Social Issues
Ujjwala 2.0

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Ujjwala 2.0) + Mains ( GS II government policies and interventions)
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister will launch Ujjwala 2.0 (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana - PMUY) by handing over LPG connections, at Mahoba Uttar Pradesh on 10th August, 2021

The journey from Ujjwala 1.0 to Ujjwala 2.0

• During Ujjwala 1.0 launched in 2016, a target was set to provide LPG connections to 5 crore women members of BPL households.
• Subsequently, the scheme was expanded in April 2018 to include women beneficiaries from seven more categories (SC/ST, PMAY, AAY, Most backward classes, tea garden, forest dwellers, Islands).
• Also, the target was revised to 8 Crore LPG connections. This target was achieved in August 2019, seven months ahead of the target date.
• In the Union budget for FY 21-22, provision for an additional one crore LPG connection under the PMUY scheme was announced.
• These one crore additional PMUY connections (under Ujjwala 2.0) aim to provide deposit-free LPG connections to those low-income families who could not be covered under the earlier phase of PMUY.
• Along with a deposit free LPG connection, Ujjwala 2.0 will provide first refill and hotplate free of cost to the beneficiaries.
• Also, the enrollment procedure will require minimum paperwork.
• In Ujjwala 2.0, migrants will not be required to submit ration cards or address proof.
• A self-declaration for both ‘family declaration' and as a ‘proof of address' will suffice. Ujjwala 2.0 will help achieve the Prime Minister's vision of universal access to LPG.

Know! about Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a scheme

• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for providing LPG connections to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households.
• Under the scheme, an adult woman belonging to a poor family not having LPG connection in her household, is an eligible beneficiary under the expanded scheme.
• Release of LPG connection under this Scheme shall be in the name of the women belonging to the BPL family.

The Government covered the following categories under the Scheme :-

• Beneficiaries listed in the SECC 2011 list
• All SC/STs households beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana(PMAY) (Gramin)
• Antyoday Anna Yojana (AAY)
• Forest dwellers
• Most Backward Classes (MBC)
• Tea & Ex-Tea Garden Tribes
• People residing in Islands
• People residing in river islands.

Benefits

• Under the scheme, five crore LPG connections are to be provided to BPL households.
• The Scheme provides a financial support of Rs 1600 for each LPG connection to the BPL households, interest free loan to purchase stove and refill by Oil Marketing Companies.
• The administrative cost of Rs. 1600 per connection, which includes a cylinder, pressure regulator, booklet, safety hose, etc. would be borne by the Government.

Indian National Movement
79^th anniversary of 'Quit India Movement' inaugurated as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Quit India Movement + Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav )
What's the NEWS

• Union Minister of Culture inaugurated an exhibition to mark the 79^th anniversary of the 'Quit India Movement' at National Archives of India in New Delhi
• The exhibition on 'Quit India Movement' has been put up at the National Archives of India as part of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' being celebrated to commemorate 75 years of Independence.

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

• Indian is celebrating the 75^th year of Independence through events organized under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav theme.
• The events commenced in March this year which started a 75 week countdown to our 75^th anniversary of Independence and will end post a year on 15^th August, 2023.

Quit India movement

• The Quit India Movement was started by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942, during the Second World War, demanding an end to British rule in India.
• On 8^th August 1942 Gandhiji declared in his immortal "Do or Die '' speech, "Let every Indian consider himself to be a free man
• The movement started with Gandhiji exhorting the countrymen with his powerful slogan, ‘do or die' which infused a new energy into our independence movement and eventually forced the British to leave India in 1947.
• The Movement was accompanied by a mass protest on non-violent lines by which Mahatma Gandhi called for "an orderly British withdrawal; from India.
• Through his speeches, Gandhi moved people by proclaiming that "every Indian who desires freedom and strives for it must be his own guide
• After the arrest of other senior leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, the Quit India movement had spread spontaneously across the country.
• During that time, the command of the movement passed into the hands of the youth like Ram Manohar Lohia, Aruna Asaf Ali, Jayaprakash Narayan among others.
• The youth of 1942, with their leadership and public participation, turned the challenge into an opportunity and forced the British to leave the country.
• Quit India Movement, 1942 is significant especially because it brought home to the British that it would not be possible to continue to govern India and forced them to think of ways they could exit the country.

Abhyudaya

• During the launch event the dignitaries spent significant time at the poem on the Quit India Movement penned by the former Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee which was published in the Abhyudaya, a newspaper associated with Shri Madan Mohan Malviya, in 1946

International
UNSC High-Level Open Debate on Enhancing Maritime Security: A Case For International Cooperation

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the UNHC high level open debate -highlights) + Mains ( GS II International organisations)
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister will chair the High-level Open Debate on ‘Enhancing Maritime Security - A Case for International Cooperation' on 9th August
• This will be the first time that maritime security will be discussed in a holistic manner as an exclusive agenda item in such a high level open debate.
• The incumbent Prime Minister would be the first Indian Prime Minister to preside over a UN Security Council Open Debate.

