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16th March 2021
National Ayush Mission (NAM)
Recently, the Minister of State (Ministry of AYUSH) has provided information on the implementation of National AYUSH Mission (NAM).
Recently, the Minister of State (I/c) of Culture and Tourism has informed that Rakhigarhi is being developed as one of the five identified iconic archaeological sites.
- The setting up of AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries comes under the purview of respective State/UT Governments because Public Health is a State subject.
- In 2020, the Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to operationalise AYUSH HWCs through States/UTs under the broad umbrella of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) in a phased manner by 2023-24.
- It is a centrally sponsored scheme for development and promotion of AYUSH system of medicine including Homoeopathy.
- It is a flagship scheme of Ministry of AYUSH approved and notified in 2014.
- The grant-in-aid is being provided to State/UT Governments for development and promotion of AYUSH as per their proposed State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs).
- The specific resource pool with respect to NAM for each State/UT Government is allocated and communicated by the Central Government.
- It provides financial assistance for upgradation of Government/ Panchayat/ Government aided AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries for undertaking addition/ alteration of existing premises, furniture, fixtures, equipments etc.
- Co-location of AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centers (PHCs), Community Health Centers (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs);
- Supply of essential drugs to AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries;
- Up gradation of exclusive State Government AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries;
- Setting up of up to 50 bedded integrated AYUSH Hospital;
- Upgradation of State Government Educational Institutions;
- Setting up of new State Government AYUSH Educational Institutions including Yoga and Naturopathy in the State where it is not available;
- Strengthening of State Government/ Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy (ASU&H) Pharmacies and Drug Testing Laboratories (DTL);
- Cultivation and Promotion of Medicinal Plants; and
- Upgradation of Health facilities (AYUSH Dispensaries and Health sub-centers) into AYUSH Health and Wellness Centre.
- To provide cost effective AYUSH Services, with a universal access through upgrading AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries, co-location of AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs).
- To establish a holistic wellness model based on AYUSH principles and practices to empower masses for ‘self-care’ to reduce the disease burden, out of pocket expenditure and to provide informed choice to the needy public.
- To strengthen institutional capacity at the state level through upgrading AYUSH educational institutions, State Govt. ASU&H Pharmacies, Drug Testing Laboratories and ASU & H enforcement mechanism.
- Support cultivation of medicinal plants by adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)so as to provide sustained supply of quality raw-materials and support certification mechanism for quality standards, Good Agricultural/Collection/Storage Practices.
- Support setting up of clusters through convergence of cultivation, warehousing, value addition and marketing and development of infrastructure for entrepreneurs.
- It is a high mountain pass in the Zanskar range in Jammu and Kashmir.
- It is a high plateau where three different mountain ranges, namely Pir Panjal, Zanskar and the Great Himalayas meet at an altitude above 16,000 feet.
- Bhaga River is situated near Baralacha Pass which originates from the Surya Taal Lake.
- Bhaga River is a tributary of the Chandrabhaga River.
- It connects Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh to Leh district in Ladakh.
- It acts as a water divide between the Bhaga River and the Yunam River.
- Its aim is to develop and maintain road networks in border areas of India as well as friendly neighboring countries (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka).
- The parent cadre of BRO consists of officers from the Border Roads Engineering Service (BRES) and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF).
- It also consists of officers from and troops drawn from the Indian Army's Corps of Engineers.
- It is operational in twenty states and three union territories of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
- It is under the control of Ministry of Defence.
- The Supreme Court bench will examine on a priority basis whether overhead power cables can be replaced with underground ones to save one of the heaviest flying birds on the planet.
- The Attorney General gave an argument that only low voltage lines can go underground but not the high voltage ones.
- The court has recommended for installing flight bird divertors around high voltage power lines.
- Fundamental Rights: The constitution of India under Article 19 (1) (a) read with Article 21 of the constitution guarantees right to decent environment and right to live peacefully.
- Directive Principles of State Policy: Article 48A provides that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country.
- Fundamental Duties: Article 51A provides that it shall be duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have compassion for living creatures.
- Characteristics: It can easily be distinguished by its black crown on the forehead contrasting with the pale neck and head.
- They breed mostly during the monsoon season when females lay a single egg on open ground.
- They avoid grasses taller than themselves and dense scrub like thickets.
