Science award for ISRO team, IISC’s ex-chief Padmanabhan

• The Union government has announced the first set of Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar, or national awards for scientists.
• President Droupadi Murmu is expected to confer the Vigyan Ratna award on Biochemist Govindarajan Padmanabhan. The Centre has announced 33 Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskars, which include 18 Vigyan Yuva Puraskarsfor young scientists and 13 Vigyan Shri Puraskars and a Vigyan Team award that went to Team Chandrayaan-3.

Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar

• The Government of India has announced the “Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar” in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation.
• The National Award recognizes outstanding and inspiring scientific, technological and innovation contributions of researchers, technologists and innovators.

Domains for Awards:

• 13 domains– physics, chemistry, biological sciences, mathematics and computer science, earth science, medicine, engineering science, agricultural science, environmental science, technology and innovation, atomic energy, space science and technology, and Others.
• Representation from each domain including gender parity will be ensured.

Four categories:

• Vigyan Ratna (VR) award will recognize lifetime achievements & contributions made in any field of science and technology.
• Vigyan Shri (VS) award will recognize distinguished contributions in any field of science and technology.
• Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (VY-SSB) award will recognize & encourage young scientists up to the age of 45 years who made an exceptional contribution in any field of science and technology.
• Vigyan Team (VT) award to be given to a team comprising of three or more scientists/researchers/innovators who have made an exceptional contribution working in a team in any field of science and technology.

Eligibility:

• Scientists/ technologists/innovators working in government, private sector organizations or any individual working outside any organization.
• People of Indian Originstaying abroad with exceptional contributions benefiting Indian communities.

Selection process

• The nominations will be invited from January 14 to February 28 (National Science Day) every year. 
• All nominations received for the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar awards shall be placed before the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Committee (RVPC) headed by the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the government of India. 
• The committee will include secretaries of science departments, members of science and engineering academies and some distinguished scientists and technologists from different fields of science and technology.

Rajya Sabha takes up appropriation bills passed by Lok Sabha

Appropriation Bill

• It is a money bill that allows the government to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet its expenses during a financial year.
• As per Article 114(3) of the Constitution, no amount can be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund without the enactment of such a law by Parliament.
• The whole process beginning with the presentation of the Budget and ending with discussions and voting on the Demands for Grants requires a fairly long time.
• The Lok Sabha is, therefore, empowered by the Constitution to make any grant in advance in respect of the estimated expenditure for a part of the financial year pending completion of procedure for the voting on the demands.
• However, if during the course of the financial year, the funds so appropriated are found to be insufficient, the Constitution provides for seeking approval from the Parliament or State Legislature for supplementary grants.

Procedure Followed:

• The Appropriation Bill is introduced in the Lok Sabha after discussions on Budget proposals and Voting on Demand for Grants.
• The defeat of an Appropriation Bill in a parliamentary vote would lead to the resignation of a government or a general election.
• Once it is passed by the Lok Sabha it is sent to the Rajya Sabha.
• Rajya Sabha has the power to recommend any amendments in this Bill. However, it is the prerogative of the Lok Sabha to either accept or reject the recommendations made by the Rajya Sabha.
• After the bill receives assent from the president it becomes an Appropriation act.
• The unique feature of the Appropriation Bill is its automatic repeal clause, whereby the Act gets repealed by itself after it meets its statutory purpose.
• The government cannot withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund of India till the enactment of the appropriation bill. However, this takes time and the government needs money to carry on its normal activities. To meet the immediate expenses the Constitution has authorised the Lok Sabha to make any grant in advance for a part of the financial year. This provision is known as the ‘Vote on Account’.
• A vote on account is defined in Article 116 of the Indian Constitution.
• During an election year the Government either opts for ‘interim Budget’ or for ‘Vote on Account’ as after the election the Ruling Government may change and so the policies.

Appropriation Bill Amendment

• No change to an appropriation bill may be made that would have the effect of changing the amount or destination of a grant that has already been made or the amount of any expenditure charged to the Consolidated Fund of India, and the Lok Sabha Speaker’s determination of whether such a change is admissible is final.

Appropriation Bill and Finance Bill Difference

• An appropriation bill defines the amount and reason for taking money whereas a finance bill contains measures on paying government expenses. Money legislation includes both appropriation and finance measures, both of which can be passed without the Rajya Sabha’s explicit consent. Only after discussion do they return the bills to the Rajya Sabha.

Mullaperiyar Dam Issue reopens old wounds between allies

The Mullaperiyar dam:

• It is situated at the confluence of the Mullayar and Periyar rivers. 
• The dam is located entirely in Kerala.
• It was built in the late 1800s in the princely state of Travancore (present-day Kerala) and given to British-ruled Madras Presidency on a 999-year lease in 1886.
• The agreement granted full rights to the Tamil Nadu to construct irrigation projects on the land.
• The dam was built to divert eastwards a part of the west-flowing Periyar river, to feed the arid areas of Tamil Nadu.

What is the Dispute?

