40th Pragati Dialogue
Paper 2 Governance
Why in News?
Recently, on 25th May 2022, hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the 40th Pragati Dialogue, let us know some of the highlights of the meeting.
Key Points
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, chaired the 40th Meeting of PRAGATI, an ICT-based multi-modal platform for proactive governance and timely implementation involving the Central and State Governments.
• The meeting reviewed nine themes of the agenda, including eight projects and one programme. The eight projects included two projects each in the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, as well as one project each from the Ministry of Power and the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
• The total cost of these eight projects is Rs 59,900 crore, which includes 14 states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland , belong to Sikkim and Jharkhand.
• The Prime Minister said that agencies working in the infrastructure sector, such as roads and railways, should map their projects with the water bodies being developed under The Amrit Sarovar so that the material excavated for The Amrit Sarovar can be used by the agencies for civil works.
• During the interaction, the Prime Minister also reviewed the ‘National Broadband Mission’ programme. It was suggested to states and agencies to avail the centralised Speed Power Communication Portal to ensure timely disposal of Right of Way (ROW) applications. This will speed up the implementation of the Mission. At the same time, they should work towards using technology in the context of increasing the ‘ease of living’ for the common people.
• The Prime Minister further said that states can also prepare state level dynamics master plans in line with the PM Gatishakti National Master Plan and form state-level units for this purpose. This can go a long way in better planning, identifying and resolving key issues and ensuring better coordination for timely execution of projects.
• It may be mentioned that till 39 editions of pragati meetings, 311 projects at a total cost of Rs 14.82 lakh crore have been reviewed.
What is Pragati Dialogue?
• Pragati, known as in full for, pro-active governance and timely implementation, is a multi-purpose platform of the central government that was launched in the year 2015.
• It is a unique integrated and interactive platform through which the Hon’ble Prime Minister oversees the implementation of various government schemes, grievances, projects and programmes related to the State and the Centre by interacting directly with all stakeholders through videoconferencing on the same platform.
• The three-tier system consists of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), secretaries to the central government and chief secretaries of states .
• It is worth mentioning that the Pragati plateform has been prepared by the team of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with the help of the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
The objective
• Pragati is aimed at a culture of proactive governance through online video conferencing and meetings and timely implementation of projects and plans.
• It is also a robust system to bring e-transparency and e-accountability with real-time presence and exchange among key stakeholders.
Source – PIB
WHO seeks India’s help to test monkeypox cases
Paper 2 Health, Education, Human Resources
Why in News?
In view of the recent increasing cases of Monkeypox, the WHO has sought india’s help to test cases of monkeypox.
Key Points
• The World Health Organisation Country Office for India has sought the assistance of India’s — ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune, — help to test suspected cases of monkeypox for the south-east Asia region (SEAR) member-states.
• उल्लेखनीय है की The SEAR accounts for one-quarter of the world’s population, 40% of the global poor and already bears approximately 30% of the overall global disease burden.
• गौरतलब है की The request comes at a time when more than 10 countries, where monkeypox is not endemic, have reported outbreaks of the viral disease, with more than 100 confirmed or suspected infections, mostly in Europe.
• ICMR- NIV, Pune detected the first SARS-CoV-2 case in the country and subsequently isolated the virus, including the variants of concern.
• उल्लेखनीय है की This is not the first time India is extending its laboratory and diagnostic support to countries of this region. It has done it during COVID also. For monkeypox testing, it has agreed in principle to help out and will await more formal requests from individual countries.
Unusual outbreaks
• It is noteworthy that recent monkeypox outbreaks are unusual because they are occurring in countries where the virus has not been endemic. however India has not yet reported a case of monkeypox.
• Researchers from ICMR- NIV, Pune said that For now we are adopting a wait-and-watch policy. We have two of our Institute’s laboratory groups ready to do the testing. We are equipped and prepared.
• They said that monkeypox is not as transmissible as SARS-CoV-2 and the present outbreak gives no cause for undue panic. Transmission between humans takes place through close contact with respiratory secretions (large droplets), skin lesions, or recently contaminated objects. Hence, health care workers, members of households, and other close contacts of active cases of monkeypox are at increased risk.
Endemic in Africa
• Monkeypox virus was first discovered in 1958 and is known to be endemic in 12 countries in Africa, four of which have reported cases to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the period from December 15, 2021 to May 1, 2022.
