Latest News
10th Aug 2021
Gujarat govt repackages Maadar-e-Vatan scheme, raises share of NRI contributions
Recently, the Gujarat government has repackaged the Maadar-e-Vatan Scheme.
Maadar-e-Vatan Scheme
Highlights of the Bill
- It was launched in the 2020 annual budget to encourage non-resident Indians (NRI) to partner with the government for village-level projects.
- The word Maadar-e-Vatan means motherland and ‘Maadar-e’ in Persian means mother.”
- It was launched as “Vatan Prem Yojana”.
- Under the scheme, an equal partnership of the state government and NRI in the terms has been changed to 60 per cent share of the NRI and 40 per cent of the state government.
- The earlier version of the scheme saw 50:50 contribution with state government contributing equal amount of money donated by an NRI for development works in the village.
- It was announced during the “Vikas Divas” celebrations to mark the completion of five years of Vijay Rupani government in Gujarat.
- Under the scheme, the Gujarat government has given a beautiful opportunity to Gujaratis living across the globe to participate in the development of their country.
- It would cover village-level projects such as Smart Class in schools, community hall, primary health centre, Anganwadi, library, CCTV surveillance system, water recycling, drainage, sewage treatment, beautification of ponds, bus-stand and solar energy powered streetlights.
- Under a new clause of the Vatan Prem Yojana, a governing body headed by the chief minister and an executive committee will be created.
Highlights of the Bill
- The monitoring and management of air quality in the Delhi-NCR region has been done in pieces by multiple bodies such as
- The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB);
- The state pollution control boards;
- The state governments in the region, including Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, and
- The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) of the National Capital Region
- They are monitored by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEF), and the Supreme Court which monitors air pollution as per the judgment in ‘M C Mehta v/s Union of India’ case in 1988.
- The bill seeks to create an overarching body to consolidate all monitoring bodies.
- The bill aims to bring them on one platform so that air quality management can be carried out in a more comprehensive, efficient, and time-bound manner.
- The bill seeks to relieve the Supreme Court from having to constantly monitor pollution levels through various cases.
- It has replaced the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA).
- It will concentrate on improving air quality during winter in particular and suggest measures to mitigate pollution throughout the year.
- The Commission is the most powerful air pollution monitoring body set up by the Centre to date.
- The rulings by the commission on air pollution will override anything contained in any other law.
- The powers of the commission will also supersede that of any other body in matters of air pollution.
- The orders of the commission will prevail in cases where conflict may arise between orders or directions issued by the other state governments, state pollution control boards or even the CPCB.
- It will have the power to take measures, issue directions and entertain complaints for the purpose of protecting and improving the quality of air in the National Capital Region.
- It will also coordinate action taken by states on air pollution and will lay down parameters for air quality and emission or discharge of environmental pollutants.
- It will also have powers to restrict industries in any area, carry out random inspections of any premises including factories and be able to close down an industry or cut its power and water supply in case of non-compliance.
- It will also be monitoring the measures taken by the states to prevent stubble burning.
- It will be headed by a full-time chairperson with:
- Experience of not less than 15 years in the field of environmental protection and pollution control; or
- Having administrative experience of not less than 25 years
- The members of the commission will also comprise of:
- An official from the Environment Ministry;
- Five ex-officio members who are either chief secretaries or secretaries from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh;
- One full-time member who is or has been a joint secretary;
- Three full-time independent technical members who are experts in air pollution;
- One technical member each from the Central Pollution Control Board and Indian Space Research Organisation, ;
- Three members from non-governmental organisations who deal in air pollution; and
- One representative of the National Institution for Transforming India
- It will also have three members, being stakeholders from sectors such as agriculture, industry, transport or construction apart from representatives of several ministries.
- The commission will have at least three sub-committees i.e. monitoring and identification, safeguarding and enforcement, and research and development.
- The protests against a section of the Bill that proposes penalization for stubble burning had started during the farmers’ protests when unions had raised their voices against it.
- The offenses earlier had a penal provision of imprisonment of upto 5 years and a fine of Rs 1 crore which is the stiffest penalty that the Ministry has issued on air pollution offenses so far.
- The Clause 14 of the Act says that the provisions of this section shall not apply to any farmer for causing air pollution by stubble burning or mismanagement of agricultural residue.
- It also says that the commission may impose and collect environmental compensation from farmers causing air pollution by stubble burning, at such rate and in such manner, as may be prescribed.
- The experts have criticized the overwhelming number of bureaucrats in the commission, with only a token representation of environmental bodies and non-governmental groups.
- The Act further says that no civil court will have jurisdiction to entertain any suit, proceeding or dispute pertaining to or arising out of the actions taken or directions issued by the commission.
- The orders of the commission can only be contested before the National Green Tribunal.
- The environmentalists believe that it restricts legal action that can be taken on environmental matters as citizens so far could approach the Supreme Court and other courts directly with these issues.
