Relevance IN - Prelims (about 'Nagrik Kartavya Paalan Abhiyan') +Mains ( GS II Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources)
What's the NEWS

• The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry launched web portal for conducting national essay competitions on the Constitution of India and fundamental duties online every month as part of the nationwide 'Nagrik Kartavya Paalan Abhiyan."

• Launching the kartavya.ugc.ac.in portal, HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank it will also be used conduct quizzes, debates, poster making and other activities pertaining to the 'Nagrik Kartavya Paalan Abhiyan'.
• This will make them aware that rights are automatically realized when we follow our duties religiously.
• This principle will help the students channelize their talents and capabilities in the right direction.
• The competitions will be held online through the infrastructure and testing centres of the National Testing Agency and will be open for every student registered in any higher education institution in the country.
• There will be four prizes worth Rs 15000, Rs 12,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 7500. The essays can be written in Hindi or English

What's the NEWS

• The Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee (IMAC) under the chairmanship of Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal approved projects worth Rs 271 crore under the Creation/Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities (CEFPPC) scheme
• The CEFPPC projects covered over 100 agro-climatic zones in the country

Know! more about the project

• The focus was given to projects that emphasized on linking agriculture and marketing food processing technologies.
• During allocation, startups were given priorities according to the sources of Ministry of Food Processing. Also, the projects were examined based on project cost, means of finance to avoid bankruptcy in the future.
• The aim of the scheme is to create direct employment that will help in achieving India's goal of doubling farmers income by 2022. It expected that the project would create 9000 employment.
• It will also aid in implementing PM Krishi Sampada Yojana (PMKSY). The PMKSY aims at developing agro-processing Clusters and agro-marine processing units. Under the scheme, subsidies are provided in terms of grants-in-aid that ranges between 35% and 75% according to the project.
• PMKSY is being implemented by the Ministry of Food Processing. It will work on implementing mega food parks, value-addition infrastructure, creation of backward and forward linkages, food safety and quality infrastructure.

National Affairs
Lok Sabha passes National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill, 2019
Relevance IN - Prelims (about the bill provisions) + GS II (Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation)
What's the NEWS

• The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill, 2019 with the objective to make the National Institute of Design (NID) in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh as the institutions of national importance.

Know! more about it

• Currently, these institutes are registered as Societies under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and do not have the power to grant degrees or diplomas.
• On being declared institutions of national importance, the four institutes will be granted the power to grant degrees and diplomas.
• The four institutes will have the standards at par with the institute in Ahmedabad. He said these institutes will impart quality education in the field of design.

National Affairs
Daman Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli Merger Bill Passed in Lok Sabha
Relevance IN - Prelims (about the merger bill) + Mains (GS II Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications)

What's the NEWS

• The Lok Sabha approved the bill providing for the merger of two union territories Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu into one union territory.
• The name of the new Union Territory which comes into existence will be Dadara and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Know! more about it

• The objective of merging the two union territories is to increase their administrative ease and ensure development.
• The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will continue to get the reservation; there will be no change in it.
• There is only a distance of 35 km between the two islands, but both have a different budget. Daman and Diu have two districts while Dadara Nagar Haveli has one district.
• It will have two Lok Sabha seats after both become a union territory. The Bombay High Court will deal with the legal cases here as before.
• Apart from this, officers of both the union territories will come in the cadre of the new Union Territory. All other employees will also be part of the United Union Territory.
• There were 9 Union Territories and 28 states in the country after Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two union territories by the central government.

Now, the number of union territories will be reduced to eight.

• List of 8 Union Territories: Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Puducherry, NCT of Delhi, Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep.

Know! more about Daman Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli

• Both the union territories were ruled by the Portuguese for a long time. Daman Diu was freed from Portuguese rule in December 1961.
• Daman Diu was part of Goa Union Territory till 1987, but then it became separate when Goa became a full state. Dadara Nagar Haveli became independent on August 2, 1954. It later joined India in 1961.

Space Awareness
ISRO has successfully launched Cartosat-3

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Catosat-3) + Mains (GS III awareness in the field of space)
What's the NEWS

• ISRO has successfully launched Cartosat-3 along with 13 Nanosatellites of the US on November 27. Cartosat-3 is India's Earth observation satellite. The space agency had planned to launch Cartosat-3.

Know! more about the launch

• It is the ninth satellite of the Cartosat series which was launched from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota.
• This is the 49th flight of PSLV-C47, which is carrying Cartosat-3 and 13 small US commercial satellites.
• Cartosat-3 is the highest resolution civilian satellite.

Know! about Cartosat-3

• Cartosat-3 is a third-generation highly responsive and advanced satellite with high-resolution photo-taking capability.
• It weighs 1,625 kilograms and will help the government to large-scale city planning, rural resource and infrastructure development, coastal land use and growing consumer demand for land.
• Cartosat-3 can take clear pictures up to a height of 0.25 meters i.e. 9.84 inches of the ground from space.
• This satellite will also help in surveillance India's borders with space. It will also help in monitoring natural disasters.
• This was the 74^th launch vehicle mission from Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota. Cartosat-3 will have a lifespan of five years.

Know! about the earlier Cartosat series

• Cartosat-1, the first satellite of the Cartosat series, was launched on 05 May 2005. Cartosat-2 was launched on 10 January 2007.
  
  

KEEP Learning KEEP Evolving
TEAM CL IAS