• FIND, a global alliance for diagnostics, in its communication, explained that the emergence of monkeypox underlines the need for sustained global surveillance systems that can detect emerging viruses in every country in the world.
• The focus on diagnostics for COVID-19 has boosted testing and surveillance capacity worldwide that can be useful for monkeypox, but dramatic inequities remain in low- and middle-income countries. It added that the disease is not easily contracted, and in most cases is not life-threatening.
What is Monkeypox?
• Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious viral disease that starts with a flu-like disease and inflammation of the lymph nodes and develops into a rash widespread on the face and body. Most infections last for 2-4 weeks.
• The rare monkeypox virus belongs to the chickenpox virus family. The infection can also be quite serious. This infection can be identified on the basis of large donations on the body of the infected person.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), monkeypox was reported for the first time in humans in 1970. So far, the presence of this virus has been confirmed in 11 countries of Africa. The initial cases of MonkeyPox were reported in 1958. When the disease spread to monkeys kept for research. The first case of monkeypox in humans was reported in 1970 in Cango (Africa).
• According to reports, the infection spread in the Us in 2003. Then the reason for this was attributed to the pet dogs imported from Ghana. There is no confirmation of the cases of this virus in India and other Asian countries.
How does it spread?
• Monkeypox virus can spread in many ways. However, according to the WHO, the transition from one human to another is quite low. However, when the infected person sneezes and coughs, the virus is present in the droplets, which can spread like Covid.
• In addition, the virus spreads to humans due to exposure to the blood, body fluids or skin of infected animals.
Symptoms
• According to the WHO, it can take 6 to 13 days for symptoms to appear after a monkeyvirus infection. Infected people may feel severe weakness with fever, sharp headaches, back and muscle pain. Inflammation of the lymph nodes is considered to be its most common symptom.
• A sick person may have large rashes on his face and hands and feet. If the infection is severe, these rashes can also affect the cornea of the eyes.
The treatment
• According to the WHO, there is currently no cure available for monkeypox. Smallpox vaccines (made from the vaccinia virus) are considered to be protective against monkeypox.
• People exposed to the virus are often given some doses of smallpox vaccines, as it is currently shown to be effective against Monkeypox.
• The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has recommended that all suspected patients be isolated and those at high risk be vaccinated with smallpox.
Source – The Hindu
Bilateral naval exercise ‘Bongosagar’
Paper 2 International Relations, Issues
Why in News?
Recently, the bilateral naval exercise of the Indian Navy and the Bangladesh Navy began in Bongosagar, let us know about it.
Key Points
• The third edition of the bilateral naval exercise ‘Bongosagar’ between the Indian Navy (IN) and the Bangladesh Navy (BN) began at Port Mongla in Bangladesh on 24 May 2022.
• It is worth mentioning that the first edition of the Bongosagar exercise was held in October 2019, while its second edition was held in the year 2020.
• The harbour phase of the third edition of the exercise is scheduled from May 24 to 25, followed by a sea phase in the northern Bay of Bengal from May 26 to 27.
• Indian Navy Ship Kora, an indigenously built Guided Missile Corvette and an indigenously built offshore patrol vessel Sumedha are participating in the exercise.
• The Bangladesh Navy is represented by BNS Abu Ubaidah and Ali Haider, both of whom are guided missile frigates.
• During the port phase of the Bongosagar Exercise, the strategic level planning discussions on the conduct of the exercise at sea include professional and collective interaction and friendly sports activities.
• The maritime phase of the exercise will facilitate ships of both the navies to participate in intensive surface warfare exercises, use of weapons, firing exercises, sailor planning development and coordinated air operations in the strategic landscape.
• Earlier, the navies of India and Bangladesh jointly patrolled the northern Bay of Bengal along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) on May 22-23. The two-day patrolling was aimed at strengthening the mutual understanding and capability between the two navies in combating international maritime threats. In this patrol also, Bangladesh Naval ships BNS Ali Haider and BNS Abu Ubaida were involved in patrolling with the Indian Navy.
The objective
• The objective of the Bongosagar exercise is to develop a high level of reciprocity and joint operational skills between the navies of the two countries through maritime exercises and operations across a wide spectrum of combat operations.