- When two forces disengage from a face-off point where they had been eyeball-to-eyeball or in close proximity to each other, one way to prevent new face-offs is to create a no-patrolling zone.
- It is a zone in which troops from neither side are allowed for a certain length of time.
- The area becomes a zone where neither side is allowed to patrol.
- The idea of the no-patrolling zone between India and China can be traced back to the border war of 1962.
- China created a sort of buffer zone extending from where its forces were to where the LAC was after declaring a unilateral ceasefire on November 21, 1962.
- PPs are patrolling points identified and marked on the LAC, which are patrolled with a stipulated frequency by the security forces.
- They serve as a guide to the location of the LAC for the soldiers, acting as indicators of the extent of ‘actual control’ exercised on the territory by India.
- Purpose of Patrolling Points: The regular patrolling of PPs, the Indian side is able to establish and assert its physical claim about the LAC.
- Numbering of Patrolling Points: All Patrolling Points are not numbered and only few PPs are numbered where there are no prominent features.
- Some of the PPs are prominent and identifiable geographical features, such as a pass, or a nala junction where no numerals are given.
- Patrolling Points on the LAC: Almost all the Patrolling points are on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) except PP10, PP11, PP11A, PP12 and PP13 i.e. from Raki Nala to Jivan Nala which do not fall on the LAC.
- Unlike the Line of Control (LOC) with Pakistan, the border with China is not physically held by the Army all along i.e. the PPs have neither posts nor are manned.
- Identification of Patrolling Points: These PPs have been identified by the high-powered China Study Group, starting from 1975 when patrolling limits for Indian forces were specified.
- The frequency of patrolling to PPs is finalised by the Army Headquarters in New Delhi, based on the recommendations made by the Army and ITBP.
- Patrolling Points currently under dispute: PPs 10 to 13 in Depsang sector, PP14 in Galwan, PP15 in Hot Spring, and PP17 and PP17A in Gogra are currently being disputed by both sides.
- The forces patrol the region to assert their control over the territory in the case of an undecided boundary like the one between India and China.
- The patrolling points for India are decided by a body known as the China Study Group (CSG), a secretary-level official group that is the sole adviser to the central government on matters related to China.
- There are over 60 patrolling points in eastern Ladakh.
- In some cases these points are marked on the map and in others, the specific geographical features act as traditional patrolling points.
- At all places barring the Depsang Plains, the patrolling points are on the LAC.
- In Depsang, the limit of patrolling is considerably inside Indian Territory from the LAC.
- The PP17A will become the third region where Indian troops used to patrol before the standoff began in May 2020, and will not do so now.
- On each side, the forces were allowed to have around 30 troops at a distance of about 1.7 km from PP14, and another 50 troops each a kilometer further behind.
- In 2021, India and China agreed to disengage from the north and south banks of Pangong Tso where, at some locations, troops and tanks had been barely a few hundred meters apart.
- On the south bank, in the Chushul sub-sector, the two sides were sitting on previously unoccupied peaks of the Kailash Range.
- On the north bank of Pangong Tso, China had come in the deepest, and Chinese troops were sitting on peaks above the spur known as Finger 4, which is 8 km west of India’s perception of the LAC at Finger 8.
- The area between Finger 3 and Finger 8 has been a no-patrol zone.
- It has also been agreed to have a temporary moratorium on military activities by both sides in the North Bank, including patrolling to the traditional areas.
- The Patrolling will be resumed only when both sides reach an agreement in diplomatic and military talks that would be held subsequently.
- It is a financial assistance scheme of central government to farmers where they get Rs 6000 annually as minimum income support.
- It became operational in December 2018.
- It is 100% centrally funded without the involvement of any state government.
- The amount provided under scheme will equally be distributed in 3 equal installments every 4 months the farmers will be able to receive Rs 2,000 in his/her bank account.
- It aims to supplement the financial needs of the Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs) in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields.
- It also aims to commensurate with the anticipated farm income at the end of the each crop cycle.
- It would also protect them from falling in the clutches of moneylenders for meeting such expenses and ensure their continuance in the farming activities.
- As per the eligibility criteria of the scheme, any one member of the family from husband & wife can get benefits from the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN).
- The State Government and UT administration will identify the farmer families which are eligible for support as per scheme guidelines.
- The following categories of beneficiaries of higher economic status shall not be eligible for benefit under the scheme.
- All Institutional Land holders
- Farmer families which belong to one or more of the following categories:
- Former and present holders of constitutional posts
- Former and present Ministers/ State Ministers and former/present Members of LokSabha/ RajyaSabha/ State Legislative Assemblies/ State Legislative Councils, former and present Mayors of Municipal Corporations, former and present Chairpersons of District Panchayats.
