November 2024
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International Relations
US to withdraw duty benefits on $5.6 billion exports from India
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about GSP) + Mains ( GS III economic development + GS II effect of policies of developed and developing countries on India's interest)
Highlights
• The GSP programme allows duty-free entry of 1,784 products from India into the US
• Exporters of textiles, engineering, gems and jewellery and chemical products benefit the most from this programme
What's the NEWS
• Arguing that New Delhi had failed to assure America that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors, US President Donald Trump informed the US Congress about his intent to terminate the designation of India and Turkey as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme.
• The US has decided to withdraw duty benefits on $5.6 billion worth of exports from India by May this year, blaming the trade barriers created by the Indian government, after negotiations for a trade package fell through.
Know! about the GSP Programme
• The GSP programme allows duty-free entry of 1,784 products from India into the US, benefitting exporters of textiles, engineering, gems and jewellery and chemical products.
• Total US imports under GSP in 2017 was $21.2 billion, of which India was the biggest beneficiary with $5.6 billion, followed by Thailand ($4.2 billion) and Brazil ($2.5 billion).
• India is the world's largest beneficiary of the GSP program and ending its participation would be the strongest punitive action against India since Trump took office in 2017
• Under the United States GSP programme, certain products can enter the US duty-free if the beneficiary developing countries meet the eligibility criteria established by Congress.
• The GSP criteria include, among others, respecting arbitral awards in favour of US citizens or corporations, combatting child labour, respecting internationally recognised worker rights, providing adequate and effective intellectual property protection and providing the US with equitable and reasonable market access.
• Countries can also be graduated from the GSP programme, depending on factors related to economic development.
International Organisations/Education Sector
QS World Ranking: Five Indian institutes in top 300, IIT Bombay leads India chart
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about QS ranking outcome ) + Mains ( GS II issues relating to development and management of social sector/services relating to education + international organisations)
What's the NEWS
• QS World Ranking: IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IISc remain the top three Indian institutes. Additionally, top five Indian institutes were ranked in the top 300. Indian institutes rank 'very high' in research output.
Know! more about the ranking
• According to the recently released QS world ranking, five Indian institutes have secured a spot in the list of top 300 world universities. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay has gained the top rank among Indian institutes followed by Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
• IIT Bombay surpassed last year's top institute IIT Delhi by moving 17 ranks up and securing 162nd rank worldwide.
• IISc has shown the maximum improvement with a jump of 20 positions from last year. It moved up from 190th rank last year to 170.
• IIT Delhi remained at 172nd spot globally, however, in Indian ranking it went down to the third spot as IIT Bombay and IISc improved their score.
Institute 2018 2019
IIT Delhi 172 172
IT Bombay 179 162
IISc 190 170
IIT Madras 264 264
IIT Kanpur 293 283
• IIT Kanpur, which secured the fifth rank in the country and 283rd in the world also moved up by 10 ranks from last year showing a significant improvement.
• All the Indian institutes have got ‘very high' ranking in research output, according to the QS World Ranking.
• Internationally, the top three institutes remain unshakable with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University and Harvard University securing first, second and third rank respectively, according to the QS World Ranking.
• In the top five, Oxford University replaced the University of Cambridge for the fifth rank.
Top five world institutes this year were -
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Stanford University
• Harvard University
• California Institute of Technology
• University of Oxford
Know! about QS World University Rankings
• It is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). Previously known as Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings, the publisher had collaborated with Times Higher Education (THE) magazine to publish its international league tables from 2004 to 2009 before both started to announce their own versions.
• QS then chose to continue using the pre-existing methodology while Times Higher Education adopted a new methodology to create their rankings.
• The QS system now comprises the global overall and subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the study of 48 different subjects and five composite faculty areas), alongside five independent regional tables (Asia, Latin America, Emerging Europe and Central Asia, the Arab Region, and BRICS).
Agreements
Government of India and World Bank Sign $250 Million Agreement for the National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) to boost Rural Incomes across 13 States in India
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the agreement and NRETP ) + Mains ( GS I role of women and women organisation + GS II social Justice, role of SHG, welfare schemes for the vulnerable section
What's the NEWS
• The World Bank and the Government of India signed a $250 Million Agreement for the National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) which will help women in rural households shift to a new generation of economic initiatives by developing viable enterprise for farm and non-farm products.
Know! more about the project and agreement
• A Key Focus of the Project will be to promote women-owned and women-led farm and non-farm enterprises across value chains; enable them to build businesses that help them access finance, markets and networks; and generate employment.
• The National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) is an additional financing to the $500 million National Rural Livelihoods Project (NRLP) approved by the World Bank in July 2011.