Source – All India Radio
Inauguration of the Param Porul Supercomputer
Paper 3 Science Technology
Why in News?
The Param Porul Supercomputer was inaugurated at NIT, Tiruchirappalli recently.
Key Points
• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Department of Science & Technology (DST) a joint initiative of – National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) under 25 May, 2022 to the Board of Directors, by Shri Bhaskar Bhat, Chairman, Tiruchirappalli Param Porul Supercomputer Inaugurated. Param porul, NIGHT Tiruchirappalli has a state-of-the-art supercomputer dedicated to the nation.
• The Param Porul supercomputing facility has been set up under Phase 2 of the NSM, where most of the components used in preparing this system have been constructed and assembled within the country. Along with this, the indigenous software stack developed by C-DAC in line with the Make in India initiative has also been used in it.
• It may be mentioned that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between NIT Tiruchirappalli and Centre for Development in Advanced Computing (C-DAC) on October 12, 2020 to set up this 838 Terraflops supercomputing facility under the National Supercomputing Mission.
Main features of the Param porul
• This system is equipped with a combination of CPU nodes, GPU nodes, high memory nodes, high throughput storage and high performance infiniband interconnects to meet the computing needs of various scientific and engineering applications.
• The Param Porul system is based on direct contact liquid cooling technology to achieve the effectiveness of high power use and thereby reduce operating costs.
• For the benefit of the researchers many applications from various scientific domains such as weather and climate, bioinformatics, computational chemistry, molecular dynamics, materials science, computational fluid dynamics, etc. have been established on the system. This state-of-the-art computing system will be extremely helpful for the researchers.
Usages
• NIT is doing research in areas of social interest such as Tiruchirappalli health, agriculture, weather, financial services. The facility set up under NSM will strengthen this research.
• The new high-performance computational facility will assist researchers in solving large-scale problems of different fields of science and engineering.
• A part of the total calculation power will also be shared with the nearest academic and research institutes as per the rules of the NSM.
• In addition, NSM has sponsored a number of application research projects using this supercomputing facility and involving researchers from other Indian institutes and industries. Overall, this supercomputing facility will highly promote research and development initiatives in Indian education and industries to reach a state of global respect.
• Under the NSM, so far 15 supercomputers with a calculated capacity of 24 Petaflops have been installed across the country. All these supercomputers have been built in India and are working with an indigenously developed software stack.
What is a supercomputer?
• A supercomputer is a computer with a higher level of performance than a general-purpose computer.
• Supercomputers have thousands of processors that can count billions and trillions per second.
• The performance of a supercomputer is measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) instead of in million instructions per second (MIPS).
• The supercomputer is used for calculation of data-intensive, heavy scientific purposes and for engineering purposes such as quantum mechanics, weather forecasting, oil and gas exploration, molecular modeling, physical simulation, aerodynamics, nuclear fusion research, and cryptanalysis.
• Supercomputing refers to the process of complex and large calculations commonly used by supercomputers, the same high-performance computing (HPC) refers to the use of multiple supercomputers to process complex and large calculations. The two terms are often used to refer to mutual meaning.
About the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)
• The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is being jointly conducted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISC).
• This mission (NSM) has four major pillars named after the infrastructure, use, Research & Development, There are human resource developments. These pillars are working efficiently to achieve the goal of developing the country’s indigenous supercomputing ecosystem.
• The National Supercomputing Mission was launched to enhance the research capabilities in the country, they also aimed at creating a supercomputing grid by connecting it with the National Knowledge Network (NKN).
• NSM is setting up a grid of supercomputing facilities in academic and research institutes across the country. One part of it is being imported from abroad and the other part is being made indigenously.
• The mission envisages empowering national institutes of academic and R&D spread across the country by setting up a huge supercomputing grid with over 70 high-performance computing facilities.
• Param Shivaay, the first indigenously built supercomputer was installed at IIT (BHU), followed by Param Shakti, Param Brahma, Param Mukti, Param Sanganak at IIT-Kharagpur, IISER Pune, JNCASR Bengaluru and IIT Kanpur respectively.
• The National Supercomputing Mission plans to increase India’s supercomputing capacity to 45 petaflops in its three phases, which will include three systems with 3 petaflops capacity and one system with 20 petaflops capacity.
