Daily Current Affairs 3 January 2022

 Current Affairs of today are

1) J&K to have district-level Governance Index

• Jammu & Kashmir will soon become the first Union Territory in the country to have a district-level Good Governance Index.
• Good Governance Index at the district level will enable each of the 20 districts of Jammu & Kashmir to rise to the level of some of the best-administered districts of the country, with time-bound disposal of office files and other matters, increased transparency, increased accountability, and increased citizen participation., the next step would be to carry forward these Good Governance practices down to Tehsil and Block level.
• The DGGI Framework has 58 Indicators drawn from different aspects of development and district administration distributed in all-encompassing 10 sectors such as Agriculture & allied sector, Commerce & Industry, Human Resource Development, Public Health, Public Infrastructure & Utilities, Economic Governance, Welfare & Development, Public Safety & Judiciary, and Citizen-Centric Governance.
• These indicators were finalized after a series of consultations with the District officials of the Government of Jammu & Kashmir, Academia, Subject Specialists, etc. Looking at the availability of authentic published data and other key principles, the set of indicators has been finalized from a larger list of 135 to 58.
• To compute the index and rank, the Districts on their performance based on finalized 58 Indicators, an elaborate exercise of data collation followed by rigorous data sanitization was undertaken. Final index computation process using standard and tested data normalization and scoring methods is underway. This would result in coming out with Division-wise and District-wise ranks of the Districts. While there will be a comprehensive rank of Districts based on a composite of 10 Sectors, the DGGI will also offer a window on the indicator-wise performance of the Districts.

Source: PIB

2) Good Governance Week

• Centre to celebrate ‘Good Governance Week’ from December 20-25, 2021.
• This is being observed as a part of Azaadi ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations with the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances as the Nodal Department. 
• A nationwide campaign for Redressal of Public Grievances and Improving Service Delivery titled ‘Prashasan Gaon Ki Aur’ will be held in all Districts, States, and Union Territories of India. 
• DARPG in collaboration with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of External Affairs, and Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development will be convening various events during the week.
• The other events which would be convened are Good Governance in Ministry of External Affairs; Ease of Living and Next Phase of Reforms for Reducing Compliance Burden; Mission Karmayogi – The Path Ahead; Experience Sharing Workshop by DARPG on Best Practices in Initiative for Increasing Efficiency in Decision Making; Good Governance Day celebration by DARPG.

Source: PIB

3) ‘Reasonable’ cap for EWS quota

• A government committee report in the Supreme Court has said that “income” is a “feasible criterion” for defining the “Economically Weaker Sections” (EWS) in society, and the annual family income of ₹8 lakh is a “reasonable” threshold to determine EWS to extend reservation in admissions and jobs.
• A feasible criterion for defining EWS can be based on income [family income]. A threshold of ₹8 lakh of annual family income, in the current situation, seems reasonable for determining EWS,” the report of the committee, submitted as part of a government affidavit, concluded. 
• The committee did not agree with the notion that the Union government had “mechanically adopted” ₹8 lakh as a number because it was also used for the OBC creamy layer cut­off.
• It said the income criterion for EWS was “more stringent” than the one for the OBC creamy layer
• Firstly, EWS’s criteria relate to the financial year before the year of application whereas the income criterion for the creamy layer in the OBC category applies to gross annual income for three consecutive years
• Secondly, in the case of the OBC creamy layer, income from salaries, agriculture, and traditional artisanal professions are excluded from the consideration whereas the ₹8 lakh criteria for EWS includes all sources, including farming. So, despite being the same cut­off number, their composition is different and hence, the two cannot be equated
• The desirability of a uniform income­based threshold has been upheld by the Supreme Court, and it can be adopted across the country as a matter of economic and social policy,
• The report is the result of the Supreme Court’s repeated grilling of the government, since October, to explain how it zeroed in on the figure of ‘₹8 lakh’ as the annual income criterion to identify EWS among forwarding classes of society for grant of 10% reservation in National Eligibility­cum­Entrance Test (NEET) medical admissions under the All India Quota (AIQ) category. 
• The Supreme Court’s query was significant as the One Hundred and Third Constitutional Amendment of 2019, which introduced the 10% EWS quota, is itself under challenge before a larger Bench. The Amendment is under question for making economic criterion as the sole ground for grant of reservation benefits.
• The Centre had informed the court that it had taken a considered decision to revisit the criteria for determining EWS.
• The Centre had then formed an expert committee comprising Ajay Bhushan Pandey, former Finance Secretary; professor V.K. Malhotra, Member Secretary, ICSSR; and Sanjeev Sanyal, Principal Economic Adviser to the Government of India. The committee had submitted its report on December 31. “The figure ensures that most low­income people who are not required to pay income tax are not excluded and are covered in EWS and at the same time it should not be so high that it becomes over-inclusive by including many income taxpaying middle­and high­income families into EWS,” the report reasoned.

