GS Analyst: Daily Current Affairs

The Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, has extended the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) scheme till December 31, 2024.

• Earlier it has been targeted to be completed till March 31, 2022.

• PMAY-U Housing for all is a major flagship programme being implemented by the government to provide all-weather pucca houses to all eligible beneficiaries in the urban areas across the country.
• The issue of providing houses to all eligible urban dwellers in saturation mode was brought into focus and the scheme of PMAY-Urban was conceptualised. In 2017, the original projected demand was 100 lakh houses.
• Housing for All Mission for urban area is being implemented during 2015-2022 and this Mission will provide central assistance to implementing agencies through States and UTs for providing houses to all eligible families/beneficiaries by 2022.
  

About the Scheme

• The Mission covers the entire urban area consisting of Statutory Towns, Notified Planning Areas, Development Authorities, Special Area Development Authorities, Industrial Development Authorities or any such authority under State legislation which is entrusted with the functions of urban planning & regulations.
• Mission will be implemented as Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) except for the component of credit linked subsidy which will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme.
• Mission with all its component has become effective from the date 17.06.2015 and will be implemented up to March 2022 but now extended till December 2024.

• It has been implemented in phased manner as under;
• Phase I (April 2015 - March 2017) to cover 100 Cities selected from States/UTs as per their willingness.
• Phase II (April 2017 - March 2019) to cover additional 200 Cities
• Phase III (April 2019 - March 2022) to cover all other remaining Cities
• The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Programme launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA).

Who are the beneficiaries?

• Beneficiaries include economically weaker section (EWS), low-income groups (LIGs) and Middle Income Groups (MIGs).
• EWS category of beneficiaries is eligible for assistance in all four verticals of the Missions whereas LIG and MIG categories are eligible under only Credit linked subsidy scheme (CLSS) component of the Mission.
• A beneficiary family will comprise husband, wife, unmarried sons and/or unmarried daughters.
• The ownership of houses is provided in the name of female member or in joint name.

Four Verticals under the Scheme

• In Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR): This vertical will be implemented with the concept “Land as a resource” with private sector participation for providing houses to eligible slum dwellers.

• Affordable Housing through Credit Linked Subsidy (CLSS): Beneficiaries of EWS, LIG, MIG (I &II) seeking housing loans from Banks, Housing Finance Companies and other such institutions for acquiring, new construction or enhancement of houses are eligible for an interest subsidy of:
• 5% on loan amount up to Rs. 6 Lakh
• 4% on loan amount up to Rs. 9 Lakh
• 3% on loan amount up to Rs. 12 Lakh
• Affordable Housing through Partnership (AHP): An affordable housing project can be a mix of houses for different categories but it will be eligible for Central Assistance, if at least 35% of the houses in the project are in the EWS category.
• Beneficiary-led individual house construction (BLC): Central Assistance up to Rs. 1.5 lakh per EWS house is provided to eligible families belonging to EWS categories for individual house construction/ enhancement.

Government initiatives for implementation of the scheme

• CLSS Awas Portal (CLAP): It is a common platform where all stakeholders i.e., MoHUA, Central Nodal Agencies, Primary Lending Institutions, Beneficiaries and Citizens are integrated in a real-time environment.
• Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs): It is a sub-scheme under PMAY-U. This will provide ease of living to urban migrants/ poor in the Industrial Sector as well as in non-formal urban economies to get access to dignified affordable rental housing close to their workplace.

The fourth India-Bangladesh annual defence dialogue was held on August 11, 2022 at which the two sides reviewed on-going defence cooperation between the two countries and expressed satisfaction that collaboration is growing despite difficulties imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh has seen significant progress in the last few years.
• This push is illustrated in the exchange of visits between leaders of the two nations, as well as the conduct of training programmes, joint exercises, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).
• For a long time, Bangladesh was reluctant to address India’s security concerns, primary of which was the presence of many insurgent groups in its north-eastern region who enjoyed a safe haven in Bangladesh and carried out their activities across the border.
• In 2014, the two countries came to a resolution of their maritime boundary dispute, and the following year they resolved their conflict over land. 
• The defence services of both countries are now also participating in joint exercises, medical assistance and training programmes. 
  
  
  

Key Points in the dialogue

• The dialogue was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division (AFD) of Bangladesh Lt. Waker-Uz-Zaman.
• The talks covered the existing bilateral exercises and training and agreed to increase the complexity of these exercises.
• Both sides reviewed the progress on various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives and expressed commitment to further elevate engagements between the armed forces.
• Both sides emphasised the need to work closely to implement the $500 million line of credit extended from India for defence items.
• The TSST is a forum established to boost defence cooperation between both the nations through regular talks at the strategic and operational levels between India and Bangladesh.

