in the Schedule since their
commencement, and thus valid.
Laws in Ninth Schedule ¾ Although Article 31B excludes judicial review, the
apex court has said in the past that even laws under
Why in News the Ninth Schedule would be open to scrutiny if they
Recently, a Union Minister emphasised the need violated Fundamental Rights or the basic structure
to include all reservation-related laws in the Ninth of the Constitution.
Note:
w w w. d r i s h ti IA S. c om CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE 2020 3
Way Forward ¾ Composition:
¾ Although reservation is necessary, it should also be Prime Minister as chairperson
open to judicial scrutiny in order to ensure any abrupt Defence Minister, Home Minister, Finance Minister
or irrational policy initiative by the Executive or the
Three trustees nominated by the Prime Minister
Legislature.
“who shall be eminent persons in the field of
¾ Any loophole or shortcomings in reservation policy research, health, science, social work, law, public
must be addressed by involving various stakeholders. administration and philanthropy”.
The need of the hour is not to go to extremes of either
scrapping or shielding reservation policy, rather a Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF)
rational framework on this contentious policy must ¾ Description:
be developed. PMNRF was instituted in 1948 by then Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, to assist displaced
PM-CARES Not Under RTI persons from Pakistan.
The fund is recognized as a Trust under the
Why in News Income Tax Act and the same is managed by
the Prime Minister or multiple delegates for
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has clarified that
national causes.
the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in
The contributions towards PMNRF are notified
Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES Fund) is not a
public authority under the ambit of the Right To Act for 100% deduction from taxable income under
(RTI), 2005. section 80(G) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
¾ PM-CARES Fund was set to accept donations and ¾ Purpose:
provide relief during the Covid-19 pandemic, and The fund is currently used primarily to tackle
other similar emergencies. natural calamities like floods, cyclones and
¾ The PMO’s response came in the backdrop of the earthquakes.
RTI query filed to know the Fund’s trust deed and all The fund is also used to help with medical
government orders, notifications and circulars relating treatment like kidney transplantation, cancer
to its creation and operation. treatment and acid attack.
¾ Contributions:
PM-CARES Fund
The fund consists entirely of public contributions
¾ Description:
and does not get any budgetary support. It
PM-CARES was set up as a public charitable
accepts voluntary contributions from Individuals,
trust with the trust deed registered on 27th Organizations, Trusts, Companies and Institutions
March, 2020. etc.
It can avail donations from the foreign contribution
The corpus of the fund is also invested in various
and donations to fund can also avail 100% tax forms with scheduled commercial banks and
exemption.
other agencies. Disbursements are made with
PM-CARES is different from the Prime Minister’s the approval of the Prime Minister.
National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
¾ Purpose: Key Points
It is meant for supporting relief or assistance of ¾ PM-CARES Not a Public Authority:
any kind relating to a public health emergency It has been stated that the PM-CARES Fund is not
or any other kind of emergency, calamity or a Public Authority under the ambit of Section 2(h)
distress, either man-made or natural. of the RTI Act, 2005.
It includes the creation or upgradation of
However, relevant information in respect of PM-
healthcare or pharmaceutical facilities, funding CARES Fund may be seen on the website pmcares.
relevant research or any other type of support. gov.in.
Note:
4 CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE 2020 www.d rish t i I A S . c o m
¾ Ambiguous Nature of PMNRF Under RTI: will hold talks to clear out all differences with regard to
There is ambiguity regarding whether the PMNRF the sharing of Vamsadhara river waters.
(Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund) is subject ¾ Andhra Pradesh wants to build the Neradi bridge
to the RTI Act. across the river which will be possible only after
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has Odisha’s consent.
directed PMNRF to disclose information as a result
of the Delhi High Court’s split opinion on the
Key Points
question of whether PMNRF is a public authority ¾ Andhra Pradesh also wants to complete the inter-
under the Act. linking of its Nagavali river with the Vamsadhara
z The split opinion signifies that some Justices and expand the Madduvalasa Reservoir project soon.
from the Delhi High Court Bench held PMNRF as Madduvalasa Project is a Medium Irrigation Project
a public authority, whereas some Justices held with a reservoir across Suvarnamukhi river, a
that PMNRF is not a public authority. tributary of Nagavali river.