• C-DAC has been entrusted with the responsibility of designing, developing, deploying and commissioning supercomputing systems under the mission building approach. The mission is planned to build and deploy 24 facilities with cumulative computed power of more than 64 petaflops.
• Under the construction approach, C-DAC is building an indigenous supercomputing ecosystem in a phased manner, leading to indigenously designed and built supercomputers. It has designed and developed a computer server “Rudra” and high speed interconnect “Trinetra” which are the major sub-assemblies required for supercomputers.
Source – PIB
17th Asia Media Summit
Paper 2 International issues
Why in News?
Recently, the 17th Asia Media Summit was held from 23rd to 26th May 2022.
Key Points
• The Asia Pacific Broadcasting Development Institute (AIBD) is organizing the Asia Media Summit (AMS) in collaboration with its partners and international organizations.
• The Conference provides a unique opportunity for broadcasters of the region to share their views on broadcasting and information, which is supported by all regional and international broadcasting unions and associations .
• Decision makers, media professionals, scholars and stakeholders of news and programming from Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North America attended this annual conference.
• The theme of this year’s Asia Media Summit is “Future Forward, Reimagining Media”.
• Asia Media Summit, in fact, is an annual event organized by the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Development Institute (AIBD)
• The conference is attended by decision makers, media professionals, scholars and stakeholders from Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North America.
India’s participation
• The 17th Asia Media Summit was attended by The Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur through video conferencing.
• In his address, the Union Minister lauded the Indian media for educating people about COVID-19.
• Giving credit to the Fact Check Unit of the Press Information Office, he said that this menace of fake news and misinformation was fought on a real-time basis.
• Stressing on the changing distribution mechanism of the media, Shri Thakur said that the media today is highly driven by technology and is witnessing the rapid pace of innovation. The development of internet through affordable mobile devices has re-energized the media industry. He said the 5G technology will further improve the user experience by increasing the speed of delivery and improving the quality of the content of the media.
• Shri Thakur said that Indian cinema won the hearts of millions of people across the world and earned an identity for India. With a total of 3000 releases, India produces the most number of films every year. Mr Thakur also reiterated the incentives announced at Cannes to promote shooting of films in India.
• With this, the government has announced the world’s largest project of conservation of films under the National Film Heritage Mission. Shri Thakur informed that as part of this campaign, the old grandeur of more than 2200 films of different languages and genres will be restored. He said that conservation connects different generations. The new generation must know, accept and imbibe the values that our ancestors have cherished.
• Concluding his address, the Union Minister expressed his firm belief in the positive role played by the media in the world and said that as an effective means of empowerment, the media has immense potential to shape the perceptions and attitudes of the people.
About the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Development Institute
• The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Development Institute (AIBD) was established in August 1977 under the aegis of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
• It is a unique regional intergovernmental organization serving the countries of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission asia and pacific (UN-ESCAP) in the field of electronic media development.
• It is hosted by the Government of Malaysia and the Secretariat is located in Kuala Lumpur.
• AIBD is imperative to achieve a vibrant and cohesive electronic media environment in the Asia-Pacific region through policy and resource development.
• The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are the founding organizations of the Institute and they are non-voting members of the General Conference.
• Full membership of the AIBD is confined to sovereign states and they are invited to designate the broadcasting authority of the country to be the beneficiary. The AIBD currently has 26 Full Members (countries), represented by 43 organisations, and 50 Affiliate Members (organisations) with a total membership of 93 representing 46 countries and regions and over 50 partners in Asia, Pacific, Europe, Africa, Arab States and North America.
• It is noteworthy that India is also a full member of this organization.
Source – PIB
National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 Report
Paper 2 Health, Education, Human Resources
Why in News?
Recently, the Ministry of Education released the National Achievement Survey Report (NAS) 2021.
Key Points
• The Union Education Ministry released the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 on May 25, 2022, in which it is noteworthy that about 34 lakh students from 1.18 lakh schools located in rural and urban areas of 720 districts across the country participated in the survey.
• It may be mentioned that the survey prepared by NCERT in 22 languages based on the questions prepared by THE NCERT and conducted by cbse on the same day on 12th November 2021 and at the same time was evaluated on the national level in the 3rd, 5th, 8th and 10th classes in NAS 2021 on a scale of 500 at the national level.
