The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) released an audit report on the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) on July 21, 2017. The Report is for the period between 2011-12 and 2015-16. The NRHM was launched in April 2005 to provide accessible, affordable and quality health care to the rural population. The RCH programme is a sub component of NRHM which focuses on maternal and child health, immunisation, and family planning. The key findings of the audit Report are as follows:
Financial management: Unsatisfactory financial management of the RCH programme has been observed at both central and state levels. The Report highlights substantial unspent balances with the State Health Societies every year. In 27 states, the unspent amount increased from Rs 7,375 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 9,509 crore in 2015-16. Delays were also noted in the transfer of funds from state treasuries to State Health Societies, with delays ranging from 50 to 271 days. Diversion of funds (about Rs 36 crore) to other schemes was also noted. In light of these observations, the CAG recommended proper fund flow management keeping in view the absorptive capacity of State Health Societies.
Physical infrastructure: A shortfall ranging between 24%-38% was observed in the availability of Sub-Centres (SCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) in 28 states/UTs. The shortfall was more than 50% in five states (Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and West Bengal).
Other issues which were observed regarding the existing infrastructure include: (i) unhygienic environment; (ii) inaccessibility by public transport; (iii) non-availability of electricity and water supply; (iv) non-availability of separate wards for male and female beneficiaries. Further, in 20 states, 1,285 works, though completed, were not made functional. The CAG recommended a review of civil works by the concerned authorities in all states to remove the delays and to ensure faster completion and commissioning of buildings.
Availability of human resources: A shortage of doctors and paramedical staff was observed in almost all selected facilities. In the selected CHCs of 27 states, the average shortfall of specialists ranged between 77% - 87%. Further, only 1,303 nurses were posted against the required 2,360. It was also noted that medical equipment in some states was lying unutilised due to non-availability of doctors and manpower to operate them. The CAG recommended that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare must follow up with states to ensure that sanctioned posts of health care professionals are filled up.
Availability of medical equipment and medicines: It was noted that selected health facilities across 29 states/UTs lack the basic equipment required for RCH services such as labour tables, normal delivery kits, emergency obstetric care equipment, and X-ray facilities. In 8 states, essential drugs were not available. Further, in 14 states, medicines were being issued to patients without ensuring their prescribed quality checks.
Quality of healthcare: The National Quality Assurance Programme (NQAP) was set up in 2013 for improving the quality of care in the District Hospitals, CHCs and PHCs across the country. The audit results revealed that the institutional framework for implementation of NQAP was either not in place or was not effective. Further, the Report noted low number of internal and external assessments of health facilities, inadequate reporting, and non-evaluation of key performance indicators.
Reproductive and child health services and outcomes: Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a safe motherhood intervention to promote institutional delivery among the poor pregnant women. The CAG noted deficiencies in the implementation of JSY, in terms of non-payment of incentive amounts or delayed payment to beneficiaries.
The RCH programme also aims to achieve certain Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets (for 2015). Under the MDGs, the target for Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is 27 (per 1,000 live births). India’s IMR is 39. As for the target of Maternal Mortality Ratio (109 per 1,00,000 live births), the corresponding achievement was 167 by India.
The Standing Committee on Water Resources (Chair: Mr. Hukum Singh) submitted its report on the ‘Indigenous and Modern Forms of Water Conservation-Techniques and Practices’ on March 16, 2017. The Committee looked into the following aspects in relation to conservation of water: (i) need for water conservation, (ii) techniques and practices of water conservation, (iii) factors influencing water conservation, and (iv) the National Water Mission.
The salient observations and recommendations of the Committee include: Low Per Capita Water Storage and Availability: Water storage in India is about 209 cubic meters (Cu. M) per person, far below the minimum threshold (1,000 Cu. M) per person for identifying water scarcity in a country. In addition, the per capita availability of water has reduced due to an increase in population, from 2,209 Cu. M per year in 1991, to 1,545 Cu. M per year in 2011.
In this regard, the Committee recommended that certain measures should be undertaken by the central government. These measures include: (i) compiling data regarding large and medium dams presently under implementation, (ii) reviewing the status of execution of these dams, and (iii) making a plan for the timely completion of such dams.
Decline in ground water levels: In certain states, the Committee noted: (i) increase in pumping depths of wells and tube wells, (ii) rise in the cost of pumping ground water, (iii) scarcity of ground water in summer months (for irrigation and drinking uses), and (iv) increase in fluoride content in the water and increase in salinity (in coastal areas). For example, it noted that in Punjab, cultivation of water intensive crops has resulted in depletion of the ground water table due to over-exploitation.