- All serving or retired officers and employees of Central/ State Government Ministries /Offices/Departments and its field units Central or State PSEs and Attached offices /Autonomous Institutions under Government as well as regular employees of the Local Bodies (Excluding Multi Tasking Staff /Class IV/Group D employees)
- All superannuated/retired pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs.10,000/-or more (Excluding Multi Tasking Staff / Class IV/Group D employees) of above category
- All Persons who paid Income Tax in last assessment year
- Professionals like Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, and Architects registered with Professional bodies and carrying out profession by undertaking practices.
- For effective review and monitoring of the scheme, a Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) at Central level will be set up in DAC&FW.
- The PMU headed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO), shall also undertake publicity campaign (Information, Education and Communication-IEC).
- A stratified review/monitoring mechanism at National, State and District Level.
- At the National level, there will be a Monitoring Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary. State Government. shall also notify the Monitoring Committees at the State & the District Level.
- It is an integrated system for automation of sanction and disbursement of defence pension.
- It is a web-based system which processes pension claims and credits pension directly into the bank accounts of defence pensioners without relying on any external intermediary.
- It is an end-to-end Online System facilitating and easing every aspect of Defence Pensions from Initiation to Disbursement.
- It is being implemented for meeting the pension sanction and disbursement requirements for Armed Forces viz. Army, Navy, Air Force and Defence Civilians.
- It will be administered by the Defence Accounts Department through the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions), Prayagraj.
- It is available for pensioners to view their pension related information, access services and register complaints for redressal of grievances, if any, relating to their pension matters.
- It envisages establishment of Service Centres to provide last mile connectivity to pensioners who may be unable to directly access the SPARSH portal for any reason.
- The two largest banks dealing with defence pensioners i.e. State Bank of India (SBI) and Punjab National Bank (PNB) have been co-opted as Service Centres.
- It will interface all the stakeholders and provide a single source of truth thereby ensuring transparency, accountability, and ease of doing business through information dissemination.
- It is an indigenously designed and built by Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL) under Project 17.
- It is a multi-role Guided Missile Stealth Frigate.
- They are the first Indian warships to be built with stealth features and will be the lead frigates of the country’s navy during the first quarter of the 21st century.
- It is fitted with Klub anti-ship and BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles providing strong attacking capabilities.
- The fire control systems used on these frigates are developed by DRDO and built by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
- The Shivalik Class frigates are driven by combined diesel and gas (CODOG) propulsion system.
- The Shivalik carries two HAL Dhruv or two Sea King mk42B and the Satpura carries two K-31 Kamov helicopters.
- It is an indigenously designed and built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers of Kolkata under Project 28.
- It is the second of four anti-submarine warfare corvettes built for the Indian Navy.
- It has been named after the Kadmatt Island of India's Lakshadweep Islands and carries on the legacy of her predecessor INS Kadmatt (P 78).
- It has a low radio, acoustic, magnetic and Infra Red (IR) signature owing to a 'X' shaped hull form, raft mounted engines and an IR suppression system.
- It is also the first warship to be equipped with the Kavach decoy system for protection against anti-ship missiles.
- The diplomatic relations between India and Brunei were established in May 1984.
- India set up its High Commission in Brunei on 18 May 1993 and Brunei set up its resident High Commission in India on 12 August 1992 headed by an Acting High Commissioner.
- The main elements binding the two countries are:
- Export of crude oil by Brunei to India and its contribution to India’s energy security.
- Brunei’s role as an important ASEAN Member Country; and
- Brunei has a 10,000-strong Indian community
- Brunei has been supportive of India’s earlier ‘Look East Policy’ and also the present ‘Act East Policy’ and in expansion and deepening of cooperation with ASEAN.
- India’s main exports to Brunei consist of transport equipment, meat & meat products, gems & jewellery, rice & spices.
- India is one of the largest importers of crude oil from Brunei and has been importing crude oil worth US $ 500 million to US 1 billion approximately every year.
- The discovery of oil in Brunei in 1929 brought a number of Indians to Brunei to work in the hydrocarbon sector and allied services.
- Currently, there are approximately 11,000 Indian nationals and 269 registered PIOs living and working in Brunei.
- An Indian Chamber of Commerce was established in Brunei in July 1972 which currently has over 100 Indian business establishments as its members.
- Indian businesses in Brunei are mainly in the retail sector such as in groceries and food product stores, textiles, automotive, sports goods, footwear, hardware, restaurants, drapers, hairdressers, etc.
- The Indian community in Brunei numbering around 10,000 comprise of a majority from the States of Tamil Nadu (over 40%), Uttar Pradesh (over 15%) and Kerala (over 10%) with the rest from other States.
POSTED ON 10-08-2021 BY ADMIN
Next previous 
General Studies
Political Science and International Relations
Some Reference Essays
List of previous year essay topics (1997-2019)
IAS GOOGLE is googled by the team of Raja Sir’s Cracking IAS Academy. Sources include The Hindu, Indian Express, pib.nic.in, Down To Earth, Economic Times, Vigyan Prasar, AIR and the like. IAS GOOGLE has been prepared in pace with emerging UPSC Trends.