Some other defence exercises

• Shantir Ograshena-2021, a multilateral military exercise in Bangladesh
• Sunderban Maitri- Border security force and Border Guard Bangladesh

Researchers have identified genes in Africa’s local food crops that can improve resistance to drought and can tolerate heat waves too.

• Countries like India and Pakistan are likely to be affected by the prolonged heatwaves as estimated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• In May 2022, the central government of India has revised the wheat production by 5.7 per cent to 105 million tonnes from 111.32 million tonnes, as the crop productivity has been affected due to the early onset of summer for the year 2021-22.
• As around two-thirds of global calories are derived from three crops mainly, rice, wheat and maize and the reduced crop production becomes a cause of concern for India.

About

• According to the research, Africa can become a major supplier for ‘Orphan grains’.
  
  
  

• Scientists had identified genes that were high temperature tolerant, had increased salinity adaptability and had low water requirements that provided essential nutrition in these orphan crops in Africa.
• The breeding strategy of orphan crops could be slightly different from that of staple food crops for which the focus is mainly on yield.
• The domestication syndrome traits in orphan crops are a priority objective that facilitates their adaptation into relatively newer environments and agricultural systems. 
• Furthermore, improved processability needs to be focused on for orphan crop products, which depends largely on their physical properties (e.g., amylose to amylopectin in cereal starches) and chemical properties (e.g., anti-nutritional phytates in legumes).

India and Food Security

• According to the Union Budget 2022-23, India’s situation in growth under Agriculture and allied sector has shown a
• As per Fourth Advance Estimates for 2020-21, total food grain production in the country is estimated at a record 308.65 million tonnes which is 11.15 million tonnes higher than that during 2019-20.
• The production of rice, wheat and coarse cereals has increased at compound annual growth rates (CAGR) of 2.7, 2.9 and 4.8 per cent respectively during last six years i.e. 2015-16 to 2020-21. However, the estimated growth has not been achieved.

Promotion of indigenous Crops

The Government of India has approved 2018 as the National Year of Millets to boost production of the nutrient-rich millets and the agro-industries involved in its production. The increased production of Millets will help fight against hunger and mitigate climate change effects in the long run.

Types of Millets in India

• The millets commonly grown in India include; Jowar (sorghum), Bajra (pearl millet), ragi (finger millet), Jhangora (barnyard millet), Barri, Kangni (foxtail/ Italian millet), Kodra (Kodo millet) etc.
• Barnyard Millet is a high source of iron and fibre.
• Finger Millet is a staple that is a very good substitute for oats and cereals. It is known as Ragi in Kannada.
• Little Millet is also loaded with iron and fibre.
• Proso Millet is known as Barri in Hindi.
• Pearl Millet is a high source of proteins, it is known as Bajra in Hindi.

The Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence has said that the idea of initiating dialogue with NATO was primarily political in character, and it will avoid making any commitment on military or other bilateral cooperation.

• New Delhi held its first political dialogue with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Brussels on December 12, 2019.
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or NATO, is a political and military alliance of 28 European countries and two countries in North America (United States and Canada).
• It was set up in 1949 by the US, Canada, and several western European nations to ensure their collective security against the Soviet Union.
• It was the US’s first peacetime military alliance outside the western hemisphere.
• Thirty countries are currently members of NATO, which is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

Why NATO alliance has been formed?

• Since after World War II, the shattered European nations started to rebuild their economies and the US, which believed that an economically strong, re-armed, and integrated Europe.
• It was also critical so as to prevent the westward expansion of communist USSR, embarked on a programme to supply economic aid to the continent on a massive scale.
• To conclude that an American-European alliance against the USSR was necessary, the Europeans were convinced of the need for a collective security solution, and in March 1948, the UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg signed the Brussels Treaty of collective defence, which meant that if any of the signatories faced an attack, they would be defended by all the others.
• The Vandenburg Resolution was the stepping stone to NATO.
• The US believed the treaty would be more effective if it included, apart from the signatories of the Brussels Treaty, countries of the North Atlantic — Canada, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, and Portugal.

India’s significant talks with NATO

• India’s talks with NATO hold significance given that the North Atlantic alliance has been engaging both China and Pakistan in bilateral dialogue.
• There was a view here that given the role of Beijing and Islamabad in New Delhi’s strategic imperatives, reaching out to NATO would add a key dimension to India’s growing engagement with US and Europe.
• Until December 2019, NATO had held nine rounds of talks with Beijing, and the Chinese Ambassador in Brussels and NATO’s Deputy Secretary General engaged with each other every quarter.
• NATO had also been in political dialogue and military cooperation with Pakistan and it opened selective training for Pakistani officers and its military delegation visited Pakistan in November 2019 for military staff talks.