The Committee recommended that the government should create a well-defined policy on ground water extraction. The practice of free supply of electricity to farmers for extraction of ground water for cultivation should be regulated. In addition, a scientific study of the impact of excessive withdrawal of water in Punjab should also be undertaken.
Traditional water recharge and harvesting practices: Traditional water harvesting structures in the country are no longer being used to store water with dependence on piped water supply system. The Committee recommended that the Ministry of Water Resources should constitute a panel of experts to undertake a study on the merits and viability of traditional water recharge and harvesting techniques in the country. Further, consultations should be held with various state governments to develop ways to preserve and improve indigenous water harvesting methods.
Aquifer Mapping: The CGWB in 2012 started the National Project on Aquifer Management (NAQUIM) to identify and map aquifers, and quantify the available ground water potential. Since the inception of NAQUIM, only 5.5 lakh sq. km. has been mapped, and an additional areas of 23 lakh sq. km. still remains to be mapped. Further, out of a total outlay of Rs 3,319 crore for five years (2012017), an expenditure of only Rs 146 crore has been made on the scheme till June 2016.
The Committee recommended that the government should devise effective measures for timely and optimum utilisation of budgetary allocations for the scheme.
Water Budgeting: Water budgeting is accounting of all water that flows in and out of a project area. It also helps to conserve water from rainfall and surface runoff.
The Committee recommended that appropriate guidelines for water budgeting should be issued to all state governments by the Ministry of Water Resources. The Ministry should also ensure that all state governments prepare State-Specific Action Plan for the water sector, and link it to State Action Plans for Climate Change, within a specified time period. In addition, Water Regulatory Authorities for regulating the use of water and its conservation should also be set up in every state, as already established in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Water use efficiency under National Water Mission: To increase water use efficiency by 20% under the National Water Mission, a national framework directive on water use efficiency should be framed by the Ministry of Water Resources and circulated to all the states.
The Expert Committee (Chair: Mr. Sumit Bose) submitted its report on ‘Performance Based Payments for Better Outcomes in Rural Development Programmes’ in January 2017. The Committee was constituted in December 2016 to look into human resources available with panchayats and suggest means by which these resources could be augmented and organised for better delivery of programmes. Key observations and recommendations of the Committee include:
Human resources in panchayats: At the gram panchayat level, the Committee noted several deficiencies such as: (i) insufficiency of staff; (ii) inadequacy of qualifications; (iii) lack of rigor in recruitment; (iv) poor terms and conditions of service; (v) low incentives for performance; (vi) and lack of adequate training. Majority of the manpower in panchayats function in silos related to schemes and are mostly accountable to the programme supervisors, not to the panchayats.
The Committee recommended that every panchayat should have a full time secretary, who will perform both general administration and development functions. It should also have a technical assistant, who will carry out engineering functions. The existing Gram Rozgar Sevaks should be formally trained to carry out essential engineering functions, such as those related to water supply and sanitation.
Social accountability: To increase the social accountability of gram panchayats, the Committee suggested holding regular gram sabha meetings, as per the provisions in the State Panchayat Raj Act (such as minimum of four meetings in a year) and on the request of voters under special circumstances. To enable a serious, effective, and an all-inclusive meeting, the meeting notice must reach the people at least seven days in advance.
The Committee also recommended implementing measures, such as: (i) participatory planning and budgeting; (ii) preparation of status studies for effective utilisation of earmarked budget; (iii) participatory expenditure tracking; (iv) social audit of panchayats, among others.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT): The Committee noted that many states have passed legislation conferring guarantee of time-bound delivery of public services to the citizens, which also includes services to be delivered by panchayats. Providing guarantee in delivering services on time and tracking reasons for failure, if any, will require application of ICT in the functioning of panchayats.
To enable greater use of ICT, the Committee recommended that panchayats should be encouraged to use only transaction based software for: (i) carrying out their functions in delivering local services; (ii) maintaining database related to local planning and monitoring progress; (iii) financial management including e-procurement; and (iv) estimation and management of work undertaken by them. It also suggested adoption of double entry system of accounting and amendment of rules for electronic maintenance of cashbook.
Monitoring performance and quality of works: The Committee noted that there is considerable room for improvement in capturing performance of panchayats, intermediates and their officials. It also stated that data on revenue and expenditure by panchayats, panchayat staff and infrastructure was not available.
The Committee recommended that a system of quality monitoring should be put in place for all programmes being monitored by panchayats. Standards should also be developed for all assets being created through rural development programmes. In addition, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj should compile essential data, including, area, population, staff, and availability of essential infrastructure for panchayat office, among others.
The Committee suggested that in case of shortage of funds to operationalise the Committee recommendations, support for a period of five years to incentivise states could be included in the revised Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan. This program aims to enhance capacities and effectiveness of panchayats.
