PIB Analysis : 3rd December

PIB Analysis for UPSC CSE

Topics Covered

1. Dr Rajendra Prasad
2. Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System” (PPRTMS)
3. UdeDeshKaAamNagrik( UDAN)
4. Surya Kiran – XIV
5. UN framework convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC COP25),
6. Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY)
7. National Policy to Tackle Drug Abuse
8. Domestic Promotion and Publicity including Hospitality (DPPH) scheme
9. Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) 

1 . Dr Rajendra Prasad

About Dr Rajendra Prasad

• Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the President of the Constituent Assembly and the first President of independent India from 1950 to 1962.
• He is the only person in India’s history to have held the position for 12 years.

Involvement in India’s independence movement

• Graduating from the Calcutta Law College, he began practicing as a lawyer at the Calcutta High Court. He moved to the Patna High Court and soon founded the Bihar Law Weekly.
• He came in touch with Mahatma Gandhi, who sought his help for a campaign to improve the condition of Indigo farmers who were being exploited by the British in Bihar.
• Prasad gave up his legal career to join the independence movement in 1920 and was imprisoned during the Salt Satyagraha in 1931 and the Quit India movement in 1942.
• He joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1911. By 1920, Dr Rajendra Prasad had become part of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
• He became the INC president in 1934 and occupied the position again in 1939, when Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose resigned. He became the president for a third time in 1947 but quit the party when he became the President of India.

 Key contribution in Constitution Making

• In 1946, Rajendra Prasad joined the Interim Government of India as the Minister of Food and Agriculture.
• As a firm believer in the maximization of agricultural production he crafted the slogan “Grow More Food.”
• He was elected as a member of the Constituent Assembly from the Bihar Province where he served as the president of the Constituent Assembly from 1946 to 1950. During this time, he was also the chairman of four committees.
• He was always admired for his qualities of objectivity, impartiality, patience and intellect in his role as the President of the Assembly. On 24th January 1950, at the last session of the Constituent Assembly, Prasad was elected as the President of India and has the distinction of being the only President to have been re-elected for a second term.
• After retiring from public life in 1962 because of his deteriorating health, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna. After spending his last days in Sadaqat Ashram of Patna he died on 28th February 1963.

Role in Constituent Assembly

• President, Constituent Assembly;
• Chairman of:Rules of Procedure Committee;Steering Committee;Finance and Staff Committee and, Ad Hoc Committee on the National Flag.

Books

• Prasad wrote many books in English and Hindi and was well-versed in Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu, and English. Two of his most popular works are Atmakatha (1946), his autobiography and India Divided (1946).  
• In the early 1920s, he became the editor of a Hindi weekly Desh and an English biweekly, Searchlight. 

2 . Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System” (PPRTMS)

Context : The Election Commission of India has reviewed the system and process of registration of political parties. The new guidelines will be effective from 1st January,2020. 

About Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System

• “Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System” (PPRTMS) will be implemented through an online portal, to facilitate tracking of status of application by applicants.
• The salient feature in the Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System is that the applicant (who is applying for party registration from 1st January, 2020 onwards) will be able to track the progress of his / her application and will get status update through SMS and email. The applicant is required to provide contact mobile number and email address of the party / applicant in his application if he/she wishes to track the progress of the application.

Registration of Political Parties

• The Registration of Political Parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
• A party seeking registration under the said section with the Commission has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days following the date of its formation in prescribed format with basic particulars about the party such as name, address, membership details of various units, names of office bearers, etc, as required under sub-section (4) of the said section, and such other particulars that the Commission has specified under sub-section (6) of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, as mentioned in the Guidelines for registration.

3 . UdeDeshKaAamNagrik( UDAN)

Context : Following the three successful rounds of bidding, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched the 4^th round of Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-  UdeDeshKaAamNagrik (UDAN) to further enhance the connectivity to remote and regional areas of the country. Focus of this round would be the priority areas like NER, Hilly States, J&K, Ladakh and Islands.

Key features of the Scheme

• Revision of (Viability Gap Funding) VGF cap – The provision of VGF for Category 2 / 3 aircraft (more than 20 seater) has been enhanced for operation of RCS flights in Priority Area(s) (Union Territories [UT] of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir; the States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, North Eastern State; UT of Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar). The VGF cap applicable for various stage lengths for operation through category 1 / 1 A aircraft (below 20 seater) has also been revised to further incentivize the operation of small aircraft under the Scheme.
• Promoting short-haul routes – The provision of VGF would be restricted for routes with stage length up to 600 kms, for operation of Category 2 / 3 aircraft, beyond it no monetary support would be provided. The table for provision of VGF for various stage lengths would be available for stage length up to 500 kms.
• Well defined Prioritization framework – Airports that has already been developed by AAI would be given higher priority for award of VGF under the Scheme, followed by airports not part of the above list but located Priority Area(s) would be given a priority, followed by airports located in areas other than Priority Area(s).
• Flexibility to change the frequency of flight operation – The Selected Airline Operator (SAO) would be allowed to change the frequency of flight operation, during the tenure of flight operation of the given route, provided that the total scheduled flight operation submitted as part of the Technical Proposal, is conformed and adhered to within a period of one year.
• Inclusion of helicopter and sea plane operation under NSOP license – The operation of helicopter and sea plane would be allowed under this round.

