November 2024

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Daily Current Capsules 27th April 2022
Infrastructure Development/GSIII
Parvatmala Yojana
What's the NEWS
  • Union Minister for Road transport and Highways along with Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh witnessed the signing of MoU between NHLML( National Highways Logistics Management Limited ) and State Government of Himachal Pradesh for construction of Ropeways in Himachal Pradesh under the ambitious Parvatmala Yojana.
  • 7 ropeway projects of total length 57.1km at total cost of Rs 3,232 Crore will be constructed in the State.
They are:
  1. Palampur Thatri - Chhunja Glacier
  2. Shirgul Mahadev Temple to Chudhar ( District - Sirmour)
  3.  Lunhu - Bandla (District - Bilaspur)
  4.  Himani to Chamunda (District - Kangra).
  5.  Bijli Mahadev Temple (District - Kullu)
  6. Bharmour to Bharmani
  7.  Killar to Sacch Pass (District - Chamba)
Know! about National Ropeways Development Programme/ Parvatmala Yojana.
  • National Ropeways Development Programme - "Parvatmala" was announced by the Union Finance Minister in the Union Budget for 2022-23 , to improve connectivity in hilly areas.
  • The scheme will be taken up on PPP (Public Private Partnership) mode, which will be a preferred ecologically sustainable alternative in place of conventional roads in difficult hilly areas.
  • The idea is to improve connectivity and convenience for commuters, besides promoting tourism.
  • This may also cover congested urban areas, where conventional mass transit systems are not feasible.
  • The scheme is being presently started in regions like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir and the other North Eastern states.
  • The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) will have responsibility for development of ropeway and alternative mobility solutions technology, as well as construction, research, and policy in this area.
  • In February 2021, the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules 1961 was amended, which enabled the MORTH to also look after the development of Ropeways and Alternate Mobility Solutions.
  • The MORTH has so far been responsible for development of Highways and regulating the road transport sector across the country.
Prelims Factoids
United States Commission On International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
What's the NEWS
  • The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended for the second year in the row to put India on a list (Countries of Particular Concern or CPCs) for the worst violations of religious freedoms in 2021.
  • Earlier, the US State Department released a strong and critical report on human rights in India in 2021.
Know! about USCIRF
  • It is an independent, bipartisan US federal government commission, dedicated to defending the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad.
  • It is an advisory body to the US Congress headquartered in Washington DC
  • It is created by the International Religious Freedom Act, 1998 (IRFA) with a mandate to monitor religious freedom violations globally and make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress.
  • It is a congressionally created entity and not an NGO or advocacy organisation.
  • It is led by nine part-time commissioners appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the House and the Senate.
  • Established by the US government in 1998 after the inaction of the International Religious Freedom Act, recommendations of USCIRF are non-binding on the state department.
  • Traditionally, India does not recognize the view of USCIRF.
  • The Report's primary focus is on two groups of countries:
  • Country of Particular Concern (CPC)
  • Special Watch List
Freedom of religion in India
  • In India is a fundamental right guaranteed by Article 25-28 of the Constitution of India.
  • Article 25 (Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion).
  • Article 26 (Freedom to manage religious affairs).
  • Article 27 (Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any religion).
  • Article 28 (Freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in certain educational institutions).
  • Article 29 and 30 of the Constitution deal with the protection of interests of minorities.
Government Schemes/GSII
Fasal Bima Pathshala
What's the NEWS
  • Government of India will conduct ‘Fasal Bima Pathshala' under ‘Kisan Bhagidari Prathmikta Campaign' during the period from 25th April to 1st May 2022 as a Jan Bhagidari movement under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Know! about it
  • Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare will chair the National level special programme on ‘Fasal Bima Pathshala' on 27th April 2022.
  • The Campaign aims to make the farmers aware about key scheme aspects of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) like basic scheme provisions, importance of insuring the crops and how to avail scheme benefits etc. in the ongoing Kharif Season 2022 along with facilitating farmers in getting benefit of the PMFBY scheme.
  • Under this campaign, the broader focus will be on importance of PMFBY/RWBCIS (Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme) and how farmers can enrol under the scheme and avail the benefit of the scheme.

