Environment
Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE)

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) and MEE-ZOO framework + Mains ( GS III environment conservation)

What's the NEWS

• Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change released Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of 146 National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries in the Country.
• At present, India has a network of 903 Protected Areas in the country covering about 5% of the total geographic area of the country.
• In order to assess the efficacy of Protected Areas, evaluation of management effectiveness is required.

Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE)

• From this year onwards 10 best National Parks, 5 coastal and Marine parks and top five Zoos in the country will be ranked and awarded every year.
• Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Protected Areas (PAs) has emerged as a key tool for PA managers and is increasingly being used by governments and international bodies to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the protected area management systems.
• The results of present assessment are encouraging with overall mean MEE score of 62.01% which is higher than the global mean of 56%.
• With this round of evaluation, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEFCC) successfully completed one full cycle of evaluating all terrestrial National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of the country from 2006 to 2019.
• MEE is a very important document that provides valuable guidance on various aspects of wildlife and protected area expand MEE of Marine Protected Areas.
• A new framework for MEE of Marine Protected Areas has been also jointly prepared by WII and MoEF&CC and it will be very useful document to implement.

Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Indian Zoos (MEE-ZOO)

• The Environment Minister also launched the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Indian Zoos (MEE-ZOO) framework which proposes guidelines, criteria and indicators for evaluation of zoos of the country through Management Effectiveness Evaluation Process (MEE-ZOO) in a manner which is discrete, holistic and independent.
• The assessment criteria and indicators look beyond the traditional concepts, include issues of animal welfare, husbandry and sustainability of resources and finance.
• The MEE-ZOO exercise is moving towards developing highest standards in Zoos across India and adhering to core values of accountability, transparency, innovation, use of technology, collaboration and integrity to achieve the mandate of conservation of endangered species.

India's biodiversity

• India has a thriving biodiversity. "70% of the global tiger population, 70% of asiatic lions and more than 60% of leopards population in India is a certificate of India's thriving biodiversity ,as these big cats sit at the top of food chain and their growing numbers shows the well being of the whole ecosystem.

Governance
Single Window Clearance Portal of Ministry of Coal launched

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Single Window Clearance Portal ) + Mains ( GS II good governance + transparency and accountability )
What's the NEWS

• Ministry of Coal launched Single Window Clearance Portal, a unified platform that facilitates grant of clearances and approvals required for starting a coal mine in India.

Single Window Clearance Portal

• 19 successful bidders have been allotted mines under the country's first commercial coal mining auction.
• This will give the states an estimated revenue of about Rs 6,500 crore per year and will also create more than 70,000 jobs.
• The next tranche of commercial mines auction would be launched in January 2021.
• Single Window Clearance Portal is in the spirit of Minimum Government and Maximum Governance.
• It would be a milestone for Ease of Doing Business in the Indian Coal Sector

Know! the benefits of unified platform

• Presently, about 19 major approval or clearances are required to be obtained before starting a coal mine in the country.
• These approvals or clearances are granted either by central or state governments.
• In the absence of a unified platform for grant of clearances/approvals for starting of a coal mine, the project proponents are required to approach different administrative ministries and Government departments separately to apply for the requisite clearances leading to delay in operationalization of coal mines.
• Now, the complete process shall be facilitated through Single Window Clearance Portal, which will map not only the relevant application formats, but also process flow for grant of approval or clearances.
• The success of India's first ever commercial mining auctions will pave the way for the Aatmanirbhar Bharat as it will help reduce India's coal import by about 20%.
• SBI Capital Markets Limited, sole Transaction Advisor to Ministry of Coal for the Commercial coal mine auction, had devised the methodology and assisted Ministry in conduct of the auction.
• States will garner a total revenue of Rs 6,656 crores annually from these successfully auctioned 19 mines.
• These mines are spread over 05 states Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Maharashtra and have consolidated Peak Rated Capacity (PRC) of 51 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA).

Defence
Indian Navy to Coordinate Second Edition of Largest Coastal Defence Exercise - Sea Vigil 21

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Sea - Vigil 21) + Mains ( GS III Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism)
What's the NEWS

• The second edition of the biennial pan-India coastal defence exercise ‘Sea Vigil-21' will be conducted on 12-13 January 2021.

