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  • Agreement to end the Bru-Reang Refugee Crisis

    The Ministry of Home Affairs has presided over the signing of an agreement between Union Government, Governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives to end the 23-year old Bru-Reang refugee crisis.

    Who are the Brus?

    • Reangs or Brus are the second largest ethnic group in Mizoram.
    • Their exodus in 1997 was spurred by violent clashes in Mamith subdivision, a Reang-dominated area, when they demanded creation of an autonomous council that was vehemently opposed by Mizo groups.
    • Around 34,000 people were forced to live in sub-human conditions in tents in Tripura. No solution could be reached all these years.
    • These people were housed in temporary camps at Kanchanpur, in North Tripura.

    Highlights of the Quadripartite Agreement

    • Under the new agreement around 34,000 Bru refugees will be settled in Tripura and would be given aid from the Centre to help with their rehabilitation and all round development.
    • These people would get all the rights that normal residents of the States get and they would now be able to enjoy the benefits of social welfare schemes of Centre and State governments.
    • Under the new arrangement, each of the displaced families would be given 40×30 sq.ft. residential plots.
    • This would be in addition to the aid under earlier agreement of a fixed deposit of Rs. 4 lakhs, Rs. 5,000 cash aid per month for 2 years, free ration for 2 years and Rs. 1.5 lakhs aid to build their house.
  • Women Business and the Law (WBL) Index 2020

     

    The Women Business and the Law (WBL) 2020 index to measure the economic empowerment of women was recently published.

    WBL Index

    • The WBL report released by the World Bank.
    • It is based on the countries’ formal laws and regulations that have a bearing on women’s economic participation, covering eight areas (eg, parenthood, equality of pay).
    • It tracks how laws affect women at different stages in their working lives and focusing on those laws applicable in the main business city.

    India’s poor performance

    • India placed 117th among 190 countries on the index.
    • India, the world’s most populous democracy scored 74.4 on a par with Benin and Gambia and way below least developed countries like Rwanda and Lesotho.
    • The global average was 75.2 — a slight increase from 73.9 in the previous index released in 2017.

    Global Performance

    • Only eight economies scored a perfect 100 — Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden.
    • Those countries have ensured equal legal standing to men and women on all the eight indicators of the index.
    • No economy in ‘East Asia and the Pacific’, ‘Europe and Central Asia’, or ‘Latin America and the Caribbean’ were among top reformers, the report claimed.
    • Countries in ‘Middle East and North Africa’ and ‘Sub-Saharan Africa’ accounted for nine of the 10 top progressing countries on the WBL Index:
    1. Saudi Arabia
    2. The United Arab Emirates
    3. Nepal
    4. South Sudan
    5. São Tomé and Príncipe
    6. Bahrain
    7. The Democratic Republic of Congo
    8. Djibouti
    9. Jordan
    10. Tunisia

    Significance of the Index

    • Legal rights for women are both the right thing to do and good from an economic perspective.
    • When women can move more freely, work outside the home and manage assets, they are more likely to join the workforce and help strengthen their country’s economies.
  • Punjab’s new Right to Business Bill

    The Punjab Cabinet this week gave its approval to a Punjab Right to Business Bill, 2020, a law aimed at ensuring ease of doing business for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.

    Punjab Right to Business Bill, 2020

    • Under the law, an MSME unit can be set up after ‘In-Principle’ approval from the District Bureau of Enterprise, headed by the Deputy Commissioner, working under the guidance of the State Nodal Agency, headed by the Director, Industries.
    • Approval for units in approved Industrial Parks will be given in three working days.
    • For new enterprises outside approved Industrial Parks, the decision on the Certificate shall be taken by the District Level Nodal Agency within 15 working days, as per the recommendations of the Scrutiny Committee.

    What is the timeframe for unit owners to comply?

    • Unit owners will have three and a half years after setting up the unit to obtain seven approvals from three departments: the sanction of building plans; issuance of completion/occupation certificate for buildings; registration of new trade licences.
    • The industries involving hazardous processes will have to obtain a Fire NOC and get approval for the factory building plan before setting up the unit.
    • All units will have to get environmental clearance from the Pollution Control Board beforehand.

    Why was a law needed, rather than an executive order?

    • According to the government, the Act will have overriding powers over various Acts of different departments that make approvals necessary before the setting up of small and medium units.
    • This purpose could not have been achieved by an executive order.
    • How the law actually works on the ground remains to be seen, however.
  • GSAT-30 successfully launched

    India’s first satellite of 2020, the GSAT-30 was successfully launched. The launch vehicle Ariane 5 VA-251 lifted off from Kourou Launch Base, French Guiana.

