‘Trishul’ and ‘Garuda’: Long haul freight trains 

Railways successfully operated two long haul freight trains called “Trishul” and “Garuda” for the first time in South-Central Railway (SCR). 

Key Highlights: 

• These trains are twice or multiple times longer than the normal composition of freight trains and provide a very effective solution to the problem of capacity constraints in critical sections. 

• Trishul is the first long haul train of South-Central Railway (SCR) and consists of 177 wagons, or equal to three freight trains. It was launched from Kondapalli station of Vijayawada division to Khurda division of the East Coast Railway. 

• SCR followed it up with the running of yet another similar train ‘Garuda’ from Raichur of Guntakal division to Manuguru of Secunderabad division. 

• Both the long-haul trains had empty open wagons to be used to load coal meant for predominantly thermal power stations. 

NOTE: South Central Railway is one among the 18 zones of Indian Railways. Its jurisdiction is spread over Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

PM POSHAN Scheme

The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the PM POSHAN scheme in Schools, which is a Centrally Sponsored National Scheme. 

Key facts 

• The PM POSHAN scheme would run for five more years. It will run from 2021-2022 to 2025-26. 

• Scheme has been approved with a financial outlay of 54,062 crore rupees from the Central Government. 

• State Government and Union Territories administrations have sanctioned an outlay of 31,733 crore rupees. 

• In this phase, the scheme will cover around 11.80 crore children studying across 11.20 lakh schools. 

• The Central Government will further bear an additional cost of 45,000 crore rupees to provide food grains to these children. 

• Total budget of the scheme is 1,30,795 crore rupees. 

• This Centrally-Sponsored Scheme will cover all school children who are studying in Classes 1st to 8th in government schools as well in government-Aided Schools.

About PM-POSHAN: 

• Poshan Abhiyaan, also known as the National Nutrition Mission (NNM), was launched in 2018 (although the programme was being implemented in 2017) by the Government of India with the aim of tackling the malnutrition problem prevalent in India. 

• The chief objective of the mission is to reduce the level of under-nutrition and also enhance the nutritional status of children in the country. 

• The mission is a multi-ministerial initiative and aims at removing malnutrition from the country by 2022. 

• Poshan Abhiyaan is India’s flagship scheme to improve the nutritional outcomes of adolescents, children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. 

• The mission leverages technology and convergence between various modules and departments.

National Institutional Ranking Framework 2021

The Ministry of Education released the sixth edition of the India Rankings 2021 instituted by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). 

Key Points 

• NIRF India Ranking 2021 has been announced for eleven categories, namely, Overall, University, Management, Pharmacy, College, Architecture, Engineering, Medical, ARIIA (Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements), Law and Research Institutions. 

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras was ranked the best higher education institution in the country for the third year in a row. 

• The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru ranked second, followed by IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Roorkee and IIT-Guwahati. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU). 

• Ranking of Universities: IISc was ranked one, followed by JNU, BHU, Calcutta University, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore, Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. 

• Ranking of Engineering Institutions: IIT-Madras remained number one, followed by IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Roorkee, IIT-Guwahati, IIT-Hyderabad. 

• Ranking of Management Institutions: Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Ahmedabad was ranked one, followed by IIM-Bangalore, IIM-Calcutta, IIM-Kozhikode, IIT-Delhi, IIM-Indore. 

• Miranda House, Delhi topped the list in college category. 

• Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi was ranked at first position in Pharmacy category. 

• In Medical Category, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi was ranked at first position.

100-day Plan for Civil Aviation Sector 

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation recently announced a 100-day plan for India’s civil aviation sector. On this occasion, the policy measures and development of airports and heliports were also unveiled. 

Key Highlights: 

• As per the plan, six heliports will be developed in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand under the regional air connectivity scheme called UDAN. 

• A new policy for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) activities was also announced. 

• Under the 100-day target, three main foundations are infrastructure, policy targets and reforms initiative. Under it, four airports will be made operation or developed optimally. 