• The NRLP which is currently being implemented across 13 states, 162 districts and 575 blocks, has so far mobilized more than 8.8 million women from poor rural households into 750,000 self-help groups (SHGs).
• These SHGs have been further federated into 48,700 Village Organizations and 2900 Cluster/Gram Panchayat-level Federations.
• While these 13 states will continue to be supported under the new project signed today, 125 new districts will be added from within these states.
Know! about NRLM
• The National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) aims to alleviate rural poverty and create sustainable livelihood opportunities in rural communities by promoting sustainable community-based institutions
which will facilitate economic and financial services for the rural poor.
• The National Rural Livelihoods Project has mobilized close to 9 million rural women into strong self-managed institutional platforms, helping them access services, participate in Gram Sabhas and start engaging in income generating activities.
• Many of these women are now geared towards moving into higher order economic initiatives in farm and non-farm sectors.
• Since its launch in 2011, the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) has mobilized 50 million poor rural women into self-help groups and their higher-level federations. These groups have leveraged nearly $30 billion from commercial banks.
• The NERTP will support enterprise development programs for rural poor women and youth by creating a platform to access finance including start-up financing options to build their individual and/or collectively owned and managed enterprises.
• The other key component of the project includes developing financial products using digital financial services to help small producer collectives scale-up and engage with the market. It will also support youth skills development, in coordination with the Deen Dayal Upadyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana.
Defence
AL NAGAH 2019
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about AL NAGAH)
What's the NEWS
• Exercise Al Nagah III, third in the series of bilateral joint exercise between India and Oman is scheduled to be held from 12 to 25 March 2019 at Jabel Al Akhdar Mountains in Oman.
Know! more about the exercise
• The exercise will see both the armies exchanging expertise and experience in tactics, weapon handling and firing, with an aim to enhance interoperability in counterterrorist operations in semi urban mountainous terrain.
• India-Oman bilateral security ties have continued to develop since the beginning of India-Oman Joint Military Cooperation meetings in 2006.
• Exercise Al Nagah III follows the first two joint exercises that were held in Oman in January 2015 and India in March 2017 respectively.
• Similar exercises are also in vogue between the navies and air forces of both the nations thus underscoring the growing bilateral military and strategic partnership between the two important nations of Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Social Justice
Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM)
Prime Minister Launches PM-SYM in Ahmedabad
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about PM -SYM ) + Mains ( GS II social Justice, welfare schemes for the vulnerable section of the population)
What's the NEWS
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi formally launched Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM) Scheme in Ahmedabad.
Role of Common Service Centres
• CSCs spread across the country are enrolling PM-SYM beneficiaries. There are over three lakh CSCs in the country.
• Nearly 12 lakh youth are working in CSCs and they are instrumental in smooth implementation of not only PMSYM but other welfare schemes like Aayushman Bharat Yojana.
Know! about PM -SYM
• Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM), a pension scheme for Unorganized Workers is being implemented for an estimated 42 crore workers in the unorganized sector constituting around 85% of the total Labour force of the country.
• PM-SYM has been made effective since 15thFeb, 2019 in all states.
• It is a central sector scheme open to unorganised workers, whose monthly income is Rs 15000/- or below and who have an Aadhar number as well as savings bank account. The minimum age for joining the scheme is 18 years and the maximum is 40 years.
• It is a voluntary and contribution based scheme under which the subscriber gets an assured minimum monthly pension of Rs 3000/- from the age of 60 years onwards.
• The contribution of a subscriber ranges from Rs 55/- to Rs 200/- depending on his entry age which is 18 to 40.
• Under the scheme, the Central Government will also give matching contribution towards beneficiary's pension account.
• Further, it has unique feature that in case of exit, subscriber would be returned his entire contribution.
• The unorganized workers are mostly engaged as home based workers, street vendors, mid-day meal workers, head loaders, brick kiln workers, cobblers, rag pickers, domestic workers, washer men, rickshaw pullers, rural landless labourers, own account workers, agricultural workers, construction workers, beedi workers, handloom workers, leather workers, Audio- visual workers, and in similar other occupations.
Prelims Practise Question
Consider the following statements
1. The GSP programme of which India is the 2nd largest beneficiary allows duty-free entry of 1,784 products from India into the US, benefitting exporters of textiles, engineering, gems and jewellery and chemical products.
2. Exercise Al Nagah , the inaugural edition of bilateral joint exercise between India and Oman is scheduled to be held from 12 to 25 March 2019 at Jabel Al Akhdar Mountains in Oman.
Find the correct statement from the option given below
a. 1 and 2
b. 2 only
c. 1 only
d. None
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