• Significantly, the report is based on performance in all subjects based on gender (women, men), region (rural and urban), management of schools (government, government aided and private unaided) and social groups (Scheduled Castes (SC),Tribes (STs),Other Backward Communities (OBCs) and General,Schedule.
The highlights of the report
• The NCERT under the aegis of the Ministry of Education conducted the National Achievement Survey (NAS) across the country for classes 3, 5, 8 and 10 in government, government-aided schools, private accredited and central government schools on November 12, 2021.
• The survey tool used multiple test booklets with 50 questions in class 3 and 5, 60 questions in class 8, 70 questions in class 10 in mathematics, language, science, environmental studies and social sciences.
• The merit-based test questions reflect the learning outcomes developed by the NCERT that were recently incorporated into the RTE Act by the Government of India. Along with the test items, questionnaires about students, teachers, and schools were also used. The survey was evaluated on a scale of 500 at the national level.
• According to the survey, at the national level, the score of students in mathematics in class III was 306, which decreased to 284 in class 5, 255 in class 8 and 220 in class 10.
• Similarly, the performance of Class 3 in the language was 323, which was reduced to 260 in Class 10. The performance of class 3 and class 5 students in schools in the national capital is better but this too is much lower than the national average.
• In the National Achievement Survey 2021, 38 percent of the students admitted that it was very difficult to study during the pandemic. Of the 34 lakh students surveyed, 24 percent believed that they had no digital means during the pandemic to continue their studies. Of these, 80 per cent of the students admitted that they are able to develop better skills during offline classes and this also helps their own classmates.
• It also showed that the performance of SC, ST and OBC students in various subjects and classes was poor compared to that of general category students.
What is the National Achievement Survey (NAS) ?
• The National Achievement Survey or National Achievement Survey (NAS) is a large-scale assessment conducted at the national level which provides information about the achievement of students studying in government, government-aided and private unaided schools.
• NAS is a standardized method of testing the occupancy of students of classes III, V, VIII and X. A number of new elements have been incorporated in the NAS over a period of time and significant momentum has been given to the development of merit-based assessment.
• The main properties of NAS include an extremely rich system of background diversity. The results from this help in tracing the performance of students under the contextal diversity as well as the various learning outcomes.
• The aim of this national assessment is to compare the performance of the spectrum and the population to find the desirable direction for the changes and to provide a basis for the decisions required.
• Through this, the curriculum is designed and developed by synthesizing the results of the national level. It provides a rich repository of evidence for the bright future of the Indian education system.
• Nas is headed by NAS Cell, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which is conducted under the aegis of the Department of School Education and Literacy (DOSEL), Ministry of Education (MOE).
Source – The Hindu
Smart materials that respond to light stimulation
Paper 3 Science Technology
Why in News?
Recently scientists have developed a smart material that easily reacts to light excitation by converting light into thermal energy.
Key Points
• Scientists have developed a smart material called liquid crystal polymer network (LCN) that easily reacts to light excitation by converting light into thermal energy. It can be helpful to use solar energy for applications in the devices of soft robotics and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).
• It is worth mentioning that many smart materials have successfully replicated the stimulus-responsive behavior seen in abundance in nature such as venus flytrap, pine cone, mimosa pudding leaf (chuimui plant) or sunflower always tries to be oriented to the sun.
• It is worth noting that the way the Venus flytrap closes its pores when the prey is around. Similarly, liquid crystal polymer network (LCN) is one of such smart materials.
• Upon heating this uniformly aligned LCN film changes to a reversible 2- or 3-dimensional shape due to the LC-liquid phase transition.
• Further by manipulating the average orientation of this rod-shaped LC molecules, distortions of different shapes such as bending, curling and even spiral lace forming have been achieved in the past.
• However, the previously known devices require additional layers in the photo-reaction film to achieve bi-directional induction—converting external energy into motion.
• As a solution to this problem, in a collaborative study, researchers from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CENS), Bengaluru, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT, Madras, by crosslinking a mixture of one-functional and bi-functional liquid crystal mesogens (a chemical compound), Locally-distorted (diffuse) LCN films are made.
