Daily Current Capsules - 04^th JULY 2019

Agricultural Reforms
Centre constitutes 'high powered' panel of CMs for 'transformation' of Indian agriculture
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the high powered panel of CM ) + Mains ( GS III agricultural reforms)
What's the NEWS

• Prime minister Narendra Modi has constituted a high powered committee of chief ministers to be convened by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for transforming Indian agriculture and raising farmers' income.
• In the meeting of Governing Council of NITI Aayog, the Prime Minister has set up a High Powered Committee of Chief Ministers for ‘Transformation of Indian Agriculture.

Know! more about the high powered panel and its objective

• The terms of reference (ToR) of the committee include suggesting modalities for adoption and time bound implementation of reforms such as Agriculture Produce and Livestock, Contract Farming and Services (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2018'; changes in the Essential Commodity Act, 1955 to attract private investments in agricultural marketing and infrastructure.
• The committee has also been asked to suggest mechanism for linking of market reforms with e-NAM, GRAM and other relevant Centrally Sponsored Schemes; and ways to upgrade agri-technology to global standards and improve access of farmers to quality seed, plant propagation material and farm machinery in agriculturally advance countries.
• Policy measures to boost agricultural export, raise growth in food processing and attract investments in modern market infrastructure, value chains and logistics are also part of the ToR of the committee.
• The committee which has been asked to submit its report within two months is also free to propose any other relevant reforms.
• The other members of the committee include H.D. Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister, Karnataka; Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister, Haryana; Pema Khandu, Chief Minster, Arunachal Pradesh; Vijay Rupani, Chief Minster, Gujarat; Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh; Kamal Nath, Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh; Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister, Agriculture

Prelims Factoids
App to track your carbon footprint to be launched
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the app and about steps taken by the government to mitigate the menace of climate)
What's the NEWS

• Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the State government will now track citizens' carbon footprint through an app and reward those who achieve an emission neutral status.

Know! more about the app and its working

• It will be floated next month with an aim to reduce pollution and carbon emission in Maharashtra.
• The State Forest Department is developing the app, which will be able to count the everyday carbon emission of a citizens and suggest measures to reduce it depending on the count
• The citizens would be awarded a certificate and tax rebate once they achieve a neutral status.
• The idea of the app was initiated after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised international organisations to bring India's pollution levels to 2005 levels by 2030.
• The PM had also announced India's aim to generate 175 GW (gigawatt) of renewable energy by 2022, of which 100 GW is to be solar
• The PM has kick-started several other schemes to reduce pollution by planting trees and improving ground water levels.
• The footprints of an individual, as per the app, will include his use of electricity, air conditioning, kitchen activities among others.
• India has, as part of the Paris Summit, promised to reduce green house gas emission by 20% to 25%.

Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
Creation of PAN-India market for Farm Produce

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about e-NAM) + Mains ( GS III farmer's welfare )
What's the NEWS

• The Government has launched National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) Scheme on 14th April, 2016 with the objective of creating online transparent competitive bidding system to facilitate farmers with remunerative prices for their produce.
• So far, 585 wholesale regulated markets of 16 States and 02 Union Territories (UTs) have been integrated with e-NAM platform.

Know! about e-NAM

• Government is promoting inter-state trade and inter mandi trade through e-NAM platform.
• States have been advised to strengthen quality assaying facilities in e-NAM mandis for proper quality testing of commodities, e-trading, online payment facility.
• Mobile application has been enhanced for ease of transaction and e-trading. Close monitoring of the progress through meeting at various levels and visits of the officers to e-NAM mandis is carried out.

• The Central Government is providing free software and assistance for related hardware including quality assaying equipments and creation of infrastructure like cleaning, grading, sorting, packaging and compost unit etc.
• Under the scheme, various training & awareness programmes are conducted for farmers, traders and other stakeholders for successful implementation of e-NAM.