¾ Audit of PM-CARES and PMNRF: ¾ Agriculture is the only assured economic activity for
Earlier, the Comptroller and Auditor General’s the people living in the backward region and in the
(CAG) office had clarified that it wouldn’t audit the absence of rapid industrialisation, there is a need to
PM-CARES Fund as it is ‘a charitable organisation’ concentrate on irrigation projects to make agriculture
and is also based on donations from individuals a viable activity.
and organisations. ¾ Background:
The PMNRF too is not audited by CAG but it is In February 2006, Odisha sent a complaint to the
audited by an independent auditor outside of Central Government under Section 3 of the Inter-
the government. State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956
regarding its water disputes with Andhra Pradesh
Section 2 (h) of the RTI Act pertaining to Inter-State River Vamsadhara. It
¾ Under section 2(h) of the RTI Act “Public authority” demanded for the constitution of an Inter-State
means any authority or body or institution of self Water Disputes Tribunal for adjudication.
government established or constituted— Grievances of Orissa:
by or under the Constitution;
z Adverse effect of undertaking the construction
by any other law made by Parliament/State of a canal (called a flood flow canal at Katragada,
Legislature. Andhra Pradesh) taking off from the river
by notification issued or order made by the Vamsadhara.
appropriate Government, and includes any— n The flood flow canal would result in drying up
z body owned, controlled or substantially financed; the existing river bed and consequent shifting
z non-Government organisation substantially of the river affecting the groundwater table.
financed, directly or indirectly by funds z Failure of Andhra Pradesh to implement the
provided by the appropriate Government. terms of the inter-state agreement relating
¾ Earlier in 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that the to use, distribution and control of waters of
office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) is a public vamsadhara and its valley.
authority under the Right to Information (RTI)
Act, 2005.
Vamsadhara
River Water Dispute
Why in News
The Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha
Note:
w w w. d r i s h ti IA S. c om CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE 2020 5
z Odisha also raised the issue of scientific z The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014
assessment of available water in Vamsadhara at mandates for constitution of an Apex Council by
Katragada and Gotta Barrage, Andhra Pradesh Central Government for the supervision of the
and the basis for sharing the available water. functioning of the Godavari River Management
Board and Krishna River Management Board.
Vamsadhara River
z The Apex Council comprises the Union Water
¾ It is an east-flowing river which originates in Kalahandi Resources Minister and the Chief Ministers of
district of Odisha, flows in Odisha, along its boundary Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
with Andhra Pradesh and finally joins the Bay of The Andhra Pradesh government’s proposal to
Bengal at Kalingapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. increase the utilisation of the Krishna water from a
¾ It is the main river of north-eastern Andhra region section of the river above the Srisailam Reservoir
and the Boddepalli Rajagopala Rao Project was led to the Telangana government filing a complaint
constructed on it to meet the irrigation needs of against Andhra Pradesh.
the region. z The Srisailam reservoir is constructed across the
Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh. It is located
in the Nallamala hills.
The Andhra Pradesh government retaliated with its
own complaints saying that Palamuru-Rangareddy,
Dindi Lift Irrigation Schemes on the Krishna river
and Kaleshwaram, Tupakulagudem schemes and
a few barrages proposed across the Godavari are
all new projects.
¾ Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal:
Two tribunals have been constituted to resolve
the disputes of the Krishna water.
Andhra Pradesh has countered the second Krishna
Water Dispute Tribunal (KWDT) order issued by
Water Dispute Justice Brijesh Kumar in 2010.
Between Telangana z The Brijesh Kumar Tribunal has allocated 81
thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of surplus
and Andhra Pradesh water to Maharashtra, 177 tmcft to Karnataka
and only 196 tmcft to Andhra Pradesh .