Related News 

• The Union Government has already allocated Rs 255 crore for making Kushinagar airport in Uttar Pradesh. 

• A new terminal will be constructed at Dehradun airport in Uttarakhand in order to facilitate enhanced passenger capacity. 

• Upgradation work of Agartala airport would also be undertaken in order to increase the capacity. 

• A new airport at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh will be constructed. It is expected to have a capacity of two crore passengers annually. 

Sydney Dialogue: A world first summit for emerging, critical and cyber technologies 

• Recently, the Prime Minister delivered the keynote at the inaugural of Sydney Dialogue via video conferencing on 17-19 November 2021.

• He spoke on the theme of India’s technology evolution and revolution.

• TSD aims to become a place where the world can anticipate and respond to the complicated challenges and immense opportunities presented by the increasingly complex advances in technology. 

•  The annual Sydney Dialogue is convened by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) — an independent, non-partisan think tank that produces expert and timely advice for Australian and global leaders. 

• ASPI was established by the Australian Government in 2001 and is supported by Australian and overseas government agencies, corporates and civil society groups.

Highlights of the Address: 

• The international order should ensure cryptocurrencies do not end up in the wrong hands.

• Technology has already become a major instrument of global competition and key to shaping the future international order.

• Mr Modi highlighted the leaps in India’s digital revolution that has redefined politics, economy and society and that it is raising new questions on sovereignty, governance, ethics, law, rights and security.

• Mr Modi highlighted that there are five important transitions taking place in India:

  • One, we are building the world's most extensive public information infrastructure.

  • Two, we are transforming the lives of the people by using digital technology for governance, inclusion, empowerment, connectivity, delivery of benefits and welfare.

  • Three, India has the world's third largest and fastest growing Startup Eco-system. 

  • Four, India's industry and services sectors, even agriculture, are undergoing massive digital transformation. 

  • Five, there is a large effort to prepare India for the future.

International Energy Agency (IEA) 

• Context: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has invited India, the world's third-largest energy consumer, to become its full-time member. 

• After acceptance of the proposal India will require to raise strategic oil reserves to 90 days requirement. India's current strategic oil reserves equal 9.5 days of its requirement. 

• In January 2021, IEA members & India agreed to enter into a strategic partnership in order to strengthen their collaboration with respect to energy security and clean energy transition. 

About IEA: 

• The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an autonomous intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. 

• Based in Paris, IEA was initially dedicated to responding to physical disruptions in the supply of oil, as well as serving as an information source on statistics about the international oil market. 

• In the decades since, its role has expanded to cover the entire global energy system, encompassing traditional energy sources such as oil, gas, and coal as well as cleaner and faster growing ones such as solar PV, wind power and biofuels. 

• It is best known for the publication of its annual World Energy Outlook.

UNICEF’s ‘Fed to Fail?’ Report 

• As per the report “Fed to Fail? The Crisis of Children’s Diets in Early Life” published by UNICEF, two in every three children between six months and two years didn’t get the nutritious diet needed for healthy growth.

Key Findings: 

• The report has found that children under the <2 years of age are not getting the food and nutrients necessary for growth, leading to irreversible developmental harm. 

• Poor nutritional intake in the first two years of life can irreversibly harm children’s rapidly growing bodies and brains, impacting their schooling, job prospects and futures. 

• The report studied 91 countries and found that only half of the children between 6-23 months are being fed the minimum recommended number of meals every day. 

• Moreover, only a third of the children consume the minimum number of food groups they need to thrive. 

• Inadequate intake of nutrients at an early age puts children at risk of poor brain development, weak learning, low immunity, increased infections and potentially, death.

India-US Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) 

India and the US recently co-chaired a virtual Ministerial meeting and launched the revamped U.S.-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP). 

Key Highlights 

• In the meeting, both sides reviewed progress & major accomplishments and prioritized new areas for cooperation across several pillars. 

• They also announced the addition of a fifth Pillar on Emerging Fuels as both the countries seek to promote clean energy fuels. 