Know! all about Sea - Vigil 21

• The exercise, inaugural edition of which was conducted in January 2019; will be undertaken along the entire 7516 km coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India and will involve all the 13 coastal States and Union Territories along with other maritime stakeholders, including the fishing and coastal communities.
• The exercise is being coordinated by the Indian Navy. The entire coastal security set up was reorganised after the 26/11 Terror attack at Mumbai which was launched via the sea route.
• The scale and conceptual expanse of the exercise is unprecedented in terms of the geographical extent, the number of stakeholders involved, the number of units participating and in terms of the objectives to be met.
• The exercise is a build up towards the major Theatre level exercise TROPEX [Theatre-level Readiness Operational Exercise] which Indian Navy conducts every two years.
• SEA VIGIL and TROPEX together will cover the entire spectrum of maritime security challenges, including transition from peace to conflict.
• Assets of the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Customs and other maritime agencies will participate in SEA VIGIL, the conduct of which is also being facilitated by the Ministries of Defence, Home Affairs, Shipping, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Fisheries, Customs, State Governments and other agencies of Centre/ State.
• The conduct of a security exercise at national-level is aimed to serve a larger purpose. It provides opportunity, at the apex level, to assess our preparedness in the domain of maritime security and coastal defence.
• Exercise ‘SEA VIGIL 21' will provide a realistic assessment of our strengths and weaknesses and thus will help in further strengthening maritime and national security.

National
The North East Venture Fund (NEVF)is gaining popularity among Start-Ups and young entrepreneurs

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about North East Venture Fund (NEVF) + NEDFi + Mains ( GS II government policies and interventions)
What's the NEWS

• The North East Venture Fund (NEVF), which is the first and the only dedicated Venture Fund for the North Eastern Region is gaining popularity among Start-Ups and young entrepreneurs.
• The Venture Fund Scheme launched by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) intended to promote growth of business ventures and skill development in the region.

Know! about North East Venture Fund (NEVF) and its benefits

• The Ministry of DoNER had joined with North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) to set up the North East Venture Fund, the first and the only Venture Fund for Northeast with an initial corpus of Rs. 100 crores.
• The fund targets to invest in Start-Ups and unique business opportunities to provide resources for new entrepreneurships.
• The main focus of North East Venture Fund (NEVF), is for mostly the enterprises involved in Food Processing, Healthcare, Tourism, segregation of services, IT, etc.
• The Venture Fund Scheme which was launched with the initial motivation to provide livelihood to youth of the North Eastern region, has now also started attracting different groups of youths from diverse backgrounds who wish to try their fortunes through the unexplored potentials of the North Eastern region.
• The investment size with the Venture Fund Scheme ranges between Rs.25 lakhs and Rs. 10 crores with a long term horizon of five to ten years
• The Ministry of North Eastern Region has started the series "Destination North East '', wherein the different facets of Northeast including the entrepreneurship avenues are replicated at different locations across the country.
• During these events also, an exclusive arrangement is made for offering counselling and assistance to potential entrepreneurs and business Start-Ups.

Know! about NEDFi

• The North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) is a Public Limited Company registered under the Companies Act 1956 on 9th August, 1995.
• It is notified as a Public Financial Institution under Section 4A of the said Act and was registered as an NBFC in 2002 with RBI.
• The shareholders of the Corporation are IDBI, SBI, LICI, SIDBI, ICICI, IFCI, SUUTI, GIC and its subsidiaries.
• The management of NEDFi has been entrusted upon the Board of Directors comprising representatives from shareholder institutions, DoNER, State Governments and eminent persons from the NE Region and outside having wide experience in industry, economics, finance and management.
• NEDFi provides financial assistance micro, small, medium and large enterprises for setting up industrial, infrastructure projects in the North Eastern Region of India and also Microfinance through MFI/NGOs.
• Besides financing, the Corporation offers Consultancy & Advisory services to the state Governments, private sectors and other agencies.

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