Why in News After the creation of Telangana as a separate state
Recently, the Union government has decided to take in 2014, Andhra Pradesh is asking to include
the stock of water utilisation from the Krishna and Telangana as a separate party at the KWDT and
Godavari rivers following the filing of complaints against that the allocation of Krishna waters be reworked
each other by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments. among four states, instead of three.
z It has challenged the order of the Brijesh Kumar
Key Points Tribunal in the Supreme Court.
¾ Water Dispute: ¾ Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal:
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh share stretches The Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal headed
of the Krishna and the Godavari and own their by Justice Bachawat was constituted by the
tributaries. Government in April, 1969.
Both states have proposed several new projects z The tribunal was tasked to look after the
without getting clearance from the river boards, dispute over Godavari river between Andhra
the Central Water Commission and the Apex Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha,
Council, as mandated by the Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka over the sharing of the Godavari
Reorganisation Act, 2014. river water.
Note:
6 CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE 2020 www.d rish t i I A S . c o m
The Bachawat Tribunal gave its final award in
z A River Board is established on the request of state
1980. governments concerned to advise them.
z Accordingly, each State was free to utilise the ¾ The Inter-State Water Disputes Act empowers the
flow in Godavari and its tributaries up to a Central government to set up an ad hoc tribunal for
certain level. the adjudication of a dispute between two or more
z Thus, Andhra Pradesh decided to divert 80 tmcft states in relation to the waters of an inter-state river
of Godavari water from Polavaram to Krishna or river valley.
river, upstream of Vijayawada, so that it could
be shared with Karnataka and Maharashtra. Krishna River
¾ Source: It originates near Mahabaleshwar (Satara)
Once Telangana came into existence in 2014,
the Godavari water and, more specifically, the in Maharashtra. It is the second biggest river in
Polavaram project became the bone of contention peninsular India after the Godavari River.
between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. ¾ Drainage: It runs from four states Maharashtra (303
z While the project will take care of the irrigation
km), North Karnataka (480 km) and the rest of its
needs of the Godavari districts of Andhra 1300 km journey in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
Pradesh, Telangana fears it would submerge before it empties into the Bay of Bengal.
many villages in its Khammam district. ¾ Tributaries: Tungabhadra, Mallaprabha, Koyna,
z Odisha too has expressed its reservations over
Bhima, Ghataprabha, Yerla, Warna, Dindi, Musi
the Polavaram dam’s design. and Dudhganga.
¾ Union Government’s Move: Godavari River
It has asked the Krishna and Godavari River ¾ Source: Godavari river rises from Trimbakeshwar
Management Boards to procure the details of the near Nasik in Maharashtra and flows for a length
irrigation projects on these rivers, including from of about 1465 km before outfalling into the Bay
Maharashtra and Karnataka and submit them to of Bengal.
the Centre in a month. ¾ Drainage Basin: The Godavari basin extends over
The main objective of the exercise appears to be states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh,
to assess whether surplus water will be available Chhattisgarh and Odisha in addition to smaller parts
for the new projects in Telangana and Andhra in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Union territory
Pradesh, in the light of the disputes. of Puducherry.
¾ Tributaries: Pravara, Purna, Manjra, Penganga,
Inter-State Water Disputes
Wardha, Wainganga, Pranhita (combined flow of
¾ Article 262 of the Constitution provides for the Wainganga, Penganga, Wardha), Indravati, Maner
adjudication of inter-state water disputes. and the Sabri.
Under this, Parliament may by law provide for
the adjudication of any dispute or complaint
with respect to the use, distribution and control PM SVANidhi: Micro Credit
of waters of any inter-state river and river valley. Scheme for Street Vendors
Parliament may also provide that neither the Supreme
Court nor any other court is to exercise jurisdiction
in respect of any such dispute or complaint.
