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Jan 09, 2022
PM MODI'S SECURITY LAPSE: SC ORDERS PROTECTION OF TRAVEL RECORDS IN PUNJAB
The recent lapse of security causing Prime Minister’s cavalcade stranded in Punjab, has put Punjab police under serious scrutiny.
How is the Prime Minister’s security planned?
Sugarcane:
Mahakali River:
City gas networks
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP):
How is the Prime Minister’s security planned?
- Planning of the PM’s security during any visit is an elaborate exercise that involves both central agencies and state police forces.
- The Special Protection Group (SPG) handles Prime Minister’s security based on the guidelines laid down in SPG’s ‘Blue Book’.
- The instructions in the 'Blue Book' are issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- It states that the overall responsibility for ensuring the safety of the PM rests with the state government and responsibility for providing proximate security rests with SPG.
- Three days before any planned visit, SPG holds a mandatory Advance Security Liaison (ASL)with everyone involved in securing the event.
- It includes SPG officials, Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials in the state concerned, state police officials, and the district magistrate concerned.
- All security arrangements are made, based on a the prepared ASL report, after getting signed by the officials.
- The report consists of PM’s mode of travel, security of the venue, weather reports etc.
- A contingency plan is also made in advance, in case there is any change in plans.
- Special Protection Group (SPG) is entrusted with the task of providing proximate security to the Prime Minister of India, former Prime Minister and their immediate family members.
- In 2019, the law was amended and SPG protection is granted only to the prime minister of India.
- The agency was formed in 1988by an Act of the Parliament of India.
- The SPG was started in 1985 in the wake of the killing of PM Indira Gandhi in 1984.
- SPG works on the motto of Zero Error and Culture of Excellence.
- The spirit behind the SPG motto is "Shauryam Samarpanam Surakshanam" (i.e., bravery, devotion and protection).
- Headquarters: Dwarka in southwest Delhi.
- The general superintendence, direction and control of the SPG is exercised by the Government of India.
- Head of the force: Director
- He formally serves as the Joint Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat.
- He is responsible for the command and supervision of the force.
- Recruits are drawn from enlisted ranks of the Central Armed Police Forces and Railway Protection Force.
- The personnel may include both men and women from Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
- The SPG is highly trained in physical efficiency, marksmanship, combat and proximate protection tactics.
- They are assisted by all central and state agencies to ensure fool proof security.
- There are largely six types of security covers: X, Y, Y plus, Z, Z plus and SPG.
- The SPG is meant only for the PM and his immediate family.
- The other categories can be provided to anyone about whom the Centre or state governments have inputs about facing a threat.
- Sea Dragon is a US led multinational exercise.
- Other five participating nations are Australia, Canada, India, Japan and South Korea.
- Aim: To practice and discuss anti-submarine warfare tactics to operate against traditional and non-traditional maritime security challenges in the Indo- pacific region.
- Sea Dragon 22 focuses on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training and excellence, which includes everything from tracking simulated targets to tracking a genuine US Navy submarine.
- Aim: To educate and enlighten the masses about several lesser-known facts about rocks.
- It displays around 35 different types of rocks from different parts of India with ages ranging from 3.3 billion years to around 55 million years of the Earth's history.
- These rocks also represent the deepest part of the earth up to 175 kilometres of distance from the surface of the earth.
Sugarcane:
- Sugarcane is a perennial grass.
- Minimum Support Price (MSP) of sugar is fixed after taking into account the Fair & Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane and minimum conversion cost of the most efficient mills.
- It is indigenous to the warm temperate to tropical climates of South and Southeast Asia, although it is now grown in more than 100 different countries around the world.
- Broadly there are two distinct agro-climatic regions of sugarcane cultivation in India, viz., tropical and subtropical.
- Five agro-climatic zones have been identified mainly for the purpose of varietal development: North Western Zone, North Central Zone, North Eastern Zone, Peninsular Zone, Coastal Zone.
- Brazil is the world's largest producer of sugarcane.
- India is the second-largest producer in the world with 18.7% of world's production.
- Sugarcane requires different temperature for different critical stages.
- The different critical stages are germination, tillering, early growth, active growth and elongation.
- Optimum temperature for sprouting (germination) of stem cuttings is 32° to 38°c.
- Temperatures above 38° reduce the rate of photosynthesis and increase respiration.
- For ripening, however, relatively low temperatures in the range of 12° to 14° are desirable.
- Sugarcane is a water intensive crop that consumes both surface water and groundwater.
- The groundwater gets replenished once the rains come, but this pattern is growing more unpredictable with climate change now.
- Sugarcane production often pollutes freshwater ecosystems with silt and fertilizers washed from farms, as well as plant matter and chemical sludge from mills.
- Soil acidification is a common problem of soils under sugarcane cropping mainly due to the use of fertilizers.
- Carbon content change in soils under long-term sugarcane production.
- Cane sugar is not rich in vitamins or minerals.
- An excessive consumption of sugar often leads to health challenges alongside a deep lack of nutrition.