• The two types of liquid crystal mesogens have one and two molecular units, respectively, to absorb light and incorporate the near-infra-red (NIR)-active dye into the system. The NIR laser beam exerted on the film is the cause of a significant increase in the local temperature, and the incoming order-order transition leads to a change in the microscope shape or, in other words, thermo-mechanical actuation. The research has been published in the journal Soft Matter.
• The researchers said that huge, intense and bidirectional induction can be achieved when the geometrical and physical parameters of the film are carefully matched.
• The researchers performed the modeling and simulation of thermal actuation at IIT Madras. This work further demonstrated in detail that films perform exceptionally well under solar excitation. This led to the suggestion that it could be used to use solar energy for applications in soft robotics and MEMS devices.
Source – PIB
West Bengal’s Maheshtala Project
Paper 3 Infrastructure projects
Why in News?
Recently, the National Mission for Clean Ganga signed a quadrilateral agreement for sewage infrastructure development and management at Maheshtala in West Bengal.
Key Points
• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has recently signed two quadrilateral agreements on the development of sewage infrastructure, including a 35 MLD STP, for Maheshtala in West Bengal under hybrid annuity mode at a total cost of Rs 273.52 crore .
• One of these agreements is an escrow (nilam) agreement between The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), M/s Maheshtala Waste Water Management Private Limited (MWWMPL) and Union Bank of India. At the same time, the second agreement is a replacement agreement between NMCG, KMDA, MWWMPL and the Austrian Development Bank.
About the project
• It is worth mentioning that Maheshtala is located on the east bank of river Ganga. The project is aimed at stopping the flow of sewerage from the city to the River Ganga. The major components of the project include 35 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), 4 pumping stations, 6 diversion structures, repair and rehabilitation works, 15 years of operation and maintenance etc.
• The project is under hybrid annuity mode (HAM). of the cost of construction in it. 40 percent share 24 during the construction period of the month and the rest of the 60 percent share paid with interest as quarterly annuity and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs 15 will be done over a period of years.
• MWWMPL is being financed by the Austrian Development Bank. It will be responsible for the overall development and operation of both the sewerage network and the STP for 15 years of the concession period.
• Payments will be made based on the achievement of the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in terms of the quality of wastewater treated for STP during this operational period.
About the National Mission for Clean Ganga
• National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG) was registered as a society on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
• It acted as the implementation arm of the National Ganga River Basin Authority(NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986 in 2009.
• NGRBA has since been dissolved with effect from the 7th October 2016, consequent to the constitution of National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga (referred as National Ganga Council) vide notification.
• Thus, the National Mission for Clean Ganga is implemented by the ‘Rashtriya Ganga Parishad’ for rejuvenation, conservation and management of the river Ganga.
• The National Mission for Clean Ganga is a coordination body supported by the State Level Programme Management Groups (SPMG) of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal which are registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and also the dedicated nodal centre located in Jharkhand supports it.
• The area of operation of NMCG is the Ganga River Valley which also includes the States through which the River Ganga passes and also includes the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Its scope of operation may also be expanded, altered or added in future by the Governing Council and may also include other States through which the tributaries of river Ganga pass.
Source – PIB
11th India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee Meeting
Paper 2 International relations
Why in News?
Recently, on 24 May 2022, the 11th India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meeting was held in New Delhi.
Key Points
• Major General Staff Hassan Mohammad Sultan Bani Hammad, head of the Military Development Authority in the Ministry of Defence, United Arab Emirates (UAE), called on Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar in New Delhi on May 25, 2022 . They discussed ways to advance defence cooperation between the two countries.
• Apart from this, the General also briefed the Defence Secretary about the 11th meeting of the India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) held on May 24, 2022 .
• The JDCC meeting was co-chaired by Shri Dinesh Kumar, Joint Secretary (Armed Forces) and head of the Military Development Authority in the Ministry of Defence, UAE.
• During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the Pragati of activities between the armies. These include joint exercises, exchange of experts, industry engagement and cooperation in the field of Research and Development.
• In addition, it was decided to identify new avenues for joint ventures to enhance defence industry cooperation and test areas of mutual interest. At the same time, increasing the scope and complexities of existing joint exercises were also discussed.
• During this meeting, it was agreed to hold the next meeting of the JDCC in the UAE on mutually convenient dates in 2023. It may be noted that the JDCC is the apex body between the Defence Ministries of India and uae to comprehensively review and guide all aspects of bilateral defence cooperation.
