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  • National Maritime Domain Awareness Centre (NMDAC)

    The Navy’s Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC), the nodal agency for maritime data fusion will soon become a National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) centre.

    Try this question:

    Q“To be secure on Land, we must be Supreme at Sea”. In this context, discuss why India is primarily a Maritime Nation?

    What is IMAC?

    • The IMAC monitors movement of more than 120,000 ships a year passing through the Indian Ocean.
    • The cargo carried by these ships account for 66 per cent of world crude oil, 50 per cent of container traffic and 33 per cent of bulk cargo.
    • Thus, IMAC performs a very crucial role in collecting shipping information, analysing traffic patterns and sharing the inputs with the user agencies.
    • It tracks vessels on the high seas and gets data from the coastal radars, white shipping agreements, Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) transponders fitted on merchant ships, air and traffic management system and global shipping databases.

    Transforming to NDMAC

    • The IMAC will soon transform into a national NMDA centre, wherein it will be a multi-agency centre.
    • The NMDA project was launched in accordance with the vision of PM on SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).
    • Approved by the Defence Acquisition Council in 2012, the IMAC became operational in 2014 and is located in Gurugram.
    • It is the nodal centre of the National Command Control Communication and Intelligence System (NC3I), which was established to link the Navy and the Coast Guard.

    Why such a move?

    • India has a coast line of about 7500 km and an Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ) of over 2 million sq kms.
    • In addition, we are endowed with abundant oceanic wealth comprising a large number of island territories and vast sea bed area, over 97 % of our national trade is carried by sea routes.
    • It is therefore, imperative that we modernize the Navy which always has to be in a high state of preparedness.

  • [pib] SDG Investor Map for India

    Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

    UNDP and Invest India have launched the SDG Investor Map for India, laying out 18 Investment Opportunities Areas (IOAs) in six critical SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) enabling sectors.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), a UN mechanism to assist countries transition towards greener and more inclusive economies, emerged at:

    (a) The Earth Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, Johannesburg

    (b) The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012, Rio de Janeiro

    (c) The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2015, Paris

    (d) The World Sustainable Development Summit 2016, New Delhi

    SDG Investor Map for India

    • SDG Finance Facility platform at UNDP in partnership with Invest India, the investment promotion arm of the Government of India has developed this Map.
    • The map will help public and private sector stake-holders direct capital towards IOAs, and White Spaces (Areas of Potential) that can contribute to the sustainable development needs of the country.
    • The map has identified 18 IOAs and 8 White Spaces across 6 Priority Sectors including Education, Healthcare, Agriculture and Allied Services, Financial Services, Renewable Energy and Alternatives, and Sustainable Environment.

    Utility of this map

    • Investing in the SDGs at this point is crucial to ‘Building Back Better’ and making the economy and our societies more resilient and sustainable.
    • With the COVID-19 pandemic, the financing gap for the SDGs in India has only widened further and decades of development progress is nearly on the verge of reversal.
    • Enhanced productivity, technology adoption and increased inclusion are all critical factors that this map uses to identify the most attractive sectors for investors.

    Back2Basics: What are SDGs?

    • The SDGs or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”.
    • They were set in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030.
    • They are included in a UN Resolution called the 2030 Agenda or what is known as Agenda 2030.
    • Countries are expected to take ownership and establish a national framework for achieving these Goals.
    • Implementation and success will rely on countries’ own sustainable development policies, plans and programmes.
  • IAS Mains 2020: 250 most probable topics with questions | List of topics inside

    IAS Mains 2020: 250 most probable topics with questions | List of topics inside

    250 Most Probable Topics for IAS Mains 2020 – Get enrolled here

    CivilsDaily brings you the 250+ Most Important Issues that need to be covered holistically for Mains 2020. This compilation contains issues and topics that have a high probability of being asked in Mains 2020 and beyond.

    These are a part of our Quality Enrichment Program (QEP) for Mains 2020.

    We’ve covered each issue in its entirety, every dimension has been explored and covered so that you can tackle any question from these topics. There are probable questions from each topic as well. We’ll be discussing these in Habitat sessions.