• On the occasion, a new India-US Task Force on Biofuels was also announced in order to build the scope of work on cooperation in the biofuels sector. 

• They also announced renaming the Gas Task Force to India-US Low Emissions Gas Task Force. This task force will continue to forge collaboration between Indian and US companies on innovative projects to provide support to India’s vision of a gas-based economy. 

About Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) 

• Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) was launched in line with U.S.-India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership that was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden in April 2021 at the Leaders’ Summit on Climate. 

• It organizes inter-governmental engagement on the basis of five pillars of cooperation: Power and Energy Efficiency, Responsible Oil and Gas, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Growth and Emerging Fuels. 

India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) 

• 37th edition of CORPAT was conducted in the Indian Ocean region from 23-24 November 2021. 

• Indigenously built Indian Naval Ship (INS) Khanjar and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft participated in the exercise.

Objectives 

• Ensuring safety and security of shipping and international trade in the region.

• CORPAT biannual exercise builds up understanding and interoperability between both the navies.

• It facilitates institution of measures to prevent and suppress Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy.

• CORPAT is held twice a year.

•  It was conducted for the first time in 2002.

Other Military Exercises with Indonesia: 

• Samudra Shakti: A bilateral maritime exercise.

• Garuda Shakti: A joint military exercise.

Indian Ocean Naval Symposium 

The 7th edition of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs was hosted by the French Navy in Paris from 15 – 16 Nov 21. 

 About IONS

• It is a forum to increase maritime cooperation among the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.

• The inaugural edition of IONS was held in Feb 2008 at New Delhi, with Indian Navy as the Chair for two years

• IONS includes 24 nations that permanently hold territory that abuts or lies within the Indian Ocean and 8 observer nations: 

Other Important Groupings Associated with IOR

• Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)

• Indian Ocean Commission (IOC)

• Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)

• Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR)

• Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)

Importance of Indian Oceanic Region

• The Indian Ocean holds 16.8% of the world’s proven oil reserves and 27.9% of proven natural gas reserves.

• Around 80 percent of the world’s seaborne oil trade passes through the choke points of this ocean

• Region to counterbalance the increasing presence of China in the region.

EX SHAKTI 2021

• The sixth edition of the India-France joint military exercise “EX SHAKTI 2021” is being conducted from 15 to 26, 2021 in Frejus, France. 

• The exercise will focus on Counter Terrorism operations in backdrop of semi-urban terrain under United Nations Mandate with an aim to enhance military cooperation and inter-operability between the two Armies.

• The Indian Army will be represented by the Gorkha Rifles Infantry Battalion.

• The contributions of the contingent in the 1971 war were recognised by Theatre Honour of Jammu & Kashmir and Battle Honour Shingo River Valley.

• India and France carry out three biennial training exercises 

  • Exercise Garuda with the Indian Air Force

  • Exercise Varuna with the Indian Navy

  • Exercise Shakti with Indian Army.

Indian Ocean Naval Symposium 

The 7th edition of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs was hosted by the French Navy in Paris from 15 – 16 Nov 21. 

About IONS

• It is a forum to increase maritime cooperation among the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.

• The inaugural edition of IONS was held in Feb 2008 at New Delhi, with Indian Navy as the Chair for two years

• IONS includes 24 nations that permanently hold territory that abuts or lies within the Indian Ocean and 8 observer nations: 

Other Important Groupings Associated with IOR

• Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)

• Indian Ocean Commission (IOC)

• Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)

• Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR)

• Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)

Importance of Indian Oceanic Region

• The Indian Ocean holds 16.8% of the world’s proven oil reserves and 27.9% of proven natural gas reserves.

• Around 80 per cent of the world’s seaborne oil trade passes through the choke points of this ocean

• Region to counterbalance the increasing presence of China in the region.

NASA’s DART MISSION

On November 24, NASA will launch the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

About DART Mission: 

• DART mission is NASA's first-ever space mission to demonstrate asteroid deflection by a kinetic impactor technology

• The target of the spacecraft is a binary asteroid system called Didymos. In this system, Dimorphos orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos.