Why in News
¾ The Parliament has enacted the two laws, the River The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
Boards Act (1956) and the Inter-State Water Disputes has launched Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s Atma
Act (1956). Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), for providing affordable
The River Boards Act provides for the establishment
loans to street vendors.
of river boards by the Central government for the ¾ Earlier, the Scheme was announced as a part of the
regulation and development of inter-state river Economic Stimulus-II under the Atmanirbhar Bharat
and river valleys. Abhiyan.
Note:w w w. d r i s h ti IA S. c om CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE 2020 7
¾ The scheme would benefit vendors, hawkers, thelewale Education and Communication (IEC) activities
and people involved in goods and services related throughout the country during the month of June
to textiles, apparel, artisan products, barbers shops, and loaning will commence in the month of July.
laundry services etc. in different areas. ¾ Role of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs):
ULBs will play a pivotal role in the implementation
Key Points
of the scheme by ensuring to target the beneficiary
¾ Loan facility: and reaching to them in an efficient manner.
The vendors can avail a working capital loan of
¾ E-governance:
up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly
In line with the vision of leveraging technology
instalments within a year. The loans would be
to ensure effective delivery and transparency,
without collateral.
a digital platform with web portal/ mobile app is
z It is for the first time that Microfinance being developed to administer the scheme with
Institutions, Non-Banking Financial Company, end-to-end solution.
Self Help Groups have been allowed in a scheme
This platform will integrate the web portal/ mobile
for the urban poor due to their ground level
app with UdyamiMitra portal of SIDBI for credit
presence and proximity to the urban poor
management and PAiSA portal of MoHUA to
including the street vendors. administer interest subsidy automatically.
There will be no penalty on early repayment of loan.
It will help in integrating the vendors into the
z Early repayment (or resettlement) is a clearance formal financial system.
of debt or loan before the scheduled time.
Many banks and lenders charge penalties for Way Forward
repaying loans early. ¾ The loans through the scheme would help to kick-start
Those who were vending till 24th March, 2020 activity for vendors who have been left without any
can avail the benefits of the scheme. income due to the impact of Covid-19 and lockdown.
z This is for the first time that street vendors ¾ Despite multiple schemes running for the street
from peri- urban/rural areas have become vendors, there are various gaps in implementation,
beneficiaries of an urban livelihood programme. identification, awareness and accessibility of various
The scheme is valid until March 2022. schemes which should be plugged in a timely manner.
¾ Interest subsidy: ¾ Benefits like maternity allowances, accident relief,
On timely/early repayment of the loan, an interest
natural death compensation, education support for
subsidy of 7% per annum will be credited to the children for higher studies, pension during any crisis
bank accounts of beneficiaries through direct should be provided to them.
benefit transfer on a six monthly basis.
¾ Escalation of credit limits: Science Technology
The scheme provides for the rise of the credit limit and Innovation Policy
on timely/ early repayment of loans i.e. if a street
vendor repays the installments on time or earlier, Why in News
he or she can develop his or her credit score that
makes him/her eligible for a higher amount of Recently, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser
term loan such as Rs. 20,000. to the Government of India (Office of PSA) and the
Department of Science and Technology (DST) have jointly
¾ Encourage digital transactions:
initiated the formulation of a new national Science
The scheme incentivises digital transactions by
Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020).
the street vendors through monthly cash back.
¾ Focus on capacity building: Key Points
MoHUA in collaboration with State Governments ¾ It will be the 5th STIP of India and is being formulated
will launch a capacity building and financial literacy at a crucial juncture when India and the world are
programme of all the stakeholders and Information, tackling the Covid-19.
Note:8 CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE 2020 www.d rish t i I A S . c o m
It will integrate the lessons of the pandemic including
Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013:
the building of an Atmanirbhar Bharat by leveraging z The decade of 2010 to 2020 was declared as a
India’s strengths in research and development, decade of innovation.
design, science and technology workforce and z It was acknowledged that in order to stay
institutions, huge markets, demographic dividend, globally competitive, it was necessary to make
diversity and data. a transition into a knowledge-based economy.
¾ The STIP 2020 formulation process will be six-months z This policy document was a step in the direction
long and has been organised into 4 highly interlinked towards building a robust national innovation
tracks: ecosystem.