Source: The Hindu

4) Rajasthan to mine lignite for power generation

• The government in Rajasthan is preparing an ambitious road map in the New Year for mining of lignite in Bikaner district’s Gudha West and the installation of a new lignite­based thermal power plant in its vicinity. The joint action plan is expected to significantly enhance the State’s power generation capacity
• The Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam has recently obtained environmental clearance for coal mining at Parsa East and Kante Basin’s second phase in Chhattisgarh, from where the State has been getting coal for its thermal power stations. The availability of coal from Chhattisgarh was getting affected because of near­exhaustion in the first phase.
• Lignite mining capacity of 10 lakh tonnes was available in Gudha West, where there was a plan to set up a power plant of 125 to 135 MW capacity in 2005 as well. Four possible options were being considered for lignite mining and power generation in the region
• The Central Government’s Neyveli Lignite Corporation is already generating electricity in its power plant at Gudha East, while the power is being produced by the private sector in Bikaner district’s Barsingsar village.
• The combined work of mining and power generation would increase the State’s power production capacity, reduce the cost of electricity and ensure the utilization of lignite within the State. The road map will be submitted to the government after an analysis of all possible options.
• The Central Government had earlier allotted 1,898­ hectare area for the coal blocks in Parsa East and
• Kante Basin to facilitate the supply of coal to the thermal power stations in Rajasthan. The State was getting coal from the region since 2013 after the approval for 762 hectares, but the crisis situation arose recently.

Source: The Hindu

5) Open Defecation Free plus

• Once again, Telangana stood first in the country in the list of the highest number of open defecation free (ODF Plus) villages under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase­II program till December 31, 2021
• As many as 13,737 out of 14,200 villages in the State are on the ODF Plus list, which is 96.74%. Tamil Nadu followed with 4,432 villages (35.39%) and Karnataka with 1,511 villages (5.59%). Gujarat took the 17th position with only 83 villages (0.45%).
• The Telangana government has enacted a new Telangana Panchayat Raj Act to ensure the holistic development of villages. 
• A secretary has been posted in every panchayat for smooth execution of welfare programs, close monitoring, digital reporting and to ensure the prevalence of good governance in villages. 
• The government has stressed garbage collection and scientific disposal. Garbage bins have been distributed to all households
• The implementation of the Palle Pragathi program for holistic development of villages is being uploaded on SBM (G) 2.0 mobile app, which gets reported at the national level dashboard. Telangana State, as per the SBM (Grameen) phase­II dashboard, became numero uno in India by declaring the highest number of ODF villages

Meaning of ODF Plus

• ODF plus village is defined as “a village which sustains its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, ensures solid and liquid waste management and is visually clean.” This includes ensuring that all households in a village, as well as the Primary School, Panchayat Ghar, and Anganwadi Centre, have access to a toilet and that all public places and at least 80% of households effectively manage their solid and liquid waste and have a minimal litter and minimal stagnant water.

Source: The Hindu

6) National Air Sports Policy

• Ministry of Civil Aviation has released a draft National Air Sports Policy (NASP) for public feedback.
• India has the potential to be among the leading nations in the world of air sports. It has a large geographical expanse, diverse topography, and fair weather conditions. It has a large population, especially the youth. It has a growing culture for adventure sports and aviation. Other than the direct revenue from air sports activities, the multiplier benefits in terms of growth of travel, tourism, infrastructure, and local employment, especially in hilly areas of the country, are several times greater. The creation of air sports hubs across the country will also bring in air sports professionals and tourists from across the world.
• The Government of India, therefore, plans to promote the country’s air sports sector, by way of making it safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable, and sustainable. Systems and processes need to be simplified and made more transparent; focus on quality, safety, and security needs to be enhanced; and investments in infrastructure, technology, training, and awareness building need to be facilitated.
• The draft National Air Sports Policy (NASP 2022) is a step in this direction. It has been drafted based on the inputs received from policymakers, air sports practitioners, and the public at large.  It is an evolving document and will be modified from time to time.