    Program inclusions:

    1. 250 most probable topics and questions – Comprehensively covered
    2. Habitat Mains 2020 group membership – for discussion, answer writing practice and doubt sessions

    250 Most Probable Topics for IAS Mains 2020 – Get enrolled here

    List of issues covered

    Polity and Governance

    • Separation of power
    • Federalism (All kinds Cooperative,competitive)
    • Citizenship issue
    • Important Judgments related to Indian constitution
    • Role of Governor
    • Inter-state water disputes
    • Contempt of Court
    • Parliament and issues (Should Rajya sabha be abolished)
    • Local Government and issues (Add case studies etc)
    • NGO and civil society ( Add data and case studies)
    • CAG, ECI, CBI
    • EWS issue
    • One Year since the Repeal of Art. 370
    • Reform in Criminal Justice system in India
    • CIC and RTI act( RTI Amendment Bill, 2019)
    • NHRC and issue
    • Hate speech in India
    • Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020
    • Anti-defection
    • National medical Commission
    • The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020
    • Surrogacy bill
    • Domicile-based job quota in states
    • One country One system
    • Naga peace process
    • Doctrine of pith and Substance
    • Issue of Property rights for Indian women
    • Issues with Indian Judiciary 
      • Appointment issue, Quality issue, Overreach issue, procedural issues
      • Role of Judiciary in deepening democracy in India
    • Issues related to Tribunals
    • Autonomous bodies in India
    • MPLAD scheme
    • Departmental Standing committees
    • Issues related to Education
      • Important successful models
      • Govt initiatives
      • Govt committees  ( Subramaniam, Kasturiranghan)
    • Population and Related issues
      • Kerala and Bangladesh model
      • Issues in our Population control policy
    • Should the age of marriage for women be raised to 21?
    • National Recruitment Agency
    • Issues related to Health
      • Important successful models
      • issue of access
      • Issue of affordability
      • Issue of Quality
    • The National Medical Commission Bill, 2019
    • National health ID System
    • Aadhar issue vs Right to Privacy debate
    • E-Governance
      • Govt initiatives
      • Successful case studies
    • Double burden of Malnutrition and obesity
      • Data,Govt initiatives, Successful models,Issues
    • Accountability & Transparency
      • Govt initiatives,  
      • Constitutional  provisions,
      • Portals, issues,Citizen charter, Social Audit
    • Poverty 
      • Reasons for drastic fall
    • SHG
      • Data, Nabard report
    • Civil service reforms
      • Lateral entry
      • ARC 2, Hota committee
    • NRC
    • Trafficking of Persons Bill, 2018
    • The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019
    • Does India need a national language

    Education

    • National education policy 2020
    • Feasibility of online education in India

    250 Most Probable Topics for IAS Mains 2020 – Get enrolled here

    International Relations

    • COVID & Change in Global world order
    • G 7 & India
    • India’s role in shaping the post-covid World order
    • Asian Century
    • China angle
    • WHO
    • QUAD
    • Retreat of Globalization & its impact on India
    • India-Nepal relations
    • India’s strategic autonomy
    • Indo-Pacific & China
    • USA exit from Afghanistan & its implications for India
    • Indian Ocean 
    • India-Bangladesh relations
    • India’s Big brother attitude
    • India’s nuclear doctrine
    • India-Australia relations in the context of China
    • Can SAARC be revived
    • India RCEP
    • Dormancy of WTO  
    • Arab-Isreal Truce & Its implications for India
    • 75 years of UN

    Environment

    • National policy on biofuels
    • Zero-based natural farming
    • Need for a national water policy
    • Water crisis in India
    • Waste management rules (Plastic, e-waste,bio-medical waste, solid waste, construction and demolition waste management rules)
    • coastal regulation zone notification 2019
    • Mangroves, wetlands, Coral reeves, Desertification
    • Issues in Mountain ecology,
    • Arctic warming and India
    • Important environmental legislations
    • Important schemes related to the environment
    • Climate change and India
    • Renewable energy and India (Data, Govt initiatives, Lacunae)
    • Rising heat wave phenomenon in India
    • Environment Performance Index & India
    • Pollution and India
    • Environmental impact assessment
    • Important protocols related to climate change, pollution, biodiversity.
    • Animal cruelty and India
    • Bioethanol Blending in Petrol
    • Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