• Missions like DART are essential to help us understand how to stop dangerous asteroids.

Objective of the Mission

• The main aim of the mission is to test the newly developed technology that would allow a spacecraft to crash into an asteroid and change its course.

• After the mission has collided with the asteroid, scientists will study its impact on the trajectory of the asteroid with a range of telescopes deployed on different regions of the planet.

Reason for Choosing Dimorphos: 

• The Didymos system is an eclipsing binary as viewed from Earth, meaning Didymos and Dimorphos pass in front of each other

• Earth-based telescopes can study this variation in brightness to understand how long it takes Dimorphos to orbit Didymos.

• Didymos's orbit does not intersect Earth's at any point in current predictions thus posing no threat to Earth.

Leonids Meteor Shower 

• Every year in November, an annual meteor shower called the Leonids radiates out from the direction of the constellation of Leo in the sky.

• The shower is under way now as it lasts from 6 to 30 November. The peak activity this year is expected in the early morning of 17 November.

About Leonids Meteor Shower  

• Leonids Meteor Shower occurs when Earth passes through a trail left behind by the Tempel-Tuttle comet on its 33-year orbit around the Sun.

• The Leonids are also called fireballs and earthgazer meteors. Fireballs, because of their bright colours, and earthgazer, because they streak close to the horizon.

Meteor Shower 

• Meteor showers occur annually or at regular intervals as the Earth passes through the trail of dusty debris left by a comet.

• Meteor showers are usually named after a star or constellation that is close to where the meteors appear in the sky. 

Meteor Storm 

• A meteor storm should have at least 1,000 meteors per hour.

• In 1966, a Leonid storm offered views of thousands of meteors that fell through the Earth’s atmosphere per minute during a period of 15 minutes.

Meteors, Meteoroid, and Meteorite

• Meteoroids are objects in space that range in size from dust grains to small asteroids. 

• When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or “shooting stars” are called meteors. 

• When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a meteorite.

NASA’s Lucy Mission 

• NASA is ready to send its first spacecraft to study Jupiter's Trojan asteroids to glean new insights into the solar system's formation 4.5 billion years ago. 

• In 2025, it will fly by the inner main-belt asteroid 52246 Donald Johanson, which was named for the discoverer of the Lucy hominin fossil. 

• In 2027, it will arrive at the L4 Trojan cloud, where it will fly by four Trojans, 3548 Eurybates (with its satellite), 15094 Polymele, 11351 Leucus, and 21900 Orus. 

• After these flybys, Lucy will return to the vicinity of the Earth whereupon it will receive a gravity assist to take it to the L5 Trojan cloud. 

• Three instruments comprise the payload: a high-resolution visible imager, an optical and near-infrared imaging spectrometer and a thermal infrared spectrometer. 

• Lucy’s discoveries will open new insights into the origins of our Earth and ourselves. 

About Trojans: 

• Trojans are small celestial bodies or asteroids, sharing the orbit of larger one. They remain in a stable orbit, nearly 60° ahead or behind the main body. 

• The Jovian Trojans are asteroids that revolve the Sun in the same orbit as Jupiter and are uniformly dark with a hint of burgundy colour, and have matte surfaces that reflect little sunlight. 

• The Trojans are stabilized by the Sun and its largest planet in a gravitational balancing act. There may be as many Trojans as there are asteroids in the asteroid belt. 

• These primitive bodies hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the solar system, and perhaps even the origins of organic material on Earth.

Yuktdhara 

• Yuktdhara is a Geospatial Planning Portal for facilitating Gram Panchayat level planning of MGNREGA. It is a new portal under ‘Bhuvan’. 

• It has been launched by the Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj. 

• The platform will serve as a repository of assets (Geotags) created under various national rural development programmes i.e. MGNREGA, Integrated Watershed Management Programme, Per Drop More Crop and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, etc.

High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People 

• India has joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a group of more than 70 countries encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect 30×30 targets. 