    GSAT-30 

    • GSAT-30 derives  its  heritage  from ISRO’s  earlier INSAT/GSAT  satellite  series  and  will  replace  INSAT-4A  in 
    • In the  days  ahead,  orbit-raising  manoeuvres  will  be  performed  to  place  the satellite  in  Geostationary  Orbit  (36,000  km  above  the  equator)  by  using  its  onboard  propulsion
    • During the  final  stages  of  its  orbit  raising  operations,  the  two  solar  arrays  and  the antenna  reflectors  of  GSAT-30  will  be
    • Following this,  the satellite will be  put in  its final orbital .     The satellite will  be  operational  after  the successful  completion  of  all in-orbit  tests.

    Utility of the satellite

    • GSAT-30 will provide  DTH  Television  Services, connectivity to  VSATs for  ATM,  Stock-exchange,  Television unlinking and Teleport  Services,  Digital  Satellite  News  Gathering  (DSNG)  and e-governance applications.
    • The satellite  will  also  be  used  for  bulk  data  transfer  for  a  host  of an emerging  telecommunication
  • [pib] Assam Inland Water Transport Project

    India and the World Bank signed a loan agreement of $88 million for Assam Inland Water Transport Project.

    Assam Inland Water Transport Project

    • A majority of Assam’s more than 361 ferry routes cross the Brahmaputra or serve its islands, providing a crucial means of transport to thousands of commuters in both the urban and rural areas of the Brahmaputra Valley.
    • The project will draw guidance from ‘working with nature’ principles that aim to design new infrastructure or rehabilitate existing infrastructure in a way that works with natural river processes.
    • The terminals will have better access, lighting and signage while the new vessels will allow for individual seats, and separate toilets. Moreover, a strengthened regulatory regime will ensure reduction in overloading, adherence to time schedule and better crew standards.
    • The Project will help Assam improve the passenger ferry infrastructure and its services and strengthen the capacity of the institutions running the inland water transport.

    Significance

    • Inland Water Transport is also a more sustainable mode of transport. And Assam has the largest network of navigable waterways in India.
    • It provides low-carbon and low-cost options when compared to the cost of constructing and maintaining flood-resilient roads and bridges across the long stretches of the Brahmaputra river.
    • Technically better-designed terminals and energy-efficient vessels (both new and retrofitted) will make the ferry services more sustainable with least disruption to nature.
  • 17th January 2020| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement

    The topics covered in the upcoming AWE on 20th January are:

    Q.1) Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present.

    Q.4) Case Studies 

     

    Question 1)

    “Despite the Britishers being colonizers, they helped in rediscovering some of the treasures of Buddhism which were in a deplorable state.” Give your opinion with suitable justifications. (15 Marks)

    Question 2)

    ‘The Demographic Dividend in India could easily turn into a Demographic Wasteland if not paid enough attention’. In light of the statement above elaborate what measures have been taken by the government to enhance the capacity of youth to be more productive and more employable? (15 Marks)

    Question 3)

    The RBI’s responsibility to regulate the financial sector may have taken a backseat after the adoption of inflation targeting as the main objective. Critically analyse the statement. (15 Marks)

    Question 4)

    “Information sharing is the key to the Government’s goal of delivering better, more efficient public services that are coordinated around the needs of the individual.” In light of the statement, explain the essentials of information sharing and citizen charter in public service. (15 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

  • [op-ed of the day] Let’s not muddle along on how we share natural endowments

    Context

    Governments regulations and restrictions in the markets, believing that policies could artificially restrict either supply or demand, or both, often results in unrealistic or unworkable prices.

    Adoption of the auctioning process to allocate resources

    • Design of process makes the difference: While auctions may be the cleanest way to allot scarce natural resources to private parties, their design makes all the difference.
    • Three things needed to get the desired results from auctions:
      • Clear policy goal: Define clear policy goals for the allotment of the resource whether coal blocks, spectrum or land.
      • The proper process of periodic review: Define a proper process for periodic review of the design itself, since it may not be possible to get everything right in the first instance.
      • Make the process non-partisan: Make the political oversight process as non-partisan as possible, so that regime changes do not keep upending policies.

    What went wrong in spectrum allocation case?

    • Arbitrary tweaks in policy: Arbitrary tweaks were made in the telecom licence and spectrum allocation policy.
      • Which is what forced the apex court to intervene and cancel those licences.
    • The claim of revenue loss: Cancellation followed a  claim by the CAG that the “presumptive” revenue losses may have been as high as ₹1.76.
    • Result of the two events-policy of revenue maximisation: The net result was that all subsequent auctions were designed to maximize spectrum bids.
      • Winner’s curse: The policy finally ended up becoming a winner’s curse, evident in the pile of debt incurred by the telecom sector.
    • Why did this happen? This happened because of the absence of a clear policy goal.