    Indian Economy

    • NPA and the Indian economy
    • Fall in investment in India
    • Atmanirbhar Bharat
    • Jobless growth in India
    • 5 Trillion economy
    • Middle-income trap and India
    • Need for formalizing Indian economy
    • PPP in India (All the models)
    • Infrastructure sector in India (Rail, aviation, roads, ports, inland waterways. Govt initiatives,). The Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020
    • Weaknesses and Failures of Indian Industrial Policies
    • Make in India (Complete  analysis)
    • Application of Behavioural economics
    • Application of Randomized control trial 
    • Sustainability of Service led growth
    • SEZ
    • Export growth in India
    • Export-led growth vs Domestic demand-based growth
    • FTA  and India
    • BIT and India
    • Transfer pricing and DTAA and India
    • Budgeting (Outcome budgeting, Gender budgeting, Issues in budgeting procedure in India)
    • India and Contracts
    • Disinvestment  policy in India (Complete analysis)
    • NREGA
    • Universal basic income
    • Power sector crisis (Draft electricity amendment bill)
    • FDI in India(Issues and Trends)
    • Tax reforms in India(Need for Direct tax reforms, GST reforms)
    • Fiscal stimulus debate
    • Structural vs cyclical slowdown in India
    • Planning in India  (Issues, trends, and reforms needed)
    • Coal sector reforms (FDI)
    • Trafficking of Persons Bill, 2018
    • Labour code 2020
    • Farmers ordinance
    • MSME sector in India
    • Privatization of Indian railways
    • Inflation targeting vs Multiple indicator approach
    • E-commerce sector in India
    • Pharmaceutical sector in India
    • Can India replace China as the factory of the World
    • New Umbrella Entities (NUEs) for retail payments.
    • Issue of  GST Compensation
    • Telecom sector in India
    • The Production Linked Incentive Scheme
    • Need for Fiscal council

    250 Most Probable Topics for IAS Mains 2020 – Get enrolled here

    Agriculture

    • Food processing sector in India
    • Agriculture marketing reforms (e-nam and latest reforms)
    • PDS vs Cash transfer
    • Price deficiency payment vs MSP
    • Precision agriculture
    • Fertilizer sector reforms in India
    • Income support scheme in Agriculture
    • Power subsidies in Agriculture
    • Sugar industry crisis
    • Rural distress farmer suicide
    • Mechanization of Indian agriculture
    • Doubling of Farmers income
    • Issue of Agriculture credit and insurance
    • Economics of Animal rearing (Poultry, fisheries (All latest revolutions, Dairy)
    • Diversification of Indian agriculture
    • Organic farming
    • Irrigation In India – PMKSY, AIBP, Watershed Management, Neeranchan, etc
    • Issue of  food subsidy
    • Important  committees (Dalwai, Shanta Kumar, Swaminathan committee) 
    • FCI reforms and issue of buffer stock
    • Seeds, Pesticides, and Mechanization.
    • Farmers ordinance
    • Micro-irrigation in India

    Internal Security

    • Left wing extremism in India (Recent initiatives,issues,suggestions)
    • Mob Lynching and Fake news
    • Cyber security in India (Issues,Recent initiatives, institutional structure, reforms needed,data)
    • NIA (Amendment) Bill, 2019
    • Chief of Defence Staff Post
    • India’s No First Use Policy
    • India-China border issue
    • India-Pakistan,Bangladesh  border 
    • Linkage between Organized crime and terrorism
    • Money laundering and its prevention (Recent initiative, International org,issues)
    • Indian Army Reforms – Shekatkar Committee Report
    • NCTC
    • Personal Data Protection Bill
    • Need for a National security policy
    • Draft Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020
    • Need for new defence doctrine

    Science and Technology

    • Gravitational Waves
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • IoT
    • Blockchain Technology 
    • Automation
    • Net Neutrality3
    • Cyber Viruses
    • Plasma therapy
    • Science of Covid
    • Genetically Modified Crops
    • Antimicrobial REsistance
    • Gene Editing
    • Genome India Project
    • India’s Nuclear Program (Indo-US Nuclear deal)
    • Scramjet Engine
    • Cryogenic Technology
    • Important missions of ISRO
    • Mars Orbit
    • Chandrayaan 1 & 2
    • India’s Ballistic Missile system
    • India’s intellectual property rights regime
    • 5G
    • Big Data and its application
    • CRISPR Technology
    • Digital Currency