About the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• The United Arab Emirates or simply the Emirates is a country in Western Asia. It is located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula and shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, while having maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. it is in a strategic location slightly south of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil.
• The United Arab Emirates is an elective monarchy formed from a federation of seven emirates, consisting of Abu Dhabi (the capital), Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain.
• Each emirate is governed by an Emir and together the emirs form the Federal Supreme Council. The members of the Federal Supreme Council elect a president and Prime Minister from among their members.
• In practice, the emir of Abu Dhabi serves as president while the ruler of Dubai is prime minister.
• Abu Dhabi is the nation’s capital, while Dubai, the most populous city, is an international hub. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language.
• The United Arab Emirates’ oil and natural gas reserves are the world’s sixth and seventh-largest, respectively.
• The UAE is considered a middle power. It is a member of the United Nations, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OPEC, Non-Aligned Movement, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
• If we talk about geography South and west of Abu Dhabi, vast, rolling sand dunes merge into the Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) of Saudi Arabia.The desert area of Abu Dhabi includes two important oases with adequate underground water for permanent settlements and cultivation. The extensive Liwa Oasis is in the south near the undefined border with Saudi Arabia. About 100 km (62 mi) to the northeast of Liwa is the Al-Buraimi oasis, which extends on both sides of the Abu Dhabi-Oman border. Lake Zakher in Al Ain is a human-made lake near the border with Oman that was created from treated waste water.
• The UAE is the second country in the world to have the highest exports, with the Crown Prince of the UAE attending india’s 68th Republic Day as the chief guest in 2017, during which he said that the two countries will increase bilateral trade by 60 per cent in the next five years.
• At the same time, the uae has the largest number of overseas Indians living in it, which is home to the world’s largest NRI population. According to one estimate, the uae has a population of about 90 lakh, out of which about 33 lakh are Indian expatriates.
Source – All India Radio
Sex Work A Profession – Supreme Court
Paper 1 Social Issues
Why in News?
Recently, the Supreme Court said- Sex work (prostitution) is also a profession.
Key Points
• The Supreme Court in a recent order said that prostitution is also a profession. At the same time, the court has ordered the police of all the states and union territories that they should not interfere in the work of sex workers. The police should not take criminal action against women who do adult and consensual sex work.
• It is worth mentioning that the Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed regarding the problems faced by sex workers during Corona. The court said that sex workers are also entitled to dignity and equal protection under the law.
• A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao, BR Gavai and AS Bopanna also issued six directions towards securing the rights of sex workers , the court ordered under Article 142 of the Indian Constitution. The court said, sex workers are also citizens of the country. They are also entitled to equal protection in the law.
It is illegal to run a brothel
• Every citizen of this country has got the right to live a dignified life under Article 21 of the Constitution. Even if the police have to raid their house for some reason, do not arrest or harass the sex workers. It is not illegal to become a prostitute of your own free will, it is illegal to just run a brothel.
• The woman is a sex worker, just because her child cannot be separated from the mother. If the child lives with a brothel or a sex worker, it does not prove that the child has been trafficked.
Sensitiveness of the police is necessary
• If any offence is committed with the sex worker, immediately provide her with help, if she is sexually assaulted, then she should get all the facilities under the law including immediate medical assistance which any woman who is sexually abused.
• In many cases it has been observed that the police adopt a cruel and violent attitude towards sex workers. In such a situation, the police and agencies should also be sensitive to the rights of sex workers.
• The police should treat the prostitute with respect, the police should not treat them verbally or physically badly. No one can force a sex worker to do sexual activity.
Guidelines for media
• The court has appealed to the Press Council of India to issue guidelines for coverage of cases involving sex workers.
• So that the identity of the sex workers is not revealed during the arrest, raid or any other operation. It is worth mentioning that the court has given these orders on the recommendation of the panel formed for the rehabilitation of sex workers.
What is Article 142 of the Constitution?
• In the Indian Constitution, the Supreme Court has a special power in the form of Article 142, under which the court can give necessary directions for justice.
• According to Article 142 of the Constitution, the supreme court’s order will be paramount unless any other law is enacted.
• Like this, the court can give such decisions which are necessary to complete any pending case. The orders passed by the Court shall remain in force till the provision relating to it is implemented.
Source – The Hindu