- Distribution: It was distributed throughout Western India, spanning 11 states, as well as parts of Pakistan.
- It is found scattered throughout the Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
- Protection: It is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- It is categorized as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Habitat and Ecology: They inhabit dry and semi-dry grasslands with dispersed bushes and patches of scrub.
- The Breeding tends to occur in undisturbed or less degraded grassland sites.
- They are omnivores, feeding on insects, grass seeds, berries, rodents and reptiles.
- Delhi’s current status as a Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly is an outcome of the 69th Amendment Act.
- The amendment act introduced the Articles 239AA and 239BB.
- The GNCTD Act was passed simultaneously to supplement the constitutional provisions relating to the Assembly and the Council of Ministers in the national capital.
- The GNCTD Act outlines the powers of the Assembly, the discretionary powers enjoyed by the L-G, and the duties of the Chief Minister with respect to the need to furnish information to the L-G.
- The Centre claims that the amendment Bill seeks to give effect to the Supreme Court’s interpretation in the “statement of objects and reasons” section.
- The bill “further defines” the responsibilities of the elected government and the Lt Governor in line with the Constitutional scheme.
- The bill has made it clear that the term “government” in any law made by the Legislative Assembly shall mean the L-G.
- It implies that the government means the Lieutenant Governor of the NCT of Delhi appointed by the President under Article 239 and designated as such under Article 239 AA of the Constitution.
- It adds that the L-G’s opinion shall be obtained before the government takes any executive action based on decisions taken by the Cabinet or any individual minister.
- In its 2018 verdict, the five-judge Bench had held that the L-G’s concurrence is not required on issues other than police, public order and land.
- It had added that decisions of the Council of Ministers will have to be communicated to the L-G.
- The court ruled that requiring prior concurrence of the Lieutenant Governor would absolutely negate the ideals of representative governance and democracyconceived for the NCT of Delhi by Article 239AA of the Constitution.
- The court ruled that the L-G was bound by the aid and advice of the council of ministers.
- The status of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi is not that of a Governor of a State, rather he remains an Administrator, in a limited sense, working with the designation of Lieutenant Governor.
- The elected government had stopped sending files on executive matters to the L-Gbefore the implementation of any decision which is encouraged by the Supreme Court verdict.
- The Bill seeks to add a provision in the original GNCTD Act, 1991, barring the Assembly or its committees from:
- Making rules to take up matters concerning day-to-day administration; or
- Conducting inquiries in relation to administrative decisions
- The Bill makes it mandatory for the Delhi government to take the opinion of the L-G before any executive action in the city.
- It says that the Delhi assembly won’t be able to make rules for regulating, its procedure and the conduct of its business which are inconsistent with the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Parliament of India.
- The L-G does have the power to refer any matter, over which there is a disagreement with the elected government, to the President under Article 239AA(4).
- In 2019, the Delhi Law Secretary has argued that the elected government cannot use the Supreme Court verdict to keep the L-G in the dark about its decisions.
- It would prevent him from taking informed decisions on whether to invoke Article 239AA(4) or not.
- The SC had also categorically pointed out that the L-G should not act in a mechanical manner without due application of mind so as to refer every decision of the Council of Ministers to the President.
- India's imports from the United States, the world's top producer, rose 48 per cent to a record 545,300 barrels per day (bpd) in February.
- The imports from Saudi Arabia fell by 42 per cent from the previous month to a decade-low of 445,200 bpd.
- Iraq continued to be the top oil seller to India despite a 23 per cent decline in purchases to a five-month low.
- Iraq has reduced annual supplies of oil to several Indian refiners by up to 20 per cent for 2021 as OPEC's second-largest producer tries to meet its obligations under the group's production deal.
- The UAE slipped to fifth position from third in January 2021 whereas Nigeria rose to third from fifth.
- The data from trade sources revealed that the refiners boosted cheaper US crude purchases to record levels to offset OPEC+ supply cuts.
- The switches in supplies were triggered by lower US crude demand, coincided with Saudi Arabia's voluntary extra 1 million bpd output cut on top of an agreement by the OPEC+ to maintain lower production.
- India, the world's third biggest oil importer and consumer, had called on major oil producers to ease supply curbs to aid global economic recovery.
- India had pointed to Saudi Arabia's voluntary cuts for contributing to a spike in global oil prices.