    Disaster Management

    • NDMA guidelines 2010
    • Urban floods
    • Important Government initiatives
      • National cyclone mitigation project
      • Tsunami early warning system
      • National Seismic Risk Mitigation Programme (NSRMP)
      • National landslide risk management strategy
    • National disaster management plan
    • Sendai framework
    • Flood management strategies in India
    • Locust attacks
    • Avoidable man-made  disasters (Gas leak, Building fire, train accident, Hospital infant deaths, Stampede)

    250 Most Probable Topics for IAS Mains 2020 – Get enrolled here

    For queries, reach out to us at +91 89299 87787 or hello@civilsdaily.com

  • Importance of constitutional and public morality in democracy

    Democracy has evolved in many ways with time. The article examines its evolution in the Indian context.

    Historical background of democracy

    • In recorded history, the Greeks were the first to experiment with models of government.
    • There were monarchies, oligarchies and democracies among the Greek city-states of the 5th Century BCE.
    • Aristotle wrote that while monarchies were for the benefit of the monarchs and oligarchies for the benefit of men with means, democracies were for the benefit of men without means.
    • Democracy has travelled a long way from those times.
    • In the world’s successful democracies like the US, UK and India, there is a fine balance between the elected and non-elected institutions with enough safeguards.

    How democracy worked in India

    • There was much scepticism about the idea of universal adult franchise during the making of the Indian Constitution.
    • But Rajendra Prasad assured the Assembly’s members about the raw political wisdom of the average Indian as also the strength of the other institutions to safeguard the democratic process.
    • However, the infamous Emergency exposed the flaws in Indian democracy.

    Gandhiji’s and B R Ambedkar’s approach

    • Mahatma Gandhi was not a big admirer of the parliamentary system.
    • Gandhi’s view was that in the British system, the parliament works only for partisan interest — and not for the national interest.
    • He wrote in Harijan in January 1937 that by political independence he meant system suitable to Indian context i.e. Ram Rajya — sovereignty of the people based on pure moral authority.
    • B R Ambedkar too described democracy in India as “only a top-dressing” on an Indian soil “which is essentially undemocratic”.
    • He underscored the importance of social democracy for the success of political democracy.
    • Gandhi was referring to the tyranny of the British rule and Ambedkar was responding to the oppressive caste system.
    • Neither was against democracy, but both were against the idea of “majoritarian rule”.
    • For Gandhi, democracy meant the weak getting the same chance as the strong.
    • For Ambedkar, it was about giving voice to the voiceless.
    • For democracies to succeed, both believed that the parliamentary majorities need to be restrained through constitutional ethics and public morality.
    • Constitutional ethics is about leaders respecting constitutional order, conventions and institutions.
    • Gandhi’s greater emphasis was on public morality.
    • He insisted that for India’s democracy to succeed, the Congress should convert itself into a lok sevak sangh and work at the grassroots level.

    Consider the question “Public morality and unelected institution are necessary checks on the elected government not inimical to it. Comment.”

    Conclusion

    India’s democracy, as envisaged by the makers of its Constitution, thrived essentially because of the respect of the leaders for ethical constitutionalism and moral activism of the grassroots activists. Neither should see the other as an enemy and try to bring them down.

  • Steps needed to achieve Comparative advantage in Manufacturing

    The article suggests the policy approach to achieve industrial growth while avoiding the isolationist approach in pursuit of AtmaNirbharBharat.

    Issue of policy binary

    • The goals of the Make in India initiative and now the AatmaNirbharBharat Abhiyan are driving a major shift in policy.
    • Import duties are being raised.
    • Production-linked incentives are being offered to firms across a wide canvas of 10 priority sectors.
    • At the same time, there is considerable unease at the rolling back of trade liberalisation.
    • This binary is not very useful.