National Food Security Act

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the provisions of NFSA) + Mains ( GS II welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the centre and state + government policies and interventions)
Know! all about National Food Security Act

• Government of India enacted National Food Security Act (NFSA) in July, 2013 which gives legal entitlement to 67% of the population (75% in rural areas and 50% in urban areas) to receive highly subsidized foodgrains.
• Under the Act, foodgrain is allocated @ 5 kg per person per month for priority households category and @ 35 kg per family per month for AAY families at a highly subsidized prices of Rs. 1/-, Rs. 2/- and Rs. 3/- per kg for nutri-cereals, wheat and rice respectively.
• Coverage under the Act is based on the population figures of Census, 2011. The Act is now being implemented in all 36 States/UTs and covers about 81.35 crore persons.
• The annual allocation of foodgrain under National Food Security Act and Other Welfare Schemes is about 610 Lakh Metric Tons.
• The NFSA is being universally implemented in the country. There is no identified category of BPL under the NFSA.
• However, the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries are clearly identified. As such, the Government of India has reviewed the Sugar Subsidy Scheme and decided to continue it for AAY families with effect from June, 2017.
• The Central Government is reimbursing a fixed subsidy of Rs. 18.50 per kg @ 1 Kg per month per AAY families to participating States/UTs".
• In order to liquidate the excess stock of foodgrain in the Central Pool, Government of India avails the available options of disposal of the excess stock of foodgrain through Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) and Export on Government-to-Government basis, as export from public stockholding is not compliant to WTO norms."

Infrastructure Development
National Electric Mobility Mission Plan

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the national mobility mission and about FAME I and FAME II ) + Mains ( GS III infrastructure development - energy security/conservation)
What's the NEWS

• The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 is a National Mission document providing the vision and the roadmap for the faster adoption of electric vehicles and their manufacturing in the country.

Know! about NEMMP

• This plan has been designed to enhance national fuel security, to provide affordable and environmentally friendly transportation and to enable the Indian automotive industry to achieve global manufacturing leadership.
• As part of the NEMMP 2020, Department of Heavy Industry formulated a Scheme viz. Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme in the year 2015 to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle technology and to ensure sustainable growth of the same.

Know! about the phase -I of FAME Scheme

• The Phase-I of the FAME India Scheme was initially launched for a period of 2 years, commencing from 1st April 2015, which was subsequently extended from time to time and the last extension was allowed up to 31st March 2019.
• The 1st Phase of FAME India Scheme was implemented through four focus areas namely (i) Demand Creation, (ii) Technology Platform, (iii) Pilot Project and (iv) Charging Infrastructure.
• In this phase, market creation through demand incentives was aimed at incentivizing all vehicle segments i.e. 2-Wheelers, 3-Wheelers Auto, Passenger 4-Wheeler vehicles, Light Commercial Vehicles and Buses.
• The demand incentive was available to buyers of xEV in the form of an upfront reduced purchase price to enable wider adoption

Know! about phase - II of the FAME Scheme

• The Cabinet notified the Phase-II of FAME India Scheme on 8th March 2019, which is for a period of three years commencing from 1st April 2019 with a total budgetary support of Rs. 10,000 crore.
• This phase will mainly focus on supporting electrification of public & shared transportation, and aims to support through subsidies 7000 e-Buses, 5 lakh e-3 Wheelers, 55000 e-4 Wheeler Passenger Cars and 10 lakh e-2 Wheelers.
• With greater emphasis on providing affordable and environment friendly public transportation options for the masses, the scheme will be applicable mainly to vehicles used for public transport or those registered for commercial purposes in e-3W, e-4W and e-bus segments.
• However, privately owned registerede-2W will also be covered under the scheme as a mass segment.
• In addition, creation of charging infrastructure will be supported in selected cities and along major highways to address range anxiety among users of electric vehicles.

Internal Security
Modernization of Police Forces

Relevance IN - Mains ( GS III internal security)
What's the NEWS

• The Government of India has approved implementation of the umbrella scheme of "Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF)".
• The umbrella scheme has two verticals - Security Related Expenditure (SRE) of specific theatres & Modernisation of Police Forces. Salient features of the Modernisation of Police Forces vertical are given below:
• Central assistance is provided to the State Governments for weapons, equipment for Forensics, Information Technology, Communication, Training, etc.
• The scheme is focused on facilitating targeted interventions and ‘mobility' and ‘construction of police infrastructure including housing' is now permitted in case of Jammu & Kashmir, insurgency affected North Eastern (NE) States and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected Districts.
• Three Himalayan States, namely, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and 8 North Eastern States including Sikkim are eligible to receive financial assistance on 90:10 Centre:State sharing basis. The remaining States are eligible for financial assistance on 60:40 Centre: State sharing basis.
• State Action Plans (SAPs) of 25 States for the financial year 2019-20 under the sub-scheme of Assistance to States for Modernisation of Police have been approved by High Powered Committee

Infrastructure Development
Fifteen destinations have been identified by the Government for development of tourism under the Ramayana Circuit

