Daily Current Affairs : 30/1/2019

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC

Topics Covered

1. National Anti Profiteering Authority
2. Golden Langur Project
3. Institute of Eminence
4. Zika
5. National Statistical Commission
6. National Clean Air Programme

1 . National Anti Profiteering Authority

Context : The GST officials are working out mechanism to prompt taxmen to initiate profiteering complaints, which could be taken up for further investigation by the Directorate General of Anti-Profiteering (DGAP).

National Anti Profiteering Authority

Background

• Any reduction in rate of tax on any supply of goods or services or the benefit of input tax credit should have been passed on to the recipient by way of commensurate reduction in prices.
• However it has been the experience of many countries that when GST was introduced there has been a marked increase in inflation and the prices of the commodities. This happened in spite of the availability of the tax credit right from the production stage to the final consumption stage which should have actually reduced the final prices.
• This was obviously happening because the supplier was not passing on the benefit to the consumer and thereby indulging in illegal profiteering.

Vision and Mission of NAA

• The National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) is the institutional mechanism under GST law to check the unfair profit-making activities by the trading community.
• The Authority’s core function is to ensure that the benefits of the reduction is GST rates on goods and services made by GST Council and proportional change in the Input tax credit passed on to the ultimate consumers and recipient respectively by way of reduction in the prices by the suppliers.
• The Authority’s main function is to ensure that traders are not realizing unfair profit by charging high price from consumers in the name of GST. The responsibility of NAA is to examine and check such profiteering activities and recommend punitive actions including cancellation of Registration.
  

2 . Golden Langur Project

Context : Assam Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Shuklabaidya on Tuesday announced the success of the Golden Langur Conservation Breeding Programme in the State. The golden langur conservation project was undertaken at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati during the 2011-12 fiscal.

Golden Langur Conservation Breeding Programme

• Funded by the Central Zoo Authority, an isolated and undisturbed site within the zoo was chosen to provide a natural habitat for the primates with a golden coat endemic to Assam.
• The zoo authorities shifted a pair of golden langurs — Bolin and Lovely — from the display enclosure to the isolated site. Lovely gave birth to a female infant
• “The success of the programme is because of the untiring efforts of the zoo team. The baby is the golden hope of Assam State Zoo
• The golden langur ( Trachypithecus geei ) is currently endangered.
• Apart from a 60 square mile area in north-western Assam, small populations are found in Bhutan and Tripura.
  

3 . Institute of Eminence

Context : The University Grants Commission has deferred a decision on which institutions should be granted the prestigious Institutes of Eminence tag as an expert committee has recommended more names than the government scheme allowed for.

What are Institutes of Eminence?

• After no Indian University found a place in World University Rankings last year, the government proposed to set up Institutions of Eminence in India.
• Under this proposal, it planned to establish 20 such world class institutes in the country.
• “The lnstitution of Eminence shall continue to be ranked in the National institutional Ranking Framework and, within five years of notification, shall get itself ranked in an lnternational Ranking index of repute. lt should from then on continue to be ranked in the National and lnternational ranking frameworks
• UGC had also stated that an enabling regulatory architecture would be provided to 10 public and 10 private institutions which will help them the status of world-class teaching institutes. The initiative was undertaken by the body to provide quality education to Indian students irrespective of their financial background.

Current Issue

• The empowered expert committee headed by former Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami had initially recommended 11 institutions for the tag in July 2018. Of those, the Centre had actually bestowed the tag on six institutions, three public — IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay and IISc Bangalore – and three private — BITS Pilani, Manipal University, and the yet-to-open Jio University. In December, the committee recommended 19 more names, taking the total list to 30.
  
• The expert committee recommended 30 names, 15 in each category. But the government scheme had to select ten in each category [of public and private institutions]

4 . Zika

Context : Rajasthan Zika strain is endemic to Asia, says new study. The Zika virus that infected 159 people in an outbreak in Rajasthan last year, could have been circulating in India for several years and is endemic to Asia, according to a new study published in the journal Infection, Genetics and Evolution this week.

About the Finding

• The finding that the outbreak was caused by an endemic virus is quite important.
  It suggests that people in the region may have been previously exposed to the virus, building herd immunity that may limit future outbreaks.
• It implies that a portion of the population could be immune, it could also mean that Zika-related birth defects such as microcephaly were occurring even before the virus was first detected in India.
• Endemicity means that large outbreaks, such as the Brazilian one, may not occur in India, serosurveys are needed to confirm this. In a serosurvey, a sample of the population is tested for Zika antibodies.