Key facts: 

• The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People was initiated at the “One Planet Summit” in Paris in January 2021. The coalition aims to promote an international agreement to protect at least 30 % of the world's land and ocean by 2030 (30×30 targets). 

• The 30×30 target is a global target that aims to halt the accelerating loss of species and protect vital ecosystems that are the source of our economic security. 

• HAC is co-chaired by Costa Rica and France, and by the United Kingdom as Ocean co-chair. 

• Members: At present, the group has more than 70 countries encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect 30×30. The members of HAC currently include a mix of countries in the global north and south. These include European, Latin American, Africa and Asia countries are among the members. 

• India is the first BRICS country to join the HAC. 

NOTE: The HAC coalition aims to promote an international agreement in order to protect at least 30 percent of the world's land and ocean by 2030. 

WHO: Revise Air Quality norms 

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced a tight revision in its air quality guidelines (AQG). This is the first revision in the global air quality by WHO since 2005. 

• In the new guidelines, WHO has lowered the acceptable exposure levels to key pollutants, including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter (PM). 

Key Highlights: 

• The guidelines recommend new air quality levels to protect the health of populations, by reducing levels of key air pollutants, some of which also contribute to climate change. 

• By striving to achieve these guideline levels, countries will be both protecting health as well as mitigating global climate change. 

• WHO move sets the stage for eventual shifts in policy in the government towards evolving newer stricter standards. 

• WHO’s new guidelines recommend air quality levels for 6 pollutants, where evidence has advanced the most on health effects from exposure. 6 classical pollutants include particulate matter (PM 2.5 and 10), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). 

Impact on India 

• The move does not have an immediate effect in India as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) do not meet the WHO’s existing standards. 

• The government has a dedicated National Clean Air Programme that aims for a 20% to 30% reduction in particulate matter concentrations by 2024 in 122 cities, keeping 2017 as the base year 

Steps taken by India: 

• Under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), India is committed to minimise 20-30 percent of air pollution in cities. 

• NCAP was launched in January 2019 by the MoEFCC. It is the first-ever effort in India to frame a national framework for the management of air quality with a time-bound reduction target.

WHO: Revise Air Quality norms

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced a tight revision in its air quality guidelines (AQG). This is the first revision in the global air quality by WHO since 2005. 

• In the new guidelines, WHO has lowered the acceptable exposure levels to key pollutants, including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter (PM). 

Key Highlights: 

• The guidelines recommend new air quality levels to protect the health of populations, by reducing levels of key air pollutants, some of which also contribute to climate change. 

• By striving to achieve these guideline levels, countries will be both protecting health as well as mitigating global climate change. 

• WHO move sets the stage for eventual shifts in policy in the government towards evolving newer stricter standards. 

• WHO’s new guidelines recommend air quality levels for 6 pollutants, where evidence has advanced the most on health effects from exposure. 6 classical pollutants include particulate matter (PM 2.5 and 10), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). 

Impact on India 

• The move does not have an immediate effect in India as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) do not meet the WHO’s existing standards. 

• The government has a dedicated National Clean Air Programme that aims for a 20% to 30% reduction in particulate matter concentrations by 2024 in 122 cities, keeping 2017 as the base year 

Steps taken by India: 

• Under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), India is committed to minimise 20-30 percent of air pollution in cities. 

• NCAP was launched in January 2019 by the MoEFCC. It is the first-ever effort in India to frame a national framework for the management of air quality with a time-bound reduction target.

India’s First Smog Tower 

• The Chief Minister of Delhi inaugurated a ‘smog tower’ in Connaught Place and said similar towers would be built across the city if the results of the current pilot project are satisfactory. 

Key Points: 

• Smog towers are structures that are designed as large-scale air purifiers in order to reduce air pollution particles. 

• The smog tower is a 24-metre-high structure fitted with fans and air filters. This is to solve the problem of Air Pollution in Delhi. 

• It will draw in polluted air from the top and release filtered air near the ground through fans fitted on the sides. The tower has 40 big fans and 5,000 filters to clean the air. 