Relevance IN - Prelims (about the Swadesh Darsan Scheme and its benefits) + GS II government policies and interventions + GS III economic development + infrastructure development)
What's the NEWS

• Ramayana Circuit is one of the fifteen thematic circuits identified for development under the Swadesh Darshan scheme of Ministry of Tourism.
• The Ministry has initially identified fifteen destinations including Sitamarhi, Bihar for development under the Ramayana Circuit theme namely Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringverpur & Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh), Sitamarhi, Buxar & Darbhanga (Bihar), Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh), Mahendragiri (Odisha), Jagdalpur (Chattisgarh), Nashik & Nagpur (Maharashtra), Bhadrachalam (Telangana), Hampi (Karnataka) and Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu).

Know! all about 13 Thematic Circuits Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of India

• The Modi Government had launched Swadesh Darshan Scheme to promote international and domestic tourism across the country.
• There are 13 tourism circuits have been identified so far and few proposed tourist circuit by Walk Through India such as Shiva Temple Circuit, Jain Temple circuit,Gurdwara circuit, Adventure tourism circuit and Cruise tourism.

1. North East India Circuit

• The North East Region of India is paradise unexplored and blessed with magical waterfalls,stunning natural beauty and challenging rivers. Its serene natural environments,unique culture, flora and fauna offers visitors a rare feast for the eyes and soul.

2. Buddhist Circuit

• India is an important Buddhist pilgrimage destination where he Lord Buddha grew up and attained enlightenment. To attract more tourist, The Ministry of Tourism has identified Buddhist Circuit.

7 Places of Buddha's Life

• Kapilavastu, Uttar Pradesh
• Bodh Gaya, Bihar
• Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh
• Rajgir, Bihar
• Sravasti, Uttar Pradesh
• Vaishali, Bihar
• Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh
• There are more Buddhist pilgrimage destination in India such as Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur,Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh, Buddhist Monasteries in Bylakuppe,Buddhist monastery in Sikkim,Buddhist monastery in Ladakh.

3. Himalayan Circuit

• The Himalayan region of India is home to three major rivers of the world, Indus,the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. There are natural world heritage sites in Himalaya and has innumerable beautiful tourist sites.

4. Coastal Circuit

• India is known for its beautiful coast line, sea beaches and land of sun, sea,surf and sand. Coastal circuit is one of the niche tourism product and will have focus on creation of world class facilities with the objective of conversation of native natural flora and fauna.

5. Krishna Circuit

• The religious tourism product has been spread all over the world, especially Lord Shiva and Lord Krishna. The development of Lord Krishna circuit is aimed to bridge the gaps in various places and connect major temples of Lord Krishna.

6. Desert Circuit

• India is a country known for its rich biodiversity and geographical boundaries that separate different regions of the Earth. Desert is the most important physical feature of the country and an important tourist attractions of India.

7. Tribal Circuit

• From the lesser known tribes of North East region to the splendid Odisha and fascinating Chhattisgarh to Jharkhand, The tribal population of India has so far manage to preserve their rituals, festivals, customs and culture. Under the Tribal Circuit tribal areas will aim to develop and promote.

8. Eco Circuit

• Eco Tourism also known as ecological tourism is a travel to pristine and protected areas. The Eco circuit will benefit the local communities as well as people to enjoy and learn more about the natural characteristics.

9. Rural Circuit

• India lives in its villages and to peep into India's heart and soul, one has to experience its village life. Indian villages are blessed with natural beauty, charming climate and a very simple way of life. The Rural circuit will provide a unique experience to travelers visiting the country and will have a chance to explore lesser known destinations of India.

10. Spiritual Circuit

• Spirituality is one of the prime tourist attractions of the country and India attracts a large number of spiritual visitors. Temples, Yoga and Mediation are combined with a sense to achieve the essence of Spirituality.

11. Ramayana Circuit

• The Ramayana is not just an epic, it is a living and breathing story of India. The development of Ramayana Circuit is aimed to connect place associated with Lord Rama across the country and improve the tourist facilities of temples.

12. Heritage Circuit

• India is often referred to as a living museum, blessed with a rich history, vibrant heritage and culture. There are 3685 national monuments, ancient sties,cultural and natural places inscribed on world heritage list of UNESCO.

13. Wildlife Circuit

• India house a large number of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries to preserve wildlife in its natural form. The incredible range of wildlife in India offers an ideal location for wildlife tourism.

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