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GS Paper: GS3

  • Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for electronics manufacturers

    Global electronics giants are set to expand their presence in India under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for making mobile phones and certain other specified electronic components.

    Try this question for mains:

    Q. What is the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme? Describe its various features and benefits.

    What is the PLI scheme?

    • As a part of the National Policy on Electronics, the IT ministry had notified the PLI scheme on April 1 this year.
    • The scheme will, on one hand, attract big foreign investment in the sector, while also encouraging domestic mobile phone makers to expand their units and presence in India.
    • It would give incentives of 4-6 per cent to electronics companies which manufacture mobile phones and other electronic components.
    • A/c to the scheme, companies that make mobile phones which sell for Rs 15,000 or more will get an incentive of up to 6 per cent on incremental sales of all such mobile phones made in India.
    • In the same category, companies which are owned by Indian nationals and make such mobile phones, the incentive has been kept at Rs 200 crore for the next four years.

    Tenure of the scheme

    • The PLI scheme will be active for five years with financial year (FY) 2019-20 considered as the base year for calculation of incentives.
    • This means that all investments and incremental sales registered after FY20 shall be taken into account while computing the incentive to be given to each company.

    Which companies and what kind of investments will be considered?

    • All electronic manufacturing companies which are either Indian or have a registered unit in India will be eligible to apply for the scheme.
    • These companies can either create a new unit or seek incentives for their existing units from one or more locations in India.
    • Any additional expenditure incurred on the plant, machinery, equipment, research and development and transfer of technology for the manufacture of mobile phones and related electronic items will be eligible for the incentive.
    • However, all investment done by companies on land and buildings for the project will not be considered for any incentives or determine the eligibility of the scheme.

  • Turkey enacts Social Media Law

    Turkey’s parliament approved a law that gives authorities greater power to regulate social media despite concerns of growing censorship.

    Unregulated social media promotes misinformation, hate speech, defamation, and threats to public order, terrorist incitement, bullying, and anti-national activities.

    Turkey: The forerunner of cyber policing

    • Turkey leads the world in removal requests to Twitter, with more than 6,000 demands in the first half of 2019.
    • More than 408,000 websites are blocked in Turkey, according to The Freedom of Expression Association.
    • Online encyclopedia Wikipedia was blocked for nearly three years before Turkey’s top court ruled that the ban violated the right to freedom of expression and ordered it unblocked.
    • The country also has one of the world’s highest rates of imprisoned journalists, many of whom were arrested in a crackdown following a failed coup in 2016.

    Features of the Law:

    1) Appointing representatives:

    • The law requires major social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to keep representative offices in Turkey to deal with complaints against content on their platforms.
    • If the social media company refuses to designate an official representative, the legislation mandates steep fines, advertising bans and bandwidth reductions.

    2) Bandwidth reductions

    • Bandwidth reductions mean social media networks would be too slow to use.
    • With a court ruling, bandwidth would be reduced by 50% and then by 50% to 90%.

    3) Privacy protection

    • The representative will be tasked with responding to individual requests to take down content violating privacy and personal rights within 48 hours or to provide grounds for rejection.
    • The company would be held liable for damages if the content is not removed or blocked within 24 hours.

    4) Data storage

    • A most alarming feature of the new legislation is that SM companies would require social media providers to store user data in Turkey.
    • The government says the legislation was needed to combat cybercrime and protect users.
    • This would be used to remove posts that contain cyberbullying and insults against women.

    Turkey seems to have given an attempt to regulate social media amidst the chaos. It lags on various fronts, making it realizable for India not to go hastily for such a regulation.

    Concerns over the law

    • Hundreds of people have been investigated and some arrested over social media posts.
    • The opposition is pointing that the law would further limit freedom of expression in a country where the media is already under tight government control and dozens of journalists are in jail.

  • [pib] Atal Innovation Mission launches ‘AIM-iCREST’

    NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), has launched AIM iCREST – an Incubator Capabilities enhancement program for a Robust Ecosystem, focused on creating high performing Startups.

    Note the following things about AIM-iCREST

    1) Meaning of the acronym as it gives the central idea of the initiative

    2) Aims and objective

    3) Technological partners

    AIM-iCREST

    • AIM iCREST, as the name suggests, has been designed to enable the incubation ecosystem and act as a growth hack for AIM’s Atal and Established incubators across the country.
    • Under the initiative, the AIM’s incubators are set to be upscaled and provided requisite support to foster the incubation enterprise economy that will help them to significantly enhance their performance.
    • This will be complemented by providing training to entrepreneurs, through technology-driven processes and platforms.
    • The program aims at going beyond incubator capacity building.  This is a first of its kind initiative for advancing innovation at scale in India.