• In late 1979, after the eruption of the controversy over the structural stability of the dam, it was decided at a tripartite meeting chaired by K. C. Thomas, the then Chairman of central water commission that the water level be lowered to 136 feet against the full reservoir level of 152 feet so that Tamil Nadu could take up strengthening measures.
• In 2006 and 2014 the Supreme Court held that the water level be raised to 142 feet, up to which Tamil Nadu stored water even last year (2021).
• The court’s judgment of 2014 also provided for the formation of the supervisory committee and the completion of the remaining work by Tamil Nadu.
• But, there has been no end to litigation over the dam with Kerala witnessing Landslides in recent years.
• Though there had been no reports of landslides in the vicinity of the dam site, the events in other parts of the State led to a renewed campaign against the dam.
• The Kerala government proposed that the existing dam be decommissioned and a fresh one be built
• These options are not completely acceptable to Tamil Nadu which wants to complete the remaining strengthening work and restore the level to 152 feet.

Dam Safety Act and Mullaperiyar dam

About the act

• The act is aimed at addressing the long-felt need for addressing issues concerning the safety of major dams all over the country.
• The act came into force in December 2021.
• It provides for surveillance, inspection, operation, and maintenance of certain dams for prevention of disasters related to dam failure.
• It also creates institutional mechanisms to ensure their safe functioning.

Key provisions of the act:

• The Act covers those dams having a height of over 15m and between 10m and 15m with certain stipulations. 
• It seeks to create two national institutions:

1. National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) to evolve dam safety policies and recommend necessary regulations, and 
2. The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) to implement policies and address unresolved issues between the two States. 

• The NDSA will be the regulatory body. 
• The legislation also envisages the formation of State Dam Safety Organisations and State Committees on Dam Safety. 
• Dam owners will be held responsible for the construction, operation, maintenance, and supervision of dams.

Linkages between Dam Safety Act and the Mullaperiyar dam

• As per the Act, the NDSA will perform the role of the State Dam Safety Organisation for a dam located in one State and used by another.
• Hence, the Mullaperiyar dam comes under the purview of the NDSA.
• Experts believe that there is every possibility of the Union government will indicate in the court that the NDSA can subsume the functions of the supervisory committee.

Nandini Sahakar Yojana

Nandini Sahakar Yojana

• The Nandini Sahakar Scheme was initiated by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) in 2010.
• It is a women-focused frameworkproviding financial assistance, project formulation, hand-holding, and capacity development.
• The scheme aims to assist women cooperativesin undertaking business model-based activities under the purview of NCDC.

Scope of Assistance

• The scheme provides a range of support including financial aid, project formulation, and capacity development. It is designed to assist women cooperatives in taking up various business activities. Notably, there is no specified minimum or maximum limit on the financial assistance available under the scheme. It also integrates critical inputs such as business plan formulation, credit, subsidy, and interest subvention from other schemes.

Current Status

• As of March 31, 2024, no proposals have been received from women cooperatives in Bihar under the Nandini Sahakar Scheme. However, on a national level, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has disbursed a cumulative total of ₹6426.36 crore for the development of cooperatives exclusively promoted by women.

National District Mineral Foundation (DMF)

District Mineral Foundation (DMF)

DMF is a trust set up as a non-profit body under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Amendment Act 2015.

Purpose: 

• To work in the interest and benefits of persons and areas affected by mining-related operations in a manner as may be prescribed by the respective State Government.

Funding:

• It is funded through the contributions from the holders of major or minor mineral concessions in the district, as may be prescribed by the Central or State Government.

Composition and functions of District Mineral Foundations (DMFs)

• The composition and Functions of the DMF are prescribed by the State Governments taking guidelines from Article 244 of the Indian Constitution, fifth and sixth schedules,
• Funds every mining leaseholder will pay a fraction of royalty, not exceeding one-third of the royalty, to the DMF as per rates prescribed by the Central Government.
• This fund will be used for the welfare of the people affected by the mining of selected areas.
• The Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) will be implemented by the DMFs of the respective districts using the funds accruing to the DMF.

Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY)

• It was launched in 2015 to provide for welfare of areas & people affected by mining-related operations.

Objectives:

• To implement various developmental and welfare projects in mining-affected areas, complementing the existing ongoing schemes of the State and Central Government;
• To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment, health, and socio-economics of people in mining districts; and
• To ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas.

Implementation:

• It will be implemented by the DMFs of the respective districts using the funds accruing to the DMF. The MMDR Amendment Act, 2015, mandated the setting up of DMFs in all districts in the country affected by mining related operations.
• The Central Government has notified the rates of contribution payable by miners to the DMFs.
• In case of all mining leases executed before 12th January, 2015 miners will have to contribute an amount equal to 30% of the royalty payable by them to the DMFs. If mining leases are granted after 12.01.2015, the rate of contribution would be 10% of the royalty payable.

Utilisation of Funds

• At least 60%of the funds to be used in High priority areas like drinking water supply, health care, sanitation, education, women, childcare, welfare of aged & disabled people, etc.
• Up to 40% of the funds for creating a supportive and conducive living environment. It will be spent on making roads, bridges, railways, waterways projects, irrigation and alternative energy sources.
• Not more than 5%of the funds can be used for administrative expenses.