Know! about the meeting highlights

• The meeting is expected to be attended by several Heads of State & Government of member states of the United Nations Security Council
• The Open Debate will focus on ways to effectively counter maritime crime and insecurity and strengthened coordination in the maritime domain.
• The UN Security Council has discussed and passed resolutions on different aspects of maritime security and maritime crime.

Aspects of maritime security

• No country alone can address the diverse aspects of maritime security
• It is important to consider this subject in a holistic manner in the United Nations Security Council.
• A comprehensive approach to Maritime Security should protect and support legitimate maritime activities

Maritime Security ( Indian Ocean Region)

• Prime Minister put forward the vision of SAGAR - an acronym for ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region' in 2015.
• This vision focuses on cooperative measures for sustainable use of the oceans, and provides a framework for a safe, secure, and stable maritime domain in the region.
• In 2019, at the East Asia Summit, this initiative was further elaborated through the Indo-Pacific Oceans' Initiative (IPOI) with a focus on seven pillars of maritime security including Maritime Ecology; Maritime Resources; Capacity Building and Resource Sharing; Disaster Risk Reduction and Management; Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation; and Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport.

Governance
Legal Services mobile Application of NALSA
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the role of NALSA) + Mains ( GS II Governance )
What's the NEWS

• The CJI released the Vision & Mission Statement and the Legal Services mobile Application of NALSA

Know! about the Vision & Mission statement and Legal Service app

• The Vision & Mission statement launched today encapsulates the vision of NALSA to promote an inclusive legal system and to ensure fair and meaningful justice to the marginalized and disadvantaged sector.
• It further promotes the mission of NALSA to legally empower the marginalized and excluded groups of the society by providing effective legal representation, legal literacy & awareness to bridge the gap between the legally available benefits and the entitled beneficiaries.
• The Legal Services Mobile Application for Android Phones, incorporates features including seeking legal assistance, legal advice, and other grievances.
• Application tracking facilities, and seeking clarifications are some additional features available to both Legal Aid beneficiaries and Legal Services Authorities.
• Beneficiaries can also apply for pre-institution mediation through the app. Victims can also file an application for Victim Compensation with the App.

National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)

• It has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 to provide free Legal Services to the weaker sections of the society and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes.
• Hon'ble Mr. Justice N. V. Ramana, The Chief Justice of India is the Patron-in-Chief. NALSA
• In every State, State Legal Services Authority has been constituted to give effect to the policies and directions of the NALSA and to give free legal services to the people and conduct Lok Adalats in the State.
• The State Legal Services Authority is headed by Hon'ble the Chief Justice of the respective High Court who is the Patron-in-Chief of the State Legal Services Authority.
• In every District, District Legal Services Authority has been constituted to implement Legal Services Programmes in the District.
• The District Legal Services Authority is situated in the District Courts Complex in every District and chaired by the District Judge of the respective district..
• Taluk Legal Services Committees are also constituted for each of the Taluk or Mandal or for group of Taluk or Mandals to coordinate the activities of legal services in the Taluk and to organise Lok Adalats.
• Every Taluk Legal Services Committee is headed by a senior Civil Judge operating within the jurisdiction of the Committee who is its ex-officio Chairman.

Constitutional Provisions

• Article 39A of the Constitution of India provides that State shall secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity, and shall in particular, provide free legal aid, by suitable legislation or schemes or in any other way, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disability.
• Articles 14 and 22(1) also make it obligatory for the State to ensure equality before law and a legal system which promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity to all.

Every person who has to file or defend a case shall be entitled to legal services under this Act if that person is -

• a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe
• a victim of trafficking in human beings or begar as referred to in Article 23 of the Constitution;
• woman or a child;
• a mentally ill or otherwise disabled person;
• a person under circumstances of undeserved want such as being a victim of a mass disaster, ethnic violence, caste atrocity, flood, drought, earthquake or industrial disaster
• of section 2 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 or in a juvenile home within the meaning of clause
• of section 2 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 or in a psychiatric hospital or psychiatric nursing home within the meaning of clause (g) of section 2 of the Mental Health Act, 1987 (14 of 1987)

Prelims Factoids
Ujjwal Abahan

• Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas launched ONGC-supported Assam Handloom project ‘Ujjwal Abahan'
• The project will support and train over a hundred artisans of Bhatiapar of Sivasagar, Assam in Hathkharga handicraft.
• This project is in line with the government's observance of "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav", under which ONGC has earlier launched two projects supporting the indigenous handicrafts of the country.
• Observing India's 75th year of independence, PSUs under the Petroleum and natural gas ministry have undertaken 75 projects to be supported to commemorate each year of Independence.
• Among the 75 projects, ONGC is supporting 15 projects, which will be implemented by 15 August 2022.