    Steps needed to gain competitive advantage

    1) Infrastructure

    • It would still take India many years to develop its physical infrastructure to the levels required for international competitiveness.
    • Until then, large industrial parks for textiles, electronics, toys or shipbuilding need to be developed by state agencies with soft financing.
    • Competitive logistics are essential.
    • This was critical for the success of the information technology (IT) industry where world-class infrastructure was created within the software parks.
    • High-speed broadband real-time connectivity to the US market was provided through public investment.
    • This was done well before general telecom modernisation began.

    2) Closing the financing gap

    • Long-term financing for world-class infrastructure is still a gap.
    • The central government can either use one of its existing financial institutions or create a new development financial institution to provide long-term low-interest rate debt.
    • The sovereign needs to provide risk-mitigation through an implicit guarantee. It can afford to do so.

    3)  Prevent real exchange rate appreciation

    • Before considering specific increases in import duties, real exchange appreciation should be undone.
    • This would have the effect of raising tariffs across the board.
    • It is high time the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) agreed on this objective.

    4) Change the regime for SEZ

    • Allow SEZ to sell into the domestic area with import duties at the lowest applicable rate with any trading partner and the same value-addition norms.
    • Tax exemption on profits could be dispensed with while continuing to provide a duty-free import regime.
    • This would create a level-playing field for production vis-à-vis competitive locations overseas.
    • Large zones would have to be developed by the state.
    • The private sector can be partners in the process, but achievement of scale is only possible by the state.
    • Production for the domestic as well as the global market would become easier.

    5) Encourage domestic value addition

    • Domestic value-addition can be incentivised by-
    • 1) Reducing duties to zero for all primary raw materials and inputs.
    • 2) then progressively higher rates for intermediates with the highest rate for the finished product.
    • In short, have just the opposite of the inverted duty structure we have had for computers.
    • This would change investment and production decisions if other costs of production in India have been made competitive.

    6) Commitment of procurement of full production

    • In some industries, commitment of procurement of full production for a few years would suffice to get investment.
    • Bids could be invited for solar panels, or for battery storage for the grid, for annual supply for, say, five years with the condition that full value-addition has to be done in India.
    • Such commitment would provide for amortisation of the capital investment and make it a risk-free investment.
    • If the bid size is large enough, the best global firms would come and invest.
    • If the bids are repeated, prices would come down and a competitive industry structure would be created.

    7) Encourage public investment

    • Public investment in firms should not be ruled out altogether.
    • In some cases, it may be the best way to create competitive capacity.
    • Maruti Suzuki is a good example in India.
    • Volkswagen was set up by a state government in Germany, which is still a substantial shareholder.
    • This is a policy instrument that can be used to create competitive advantage.

    8) Creation of fund

    • There should also be willingness to create a fund that looks at modest returns, but aims at creating national and global champions through start-ups.

    Conclusion

    The foundation of China’s incredible success was laid by Deng Xiaoping with the maxim on economic policy that one should not bother about the colour of the cat as long as it caught mice. India’s policies have tended to be doctrinaire. We need a heavy dose of pragmatism to achieve our full potential.

    Source:-

    https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/industrial-growth-the-right-policy-mix-for-success/2136735/

  • 26th November 2020| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement

    Important Announcement:  Topics to be covered on 1st December

    GS-1 Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues. 

    GS-4 Emotional Intelligence

    Question 1)

    Explain the social constraints in bringing about gender equality in Indian society. 10 marks

    Question 2)

    For democracies to succeed, the parliamentary majority need to be restrained through constitutional ethics and public morality. Critically examine in the context of democracy in India. 10 marks

    Question 3)

    The industrial age competitive advantage is developed and is not a natural endowment. Despite several changes in industrial policy, India lacks on several fronts. In light of this, suggest the reforms in the Industrial policy to make India competitive in terms of industrial production. 10 marks

    Question 4)  

    “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion”. In what ways can a compassionate public official be more useful for realizing public service goals? 10 marks

    Reviews will be provided in a week. (In the order of submission- First come first serve basis). In case the answer is submitted late the review period may get extended to two weeks.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed in a week, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. If Parth Sir’s tag is available then tag him.

    For the philosophy of AWE and payment, check  here: Click2Join

  • Western Disturbances and winters in North

    For the past few days, Chandigarh and its neighbouring states have been experiencing unusually cold days although the night temperatures are normal.

    Try this PYQ:

    Consider the following statements:

    1. The winds which blow between 30°N and 60°S latitudes throughout the year are known as westerlies.
    2. The moist air masses that cause winter rains in the North-Western region of India are part of westerlies.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) Only 1

    (b) Only 2

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    Temperature anomaly in North

    • Meteorological officials have attributed the trend to the cloud cover in the region which was absent until a few days ago.
    • It is the result of a western disturbance, which has brought about a spell of precipitation in the northwest Himalaya.

    Role of clouds

    • During the day, clouds obstruct the heat from the sun from reaching the surface of the earth, reflecting some of it back into space.
    • This lowers the temperature. Cold winds blowing down from snow-bound areas in the mountains also contribute to the cooling effect.
    • At night, however, clouds act like blankets – they help retain some of the heat energy radiated back by the earth’s surface.
    • Overcast weather at night, thus, increases greenhouse warming.

    What are western disturbances?

    • In northern India, winter rains and clouds are generally caused by moisture-bearing wind systems called western disturbances.
    • They originate and gather moisture over the Mediterranean region and flow eastwards towards the Indian subcontinent.
    • When some of these winds run into mountains of the northwest Himalaya, they are forced upward.
    • At higher altitudes, the temperatures drop and water vapour gets condensed. This leads to cloud formation and eventually rain and snow.

    Other factors for severe winters in North

    • In north India, the huge temperature difference between summers and winters is due to its continentality (distance from seas and oceans).
    • Air from oceans moderates the temperature as it moves onshore, but this effect is missing in continental interiors.
    • As a result, north India has greater seasonal differences as compared to peninsular India.
    • Temperature also reduces rapidly with altitude, and thus, the Himalayan region is colder still.

  • Solar Power Tariffs in India

    India’s solar power tariffs have hit a new record low of ₹2 per unit.

    Can you relate this?

    We have such a lower cost of solar energy. Then why do we rely on coal powered thermal power plants?

    Solar energy scenario in India

    • India has an ambitious target to increase its solar power base – by 2022, it wants to quadruple its current solar capacity to 100GW.
    • A number of industrial-scale solar energy plants have come up in the past few years.
    • The government-backed company Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has been auctioning solar energy capacity to various private developers using a bidding process that favours the cheapest tariffs.

    Low tariff may seem lucrative

    • The record low solar tariffs are mainly due to the “reverse bidding” process, which selects the cheapest bidder.
    • India is now said to be considering a ceiling on solar tariffs – a cap of ₹2.5 ($o.035) and ₹2.68 ($0.038) per unit – for solar power companies that use both domestic and imported equipment.
    • India imports over 90 per cent of solar equipment including cells and modules from overseas, mainly from China and Malaysia.
    • The govt. now is in proves to impose a 25 per cent safeguard duty on solar equipment imports to protect domestic manufacturers, which could further put pressure on the razor margins of solar developers.

    Impacts of such low tariff

    • With the steep drop in prices, there are also concerns about the quality of the equipment being deployed, raising questions about future regulation and related costs.
    • The infrastructure of many solar plants in India didn’t meet many environmental stress factors and technical standards, according to a study.
    • India also has a target of increasing its rooftop solar capacity to 40,000 megawatts (MW) by 2022 similar to trends in many European countries.
    • But, here too, prohibitive costs of solar equipment have kept many residential property owners from switching to rooftop solar despite a government subsidy.

    Back2Basics: SECI

    • It is a company of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, established to facilitate the implementation of the National Solar Mission (NSM).
    • It is the only Central Public Sector Undertaking dedicated to the solar energy sector.
    • The company’s mandate has been broadened to cover the entire renewable energy domain and the company will be renamed to Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI).
    • It is responsible for the implementation of a number of govt. schemes, major ones being the solar park scheme and grid-connected solar rooftop scheme etc.
    • It has a power-trading licence and is active in this domain through the trading of solar power from projects set up under the schemes being implemented by it.

    Reverse bidding Process

    In a reverse auction, the buyer puts up a request for a required good or service. Sellers then place bids for the amount they are willing to be paid for the good or service, and at the end of the auction the seller with the lowest amount wins.

  • NPCI caps UPI transactions on third-party apps at 30%

    The article deals with the recent NPCI decision to cap the number of transactions by third party application providers (TPAPs).

    Context

    • The National Payments Corp of India (NPCI), in its recent guidelines imposed a 30% volume-based cap on the share of transactions by TPAPs and payment service providers (PSPs), effective from January 2021.

     5 issues with the volume-based cap

    1) It undermines cashless economy

    • The growth and recognition of UPI would not have been possible had a cap been in place.
    • Typically, customers limit themselves to one or two TPAPs of their choice.
    • A transaction cap that forces users to use multiple apps may result in more transaction failures and dilute UPI’s popularity and impact.
    • Lack of accessibility and user-friendliness would push users away from UPI towards other payment methods, or even cash.

    2) It’s an anti-consumer decision

    • Open markets and user choice have been crucial factors in the exponential increase seen in UPI adoption and its transactions.
    • A volume-based cap would compel TPAPs to either limit the number of transactions on their platforms or stop enrolling new users, which in turn would restrict the customer’s use of UPI.
    • TPAPs will likely be forced to redact customer incentives like cashbacks, coupons and the like.
    • This could go against consumer interests by reducing choice.

    3) It will also make the Indian market less attractive for investors:

    • The cap would raise compliance and regulatory costs for players in the sector, which could deter new investors from entering.
    • It would also adversely affect the growth potential of existing UPI players.

    4) No regulatory impact assessment

    • The idea of a volume-based cap does not appear to have undergone an assessment of its impact on the sector.
    • As a general principle, before any such rule is imposed, an RIA (Regulatory Impact Assessment) needs to be undertaken.
    • Systemic risks are not restricted to UPI and are common in all financial systems; yet, a similar cap has not been suggested for, say, retail bank transactions.

    5) Impact on Atmanirbhar Bharat

    •  In order for Indian businesses to grow and compete at the global level, we need to integrate business processes with the global economy.
    • Indian start-ups, in particular, need tools and infrastructure that lets them gain an international edge.
    • Atmanirbhar Bharat envisions a self-reliant India that thrives on innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.
    • But this vision cannot be fulfilled if our policies restrain the growth of a cashless economy.

    Conclusion

    India’s UPI ecosystem is nascent, but has demonstrated significant growth and has had a positive impact on the economy by providing the backbone needed to move towards cashless commerce. Any policy decision by regulators at this point should aim at catalysing innovation in this space. Stifling it would serve India badly.

  • Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network

    The government is using eVIN – Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network in association with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to identify primary beneficiaries and vaccine distribution networks.

    Try this question from CSP 2016:

    Q.‘Mission Indradhanush’ launched by the Government of India pertains to:

    (a) Immunization of children and pregnant women

    (b) Construction of smart cities across the country

    (c) India’s own search for the Earth-like planets in outer space

    (d) New Educational Policy

    What is eVIN?

    • E-VIN is an indigenously developed technology that digitizes vaccine stocks and monitors the temperature of the cold chain through a smartphone application.
    • It was first launched across 12 states in 2015 to support better vaccine logistics management at cold chain points.
    • It supports the central government’s Universal Immunization Programme by providing real-time information on vaccine stocks and flows, and storage temperatures across all cold chain points across states and UTs.

    Components of eVIN

    • eVIN combines state-of-the-art technology, a strong IT infrastructure and trained human resource to enable real-time monitoring of stock and storage temperature of the vaccines kept in multiple locations across the country.
    • At present, 23,507 cold chain points across 585 districts of 22 States and 2 UTs routinely use the eVIN technology for efficient vaccine logistics management.

    Benefits of eVIN

    • It has helped create a big data architecture that generates actionable analytics encouraging data-driven decision-making and consumption-based planning.
    • It helps in maintaining optimum stocks of vaccines leading to cost savings. Vaccine availability at all times has increased to 99% in most health centres in India.
    • While instances of stock-outs have reduced by 80%, the time taken to replenish stocks has also decreased by more than half, on an average.
    • This has ensured that every child who reaches the immunization session site is immunized, and not turned back due to unavailability of vaccines.

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