• These are electrostatic air filters that can filter out microparticles, including those that constitute smoke, household dust and pollen, according to the project description. A Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system have been installed in the tower to collect data and monitor its functioning. 

• This tower has been established as a pilot project and detailed studies will be conducted on its performance. IIT-Delhi and IIT-Bombay will analyse data and submit a report on the effectiveness of the tower.

RBI Monetary Policy Committee 

• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the RBI kept the repo rate unchanged at 4 percent, in order to revive & sustain growth. 

Key points: 

• The Monetary Policy Committee has also ensured that inflation remains within the target. Reverse repo rate was also kept as earlier at 3.35 per cent. 

• Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and bank rate also remain unchanged at 4.25 per cent. 

• For the financial year 2021-22, CPI inflation is projected at 5.3 per cent.

• As per RBI, food inflation is predicted to remain muted in upcoming months, as a result of record production of food-grains.

About Monetary Policy Committee (MPC): 

• The RBI has a government-constituted Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) which is tasked with framing monetary policy using tools like the repo rate, reverse repo rate, bank rate, cash reserve ratio (CRR). 

• It has been instituted by the Central Government of India under Section 45ZB of the RBI Act that was amended in 1934. 

• Functions: The MPC is entrusted with the responsibility of deciding the different policy rates including MSF, Repo Rate, Reverse Repo Rate, and Liquidity Adjustment Facility.

National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP)

• The Union Government recently launched the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) in an effort to list out the government’s infrastructure assets to be sold over the next four-years. 

Key Highlights 

• The programme has the objective to unlock the value of investments in brownfield public sector assets by tapping institutional and long-term capital, which can thereafter be leveraged for public investments. 

• The four-year National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) will unlock value in brownfield projects by engaging the private sector, transferring to them the rights but not the ownership in projects. 

• The components of project are roads, railways and power sector assets which will comprise over 66 per cent of the total estimated value of the assets to be monetised, with the balance coming from sectors including telecom, mining, aviation, ports, natural gas and petroleum product pipelines, warehouses and stadiums. 

• Currently, only assets of central government line ministries and CPSEs in infrastructure sectors have been included. Monetization through disinvestment and monetization of non-core assets have not been included in the NMP. 

Significance: 

• Asset Monetisation needs to be viewed not just as a funding mechanism, but as an overall paradigm shift in infrastructure operations, augmentation and maintenance considering the private sector’s resource efficiencies and its ability to dynamically adapt to the evolving global and economic reality.

• Considering that infrastructure creation is inextricably linked to monetisation, the period for NMP is co-terminus with the balance period under National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) i.e for FY 2022-2025. 

• NMP is indicatively valued at Rs 6.0 lakh crore for 4 years.

EASE 4.0 

• The Ministry of Finance recently launched the fourth edition of Public Sector Bank (PSB) Reforms Agenda called ‘EASE 4.0’ for the financial year 2021-22. EASE 4.0 is a simplified, tech-enabled and collaborative banking. 

• On the occasion, Finance Minister launched the annual report for PSB Reforms Agenda EASE 3.0 for the year 2020-21 and also witnessed the awards ceremony to felicitate the best performing banks on EASE 3.0 Banking Reforms Index. 

Key Highlights 

• SBI, Bank of Baroda (BoB), and Union Bank of India (UBI) won the awards for best performing banks on the basis of EASE index. 

• Indian Bank won the award for best improvement from baseline performance. 

• SBI, BoB, UBI, Punjab National Bank and Canara Bank also won the top awards across different themes of PSB Reforms Agenda EASE 3.0. 

Objectives of EASE 4.0 

• EASE 4.0 reforms to look after four key initiatives to be adopted by public sector banks: 

• Smart lending backed by analytics 

• 24×7 banking with resilient technology & cloud-based IT systems

• Data enabled agriculture financing

• Collaboration with the financial ecosystem

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) 

Context: The government has proposed to free up unused built-up area worth about ₹30,000 crore and idle land inside Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for other economic activity. SEZs account for about 30% of India’s exports. 