Governance
50% funds allotted for ongoing MPLADS projects lapse

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about MPLADS project) + Mains ( GS II government policies and interventions + governance)
What's the NEWS

• Virtually half of a belated Rs.2,200 crore allotted for completing ongoing MPLADS projects in 2020-21 have lapsed.
• Spending under the MPLADS had already halved before the government suspended the scheme for two years in April last year and diverted the funds for managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
• After the scheme's suspension, several MPs and parliamentary committees, including the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF), had asked the government to release MPLADS funds due from previous years for projects already sanctioned.

Know! about MPLAD scheme:

• Launching year - December, 1993

Aim and Objective -

• to provide a mechanism for the Members of Parliament
• to recommend works of developmental nature for creation of durable community assets
• Provision of basic facilities including community infrastructure, based on locally felt needs.

MPLAD Scheme ( highlights)

• It is fully funded by Government of India.
• The annual MPLADS fund entitlement per MP constituency is Rs. 5 crore.
• Initially, the Scheme was under the control of the Ministry of Rural Development and Planning. In October, 1994, the scheme was transferred to the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation.
• MPs are to recommend every year, works costing at least 15 per cent of the MPLADS entitlement for the year for areas inhabited by Scheduled Caste population and 7.5 per cent for areas inhabited by S.T. population.
• Preference under the scheme is given to works relating to national priorities, such as provision of drinking water, public health, education, sanitation, roads, etc.
• Funds are released in the form of grants in-aid directly to the district authorities.
• The funds released under the scheme are non-lapsable.
• The MPs have a recommendatory role under the scheme.
• They recommend their choice of works to the concerned district authorities who implement these works by following the established procedures of the concerned state government.
• The district authority is empowered to examine the eligibility of work
• The Lok Sabha Members can recommend works in their respective constituencies.
• The elected members of the Rajya Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the state from which they are elected.
• Nominated members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha may select works for implementation anywhere in the country.
• The MPLADS funds can be merged with other schemes such as MGNREGA and Khelo India.

Suggestive Measure

• The Finance Ministry asked the Statistics Ministry to further tighten the scheme's guidelines by September this year, so that "if a work sanctioned by an MP is not used for five years, it will automatically lapse even if there is a committed liability for the work to be completed
• Currently, funds released to district authorities under MPLADS is not lapsable, while funds not released by the government in a particular year are carried forward.

Environment Conservation
Parliament approves Air Quality Bill to curb pollution in Delhi-NCR
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the bill highlights) + Mains ( GS III Environment conservation)
What's the NEWS

• The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021, has been passed by the Parliament
• The bill is critical for Delhi-NCR and the four adjoining states as the region has found it hard to curb air pollution especially during certain months of the year.

Know! the bill highlights

• The bill that replaces an Ordinance to the same effect provides for setting up of a commission as the sole authority with jurisdiction over air quality management.
• The bill also dissolves the NCR's Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA), which was established in 1998.
• An Ordinance establishing a similar Commission was promulgated in October 2020.
• In the event of a conflict, the commission's orders or instructions will take precedence over the orders of the individual state governments, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), state PCBs, and state-level statutory bodies.
• The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2021 was promulgated on April 13, 2021.
• The Ordinance, now replaced with new law, called for the formation of a commission to improve coordination, research, identification, and resolution of air quality issues in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas.
• The primary functions of the commission will be to coordinate activities taken by concerned state governments (Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh).

Its main functions include:

• Planning and executing plans to prevent and control air pollution in the NCR region
• Providing a framework for identification of air pollutants
• Conducting research and development through networking with technical institutions
• Training and creating a special workforce to deal with issues related to air pollution
• Preparing various action plans such as increasing plantation and addressing stubble burning

Powers of the Commission

• to limit activities that affect air quality, investigate and conduct research related to environmental pollution that influences air quality.
• to develop codes and guidelines to prevent and control air pollution.
• It will issue directives on matters such as inspections or regulations that are binding on the person or authority concerned.
• authority to tax and collect environmental compensation from farmers who contaminate the environment by burning stubble.

Composition of Commission

• The commission will be led by a chairperson, a member-secretary and chief coordinating officer of the rank of joint secretary, a currently serving or former joint secretary from the central government as a full-time member.
• There will also be three independent technical members with expertise in air pollution, and three members from non-governmental organisations.
• The commission's chairperson and members will serve for three years, or until they reach the age of 70 whichever comes first.
• The commission will also have ex-officio members from the central government and concerned state governments, as well as technical members from the CPCB, Indian Space Research Organisation, and NITI Aayog.
• It has the authority to nominate representatives of several ministries.
• The commission is required to form sub-committees on monitoring and identification, safeguarding and enforcement, and research and development.
• These will be headed by a member, the chairperson, and a technical member, respectively.

Prelims Factoids
Declaration for "Leveraging Digitalization for a Resilient, Strong, Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery" adopted at G20 Digital Ministers' Meeting
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the declaration)

• At the G20 Digital Ministers' Meeting hosted by Italy , the G20 ministers adopted a declaration for "Leveraging Digitalization for a Resilient, Strong, Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery".
• The Ministers agreed to work towards the enhanced cooperation on the pillars of Digital Economy and Digital Government.
• Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw led the Indian delegation virtually and shared India's success story of Digitalization.

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