Track I: It involves an extensive public and expert
consultation process through Science Policy Forum, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser
a dedicated platform for soliciting inputs from ¾ It was set-up in November 1999 by the Cabinet
larger public and expert pools during and after Secretariat.
the policy drafting process. ¾ Objectives:
Track II: It comprises experts-driven thematic To evolve policies, strategies and missions for the
consultations to feed evidence-informed generation of innovations and support systems
recommendations into the policy drafting process. for multiple applications.
21 focused thematic groups have been constituted To generate science and technology tasks in
for this purpose. critical infrastructure, economic and social sectors
Track III: It involves extensive intra-state and intra- in partnership with Government departments,
department consultation with Ministries and States. institutions and industry.
Track IV: It constitutes an apex level multi- To function as the Secretariat to the Scientific
stakeholder consultation. Advisory Committee to the Cabinet, with the
¾ Previous Four STIPs: Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government
Scientific Policy Resolution 1958:
of India as its Chairman.
¾ The Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and
z India’s first major science policy can be traced
back to the year 1958. Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) is an
overarching council that facilitates the PSA’s office.
z SPR 1958 laid the foundation of the scientific
enterprise and scientific temper in India. Department of Science and Technology
Technology Policy Statement 1983: ¾ The foundation of DST was laid on 3rd May 1971
z The primary feature of TPS 1983 was technological
along with the model of National Science Foundation
self-reliance through promotion and development (NSF), USA.
of indigenous technologies. ¾ It provides funding and also makes policies and
z Adoption of indigenous technology would reduce
co-ordinates scientific work with other countries.
vulnerabilities in critical areas and would help ¾ It empowers scientists and scientific institutions
maximise the utilisation of local (human and and also works with a highly distributed system
material) resources. permeating stakeholders ranging from school college,
PhD, Postdoc students, young scientists, startups
Science and Technology Policy 2003:
and NGOs working in Science and Technology.
z Its aim was to keep up the pace with science and
technology, to stay competitive in an increasingly
globalised world and to meet the primary goal Inner Line Permit and
of equitable and sustainable development.
Citizenship Amendment Act
z It called to invest heavily in the research and
development sector with the aim of increasing
investment to 2% of the Gross Domestic Product Why in News
(GDP). Recently, the Supreme Court refused to stay the
Note:w w w. d r i s h ti IA S. c om CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE 2020 9
Adaptation of Laws (Amendment) Order, 2019, issued ¾ The BEFR prohibits an outsider’s — “British subject or
by the President to amend the Bengal Eastern Frontier foreign citizen” — entry into the area beyond the Inner
Regulation (BEFR), 1873. Line without a pass and his purchase of land there.
¾ The court said it will have to hear what the government It protected the commercial interests of the British
has to say on the matter. from the tribal communities.
¾ BEFR came as a response to the reckless expansion of
Key Points British entrepreneurs into new lands which threatened
¾ The Presidential order was challenged in the Supreme British political relations with the hill tribes.
Court by Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad ¾ After Independence, the Indian government replaced
(AJYCP) and All Tai Ahom Students’ Union (ATASU). “British subjects” with “Citizen of India”.
¾ The petitioners claimed that the Presidential Order ¾ The Inner Line separates the tribal-populated hill
moved some of the districts of Assam away from the areas in the Northeast from the plains. To enter and
purview of BEFR just before the grant of assent to stay for any period in these areas, Indian citizens from
Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019. other areas need an Inner Line Permit (ILP).
The districts included Kamrup, Darrang, Nowgong, ¾ The main aim of the ILP system is to prevent settlement
Sibsagar, Lakhimpur and Cachar. of other Indian nationals in the States where the ILP
BEFR empowers some of the states to bring districts regime is prevalent, in order to protect the indigenous/
under the inner line area. tribal population.