About SEZs 

• Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are geographically delineated enclaves in which regulations and practices related to business and trade differ from the rest of the country and therefore all the units therein enjoy special privileges. 

Objectives of the SEZs: 

• To create additional economic activity. 

• To boost the export of goods and services. 

• To generate employment. 

• To boost domestic and foreign investments. 

• To develop infrastructure facilities. 

Facilities and incentives for SEZs: 

• Duty-free import/domestic procurement of goods for development, operation and maintenance of SEZ units. 

• Income tax exemption on export income. 

• Exemption from Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT). 

• Single window clearance for Central and State level approvals. 

Present Issues: 

• SEZs in India have not been as successful as their counterparts in many other countries. Several Asian economies, particularly China, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore, have greatly benefited from these zones. 

• Most manufacturing SEZs in India have performed below par due to their poor linkages with the rest of the economy. Weak connections of coastal SEZs with their hinterlands inhibited these zones from utilising their full potential. 

• Many states did not match the central SEZ Act with State-level legislation, which rendered the single window system ineffective. 

• Lack of a robust policy design, efficient implementation and effective monitoring have seriously jeopardized India’s effort to industrialise through SEZs. 

Nobel Prize in Literature 2021

• The 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents”.

Key facts: 

• The novelist was awarded with the Prize for his uncompromising & compassionate penetration of “effects of colonialism” and fate of refugees in the gulf between cultures & continents. 

• He is the author of 10 novels and several short stories and essays, including Memory of Departure (1987), Pilgrims Way (1988), Paradise (1994), By the Sea (2001), Desertion (2005), Gravel Heart (2017) and, most recently, Afterlives (2020).

• His writing explores the immigrant experience and how exile and loss shape identities and cultures. 

• Most of his books feature African Arab protagonists trying to come to terms with dislocation and estrangement, looking in on societies and cultures on which their holds are tenuous. 

NOTE: The 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature was given to American poet Louise Gluck, who is professor of English at Yale University. He was awarded for her unmistakable poetic voice.

PV Sindhu: First Indian Woman to win Two Olympics medals 

PV Sindhu, the ace Indian badminton player, has become the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals after defeating ‘He Bingjiao’ of China. 

Key Highlights 

• PV Sindhu won a bronze medal in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics and became the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals. 

• Sindhu has become the 4th athlete to win multiple medals in women’s singles badminton category at Olympic Games.

• She has joined South Korea’s Bang Soo-Hyun who won silver at Barcelona Olympics Games in 1992 as well as gold medal in women’s singles badminton category at 1996 Atlanta Olympics Games.

UNDP Equator Prize 2021 

• Two Indian organizations have won Equator Prize 2021, for their exceptional achievement in showcasing innovative, local, nature-based solutions for tackling biodiversity loss and climate change and achieving their local development goals. 

• Two communities from India bagged this year’s prestigious UNDP Equator Prize, for their exceptional achievement in showcasing local, innovative, nature-based solutions for tackling biodiversity loss and climate change and achieving their local development goals. 

The two winning organizations: 

• Aadhimalai Pazhangudiyinar Producer Company Limited: This 1,700-member cooperative, managed and run entirely by Indigenous people from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in Southern India, has improved livelihoods across 147 villages by processing and marketing a diverse range of forest produce and crops. 

• Snehakunja Trust: Snehakunja Trust has protected sensitive wetland and coastal ecosystems in the Western Ghats and the Karnataka coast for 45 years. Restoring 375 hectares of mangroves, Snehakunja Trust is currently piloting the first blue carbon project in India. 

Smart City Awards, 2020 

The Central Government declared Smart City awards 2020 wherein Uttar Pradesh emerged on top followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Key highlights:

• Surat in Gujarat and Indore in Madhya Pradesh won the Smart City awards for their overall development. 

• The awards covered themes: governance, social aspects, culture, sanitation, urban environment, economy, urban mobility, water, and built environment. 