The key features of the Draft National Air Sports Policy are:

• NASP 2022 covers sports like aerobatics, aeromodelling, amateur-built and experimental aircraft, ballooning, drones, gliding, hang gliding, and paragliding; micro lighting and paramotoring; skydiving and vintage aircraft.
• The vision is to make India one of the top air sports nations by 2030. The mission is to provide a safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable, and sustainable air sports ecosystem in India.
• NASP 2022 seeks to leverage India’s huge potential for air sports given its large geographical expanse, diverse topography, and fair weather conditions. 
• An Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) will be established as the apex governing body.  Associations for each air sport will handle day-to-day activities e.g. Paragliding Association of India or the Skydiving Association of India etc.
• The air sports associations shall be accountable to ASFI concerning the regulatory oversight and for providing safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable, and sustainable conduct of their respective air sport.
• ASFI shall represent India at FAI and other global platforms related to air sports. Greater participation and success of Indian sportspersons in global air sports events will be facilitated.
• Domestic design, development, and manufacturing of air sports equipment will be promoted in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
• The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland is the world governing body for air sports.  All competitions in India will be conducted as per the guidelines laid down by FAI.
• Air sports by their very nature involve a higher level of risk than flying a regular aircraft. NASP 2022 places a strong focus on ensuring international best practices in safety.
• Inability to enforce safety standards by an air sports association may lead to penal action by the ASFI against such association including financial penalties, suspension, or dismissal.
• All persons and entities providing air sports services shall be required to register as members of the respective air sports associations. Key equipment used for air sports shall be registered with the respective air sports association, till such equipment is decommissioned, damaged beyond repair, or lost.
• An airspace map of India has been published on DGCA’s DigitalSky Platform (https://digitalsky.dgca.gov.in).  The map segregates the entire airspace of India into the red zone, yellow zone, and green zone.  Air sports practitioners may rely on this easily accessible map for guidance. Operation in red and yellow zones requires permission from Central Government and the concerned Air Traffic Control authority respectively.  Operation in green zones for aircraft with all-up weight up to 500 kg does not require any permission. 
• For air sports centered around a fixed location – for instance, Bir-Billing in Himachal Pradesh, Gangtok in Sikkim, Hadapsar in Maharashtra, or Vagamon in Kerala – the said location can be declared as a ‘Control zone’ for air sports with necessary permissions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Defence (MoD), State Government and the local Air Traffic Control authority. This will enable hassle-free flying by air sports enthusiasts in such control zones without creating any risk to national security or the safety of other manned aircraft.
• During peak winters, the level of air sports reduces in Europe and North America and the air sports aficionados migrate to milder climates.  ASFI and the air sports associations will work towards developing a hassle-free process to enable their movement to India.  This will enable Indian air sports enthusiasts to learn from the experience of the visiting professionals, get exposed to global best practices, and create opportunities to host global competitions in India.
• The Government will consider allowing the import of air sports equipment without any import duty for a particular number of years.  Import of previously used air sports equipment may also be allowed free import, subject to laid down norms of airworthiness. 
• Schools, colleges, and universities will be encouraged to have air sports included in their curriculum. 
• Long-term funding for the development of air sports in India shall come from corporate investors, sponsors, membership fees, events, and media rights.  ASFI may seek financial support from the Government of India for the promotion of air sports, especially in the initial years. 
• To make air sports affordable to the common public, the Government will request the GST Council to consider rationalizing the GST rate on-air sports equipment to 5% or less.

Source: PIB

7) WISE – KIRAN

• The WISE – KIRAN scheme has been discussed in the Parliament highlighting the various gender enabling programs operating under this scheme.
• To establish suitable grounds for gender equality and to increase the participation of women in the field of science and technology, the Department of Science and Technology implemented a dedicated scheme called WISE( Women in Science and Engineering)- KIRAN. 
• It was informed that the WISE-KIRAN initiative has benefited many women scientists and meritorious girls of class IX-XII and women from the grassroots levels across the country.
• The scheme focuses on employment generation for women through feasible technology and natural resources available in their native areas. 
• About 50 individual projects and 40 women technology parks have been facilitated by the Science and Technology Scheme for Women which is also a part of the WISE – KIRAN initiative.

Source: PIB

8) Ganga Expressway

The PM laid the foundation stone for the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and also paid tribute to the revolutionaries of the Kakori Conspiracy incident who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

Significance of the Ganga Expressway:

• The expressway will set an example in opening the avenues of progress in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
• This expressway draws its inspiration from the vision of the Prime Minister to provide fast-paced connectivity across the country.
• The six-lane expressway will be 594 km long and will pass through Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Hardoi, Shahjahanpur, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj.
• The western and eastern regions of the state would be better connected along with the facility of a 3.5 km long airstrip for assisting emergency take-off and landing of the Air Force.
• Plans to build industrial corridors have been made
• This expressway will be of enormous benefit to multiple sectors like industrial development, trade, agriculture, tourism, and socio-economic development of the region.

It will ensure five boons and they are as follows:

• The first boon – Saving people’s time
• The second boon – Increase in convenience and ease of people
• Third boon – Proper use of resources
• The fourth boon – increase in capabilities
• Fifth boon – All round prosperity

Source: PIB

9) Waste-wise cities

The NITI Aayog and the Center for Science and Environment released the compendium of best practices in municipal solid waste management.

Waste-wise Cities: Important facts about the report

• The report documents the best practices in 28 cities across 15 states.
• The report acts as the comprehensive knowledge repository that offers a picture of how the Indian cities are managing solid waste.
• The scope of solid waste management in India has witnessed a sustainable value chain with exemplary initiatives such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
• This report includes an assessment of thematic aspects of solid waste management that range from source segregation, material recovery, and technological innovation to managing different kinds of wastes.

Significance:

• With the growing complexities of urbanization, the issue of solid waste management plays an important role in the governance of cities to achieve the target of zero waste cities. The report released by NITI Aayog and CSE provides a precise understanding of the present scenario concerning waste management in the country.
• It was highlighted that frontier technologies have been employed to convert waste into the highest form of energy.     
• The compendium acts as an important resource for developing cities to get new ideas, strategies, institutional arrangements, technologies, and modes of implementation that facilitate cities to offer best practices in terms of waste management. 
• It is recommended that awareness must spread across the urban areas regarding the processing of waste that must be reworked, reused, and recycled. 

The NITI Aayog recommends some of the best practices that include: 

• Behavior change communication
• Source segregation of waste
• Innovative models of circular economy
• Advanced-Data Management
• GIS (Geographical Information System) tracking of waste transportation vehicles

Source: PIB

10) Modification of FRDI bill

The government has started discussions to put in place a resolution mechanism to deal with the insolvency of firms in the financial sector. A modified version of the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill —  which was withdrawn in 2018 due to its controversial provision of bail-in that was perceived as undermining the safety of depositors — is being contemplated. 

• Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) 2016 does not apply to Financial Institutions like Banks, NBFCs, Pension Funds, Mutual Funds, etc. This means that if Reliance Company has taken a loan from a bank, and the reliance company is not making repayment of its debt, of course, the bank can move to NCLT under IBC 2016 to declare the company bankrupt. But if the bank is not repaying money to its depositors (the deposited money is a kind of debt on banks) then the depositors cannot move to NCLT under IBC 2016 to declare the bank bankrupt.
• But, as there were some major NBFCs like IL&FS, DHFL, etc. facing crisis/default, so Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Govt. of India, on 15th Nov. 2019, notified section 227 of IBC 2016 (only temporary arrangement) to enable the resolution of NBFCs (Financial Service Providers) regulated by RBI, through NCLT under IBC 2016. This is just a temporary arrangement only for those NBFCs which are regulated by RBI and have an asset size of more than Rs. 500 crore. But still other smaller NBFCs and which are regulated by SEBI, IRDAI are not covered under IBC 2016.
• For dealing with the bankruptcy of financial firms, Govt. is planning to bring the "Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill". This is in discussion for the last 4/5 years but has still not been passed by Parliament. The reason is there is a "Bail-in" clause in the bill which says that in case there is bankruptcy/insolvency in the bank, then the depositors will have to give up some part of their deposit to protect the bank (i.e. to keep the bank running and preventing from bankruptcy). There is disagreement on this clause.
• Actually, there are two options.
• First is, either allow the bank to fail and close it, then, in that case, the depositors will get Rs. 5 lakh insurance and some money from the liquidation of the bank's assets. But of course, a lot of depositors will lose money in this case also.
• The second case is, deduct some part of the depositor's money and help the bank to again become financially sound and operational.
• 4) some NBFCs are allowed to take TIME deposits but no NBFC can accept demand deposits. There are various classes of NBFCs, no need to go into detail. This is just for your information.