Context: Government launches GARV-II App to track Rural Household Electrification and Citizen Engagement Window SAMVAD

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1 1. Next step towards 24x7 Power For All : Context: Government launches GARV-II App to track Rural Household Electrification and Citizen Engagement Window SAMVAD Government of India s aim to provide access to electricity to all households in the country. GARV II is to provide real time data of rural electrification all six lakh villages of the country. Under this module, village-wise and habitation-wise base line data on household electrification for all States, as provided by them, has been incorporated. Citizen Engagement Window SAMVAD which has been created to enhance participation of public at large. The feedback and suggestions from the people would be automatically forwarded to the concerned Managing Director(s) and Superintending Engineer(s) of DISCOMs through SMS & on their dashboard for online monitoring and further action. Further, the Minister of Power has informed that the status of villagewise works sanctioned under the Deen DayalUpadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and release of funds to the States for these projects has also been mapped in GARV-II to monitor progress of works in each village. All data would be made available in public domain to ensure transparency, enhance accountability of various stakeholders and facilitate view of near real time progress. Advantage of GARV II 1. This app is an important part of the Digital India Initiative of Government of India and will contribute in further development of the villages. 2. In order to bring more transparency, the Minister asked the Power Ministry officials to place more details regarding discoms, tenders and contracts in public domain. 3. For places, where internet facilities are not available, Shri Goyal suggested to publish information regarding rural electrification projects and better monitoring of Government s work. 4. State governments to determine an average price for electricity connections for APL (Above Poverty Line) families across the State so that they can be given electricity connections through the option of paying by easy monthly installments. The Minister said

2 that the Government aims to achieve 24x7 Power for All and does not distinguish between BPL and APL households. To aspirants: Use this as Example in GS-II, GS-III, GS-IV 2. Parliamentary Committee Report: Grossly inadequate efforts by DoT may create funding hurdle for BharatNet Context: According to the report, against a proposed sum of Rs 7,350 crore, a sum of only Rs 2,755 crore was allocated for Universal Service Obligatory Fund (USOF) for inspite of funds are available under Universal Access Levy (UAL). The DoT has noted that an additional Rs 6,462 crore would be required for the project Bharath Net. What is USOF? It is a fund created for to fund the schemes such as BharatNet and setting up of network infrastructure in left-wing extremism affected areas. Considering the inadequacy of the market mechanism to serve rural and inaccessible areas with telecom connectivity, the government had set up the USOF. The USOF is funded from two streams 1. budgetary allocation, and 2. UAL, which is a percentage of the revenue earned by the telecom operators under various licenses. The Report says: Since adequate amount of fund is already available under Universal Access Levy (UAL) and one of the stated objectives of this fund is to make available funds for USOF schemes, the department should have taken proactive initiatives for allocation of sufficient funds from UAL to USOF schemes, the report added. Bharat Net Project: To connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats with the optic fibre network.

3 Why Bharat Net Project is important? It is one of the critical pillars in the context of the Digital India mission of the government. Challenges in the programme are: 1. only one third of them use internet and nearly 70 per cent of nonusers do not have any intention to use internet in near future. 2. The use of BharatNet is in single-digit which is a challenge as well as an opportunity for BBNL (Bharat Broadband Network Ltd) and the government as more institutional users are required to experience the benefits of internet for demonstration effects. 3. Needless to say the efforts made by the department are grossly inadequate and certainly not in consonance with the larger objective of affecting a real change in telecom sector by making available UAL funds for USOF schemes, 3. Pause and effect: What newest twist in Indus Treaty tale means Context: In August, Pakistan asked the World Bank for a Court of Arbitration on the designs of Kishanganga and Ratle hydropower projects. On December 12, the World Bank declared a pause to two separate processes initiated by India and Pakistan to resolve a new dispute over the Indus Waters Treaty, relating to the construction of the Kishanganga and Ratle hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir. The Bank, which brokered the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, and is thus an acknowledged arbitrator in such disputes, asked the two countries to try alternative approaches to resolve the dispute. India s Stand: 1. While India welcomed the decision and said such disputes could be resolved bilaterally, Pakistan s initial reaction has not been enthusiastic.

4 2. India argued that a Court of Arbitration was not necessary, and asked the Bank for the appointment of a neutral expert, which is a lower level of dispute resolution mechanism under the treaty. Pakistan s Stand: It was Pakistan which took the matter to the Bank in August, asking it to set up a Court of Arbitration under the Treaty s provisions. Pakistan claimed that the designs of the 330 MW Kishanganga project and the 850 MW Ratle project violated the Treaty. World Bank s Stand: The Bank initially said it would initiate both processes simultaneously, but following India s objection, decided to pause them both. Current Issue: The latest dispute presents another test for the 56-year-old treaty that came under severe strain in the wake of the terror attacks in Uri in September, with demands in India for its abrogation. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that blood and water cannot flow together, India suspended routine bi-annual talks between the Indus Commissioners of the two countries, and decided to consider re-starting work on the Tulbul navigation project on the Jhelum. The Kishanganga Dispute The dispute over the hydroelectric project on the Kishanganga, a tributary of the Jhelum, is not new. Pakistan took it to the Court of Arbitration in 2010, raising 6 issues 2 were mainly legal in nature, 4 were design-related. Two legal issues questions landed in the Court of Arbitration at The Hague 1. Pakistan contended that the diversion of the Kishanganga into another tributary of the Jhelum, the Bonar-Madmati Nallah, would