Do India and NATO stands on similar lines?

• The answer to it is ‘YES’ in the perspectives on China, terrorism, and Afghanistan, including Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan.
• Though there are few differences too in India and NATO agenda:
• From NATO’s perspective, it was not China, but Russia whose aggressive actions continued to be the main threat to Euro-Atlantic security, and that NATO had faced difficulties to convene meetings of NATO-Russia Council due to Russian refusal to place issues such as Ukraine and Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty on the agenda.
• Given the divergence among NATO countries, its view on China was seen as mixed.
• In Afghanistan, NATO saw the Taliban as a political entity, which was not in line with India’s stance.

In the wake of increasing incidents of sexual assaults against children reported, the Kerala child rights panel is getting ready to organise awareness classes for teachers in government and aided schools in the state on the POCSO Act and its various aspects.

• The POCSO act was enacted in 2012, especially to protect children aged less than 18 from sexual assault sexual abuse, sexual harassment and pornography.
• The act mandates that investigation in the cases is to be completed in two months (from the date of registration of FIR) and trial in six months.
• The Act defines a child as any person below eighteen years of age.
• POCSO states a sexual assault is to be considered aggravated if- The abused child is mentally ill or When the abuse is committed by;
• A member of the armed forces or Security forces
• A public servant
• A person in a position of trust or authority of the child, like a family member, police officer, teacher, or doctor or a person-management or staff of a hospital – whether Government or private.

Kerala panel’s decision

• The objective of the Commission is to prevent POCSO atrocities in the state and also to ensure all necessary assistance to the survivors.
• The classes would be conducted under the aegis of the district Legal Services Authority.
  
  

India’s present situation

• Despite the existence of a strong legal framework, there has been a substantial increase in the number of crimes against children, according to the NCRB Report on Crimes against Children. As on 2019, this number stands close to a total of 1.5 lakh cases.
• Data presented by the NCRB in its Crime in India report 2017-2019 shows that even though in terms of absolute numbers, the number of cases with completed trial is increasing, the percentage of trials completed to the total cases for trials remains constant at 10%. As a result, 89% of the total cases for trials had their trials pending.
• Hence, to complete trials within the stipulated time, there is a dire need for the establishment of more fast-track courts in the country.

Role of National Commission for Child Rights

• The NCPCR is a body that works towards achieving a child rights-centric approach in all the laws, programmes, policies and administrative mechanisms in India.
• It functions under the Ministry of Women & Child Development of the central government.
• It strives to ensure that all laws and policies in the country are in consonance with the rights of children as emphasised by the Indian Constitution as well as with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• The Commission acknowledges the universality and inviolability of child rights.
• It focuses on children that form a part of the most vulnerable sections of society.
• The Commission sees every right of the child as equally important and hence, does not grade the rights according to importance.

Related Government Initiatives

• Child Abuse Prevention and Investigation Unit
• Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao
• Juvenile Justice Act/Care and Protection Act, 2000
• Child Marriage Prohibition Act (2006)
• Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, 2016

The Ministry of Heavy Industries launched automated online data transfer for capturing critical data related to domestic value addition in the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the auto sector.

• The government has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Automobile and Auto Component Industry in India (PLI-Auto) for enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities for Advanced Automotive Products (AAP) with a budgetary outlay of Rs 25,938 crore.
• The scheme has been successful in attracting proposed investment over a period of five years.

About

• The new system will capture data from PLI applicant’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system to PLI auto portal.
• All approved applicants of the PLI Scheme have their own ERP system.

• The IT-enabled system has been devised to enable smooth transfer of data from the applicant’s existing ERP system to PLI Auto portal of MHI in a safe environment.
• The Application Programming Interface (API) will get embedded with ERP system of the applicant and will enable automaticity and paperless processing in this scheme.
• This facility eliminates that voluminous paperwork by bringing in automation.
• Thus, this IT-enabled system will reduce the compliance burden on the part of the applicants and it will enable faster processing.

Sectors for PLI Scheme have been announced:

• So far, the government has announced PLI schemes for 14 sectors including;
  • Automobile and auto components,
  • Electronics and IT hardware,
  • Telecom,
  • Pharmaceuticals,
  • Solar modules,
  • Metals and mining,
  • Textiles and apparel,
  • White goods,
  • Drones, and
  • Advanced chemistry cell batteries.