4 . Surya Kiran – XIV

About the Exercise

• The 14^th edition of bilateral annual military exercise SURYA KIRAN-XIV between Indian and Nepal Army commenced at Nepal Army Battle School (NABS), Salijhandi, Rupendehi district of Nepal. The 13^th edition of the joint military exercise was held at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand in June last year.
• The aim of this exercise is to conduct a battalion level combined training between Indian Army and Nepal Army with a scope to enhance interoperability at military level in jungle warfare, counter terrorist operations in mountainous terrain, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief operations, medical and environmental conservation including aviation aspects.
• As part of the exercise, important lectures, demonstrations and drills related to counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations in jungle and mountainous terrain will be conducted. Both the Armies will also share their valuable experiences in countering such situations and also refine drills and procedures for joint operations wherever the need arises.

5 . UN framework convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC COP25),

What is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change?

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty adopted on 9 May 1992 and opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992.
• It then entered into force on 21 March 1994, after a sufficient number of countries had ratified it.
• The UNFCCC is a “Rio Convention”, one of three adopted at the “Rio Earth Summit” in 1992.
• Its sister Rio Conventions are the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention to Combat Desertification. The three are intrinsically linked.
• The UNFCCC objective is to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”.
• The framework sets non-binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and contains no enforcement mechanisms. Instead, the framework outlines how specific international treaties (called “protocols” or “Agreements”) may be negotiated to specify further action towards the objective of the UNFCCC.
• The parties to the convention have met annually from 1995 in Conferences of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with climate change.

Kyoto Protocol

• By 1995, countries launched negotiations to strengthen the global response to climate change, and, two years later, adopted the Kyoto Protocol.
• The Kyoto Protocol legally binds developed country Parties to emission reduction targets.
• The Protocol’s first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. The second commitment period began on 1 January 2013 and will end in 2020.
• There are now 197 Parties to the Convention and 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.

Paris Agreement

• The 2015 Paris Agreement, adopted in Paris on 12 December 2015, marks the latest step in the evolution of the UN climate change regime and builds on the work undertaken under the Convention. The Paris Agreement charts a new course in the global effort to combat climate change
• The Paris Agreement seeks to accelerate and intensify the actions and investment needed for a sustainable low carbon future.
• Its central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• The Agreement also aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change

6 . Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY)

About Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), a Central Sector Scheme, has two components :

• Setting up of new AIIMS: Out of total twenty two new AIIMS announced so far, six AIIMS are functional and another fifteen AIIMS have been approved.
• Up-gradation of existing State/Central Government Medical College/Institutions (GMC): This involves construction of Super Speciality Block/Trauma Centre and procurement of Medical Equipment and as on date seventy five projects in twenty three states have been approved.

7 . National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reductions

About National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reductions

• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated and is implementing a National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) for 2018-2025.
• The Plan aims at reduction of adverse consequences of drug abuse through a multi-pronged strategy.
• The activities under the NAPDDR, inter-alia, include awareness generation programmes in  schools/colleges/Universities, workshops/seminars/ with parents, community based peer led interactions intervention programmes for vulnerable adolescent and youth in the community, provisioning of treatment facilities and capacity building of service providers.

8 . Domestic Promotion and Publicity including Hospitality (DPPH) scheme

About DPPH Scheme

• The Ministry of Tourism, under its Domestic Promotion and Publicity including Hospitality (DPPH) scheme for promotion of Domestic Tourism implements various measures for the promotion of tourism in the country.
• The main objective of DPPH Scheme is to create a general awareness among the domestic population about the potential tourist destinations in the country, which will help to increase the local / domestic tourism market.
• Under the scheme, the Ministry undertakes promotions through advertising in print and electronic media, participation in fairs and exhibitions, organising seminars, workshops for stakeholders and service providers, as well as printing of brochures, collaterals etc.
• The various tourism products are also promoted on the Social Media accounts and website of the Ministry.

9 . Facts for Prelims

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence

• The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is the apex anti-smuggling agency of India, working under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• It is tasked with detecting and curbing smuggling of contraband, including drug trafficking and illicit international trade in wildlife and environmentally sensitive items, as well as combating commercial frauds related to international trade and evasion of Customs duty.
• DRI with its presence across India and abroad has been carrying out its mandate of countering organised crime groups engaged in smuggling of contraband goods such as arms, ammunitions & explosives, narcotic drugs& psychotropic substances, gold & diamonds, counterfeit currency notes, wildlife items, hazardous & environmentally sensitive materials and antiques.
• DRI also has expertise in unearthing commercial frauds, plugging leakage of Government’s tax revenue and countering trade based money laundering and black money. 
• DRI has also been at the forefront in international Customs collaboration and has Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements with over 60 other countries, where thrust is on information exchange and learning from the best practices of other Customs administrations.

Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)

• The Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development is implementing Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) to empower women in agriculture by making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity, as also to create and sustain their agriculture-based livelihoods. 
• The Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare is also providing additional support and assistance to female farmers, over and above the male farmers under various Schemes namely Agri-Clinic & Agri-Business Centre (ACABC), Integrated Schemes of Agricultural Marketing (ISAM), Sub-Mission of Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) and National Food Security Mission (NFSM).