    Various partners

    • AIM has joined hands with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wadhwani Foundation – organizations that can lend credible support and expertise in the entrepreneurship and innovation space.
    • These partnerships will provide global expertise and showcase proven best practices to the AIM’s incubator network.

    An initiative for incubators

    • India needs world-class incubators fostering world-class startups leveraging the tremendous innovation talent of our country.
    • For the first time in the Government, the Incubator capacity development program is being extended to the entire portfolio of supported Atal incubators.
    • This programme is unique also in its design – it is a combination of interactive practices in the field of incubation; enabling the incubators to support sustainable and successful startups.

    Back2Basics: Atal Innovation Mission

    • Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is NITI Aayog’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in India
    • AIM has been established to create and promote an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in a holistic manner through various initiatives at school, university and industry levels
    • The Atal Innovation Mission has thus two core functions:
    1. Innovation promotion: to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated.
    2. Entrepreneurship promotion: Wherein innovators would be supported and mentored to become successful entrepreneurs at Incubation Centres.

  • What are Pre-packs under the present insolvency regime?

    The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has set up a committee to look into the possibility of including what is called “pre-packs” under the current insolvency regime to offer faster insolvency resolution.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q.What are the key features of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code? Discuss how operationalization of IBC is hindered by the slower resolutions of insolvency cases. Suggest measures for faster resolution.

    What is Pre-pack?

    • A pre-pack is an agreement for the resolution of the debt of a distressed company through an agreement between secured creditors and investors instead of a public bidding process.
    • This system of insolvency proceedings has become an increasingly popular mechanism for insolvency resolution in the UK and Europe over the past decade.

    Why need Pre-packs?

    • Slow progress in the resolution of distressed companies has been one of the key issues raised by creditors regarding the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) under the IBC.
    • Under the IBC, stakeholders are required to complete the CIRP within 330 days of the initiation of insolvency proceedings.

    A case for India

    • In India’s case, such a system would likely require that financial creditors agree on terms with potential investors and seek approval of the resolution plan from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
    • This process would likely be completed much faster than the traditional CIRP which requires that the creditors of the distressed company allow for an open auction for qualified investors to bid for the distressed company.
    • The process needs to be completed within 90 days so that all stakeholders retain faith in the system and cases that take more than this time should be taken through the normal CIRP.

    What are the other key benefits of a pre-pack?

    • Pre-packs would mostly be used for businesses that are running; the investors would likely need to maintain good relations with operational creditors.
    • In the case of pre-packs, the incumbent management retains control of the company until a final agreement is reached.
    • The transfer of control from the incumbent management to an insolvency professional as is the case in the CIRP leads to disruptions in the business and loss of some high-quality human resources and asset value.

    Some limitations

    • The key drawback of a pre-packaged insolvency resolution is the reduced transparency compared to the CIRP.
    • Financial creditors would reach an agreement with a potential investor privately and not through an open bidding process.
    • This could lead to stakeholders such as operational creditors raising issues of fair treatment when financial creditors reach agreements to reduce the liabilities of the distressed company.

  • What is Green-Ag Project?

    The Union government has launched the Green-Ag Project in Mizoram, to reduce emissions from agriculture and ensure sustainable agricultural practices.

    Note the following things about Green-Ag Project:

    1)Core objective

    2)Implementing agencies

    3)Regions of Implementation

    Green-Ag Project

    • The Green-Ag project is designed to achieve multiple global environmental benefits in at least 1.8 million hectares (ha) of land in five landscapes, with mixed land-use systems.
    • It aims to bring at least 104,070 ha of farms under sustainable land and water management.
    • The project will also ensure 49 million Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) sequestered or reduced through sustainable land use and agricultural practices.

    Implementing agencies

    • The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility, while the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW) is the national executing agency.
    • Other key players involved in its implementation are the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Environment Ministry (MoEF&CC).