- The low supplies from the Middle East dragged OPEC nations' share of India's oil imports to a record low.
Recently, the Minister of State (I/c) of Culture and Tourism has informed that Rakhigarhi is being developed as one of the five identified iconic archaeological sites.
- The union budget of 2020 has announced five iconic archaeological sites located across five states which will be developed by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI).
- The other four sites are Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh), Shivsagar (Assam), Dholavira (Gujarat) and Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu).
- The repairing of boundary wall, pathways, public amenities, solar lights, benches are being provided for development of the sites and its environs.
- The excavation is also proposed at the site to showcase the archaeological remains in a holistic manner.
- The ancient site of Rakhi-Khas and Rakhi-Shahpur are collectively known as Rakhigarhi.
- It is located on the right bank of now dried up Palaeo-channel of Drishadvati.
- It is located in Hissar district, Haryana.
- The site has yielded various stages of Harappan culture and is one of the largest Harappan sites in India.
- The site shows the sequential development of the Indus culture in the now dried up Saraswati basin.
- The site revealed mature Harappan phase represented by planned township having mud-brick as well as burnt-brick houses with proper drainage system.
- The ceramic industry represented by red ware, which included dish-on-stand, vase, jar, bowl, beaker, perforated jar, goblet and handis.
- Animal sacrificial pit lined with mud brick and triangular and circular fire alters on the mud floor have also been excavated that signifies the ritual system of Harappans.
- A cylindrical seal with five Harappan characters on one side and a symbol of an alligator on the other is an important find from this site.
- The National Honey Mission is a programme to increase the bee population, honey production and beekeepers’ income by setting up apiaries.
- Nearly 500 people die every year due to elephant attacks in India which is nearly 10 times more than the fatalities caused by big cats across the country.
- It is a sub-mission under Khadi and Village Industries Commission’s (KVIC) National Honey Mission.
- It is aimed at creating “bee-fences” to mitigate human – elephant conflicts in the country.
- Its objective is to thwart elephant attacks in human habitations using honey bees and thus reducing loss of lives of both, humans as well as elephants.
- It is a pilot project launched at four locations around village Chelur in Kodagu district of Karnataka.
- The spots are located on the periphery of Nagarhole National Park and Tiger Reserve and prone to human-elephant conflicts.
- It is known as Rajiv Gandhi National Park located in Kodagu and Mysore District.
- It is declared as 37th Tiger Reserve in India.
- It is considered as World Heritage site by UNESCO.
- The Bandipur, Mudumalai & Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary are adjacent to the Nagarahole.
- Bengal Tiger, Indian Leopard, Sloth Bear, Striped Hyena are the predators that can be spotted in the park.
- The arms exports by Russia, which accounted for 20% of all exports of major arms in 2016–20, dropped by 22%.
- The exports by China, the world’s fifth largest arms exporter in 2016-20, fell 7.8%between 2011-15 and 2016-20.
- China accounted for 74% of Pakistan’s military imports during the last five years, which is an increase from 61% in 2011-15.
- The United States, world’s largest arms exporter, saw its global share of exports went up from 32% to 37% between 2011-15 and 2016-20.
- The five largest arms exporters in 2016-20 were the US, Russia, France, Germany and China, while the top importers were Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and China.
- The report attributed the drop in India’s arms imports mainly to an attempt to reduce its dependence on Russian arms and complex procurement processes.
- Russia was the most affected supplier for India and India’s imports of US arms also fell by 46%.
- India is planning large-scale arms imports in the coming years from several suppliers.
- The report highlighted that India’s top three arms suppliers during 2016-20 wereRussia (accounting for 49% of India’s imports), France (18%) and Israel (13%).
- India accounted for 0.2% of the share of global arms exports during 2016-20.
- It implies that India is the world’s 24th largest exporter of major arms.
- It represents an increase of 228% over India’s export share of 0.1 % during the previous five-year period of 2011-15.
- The report highlights that Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Mauritius were the top recipientsof Indian military hardware.
- It is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
- It was established in 1966.
- It provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.
- The SIPRI’s mission is to:
- Undertake research and activities on security, conflict and peace;
- Provide policy analysis and recommendations;
- Facilitate dialogue and build capacities;
- Promote transparency and accountability; and
- Deliver authoritative information to global audiences.
POSTED ON 16-03-2021 BY ADMIN
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