5 violate the Treaty, as would the falling of the water level in the project s reservoir below dead storage level. The Court of Arbitration ruling: In its partial ruling in February 2013 and final decision in December 2013, allowed India to divert the Kishanganga s water to the Bonar Nallah, but asked it to ensure that a minimum environmental flow of at least 9 cubic metre per second is maintained in the river as it flows into territory under Pakistan s control. 2. On the second issue, the court upheld Pakistan s objection, and asked India to ensure that the reservoir was never depleted beyond the dead storage level. There were no further restrictions on the construction and operation of the project. On 4 design-related issues: It was expected at the time that the 4 design-related issues would be settled through bilateral negotiations. In fact, the two countries did come to an amicable resolution of one of the issues. However, no agreement was reached on the other three relating to pondage and spillway configuration despite several rounds of talks. The Current Standoff 1. It is on these 3 issues, and with objections to the Ratle project that began in 2013, that Pakistan gave notice to the World Bank for the constitution of a Court of Arbitration on August In accordance with the provisions of the Treaty, India had 2 months, until October 19, to respond. In the last week of September, amid calls in India to scrap the Indus Waters Treaty, officials from the two countries travelled to Washington for a meeting with the Bank in a bid to resolve the issues through negotiations. But that did not happen. World Bank president Jim Yong Kim then wrote to the Finance Ministers of both countries, informing them of the decision to pause both processes, and asking them to seek alternative resolutions.

6 Legal vs Technical India and Pakistan are insisting on different approaches of dispute resolution because of their past experiences. On a design dispute on the Baglihar dam on the Chenab, a neutral expert had ruled in favour of India, even though the design of that dam was not strictly in accordance with the parameters prescribed in the Treaty. The expert had argued that India had employed newer technology that was not available in the 1960s, which would prolong the life of the project. However, a similar question in the Kishanganga case relating to reservoir level going below the dead storage level was dealt with differently by the Court of Arbitration, which ruled that the design was inconsistent with the Treaty, and asked India to change it. Pakistan is keen to establish again that Indian constructions are illegal, and wants a legal resolution to the dispute; India, on the other hand, maintains that the dispute is of technical nature. The Next Steps 1. It s not immediately clear what alternative methods could be employed by the two countries to sort out the issue. With India having forced a suspension of the Indus Commissioner talks, the regular lines of communication over the implementation of the Treaty are currently unavailable. 2. India, meanwhile, has established a high-level task force on the Treaty It is clear that any talks with Pakistan on the Treaty are unlikely to be purely technical in nature. 3. It is also possible that the World Bank might nominate a few independent experts to mediate between the countries.

7 4. India, Kyrgyzstan seek a global pact against terror What is the news? India and Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday finalised plans for joint military exercises in the New Year and reiterated the need for a global convention against terrorism. Visiting President Almazbek Atambaev highlighted the common historical heritage and sought cooperation to deal with current global challenges like terrorism. Bilateral cooperation - The delegations finalised plans to hold the annual joint military exercises named Khanjar-IV in February-March India had provided to the Kyrgyz military institutions including building three IT centres in the last two years. - The high altitude Kyrgyz-Indian Mountain Training Centre being built in the city of Balykchi which will be used to train Indian military personnel. - India s proposal for training Kyrgyz forces for U.N. peacekeeping assignments. - Initiated tele-medicine links with Kyrgyz Republic last year. Cooperation with Kyrgyz republic will enhance India s presence in central Asia and enable India to seek greater enhance to the rich resources of central Asia. 5. Chikungunya vaccine promises safety, efficacy Context: Researchers have developed the first vaccine for chikungunya fever made from an insect-specific virus that does not have any effect on people, making the vaccine safe and effective. Advantages of the newly developed vaccine: 1. The newly-developed vaccine quickly produces a strong immune defence and completely protects mice and non-human primates from disease when exposed to the chikungunya virus, showed the findings detailed in the journal Nature Medicine.