    Regions of implementation

    The project has been launched in high-conservation-value landscapes of five States namely

    • Madhya Pradesh: Chambal Landscape
    • Mizoram: Dampa Landscape
    • Odisha: Similipal Landscape
    • Rajasthan: Desert National Park Landscape
    • Uttarakhand: Corbett-Rajaji Landscape

  • Ammonia Pollution in Yamuna River

    For the second time in a week, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) had to reduce water production capacity by 25 per cent after high levels of ammonia were detected in the Yamuna River.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2019:

    Q. Consider the following statements:

    1. Agricultural soils release nitrogen oxides into the environment.
    2. Cattle release ammonia into the environment.
    3. Poultry industry releases reactive nitrogen compounds into the environment.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 and 3 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 2 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    What is Ammonia and what are its effects?

    • Ammonia is a colourless gas and is used as an industrial chemical in the production of fertilizers, plastics, synthetic fibres, dyes and other products.
    • Ammonia occurs naturally in the environment from the breakdown of organic waste matter, and may also find its way to ground and surface water sources through industrial effluents or through contamination by sewage.
    • If the concentration of ammonia in water is above 1 ppm it is toxic to fishes.
    • In humans, long term ingestion of water having ammonia levels of 1 ppm or above may cause damage to internal organs.

    A cause of concern

    • The level of ammonia in raw Yamuna water was 1.8 parts per million (ppm).
    • The acceptable maximum limit of ammonia in drinking water, as per the Bureau of Indian Standards, is 0.5 ppm.

    Where does Ammonia come from?

    • Ammonia is produced for commercial fertilizers and other industrial applications.
    • Natural sources of ammonia include the decomposition or breakdown of organic waste matter, gas exchange with the atmosphere, forest fires, animal and human waste, and nitrogen fixation processes.

    How is it treated?

    • The DJB at present does not have any specific technology to treat ammonia.
    • The only solution it adapts is to reduce production at its water treatment plants.
    • In addition to this, the board mixes raw water that carries a high concentration of ammonia with a fresh supply.
    • The amount of chlorine added to disinfect raw water is also increased when high levels of ammonia are detected.

    What is the long-term solution to the problem?

    • Stringent implementation of guidelines against dumping harmful waste into the river, and making sure untreated sewage does not enter the water are two things pollution control bodies are expected to do.
    • But, a more organic method agreed upon by environmentalists and experts is to maintain a sustainable minimum flow, called the ecological flow.
    • This is the minimum amount of water that should flow throughout the river at all times to sustain underwater and estuarine ecosystems and human livelihoods, and for self-regulation.
    • The lack of a minimum ecological flow also means an accumulation of other pollutants.

  • Report of the All India Tiger Estimation 2020

    India’s tiger population has reached a new high at 2,367.

    Before reading this newscard, try these PYQs:

    1. The term ‘M-STrIPES’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of: (CSP 2017)

    (a) Captive breeding of Wild Fauna

    (b) Maintenance of Tiger Reserves

    (c) Indigenous Satellite Navigation System

    (d) Security of National Highways

    Q.Consider the following protected areas: (CSP 2012)

    1. Bandipur
    2. Bhitarkanika
    3. Manas
    4. Sunderbans

    Which of the above are declared Tiger Reserves?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 1, 3 and 4 only

    (c) 2, 3 and 4 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

    All India Tiger Estimation

    MP-tops-country-with-526-tigers-as-per-All-India-Tiger-Estimation-2018
    • The tiger count is prepared after every four years by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) provides details on the number of tigers in the 18 tiger reign states with 50 tiger reserves.
    • However, this time, the census also included data collected from the rough terrains of north-eastern states which were not possible due to logistic constraints before.
    • The entire exercise spanned over four years is considered to be the world’s largest wildlife survey effort in terms of coverage and intensity of sampling.
    • Over 15, 000 cameras were installed at various strategic points to capture the movement of tigers. This was supported by extensive data collected by field personnel and satellite mapping.

    Details of the report

    • India has 70% of the world’s tigers, says the report.
    • Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442).
    • Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in tiger population and all other States saw a “positive” increase, according to a press statement.

    Implementing CATS frameworks

    • India had embarked upon assessing management interventions through the globally developed Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) framework.
    • This framework will now be extended to all fifty tiger reserves across the country.

    Back2Basics: Project Tiger

    • Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 during PM Indira Gandhi’s tenure.
    • In 1970 India had only 1800 tigers and Project Tiger was launched in Jim Corbett National Park.
    • The project is administrated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
    • It aims at ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats, protecting them from extinction etc.
    • Under this project the govt. has set up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers and funded relocation of villagers to minimize human-tiger conflicts.

  • Nutrition security along with food security

    • The “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” was recently released.

    About the report

    • It is published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other UN agencies including the WHO.
    • The report estimated that 820 million people worldwide did not have enough to eat in 2018, up from 811 million in the previous year.
    • At the same time, the number of overweight individuals and obesity continue to increase in all regions.

    Highlights of the report

    • The number of people going hungry has risen for the third year running to more than 820 million. After decades of decline, food insecurity began to increase in 2015.
    • Africa and Asia account for more than nine out of ten of the world’s stunted children, at 39.5% and 54.9% respectively.
    • However at the same time, obesity and excess weight are both on the rise in all regions, with school-age children and adults affected particularly.

    India scenario

    • The number of obese adults in India has risen by a fourth in four years, from 24.1 million in 2012 to 32.8 million in 2016.
    • While India’s undernourished population has dropped by roughly the same fraction in 12 years, from 253.9 million in 2004-06 to 194.4 million in 2016-18.

    Compared with China

    • The report has a section on economic growth in China and India, and its effect on poverty.
    • Between 1990 and 2017, the two countries had an average GDP per capita growth rate of 8.6 per cent and 4.5 per cent respectively, the report said, citing World Bank.
    • In both countries, the increase in GDP per capita has been accompanied by poverty reduction.

  • What is Interplanetary Contamination?

    As ambitious space missions are proliferating, along with advances in commercial space flight, astrobiologists have expressed concerns about possible ‘interplanetary contamination’.

    A statements based question can be expected from the two types of interplanetary contamination.

    What is Interplanetary Contamination?

    • Interplanetary contamination refers to biological contamination of a planetary body by a space probe or spacecraft, either deliberate or unintentional.
    • There are two types of interplanetary contamination:
    1. Forward contamination is the transfer of life and other forms of contamination from Earth to another celestial body.
    2. Back contamination is the introduction of extraterrestrial organisms and other forms of contamination into Earth’s biosphere. It also covers infection of humans and human habitats in space and on other celestial bodies by extraterrestrial organisms, if such habitats exist.
    • The main focus is on microbial life and on potentially invasive species.
    • Non-biological forms of contamination have also been considered, including contamination of sensitive deposits (such as lunar polar ice deposits) of scientific interest.

    Are there any mechanisms to prevent such contaminations?

    • Current space missions are governed by the Outer Space Treaty and the COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) guidelines for planetary protection.
    • Forward contamination is prevented primarily by sterilizing the spacecraft.
    • According to NASA, the guidelines have had far-reaching implications on human spacecraft design, operational procedures, and overall mission structure.

  • Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA)

    India has ranked third among the top 10 countries that have gained in forest areas in the last decade a/c to the latest Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA).

    Possible prelim question:

    Q.The Global Forest Resources Assessment Report recently seen in news is published by-

    a) UN-FAO

    b) UN Forum on Forests

    c) International Union of Forest Research Organizations

    d) None of these

    India gains in forest cover

    • The top 10 countries that have recorded the maximum average annual net gains in a forest area during 2010-2020 are China, Australia, India, Chile, Vietnam, Turkey, the US, France, Italy and Romania.
    • India accounts for two per cent of total global forest area.
    • Globally, 12.5 million people were employed in the forestry sector. Out of this, India accounted for 6.23 million, or nearly 50 per cent.

    Global prospects

    • The Asian continent reported the highest net gain in a forest area in 2010-2020, according to the report.
    • It recorded a 1.17 million hectares (ha) per year net increase in forests in the last decade.
    • However, the South Asia sub-region reported net forest losses during 1990-2020.
    • But, this decline would have been much higher without the net gain in India’s forest during this period, according to FRA 2020.

    How did India gain?

    • The FRA 2020 has credited the government’s Joint Forest Management programme for the significant increase in community-managed forest areas in the Asian continent.
    • The forest area managed by local, tribal and indigenous communities in India increased from zero in 1990 to about 25 million ha in 2015, the assessment said.
    • India has been taking up massive afforestation and plantation schemes.

    About Global Forest Resources Assessment

    • The Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) reports on the status and trends of the world’s forest resources.
    • It is led by the Forestry Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.
    • It reports the extent of the world’s forest area as well as other variables, including land tenure and access rights, sustainable forest management (SFM), forest conservation, and sustainable use.

    Back2Basics: Defining forests as per FRA

    • The definition excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems, such as fruit tree plantations, oil palm plantations, olive orchards, and agroforestry systems when crops are grown under tree cover.

    The FAO definition of a forest includes:

    • land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than 10 per cent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ
    • does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use