Know! about Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana:

  • It was launched in 2016 with an objective to provide insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event of failure of any of the notified crops as a result of natural calamities, pests & diseases
  • It replaced National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS).
  • It was launched in line with the One Nation - One Scheme theme-
  • It covers all food & oilseed crops and annual commercial/horticultural crops for which past yield data is available.
  • The prescribed premium is 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all rabi crops.
  • In the case of annual commercial and horticultural crops, the premium is 5%.
  • PMFBY 2.0
  • THE enrolment was made 100% voluntary for all farmers from 2020 Kharif.
  • The Cabinet decided to cap the Centre's premium subsidy under these schemes for premium rates up to 30% for unirrigated areas/crops and 25% for irrigated areas/crops.
  • The government has given the flexibility to states/UTs to implement PMFBY and given them the option to select any number of additional risk covers/features like prevented sowing, localised calamity, mid-season adversity, and post-harvest losses.
  • In the revamped PMFBY, a provision has been incorporated wherein if states don't release their share before March 31 for the Kharif season and September 30 for rabi, they would not be allowed to participate in the scheme in subsequent seasons.
  • Insurance companies have to now spend 0.5% of the total premium collected on information, education and communication (IEC) activities.
Location in NEWS
BAGDOGRA AIRFIELD
What's the NEWS
  • The Indian Air Force has carried out extensive resurfacing work on the runway of Bagdogra airfield enabling civil aircraft to resume operations from the morning of 26 April 2022.
  • The work was executed with Border Roads Organisation (BRO) as the implementing agency.
  • Bagdogra is the second busiest airport of West Bengal and is a joint user international airport with a civil terminal attached to the IAF airfield.
  • The Bagdogra airfield is not only important from a strategic point of view but is also a major international hub for promoting tourism and economy.
  • The airfield is an important node for connecting Darjeeling and Siliguri to the rest of the country and the world.

 

Prelims Factoids

PAXLOVID
What's the NEWS

 

  •  Pfizer's oral antiviral drug Paxlovid was "strongly recommended" for patients with non-severe Covid-19 who are at highest risk of developing severe disease and hospitalisation, such as unvaccinated, older, or immunosuppressed patients.
  • This is now, backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO)

 

Know! about PAXLOVID

  • Paxlovid consists of nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets, co-packaged for oral use.
  •  It was given emergency use authorisation (EUA) by the USFDA in December last year.
  • Nirmatrelvir inhibits a viral enzyme called protease that is necessary for the virus to replicate itself inside the host cell. Ritonavir slows down the breakdown of nirmatrelvir in order to help it remain in the body for longer at higher concentrations.
  • A drug like nirmatrelvir is considered to have an advantage over vaccines because it attacks a vulnerability in the virus that does not mutate like spike proteins - which vaccines target - do.
  • As a result, the medication is seen to be effective against all variants.

 

Prelims Factoids
MONTELUKAST
What's the NEWS

  • A widely available drug, used for treatment of asthma and allergies, can also block a protein that is key to replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, a study by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers has found.
Know! about the drug
  • It is an oral treatment given to prevent wheezing, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, and coughing caused by asthma, and also used to prevent breathing difficulties during exercise.
  • Montelukast is prescribed in India by physicians. It is readily available as tablets and syrup (for kids) in pharmacy shops under different brand names.

 

Location in NEWS
KURIL ISLANDS
What's the NEWS

  • Japan's Diplomatic Bluebook for 2022 described the Kuril Islands (which Japan calls the Northern Territories and Russia as the South Kurils) as being under Russia's "illegal occupation".
  • This is the first time in about two decades that Japan has used this phrase to describe the dispute over the Kuril Islands.
  • Japan had been using softer language since 2003, saying that the dispute over the islands was the greatest concern in Russia-Japan bilateral ties.

 

Know! about the Kuril Islands/ Northern Territories

  • These are a set of four islands situated between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean near the north of Japan's northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido.
  • Both Moscow and Tokyo claim sovereignty over them though the islands have been under Russian control since the end of World War II.
  • The Soviet Union had seized the islands at the end of World War II and by 1949 had expelled its Japanese residents. Tokyo claims that the disputed islands have been part of Japan since the early 19th century.
  • According to Tokyo, Japan's sovereignty over the islands is confirmed by several treaties like the Shimoda Treaty of 1855, the 1875 Treaty for the exchange of Sakhalin for the Kuril Islands (Treaty of St. Petersburg), and the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905 signed after the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05 which Japan had won.
  • Russia, on the other hand, claims the Yalta Agreement (1945) and the Potsdam Declaration (1945) as proof of its sovereignty and argues that the San Francisco Treaty of 1951 is legal evidence that Japan had acknowledged Russian sovereignty over the islands.

 

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