8 2. This vaccine offers efficient, safe and affordable protection against chikungunya and builds the foundation for using viruses that only infect insects to develop vaccines against other insectborne diseases. How chikungunya spreads? Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne virus that causes a disease characterized by fever and severe joint pain, often in hands and feet, and may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling or rash. There is currently no commercial chikungunya vaccine. Traditionally, vaccine development involves trade-offs between how quickly the vaccine works and safety. Durable immunity Live-attenuated vaccines that are made from weakened versions of a live pathogen typically offer rapid and durable immunity but reduced safety. On the other hand, the inability of inactivated vaccines to replicate enhances safety at the expense of effectiveness, often requiring several doses and boosters to work properly. There may be a risk of disease with both of these vaccine types, either from incomplete inactivation of the virus or from incomplete or unstable weakening of the live virus that is only recognized when rare vulnerable individuals contract disease. 6. Leopards in a spot Context Recently some residents of Mandawar village near Gurugram clubbed a leopard to death. A few days back, the Delhi Forest Department trapped a young leopard on the fringes of the Yamuna Biodiversity Park. They will most probably send it to Saharanpur. These incidents bring our attention to certain important legal and ethical issues which arise in the way in which we deal with wild animals that venture into humandominated landscapes. These incidents of animals venturing into human habitations and causing some sort of tensions is on the rise At this juncture overall review of the present condition of the man animal conflict India is much warranted

9 Seriousness of Man-Animal Conflict in India In India, man-animal conflict is seen across the country in a variety of forms, including monkey menace in the urban areas, crop raiding by ungulates and wild pigs, depredation by elephants, and cattle and human killing by tigers and leopards. Damage to agricultural crops and property, killing of livestock and human beings are some of the worst forms of man-animal conflict. The increase in man-animal conflict is likely due to the greater resilience and adaptability of wild animals in face of their shrinking habitats, which allow them to live successfully close to human habitation. Degradation of habitats, depletion of the natural prey base, changing crop patterns, suitability of man modified habitats to wild animals, presence of stray dogs and cattle in forest fringe areas etc. are other reasons. Crops like sugarcane and tea estates are reported to provide excellent cover for wild animals. As per Elephant Census held in , estimated population of Elephant in India is (Mid value 27694).

10 In India, wild elephants probably kill far more people than tiger, leopard or lion. But, surprisingly, human conflict involving leopard draws great amount of public attention compared to other animals. Other carnivores tigers, lions and wolves which have been known for causing a large number of human deaths in the past, are now mostly restricted in range and their impact is not as widespread as that of the leopard.

11 The Government has initiated a number of steps in this regard including the following: 1. Providing assistance to State Governments for improvement of habitat to augment food and water availability and to reduce movement of animals from the forests to the habitations. 2. Encouraging State Governments for creation of a network of Protected Areas and wildlife corridors for conservation of wildlife. 3. Awareness programmes to sensitize the people about the Do s and Don ts to minimize conflicts. Training programmes for forest staff and police to address the problems of human-wildlife conflicts. 4. Issuance of guidelines to the State Governments for management of human-leopard conflict. 5. Providing technical and financial support for development of necessary infrastructure and support facilities for immobilization of problematic animals through tranquilization, their translocation to the rescue centres or release back to the natural habitats. 6. Providing assistance to State Governments for construction of boundary walls and solar fences around the sensitive areas to prevent the wild animal attacks. 7. Supplementing State Government resources for payment of exgratia to the people for injuries and loss of life in case of wild animal attacks. 8. Providing assistance to the State Governments for ecodevelopment activities in villages around Protected Areas to elicit cooperation of local community in management of the Protected Areas. Encouraging and supporting involvement of the research and academic institutions and leading voluntary organizations having expertise in managing human -wildlife conflict situations. Some devices of Information Technology, viz., radio collars with Very High Frequency, Global Positioning System and Satellite uplink facilities, are being used by the research institutions including Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, State Forest Departments and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to monitor the movement of Lions, Tigers, Elephants, Olive Ridley Turtles, and other wild animals to understand their movements and their use pattern of the habitat.

12 Assistance Provided by MoEF to Mitigate Man-Animal conflicts Under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes, MoEF has been providing financial and technical assistance to the State/UT Governments for the conservation and management of wildlife including for activities aimed at mitigating man-animal conflicts. Such activities include the creation of appropriate animal barriers (solar, barbed wire and chain link fencing, trenches, walls etc.). Protected Areas and Elephant reserves There are 661 Protected Areas in the country covering around 4.8% geographical areas. There are 100 National Parks, 514 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 43 Conservation Reserves and 4 Community Reserves in the country. State wise details are placed at Annexure I. At present, 27 Elephant Reserves (ERs) extending over about 60,000 sq km have been formally notified by various State Governments. State-wise details of elephant reserves in India are placed at Annexure II. 7. Government set to launch digital village program Context: The government is looking to unveil a new Digital Village program across the country. The program, in line with the Digital India initiative, will see services such as health and education being rolled out across villages in India. It will initially cover about 100 villages, and expand later. The Digital India program: Early last year, the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched an initiative to increase internet connectivity across the country. The plan was especially targeted at improving the online infrastructure across India's rural towns and villages. Connectivity to over 250,000 villages through the initiative was on the cards. The initiative provided facilities for online medical support, scholarships and digital lockers.

Daily Current Affairs Dated On 21-May-2018

Daily Current Affairs Dated On 21-May-2018 Sadharan Brahmo Samaj (SBS) Why in News? General Studies-1 Sadharan Brahmo Samaj (SBS), the party funded by Rabindranath Tagore s father in the initial years, has entered into a legal battle with the State