    Real estate sector

    • High land prices: The same goes for real estate, which is struggling right now due to high land prices because the bureaucracy prevents price reduction in land.
      • Unaffordable to middle-income buyers: That make most properties unaffordable for middle and lower-middle-income buyers.
    • Low FSI issue: Urban land prices are high due to artificial constriction of supplies through the fixing of low floor space indices (FSIs) even in land-scarce localities.

    Technology and periodic review of policy

    • Technology can lower costs: Spectrum or land or coal mines are not always in short supply, for new technology lowers costs.
      • Efficient spectrum use: The same spectrum can, with the use of newer technology, be used more efficiently.
      • 3D printing in construction: Better infrastructure and improved building technologies (even 3D printing techniques for mass housing projects in non-urban areas) can lower housing costs enormously.
      • Automated coal mining: Automated coal mining can lower coal production costs, enabling higher profitability even with relatively high auction bids.
    • Need for periodic policy review: Technology can reduce the prices of the resources and hence the periodic review of the prices at which the resources are allocated need to be taken to for balanced pricing.

    Conclusion

    • Policies on the allocation of scarce resources need to evolve based on actual experience and changing technologies and processes.
    • The success or failure of a specific policy cannot be judged purely from a revenue or transparency point of view.

     

     

     

  • Get ready for the upcoming Geography Advanced Prelims Test on 18th January- sample questions highlighting our methodology

    Click here to enrol for the Prime Prelims TS

    Dear students,

    31st May 2020 is the D-day for all civil service aspirants.

    “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

    This quote by Abraham Lincoln clearly sums up how one should prepare for that day. So before entering the battlefield alone should have enough practice. Our Prime Prelims Test series which shall enrich you to acquaint yourself with the pattern of CSE-2020, assess your abilities, rectify your mistakes and make you confident to appear on the examination day.

    Our Prime Prelims Test Series follows the same approach as that adopted by UPSC. Our team of experts is quite enriched with the UPSC pattern and focal point of the questions and hence creates more chances for the aspirants to crack civil service examination by appearing our Test Series.

    The key philosophy of our prelims TS is Evidence-based question making: The 3600 questions you face in our mocks have their relevance established in UPSC’s trend analysis. We focus on themes that are important as per UPSC so that we maximize your chances of questions overlap with the actual UPSC Prelims.

    This Ancient and Medieval History test contains questions from the following themes:

    Nothing speaks more than the facts itself rather than a mere jargon. Here is a list of 5 sample questions from the upcoming test which will help you in identifying the standards and approach we follow. (you can skip this if you want to attempt these directly in the test). 

    Noone but only you can assess how it will help you in being the top percentile of aspirants. You have to practice ruthlessly and civils Daily provides you with a platform to hone your skills.

    Q.1) Consider the following rivers:

    1. Indus
    2. Teesta
    3. Sone

    Which of the above rivers are Himalayan rivers?

    a. 1 only

    b. 1 and 2 only

    c. 2 and 3 only

    d. All of them

     

    Q.2) Consider the following statements with reference to time zones:

    1. Antarctica does not have a fixed time zone as every line of longitude passes through it.
    2. The International Date Line perfectly coincides with the 180-degree meridian.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    a. 1 only

    b. 2 only

    c. Both of them

    d. Neither of them

     

    Q.3) Consider the following statements with reference to the Earth’s Revolution around the Sun:

    1. The seasons arise from the Earth’s revolution around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth’s axis.
    2. At the winter solstice, the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun.
    3. At the summer solstice, the southern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun.
    4. On the day of the equinox, day and night are of equal length everywhere on the globe.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    a. 1 and 4 only

    b. 2 and 3 only

    c. 2,3 and 4 only

    d. All of them

     

    Q.4) Which of the following statements characterize convectional rainfall?

    1. It occurs daily in the equatorial region in the afternoon.
    2. It is generally of short duration
    3. It is generally associated with rain-bearing cirrostratus clouds.

    Select the correct option from the codes given above:

    a. 1 only

    b. 1 and 2 only

    c. 2 and 3 only

    d. All of the above

     

    Q.5) Salinity is lower in the Bay of Bengal than in the Arabian Sea. Which of the following statements support this fact?

    1. Net precipitation in the Bay of Bengal is higher than in the Arabian Sea.
    2. Rate of evaporation is higher in the Arabian Sea than the Bay of Bengal.
    3. Circulation of water mass from the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea and vice-versa.
    4. The Bay of Bengal receives more freshwater from rivers than the Arabian Sea.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    a. 1 and 2 only

    b. 3 and 4 only

    c. 1, 2 and 4 only

    d. All of them

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