- As in India and Brazil, many countries developed entrenched interests in growing sugar.
- This led to sugarcane surplus.
- As sugarcane offers no health benefits the countries face the dilemma on how to use such sugar surpluses while maintaining revenues for producers and avoiding declining prices.
- Biofuels derived from sugar can be used in the transportation sector as an alternative to fossil fuels.
- Brazil, which grows a lot of sugar, already has a biofuel industry based on sugarcane.
- India has the potential to use sugarcane juice as biofuel for more productivity and sustainability.
- India has a mandate saying that its transport sector should be at least 20% comprised of biofuels.
- Aim of Mission: To save persons in different circumstances from coming under the wheels of the railways.
- RPF is a special force that is engaged in the service of providing security to the passengers and the property of the railway.
Mahakali River:
- The Mahakali River is also known as the Sharda River or Kali River.
- It originates at Kalapani (Uttarakhand) in the Himalayas, and joins Ghaghara River in Uttar Pradesh.
- It also decides Nepal's western border with India.
- Tributaries:
- Left side: Chameliya, Ramgun in Nepal.
- Right side: Dhauli, Gori, Sarju, Ladhiya rivers in Uttarakhand.
City gas networks
- After completion of bid 88 % of the country’s area will be authorised for development of CGD Network to provide access of natural gas to 98 % of country’s population.
- Till march 2021, India had a total of 65 lakh piped natural gas connections and 3,094 compressed natural gas stations.
- At present, there are 228 Gas authorised by the regulator across 27 States and union territories covering around 53 % of the country’s geographical area and 70 % of its population.
- Under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) Act 2006, PNGRB grants the authorization to the entities for developing a City Gas Distribution (CGD) network (including PNG network) in a specified Geographical Area (GA) of the country.
- CGD sector has four distinct segments
- Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)predominantly used as auto-fuel.
- Piped Natural Gas (PNG)used in in domestic, commercial and Industrial segments.
- It is a statutory body, constituted under the act of Parliament of India, namely Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006.
- Its primary functions include regulation of refining, transportation, distribution, storage, marketing, supply and sale of petroleum products and natural gas.
- Composition of PNGRB: A Chairperson, a Member (Legal) and 3 other members nominated by chairperson which decides on disputes arising among downstream companies or with outsiders.
- The Appellate Tribunal established under section 110 of the Electricity Act, 2003 is the Appellate Tribunal for PGNRB.
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP):
- RCEP is a multilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
- RCEP was signed in the year 2020, between 15 countries (10 ASEAN members and it’s 5 dialogue partner nations).
- It includes 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely; Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- Five dialogue partners of ASEAN namely Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea.
- Though India is also a dialog partners of ASEAN, it is not part of RCEP.
- India did not join RCEP.
- The RCEP FTA will eliminate tariffs on 91% of goods as well as introduce rules on investment and Intellectual Property (IP) to promote free trade.
- RCEP nations accounts for 30% of global GDP, 30% of global trade, 25% of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows and 30% of the total population.
- It is the largest FTA of the world. Importantly, USA, the largest economy in the world, is not part of RCEP, this is a big achievement.
- RCEP will help in ease of trade among Southeast Asian and Asia-Pacific nations.
- Covid-19 pandemic hit Indian economy very badly. India’s domestic industry was not ready to face the global competition.
- MSME contribute about 30% of Indian GDP. Farming sector led Indian economy during Covid crisis. India wanted to protect farmers and small entrepreneurs from competition by other RCEP countries.
- India already has bilateral FTAs with all of the RCEP nations.
- 11 out of 15 FTAs has resulted in vast trade deficit for India.
- There were chances that RCEP will further open up Indian market to nations which India has a big trade deficit.
- China, a hostile neighbour of India, has used Indian market to dump his products.
- This dumping has distorted domestic trade of India. Also, the balance of trade is not in favor of India.
- The Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) issues have hampered Indian service economy.
- Recent IPR issue on COVID drug again trigged this issue. RCEP do not provide solution for Indian IPR concerns.
- Currently, if India will join RCEP some of Indian industry like pharmaceuticals, cotton yarn and the services industry could get a limited benefit. India is open for further negotiations as per Indian needs, to become part of RCEP.
- FTA is a trade agreement between participating members, to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers in phased manner, ultimately making it zero.
- This approach will make the market free from barriers, creating free trade.
- India has more than 18% of the world’s population but has only 4% of world’s renewable water resources.
- NWA was launched by Jal Shakti Ministry in 2018.
- NWA recognizes and encourage efforts made towards attaining the vision of a ‘Jal Samridh Bharat’.
- NWA is given to States, Districts, individuals, organizations, etc. across the India, in 11 different categories.
- It has two yellow and brown stripes on the body, a short dorsal-fin spine and other significant mensural characters.
- Pseudolaguvia are small catfish inhabiting hill streams and large rivers.
- The specific name vespa is derived from Latin, meaning wasp.
- They are generally found in smaller stream or channels of stream that are found in river beds of big rivers.
POSTED ON 09-01-2022 BY ADMIN
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