• Best union territory award was conferred to Chandigarh. 

• These awards were given under the themes of Social Aspects, Governance, Urban Environment, Sanitation, Culture, Economy, Water, Built Environment, and Urban Mobility.

Copyright (Amendment) Rules, 2021

• The Government of India notifies Copyright (Amendment) Rules,2021. The amendment has been made to bring the existing Copyright rules in the country with parity with the other relevant legislation.

Key Highlights:

• In India, the copyright regime is governed by the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Copyright Rules, 2013.

• The Copyright Rules, 2013 were last amended in the year 2016.

• The objective of the amendments is to bring the existing rules in parity with other relevant legislations.

• Publication of a copyrights journal has been incorporated eliminating the requirement of publication in the Official Gazette.

• The journal would be available at the website of the Copyright Office.

• In order to encourage accountability and transparency, new provisions have been introduced to deal with the undistributed royalty amounts and the use of electronic and traceable payment methods while collecting and distributing royalties.

About Copyright:

• Copyright is intellectual property. It gives the owner the exclusive right to make copies of his or her creative work. It can be education, artistic, literary, or music.

• According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation, Copyright protects two types of rights. They are Economic rights and moral rights.

ULPIN: Unique Land Parcel Identification Number 

• The Centre plans to issue a 14-digit identification number to every plot of land in the country within a year’s time.

• The Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) scheme has been launched in 10 States in the year 2021 and will be rolled out across the country by March 2022.

Key Points:

• It will subsequently integrate its land records database with revenue court records and bank records, as well as Aadhaar numbers on a voluntary basis.

• The scheme will enhance the service deliveries to the citizens of the country and will also function as inputs to the schemes of the other sectors like Agriculture, Finance, Disaster Management etc.

• The ULPIN is described as “Aadhaar for land”. The number will be used to identify every surveyed parcel of land.

• The ULPIN is a fourteen-digit Alpha Numeric ID.

• The identification number is to be launched based on the latitude and longitude coordinates of the land parcel.

Smart Anganwadis 

• The Government of Kerala has sanctioned ₹9 crore for the conversion of conventional anganwadis into “smart” anganwadis with better amenities.

• The smart anganwadis will be built in order to provide early childhood care in a phased manner.

• These facilities will be established with the aim of making it more child-friendly. This way these facilities will help to nurture mental and physical development of children. 

• Anganwadi scheme is a type of rural child care centre that was started in the year 1975 by the Indian government. This scheme runs under the Integrated Child Development Services program.  It seeks to combat child hunger and malnutrition.

PM Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Scheme

Context

Recently, the Prime Minister talked about the need to address health issues in a holistic manner and to adopt a four-pronged strategy for a healthy India which includes implementing the PM Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat scheme.

Four-Pronged Strategy for a Healthy India  

1. Prevention of illness and promotion of wellness including measures such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, yoga and timely care and treatment of pregnant women and children. 

2. Providing cheap and effective treatment to the poorest of the poors. 

3. Increasing the quality of health infrastructure and healthcare professionals. 

4. Working on a mission mode to overcome obstacles like Mission Indradhanush has been extended to the tribal and far-flung areas of the country.

PM Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Scheme

PM Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with an outlay of about Rs. 64,180 crores. Duration of the scheme is 6 years.The scheme aims to 

• Improve primary, secondary, and tertiary care health systems.

• Strengthen existing national institutions in the Health sector.

• Create new institutions, to cater to detection and cure of new and emerging diseases.

• Supporting development of 17,788 rural and 11,024 urban health and wellness centers and setting up of integrated public health labs in all districts and 3,382 block public health units in 11 states. 

• Help in establishing critical care hospital blocks in 602 districts and 12 central institutions. Strengthening of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), its 5 regional branches and 20 metropolitan health surveillance units.

• Expansion of the Integrated Health Information Portal to all States/UTs to connect all public health labs.

• Help in rolling out the Covid-19 vaccination program as well as strengthen the delivery system and build better capability and capacity to combat any future pandemics.