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National Water Commission: Important Topics for UPSC Exams​

What is it?

• It is recommended by the Mihir Shah committee on restructuring the Central Water Commission and Central Ground Water Board.
• They said that a new National Water Commission (NWC) be established as the nation’s top facilitation organisation dealing with water policy, data and governance.

Recommendations about a new NWC

• It should be an autonomous body and headed by a chief national water commissioner.
• It should have full time commissioners representing hydrology, hydrogeology, hydrometeorology, river ecology, ecological economics, agronomy (with focus on soil and water) and participatory resource planning and management.
• It will be having countrywide base and mandate, and greater human-power.
• It will incorporate Central Water Commission (CWC) & the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).
• Its objective is to reduce inter-state water disputes, bring greater efficiency, better planning and increased emphasis on conservation of water.
• It will also ensure that all water resources are managed in a holistic manner and not separately as surface water, groundwater or river water.

Government Plan Programme Policies for UPSC Exam

:: DIGITAL India ::

Digital India has been envisioned as an ambitious umbrella programme to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. This programme has been envisaged and coordinated by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY). There is also a collaboration with various Central Ministries and State Governments. The Prime Minister of India is the chairman of the monitoring committee of Digital India programme. All the existing and ongoing e-Governance initiatives have been revamped to align them with the principles of Digital India. It takes together a large number of ideas into a single comprehensive plan so that each of them remain a part of larger goal.

The vision of Digital India is centred on three key areas -

• Digital Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen:- This vision will include several intiatives like High speed internet, Mobile banking enabling participation in financial sphere, safe and secure cyber space, easy access to common services etc.

• Governance & Services on Demand- This vision includes government services available in real time from online and mobile ptalform, services digitally transformed for ease of doing business, integration between different departments, financial transactions should be made electronic and cashless etc.

• Digital Empowerment of Citizens- This vision includes initiatives such as Digital literacy, Universally accessible digital resources, All documents available in Indian languages,portability of all entitlements through cloud etc.

In order to fulfill the above visions nine pillars of Digital India programme has been designed. These pillars include;

• Broadband Highways;
• Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity;
• Public Internet Access Programme;
• E-Governance: Reforming Government through Technology;
• eKranti - Electronic Delivery of Services;
• Information for All;
• Electronics Manufacturing: Target Net Zero Imports;
• IT for Jobs and
• Early Harvest Programmes.

Government Plan Programme Policies for UPSC Exam

:: Maternity Benefit Bill, 2016 ::

The Maternity Benefits Act, 1961 requires the employer to provide its women workers with maternity leave of upto 12 weeks, with full wages. The Bill raises this period of maternity leave to 26 weeks. Several expert bodies including the Law Commission of India and the Indian Labour Conference have highlighted the need to provide maternity leave up to a period of 24 weeks.

Salient features of the bill:

• The Act provides maternity leave up to 12 weeks for all women. The Bill extends this period to 26 weeks. However, a woman with two or more children will be entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave.
• The period of maternity leave will be calculated from the date the child is handed over to the adoptive or commissioning mother.
• This maternity leave should not be availed before eight weeks from the date of expected delivery.
• Billl makes it mandatory to provide 12 weeks of maternity leave to: (i) a woman who legally adopts a child below three months of age; and (ii) a commissioning mother. A commissioning mother is defined as a biological mother who uses her egg to have a surrogate child.
• The Bill requires every establishment with 50 or more employees to provide for crèche facilities within a prescribed distance. The woman will be allowed four visits to the crèche in a day.
• An employer may permit a woman to work from home, if the nature of work assigned permits her to do so. This may be mutually agreed upon by the employer and the woman.
• The Bill requires an establishment to inform a woman of all benefits that would be available under the Bill, at the time of her appointment. Such information must be given in writing and electronically.

Naga Issue: Timeline and Analysis: Important Topics for UPSC Exams​

Origin:

• 1826: Annexation of Assam by British
• 1881: Further control over Assam and Naga Hills also became part of British India.
• 1918: Formation of NAGA Club, 1st sign of resistance.
• 1929: Naga Club had told Simon Commission that to leave them alone for their self-determination as in ancient times.
• 1946: Naga National Council (NNC) was formed under the leadership of Angami Zapu Phizo.
• 1947: Declared Nagaland an independent state on August 14. The NNC resolved to establish a “sovereign Naga state”
• 1951: NNC conducted a “referendum” , in which “99 per cent” supported an “independent” Nagaland.

Beginning of Armed Movement:

• 1952: Phizo formed the underground Naga Federal Government (NFG) and the Naga Federal Army (NFA) to its response Government of India sent in the Army to crush the insurgency.
• 1958: Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act application in Nagaland (AFSPA)

Beginning of Peace Efforts:

• 1947, Assam Governor signed a 9-point agreement with moderates which was almost immediately rejected by Phizo.
• 1963: The Naga Hills, a district of Assam, was upgraded to a state , by also adding the Tuensang Tract that was then part of NEFA.
• 1964: Assam Chief Minister formed a Peace Mission, and got the government and NNC to sign an agreement to suspend operations that September. But the NNC/NFG/NFA continued to indulge in violence, and after six rounds of talks, the Peace Mission was abandoned in 1967, and a massive counter-insurgency operation launched.

NSCN Formation

• 1975: government got a section of NNC leaders to sign the Shillong Accord, a section of NNC and NFG agreed to give up arms.
• 1980: A group of about 140 members, who were at that time in China, refused to accept the Shillong Accord, and formed the National Socialist Council of Nagaland.
• 1988: NSCN split into NSCN (IM) and NSCN (K) after a violent clash.
• 1991: NNC began to fade away; the NSCN (IM) came to be seen as the “mother of all insurgencies” in the region.

(Result) UPSC Recruitment of 257 Enforcement Officer/ Accounts Officer at EPFO - "Advertisement. No. 53/2016"

UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION ADVERTISED 257 POSTS OF ENFORCEMENT OFFICER/ ACCOUNTS OFFICER IN EMPLOYEES PROVIDENT FUND ORGANIZATION, MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT VIDE SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT. NO. 53/2016, VACANCY NO. 16065301704 PUBLISHED ON 04.06.2016. THE COMMISSION HAD CONDUCTED A RECRUITMENT TEST ON 26.02.2017. ON THE BASIS OF THE RECRUITMENT TEST, THE COMMISSION HAS SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES BEARING THE FOLLOWING ROLL NOS. “PROVISIONALLY”. ONLY SUCH CANDIDATES WHO SATISFY/FULFIL ALL THE ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS SHALL BE CALLED FOR INTERIVEW

257 POSTS OF ENFORCEMENT OFFICER/ ACCOUNTS OFFICER IN EMPLOYEES PROVIDENT FUND ORGANIZATION, MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT