Casting a fresh nuclear deal : Important Topics for UPSC Exams
Why in News?
Around a decade has passed since the memoranda of understanding were signed, the India-U.S. civil nuclear deal remains defunct as there are no indicators yet of any solid contract between a US firm and the Indian authorities to create a reactor.
Westinghouse’s recent visit (in Feb 2018) to India in order to reopen negotiations to revive plans for the Kovvada nuclear project in Andhra Pradesh has been opposed by civil society groups from various countries.
Indo-US Nuclear deal
It is also known as the 123 Agreement or U.S.–India Civil Nuclear Agreement.
Joint statement (July 18, 2005) by then Indian PM Manmohan Singh and then U.S. President George W. Bush, under which India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and to place all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards set the framework for this agreement, and in exchange, the United States agreed to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation with India
Status of Nuclear Reactors under India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement
In 2009, both GE-Hitachi and Toshiba-Westinghouse had begun talks on techno-commercial agreements for six reactors each in India, but GE-Hitachi’s plans were shelved after it rejected the Obama-Modi agreement in January 2015, saying GE would not accept the compromise formula on supplier liability. Although other firms have stipulated that they would accept the liability offer, but none has put that on writing.
Toshiba-Westinghouse then carried the baton to realise the India-U.S. civil nuclear deal, an agreement between Indian stakeholders and Westinghouse was supposed to have been reached by July 2017 but the company ran into major financial troubles in 2017 and after a near-bankruptcy, Toshiba sold Westinghouse for just $4.6 billion and this further resulted into multiple inordinate delays.
Topic of Discussion: Economic Challenges In Last Fiscal - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate Expert Panel Name : A.K. Bhattacharya, Editorial Director, Business Standard,Nitin Desai, Former Chief Economic Adviser, GoI,Prof. Aman Agarwal, Director, Indian Institute of Finance Frank Rausan Pereira (Anchor)
Draft National Forest Policy 2018 : Important Topics for UPSC Exams
News:
Seeking to replace the country’s 30-year-old national forest policy, the Centre has come out with a new draft policy which calls for promoting urban greens, public private partnership models for afforestation, strengthening forest fire prevention measures and plantations in catchment areas to rejuvenate water bodies among many proposals to protect India’s green cover.
Background
Currently National forest policy of 1988 is being followed.
The new policy is in line with the present realities of climate change , wildlife and forest management.
It seeks to raise the country’s forest cover from 25% to 30%.
Additional Info
Forest survey of India - Organisation for conducting forest surveys, studies and research to periodically monitor the changing situation of land and forest resources and present the data for national planning, conservation and sustainable management of environmental protection as well for the implementation of social forestry projects.
It works under Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
It is headquartered in Dehradun.
It publishes biennial "The State of Forest Reports". According to 2017 report, In terms of area, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Maharashtra.
(VIDEO) Fake or News? : Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate
Topic of Discussion: Fake or News? : What Next - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate Expert Panel Name : Abhigyan Prakash, Senior Executive Editor, NDTV India,Nitin Desai, Member, News Broadcasting Standards Authority,Satya Prakash, Legal Editor, The Tribune,Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, Frank Rausan Pereira (Anchor)
Malimath Committee Recommendations : Important Topics for UPSC Exams
Context:
Government has decided to review the recommendations of Malimath committee on India’s criminal justice system
WHAT is Criminal justice system?
Criminal justice system refers to the collective institutions through which an accused offender passes until the accusations have been disposed of or the assessed punishment concluded. The criminal justice system is essentially an instrument of social control.
(VIDEO) SC/ST Act: What Next - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate
Topic of Discussion: SC/ST Act: What Next - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate Expert Panel Name : S.S. Jodhka, Professor, Sociology, JNU,Udit Raj, MP, Lok Sabha, BJP,Prof. Rajkumar Falwaria, Dalit Activist; Frank Rausan Pereira (Anchor)
A Perfect storm in the cotton field : Important Topics for UPSC Exams
Bt cotton stands for Bacillus thuringiensis cotton as the strains of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis present in Bt cotton produce over 200 different Bt toxins, each harmful to different insects and thus protecting the cotton crop against the attacks of insects. But despite this, India is the only Bt cotton-growing country facing the problem of pink bollworm infestation at present.
Why in News?
The government had cut royalties that local seed companies pay to Monsanto, for the second time in two years.
In February 2018, anti-trust regulator, the Competition Commission of India, decided to probe into anti-competitive practices by Monsanto. At the centre of all this is the pink bollworm infestation plaguing cotton farmers.
Status of Cotton Cultivation in India
When Monsanto introduced Bt cotton in India, the technology was so popular that cotton farmers shifted to it en masse and as there was no open-pollinated Bt option, they were also forced to shift en masse to hybrids.
From 2002 to 2011, the area under cotton hybrids rose from 2% in north India and 40% elsewhere to 96% across the country.
(VIDEO) The Korea Summit - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate
Topic of Discussion: The Korea Summit - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate Expert Panel Name : Harsh V Pant, Head, ORF’s Strategic Studies, Smita Sharma, Deputy Editor, The Tribune, S.R. Tayal, Former Diplomat; Frank Rausan Pereira (Anchor)
Democracy Index, 2017 : Important Topics for UPSC Exams
Why in News?
India has been classified among “flawed democracies” with 42nd rank on the Democracy Index and it has moved down from 32nd place last year.
About the Index
It is the index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) which is the research and analysis division of The Economist (UK- based media group).
EIU was founded in 1946.
EIU provides forecasting and advisory services through research and analysis, such as monthly country reports, country risk service reports, five-year country economic forecasts, and industry reports etc.
Report included 167 countries which scored on a scale of 0 to 10 based on 60 indicators.
The Democracy Index is calculated on the basis of following five categories:
(VIDEO) Death for Child Rape - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate
Topic of Discussion: Death for Child Rape - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate Expert Panel Name : Desh Ratan Nigam, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court ; Malini Bhattacharya, President, All India Democratic Women's Association ; Ramesh Negi, Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights ; Geeta Luthra, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court; Frank Rausan Pereira (Anchor)
Topic of Discussion: Battle Karnataka: What's at stake - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate Expert Panel Name : Nistula Hebbar, Political Editor, The Hindu,Sachidananda Murthy, Resident Editor, The Week,Smita Prakash, Editor, ANI, R. K. Mishra, Chief Minister's Vision Group for Bangalore; Frank Rausan Pereira (Anchor)
Health Index Report by NITI Aayog : Important Topics for UPSC Exams
NITI Aayog released health index report, titled ‘Healthy States, Progressive India. Government will give a special grant to the states on the basis of performance on Index.
About the Report
NITI Aayog has prepared this index with the help of World Bank, Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, States and Union Territories.
The report ranks states and Union territories on their, overall performance with respect to each other as well as their year-on-year incremental change in health outcomes.
It is the maiden attempt to establish an annual systematic tool to measure and understand the heterogeneity and complexity of the nation’s performance in Health and the Health Index will serve as a tool for ensuring cooperative federalism.
To ensure comparison among similar entities, States and UTs have been ranked in three categories namely, Larger States, Smaller States, and Union Territories (UTs).
The Health Index is a weighted composite Index, which for the larger States, is based on indicators in three domains:
(a) Health Outcomes (70%);
(b) Governance and Information (12%); and
(c) Key Inputs and Processes (18%), with each domain assigned a weight based on its importance.
(VIDEO) Spy Poisoning Row - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate
Topic of Discussion: Spy Poisoning Row - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate Expert Panel Name : Rana Banerjee, Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretaria, Meera Shankar, Former Ambassador, Kanwal Sibal, Former Foreign Secretary; Amritanshu Rai (Anchor)
Ayushman Bharat Health Scheme : Important Topics for UPSC Exams
Why in News?
Union Budget 2018-19 has laid foundation of the flagship program Ayushman Bharat to address health holistically, in primary, secondary and tertiary care systems, covering both prevention and health promotion and it is supposed to be the world’s largest government funded health care programme.
Union cabinet has approved the launch of Ayushman Bharat — National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM).
The new scheme of NHPS will be applicable from the beginning of the new financial year i.e. April 1, 2018.
What is Ayushman Bharat Programme?
There are two health sector initiatives under Ayushman Bharat Programme which will ensure enhanced productivity, wellbeing and avert wage loss and impoverishment.
1.Health and Wellness Centre
Aim of opening more than 1.5 lakh health and wellness centers across the country, which will provide free essential medicines and diagnostic services.
These centers will also provide comprehensive health care for non-communicable diseases and maternal and child Services. In these centers, special training will also be provided for the treatment of lifestyle diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes etc. The Government has made a provision of Rs. 1200 crores for establishing Health and Wellness Centre.
The government also seeks for the cooperation of the corporate to run these centers.
2.National Health Protection Scheme
Health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh a family a year, for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
Scheme will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families, or around 50 crore people.
The beneficiaries will be entitled for the treatments with in the country in government as well as private hospitals and health care centres.
The scheme would be Aadhaar enabled and cashless.
Modicare Vs Obama Care
The United States government had provided health insurance for 15 percent of its population. US President Barack Obama signed the 2010 plan on 'ObamaCare'.
On the same lines, India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has announced a plan called 'Modicare' i.e. the Ayushman Bharat Program. In which 40% of the poor Indian people will be benefitted, which is much higher than Obama Care.