About Zika

• Zika is spread mostly by the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito
• It is especially threatening to pregnant women as it can lead to microcephaly, a condition wherein the infant’s head is significantly smaller in newborns.
  
• There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika.
• Zika virus disease is an emerging disease currently being reported by 86 countries worldwide.
• The virus, transmitted through the aedes aegypti mosquito, causes fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle, and joint pain. 
  

Indian Outbreak

• In India, the first outbreak was reported in Ahmedabad in January/February 2017 and second outbreak in July,2017 from Krishnagiri District in Tamilnadu. Both these outbreaks were successfully contained through intensive surveillance and vector management.
• Third outbreak is now going on in Rajasthan

5 . National Statistical Commission

Context : Two members of statistical panel quit

Background

• A Commission set up by the Government in January 2000 under the Chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan reviewed the statistical system and the entire gamut of Official Statistics in the country.
• The Rangarajan Commission submitted its report to the Government in August 2001. One of the key recommendations of this Commission was to establish a permanent National Commission on Statistics to serve as a nodal and empowered body for all core statistical activities of the country, evolve, monitor and enforce statistical priorities and standards and to ensure statistical co-ordination among the different agencies involved.
• The Rangarajan Commission also recommended that the Commission be set up initially through a Government order.

About National Commission of Statistics

• In line with the recommendations of the Rangarajan Commission, on 1st June 2005, the Government of India resolved to set up a National Statistical Commission (NSC).
• The National Statistical Commission (NSC) of India is an autonomous body
• The NSC has the mandate to evolve policies, priorities and standards in statistical matters.
• The NSC has four Members besides a Chairperson, each having specialization and experience in specified statistical fields.

6 . National Clean Air Programme

Context : There are 139 Indian cities that breach air pollution standards but are not included in the Centre’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), says a report by Greenpeace and made public on Tuesday.

About the Issue

• As per the analysis of 313 districts by Greenpeace 77% of the districts had PM10 levels beyond the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). These specify upper limits to a range of airborne chemicals and compounds.
• While 102 of these cities were included in the NCAP, the remaining 139 cities were left out.
• Of the 139 cities that have not been included in the non-attainment list under the NCAP, there are several cities that have a population of more than 1 million, and PM levels (recorded in 2017) above NAAQS

About National Clean Air Programme

Goal

• Goal of NCAP is to meet the prescribed annual average ambient air quality standards at all locations in the country in a stipulated timeframe. 
• The tentative national level target of 20%–30% reduction of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentration by 2024 is proposed under the NCAP taking 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration.

Objectives

• To augment and evolve effective and proficient ambient air quality monitoring network across the country for ensuring comprehensive and reliable database
• To have efficient data dissemination and public outreach mechanism for timely measures for prevention and mitigation of air pollution and for inclusive public participation in both planning and implementation of the programmes and policies of government on air pollution
• To have feasible management plan for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution.

Approach

• Collaborative, Multi-scale and Cross-Sectoral Coordination between relevant Central Ministries, State Government and local bodies.
• Focus on no Regret Measures, Participatory and Disciplined approach

Other Features

• The NCAP will be a mid-term, five-year action plan with 2019 as the first year.
• In the past year, the 102 cities (Non attainment cities), identified as hotspots of pollution, were asked to submit a plan for how they would address the problem.
• City specific action plans are being formulated for 102 non-attainment cities identified for implementing mitigation actions under NCAP. Cities have already prepared action plans in consultation with CPCB. Institutional Framework at Centre and State Level comprising of Apex Committee at the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change in the Centre and at Chief Secretary Level in the States are to be constituted.
• There will be use of the Smart Cities program to launch the NCAP in the 43 smart cities falling in the list of the 102 non-attainment cities.
  
• Other features of NCAP include, increasing number of monitoring stations in the country including rural monitoring stations, technology support, emphasis on awareness and capacity building initiatives, setting up of certification agencies for monitoring equipment, source apportionment studies, emphasis on enforcement, specific sectoral interventions etc.

Note : Cities are declared non-attainment if over a 5-year period they consistently do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM 10 (Particulate matter that is 10 microns or less in diameter) or NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide