Daily Current Capsules - 28th JUNE 2019

International Relations
54 nations back India for UNSC non-permanent seat

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about UNSC non permanent member ) + Mains ( GS II effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interest)
What's the NEWS

• India has won the unanimous support of all countries in the 55-member Asia-Pacific Group at the United Nations in support of its bid for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council (UNSC) for a two-year term in 2021-22.
• The development is particularly significant given that Pakistan and China, both countries with which India has had diplomatic challenges at the UN, supported the move.
• The 55-member Asia-Pacific Group gets to nominate one of its members for the June 2020 elections to a non-permanent seat on the UNSC.
• Estonia, Niger, Tunisia, Vietnam and St. Vincent and the Grenadines were elected earlier this month.

Know! about the UNSC members
The Council is composed of 15 Members:
Five permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly (with end of term year):

• Belgium (2020)
• Côte d'Ivoire (2019)
• Dominican Republic (2020)
• Equatorial Guinea (2019)
• Germany (2020)
• Indonesia (2020)
• Kuwait (2019)
• Peru (2019)
• Poland (2019)
• South Africa (2020)

Non-Council Member States

• More than 60 United Nations Member States have never been Members of the Security Council.
• A State which is a Member of the United Nations but not of the Security Council may participate, without a vote, in its discussions when the Council considers that country's interests are affected.
• Both Members and non-members of the United Nations, if they are parties to a dispute being considered by the Council, may be invited to take part, without a vote, in the Council's discussions; the Council sets the conditions for participation by a non-member State.

Government Schemes
Centre set to roll out ‘Jal Shakti' scheme for water-starved areas

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about jal shaklti abhiyan ) + Mains ( GS II government policies and intervention)
What's the NEWS

• The Centre is set to initiate the Jal Shakti Abhiyan to ramp up rainwater harvesting and conservation efforts in 255 water-stressed districts from July 1, in line with the government's promise to focus on water.

Know! more about the campaign

• Though water is a State issue, the campaign will be coordinated by 255 central IAS officers of Joint or Additional Secretary-rank, drawn from ministries as varied as Space, Petroleum and Defence, according to a notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Training
• The campaign seems to follow the model of last year's Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, where central officials monitored the implementation of seven flagship development schemes in 117 aspirational districts across the country.
• The campaign will run from July 1 to September 15 in States receiving rainfall during the south-west monsoon, while States receiving rainfall in the retreating or north-east monsoon will be covered from October 1 to November 30.
• Overall, 313 blocks with critical groundwater levels will be covered, along with 1,186 blocks with over-exploited groundwater and 94 blocks with low groundwater availability.

Know! the working mechanism of the campaign

• The Jal Shakti Abhiyan would aim to accelerate water harvesting, conservation and borewell recharge activities already being carried out under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme and the Integrated Watershed Management Programme of the Rural Development Ministry, along with existing water body restoration and afforestation schemes being undertaken by the Jal Shakti and Environment Ministries.
• Progress would be monitored in real time through mobile applications and an online dashboard at indiawater.gov.in
• A major communications campaign on TV, radio, print, local and social media will be carried out, with celebrities mobilised to generate awareness for the campaign.
• Teams led by 255 Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary-rank officers and 550 Deputy Secretary-level officers from various central ministries would fan out across the country, making at least three trips of three days each to cover districts and blocks.

Infrastructure Development
SEZ Bill cleared amid protests
What's the NEWS

• The Lok Sabha passed the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019, making a trust or any entity notified by the Central government eligible for consideration of grant of permission to set up a unit in special economic zones.

Know! more about the bill features

• The Bill, which would replace an ordinance, was aimed at improving and encouraging more investments and introducing features including single-window clearance and to ease imports and exports.
• The ordinance seeks to amend the definition of a person under the SEZ Act 2005, which will enable a trust to be considered for grant of permission to set up a unit.
• The amendment seeks to provide flexibility to the central government to include ‘trusts' in the definition of a 'person' in a bid to facilitate investments in these zones.
• Exports from SEZs rose 21% on year to Rs 7 lakh crore in FY19. As of March 31, there were 232 SEZs, of which 25 are multiproduct and the rest are sector specific, with 5,109 approved units.
• After the amendment of sub-section (v) of Section 2 of the SEZ Act, 2005, a trust or any entity notified by the central government will be eligible to be considered for grant of permission to set up a unit in SEZs, according to the bill.

Know! about SEZ

• A special economic zone is an area in a country that is subject to unique economic regulations that differ from other regions of the same country.
• The SEZ regulations tend to be conducive to foreign direct investment (FDI). Conducting business in an SEZ typically implies that the company will receive tax incentives and the opportunity to pay lower tariffs.
• SEZs are zones intended to facilitate rapid economic growth by leveraging tax incentives to attract foreign dollars and technological advancement.
• While many countries have set up SEZs, China has been the most successful in using SEZs to attract foreign capital. China has even declared an entire province, Hainan, to be an SEZ.

State Specific
Sindhu Darshan Utsav 2019

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the festival)
What's the NEWS

• Skyabje Choskyong Palga Rinpoche inaugurated the 4-day Sindhu Darshan Utsav 2019, organised by Sindhu Darshan Yatra Samiti (SDYS) in collaboration with Ladakh Phanday Tsogspa at Sindhu Ghat Shey.
• After performing the ceremonial prayers by the monks and Pandit, the Yatris took holy dip in the holy river Indus.

Know! more about the festival

• The 23rd edition of Sindhu Darshan Utsav 2019 started at Sindhu Ghat Shey in Leh from 24 to 27 June.
• The "Sindhu Darshan" or Sindhu festival was first started in month of October 1997, for celebration of unity, communal harmony along with national integration.
• The festival aims at projecting Indus (or Sindhu) as a symbol of India's unity, peaceful coexistence and communal harmony and is also a symbolic salute to brave soldiers of country.
• Usually the festival begins on full moon day which is also called Guru Purnima. On 1st day of festival participants from all religions, castes and regions are welcomed and there is a reception on banks of Sindhu at Shey (about14 km from Leh).

Know! the benefits of this festival

• The Sindhu Darshan festival conveys a strong message of uniting different religions and faiths, as it connects people from different faiths on one common platform to share love, compassion and respect for each other which is also the essence of every religion.
• The festival helps to bring Ladakh on global map and provide a boost to its tourism industry thus helping Ladakh economically. It also spread awareness about taking care of environment and its cleanliness is another purpose of the festival.

Prelims Factoids
Universal Smart Card Driving License
Relevance IN - Prelims (about the universal smart card driving license and about SARATHI)
What's the NEWS

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways 2019 has decided to modify the format of driving licenses to laminated card without chip or smart card type driving licences.
• MoRTH has decided to modify the format of driving licenses to smart card type driving licences so as to follow a standardised format nationwide.
• The Ministry has prescribed a common standard format and design of the Driving Licence for whole of the country which includes the placement of information, standardization of fonts etc.

Know! more about SARATHI

• This Ministry through its flagship application called SARATHI (for Driving License) developed by NIC (National Informatics Centre) have a common countrywide database of all driving license holders.
• Almost 15 crore driving license records are available in its central repository (National Registry).
• The SARATHI application has the feature to identify duplicate records in real time online basis and access information about the challans if any, which facilitates the licencing authority that delinquent drivers do not get a duplicate driving licence.
  
  

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