¾ Once the districts had come under ‘the inner line’ area, ¾ The Adaptation of Laws (Amendment) Order, 2019
the CAA could not be implemented to the extent of extended the ILP regime to Manipur after Arunachal
granting citizenship to illegal immigrants in Assam Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram where the ILP
in view of Section 6B (4) of the CAA. regime is applicable.
Section 6B (4) of the CAA restricts the implementation
of CAA to the tribal areas as included in the Sixth Draft Unmanned Aircraft
Schedule of the Constitution and the area covered
under the “Inner Line” notified under the Bengal System (UAS) Rules 2020
Eastern Frontier Regulation, l873”.
¾ The CAA relaxes eligibility criteria for certain Why in News
categories of migrants from three countries (Pakistan, Recently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified
Bangladesh and Afghanistan) seeking Indian citizenship the draft Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2020.
and exempts certain categories of areas, including ¾ The draft rules have been issued at a time when the
those protected by the Inner Line system. use of drones has increased due to a coronavirus
¾ The State government claims that ILP cannot be lockdown, for purposes like surveillance, disinfection
implemented in Assam since Assam is the gateway and videography.
to northeast India. ¾ Earlier, the government had issued drone regulations
Implementation of ILP will increase the 1.0 and the drone regulations 2.0. The government
unemployment level. It will affect the tea sector has also finalized National Counter Rogue Drone
and oil sector. Guidelines for handling the threats from Unmanned
¾ According to the petitioner, BEFR could have been the Aircraft Systems.
answer to tackle the problems of illegal immigrants
which Assam and its citizens are facing today. Key Points
¾ Aims:
Inner Line Permit A set of rules notified by the government aims to
¾ It is a concept based on the policy of exclusion drawn regulate the production, import, trade, ownership,
by colonial rulers in the form of Bengal Eastern Frontier establishment of the drone ports (airports for
Regulation Act (BEFR), 1873. drones) and operation of unmanned aircraft systems.
Note:10 CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE 2020 www.d rish t i I A S . c o m
Drone zIn the case of companies, the requirement is
that their main place of business has to be in
¾ Drone is a layman terminology for Unmanned
India and the chairman and at least two thirds
Aircraft (UA). There are three subsets of Unmanned
of directors have to be Indian citizens.
Aircraft- Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Autonomous
z Also, businesses operating drones have to be
Aircraft and Model Aircraft.
substantially owned and effectively controlled
Remotely Piloted Aircraft consists of remote pilot
by Indian nationals.
station(s), the required command and control
links and any other components, as specified in ¾ Future Prospects:
the type design. Currently, the DGCA has permitted food startups
¾ Remotely piloted aircraft have been divided into to conduct trials for drones Beyond the Visual Line
five categories based on their weight- of Sight (BVLOS).
z Unlike Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) flights, which
Nano : Less than or equal to 250 grams.
are operated within the pilot’s line of sight, BVLOS
Micro : From 250 grams to 2kg.
flights are flown beyond the visual range. These
Small : From 2 kg to 25kg.
are mainly performed for monitoring large areas.
Medium : From 25kg to 150kg.
z It enables service providers to conduct complex
Large : Greater than 150kg. drone operations and facilitate drones to fly
It also seeks to create a framework for drones
without any human interference.
use by businesses. DGCA is also expected to issue a separate set of
¾ Draft Rules: rules to enable use of drones for e-commerce or
delivering medical supplies.
Approval by DGCA:
z An authorised manufacturer or importer of
drones can sell its devices only to an individual QS World
or entity approved by the aviation regulator University Rankings 2021
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
z Only Nano class drones will be allowed to Why in News
operate in India in general and only a qualified
Recently, QS World University Rankings 2021 has
remote pilot will be permitted to operate
shown a decline in the rankings of the Indian Institutes of
heavier drones.
Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
z The DGCA will have the powers to inspect a UAS
¾ Only the newer IITs in Guwahati and Hyderabad have
manufacturing or maintenance facility before
granting any authorisation under these rules. shown some improvement.
Third Party Insurance: Key Points
z No UAS shall operate in India unless there is in
¾ Only three educational institutes from India, the IIT
existence a valid third party insurance policy Bombay (172), IISc Bengaluru (185) and IIT Delhi
to cover the liability that may arise on account (193) feature in the top 200 list.
of a mishap involving such UAS.
¾ Despite the Centre’s flagship Institutes of Eminence
Carrying Payload:
(IoE) scheme to boost the Indian presence in these
z No UAS should carry any payload except as global rankings, the total number of Indian institutions
permitted by the DGCA. in the top 1,000 global list has fallen from 24 to 21.
z No person shall drop or project or permit to ¾ In private universities, BITS Pilani and the Vellore
be dropped from a UAS in motion any object Institute of Technology (VIT) have dropped out of
except when specified. the top 1,000 list, but OP Jindal Global University
Ownership: has climbed to the 650-700 band in the rankings.
z For owning and using a drone, one has to be ¾ Out of the six parameters, Indian institutions get
at least 18 years old. zero scores on the ratio of international faculty and
Note:w w w. d r i s h ti IA S. c om CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE 2020 11
QS World University Rankings Incredible India which promotes tourism in India
and engages with the travellers.
¾ Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) is a leading global career
and education network for ambitious professionals Success should be based on five pillars:
looking to further their personal and professional z Not-for-profit status.
development. z Strong commitment to faculty hiring and
¾ QS develops and successfully implements methods research.
of comparative data collection and analysis used z Focus on internationalisation.
to highlight institutions’ strengths. z Devotion to humanities and social sciences.
¾ The ‘QS World University Rankings’ is an annual z Drive to build a reputation through students
publication of university rankings which comprises and employers.
the global overall and subject rankings.
Institutions of Eminence Scheme
¾ Six parameters and their weightage for the
evaluation: ¾ It is a government’s scheme to provide the regulatory
architecture for setting up or upgrading of 20
Academic Reputation (40%)
Institutions (10 from public sector and 10 from the
Employer Reputation (10%)
private sector) as world-class teaching and research
Faculty/Student Ratio (20%) institutions called ‘Institutions of Eminence’.
Citations per faculty (20%) ¾ Objectives:
International Faculty Ratio (5%) Excellence and Innovation: To provide for
International Student Ratio (5%) higher education leading to excellence and
innovations in such branches of knowledge as
students while scoring well on research impact,
may be deemed fit at post-graduate, graduate
measured through citations per faculty.
and research degree levels.
¾ India also scores poorly on faculty-student ratio
Specialization: To engage in areas of specialization
because of counting only full-time faculty whereas
to make distinctive contributions to the objectives
American universities include PhD students who are
of the university education system.
teaching or are research assistants.
Global Rating: To aim to be rated internationally
¾ Indian academics have focused on that if a parameter for its teaching and research as a top hundred
comparing the cost of education to students is Institution in the world over time.
introduced, Indian institutions would be among the
Quality teaching and Research: To provide for
world’s top 50.
high quality teaching and research and for the
¾ Earlier in 2020, IITs jointly decided to boycott the advancement of knowledge and its dissemination.
World University Rankings released by the Times
¾ Benefits:
Higher Education (THE) questioning its methodology
Autonomy: Institutes with IoE tag will be given
and transparency.
greater autonomy and freedom to decide fees,
¾ One of the reasons for a drop in Indian universities’
course durations and governance structures.
rank is lack of sufficient efforts.
Grant: The public institutions under IOE tag will
Other universities across the world are making
receive a government grant of Rs 1,000 crore,
increasingly-intense efforts to enhance their
while the private institutions will not get any
educational offerings.
funding under the scheme.
¾ A committee of IIT directors has been formed to see
how Indian institutes can improve the perception
about them abroad and also make efforts to enhance India Rankings 2020: NIRF
the quality of standards within the country.
¾ Suggestions: Why in News
The government should launch a campaign Recently, ‘India Rankings 2020’ of Institutions of
for improving educational institutes, similar to Higher Education was released.
Note:You can also read