The Standing Committee on Finance (Chair: Dr. Veerappa Moily) submitted a report on the ‘Review of NSSO and CSO and streamlining of statistics collection machinery in the country including Management Information System for project monitoring/appraisal’ on December 18, 2017. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation comprises of: (i) the Statistics wing (National Statistical Organisation), and (ii) the Programme Implementation wing. The National Statistical Organisation consists of Central Statistics Office (CSO), and National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).
Vacancies: As of December 2016, 22% (861) of the sanctioned posts of junior and senior officers (statistical cadre) (3,977) were vacant in the Ministry (see Table 1). The Committee recommended that vacancies in the statistical cadre should be filled immediately. It also recommended that a study be conducted to find out reasons of the high level of shortfall in manpower, and the inability to attract talent. In this regard, the Committee stated that enumerators used for data collection should be appointed on a contractual basis, instead of out-sourcing data collection.
The Committee recommended that teaching methodologies and curriculum at the university-level should be changed to reflect the changing industry requirements. Further, an incentive structure should be devised to attract expertise and quality statisticians for government duties. The Committee recommended that the field level statistical machinery should be strengthened, and the field staff should be trained to use modern methods of data collection.
Variations in data standards and methodologies: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation is the nodal agency for coordination with central Ministries and states for collection and standardisation of statistics. The Committee observed that there are variations between the sample survey data collected by the NSSO and the states governments. Further, it noted that different standards are used by the NSSO and the CSO. The Committee recommended that such variations should be addressed to ensure uniformity of statistics. It noted that collection of data and compilation of various indices are spread across different government agencies. The Committee suggested that all statistical work including publication of various indices by the Ministry should be integrated.
Consumer Price Index (CPI): The Committee noted that the CPI does not capture the increasing cost of services such as education, healthcare, and transport. It recommended that there should be an exclusive Service Price Index for essential services. Further, the Committee stated that indices compiled and published by the government should reflect current market conditions at the consumer level.
Employment data: The Committee stated that absence of regular employment and unemployment data is a major gap. It observed that the official unemployment figures are out-of-date and unrealistic. The Committee noted that accurate and reliable data on employment should be available to assess the employment situation, and formulate appropriate policy responses.
Programme implementation: The Ministry monitors the implementation of central sector projects, schemes, and the Sustainable Development Goals. In this regard, the Committee suggested that the Ministry should develop methodologies and tools to play a pro-active role for real-time monitoring instead of just being a compilation agency.
Commercial/Marketing unit: The Committee recommended that the Ministry should modernise data collection, compilation, and presentation. Further, it should aid and advise both the governments, and corporations and organisations in the private and public sectors. In this context, the Committee suggested that the Ministry can set up an internal Commercial or Marketing Unit, which can share relevant data with users on a commercial basis. Further, free access to data can be provided to universities, researchers, and students.
Railways’ role in tourismThe Committee observed that the foreign exchange earnings from tourism were around USD 21.07 billion during 2015 and contributed to about 6-7% of the GDP. However, much of the potential for tourism in India remains unexplored. The Committee noted that Railways can play a crucial role in promoting tourism in the country because of its wide reach. It also provides an economic and eco-friendly means of transport across the country. Further, Railways can also tap into the numerous pilgrimage centers across the country. It recommended that there should be representation for tourism in the Railway Board which would help them frame tourism related policies.
Financial overview: The Committee observed that the budget earmarked by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for tourism promotion during the years 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 was Rs 6 crore, Rs 4.2 crore, Rs 4 crore and Rs 3.7 crore respectively. It noted that such budget allocation for a major head is grossly inadequate and shows a declining trend. Further, IRCTC’s utilisation of these funds has ranged between 55% to 90%. No funds for promotion of pilgrim places are provided separately. It recommended that the budget allocation to IRCTC for tourism should be increased immediately, and a separate fund be created for the promotion of tourism and pilgrimage in India.
Tourism promotion: The Committee noted that Indian Railways promotes tourism by connecting various tourist places. However, states with a high potential for tourism such as Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, northern part of Kerala and north eastern states witness minimal presence of Railways. It suggested that if Railways have to increase their revenue, they will have to focus on those areas which possess touristic/ historic/ religious importance, and are not connected by rail.
Pilgrimage circuit: IRCTC runs various tourist and pilgrimage special trains like Bharat Darshan Train, Pilgrim special tourist train, and Buddhist special train. Between 2011 and 2016, Railways have introduced around 600 trains of which only seven trains have been dedicated for promotion of tourism and pilgrimage. The Committee noted that frequent changes in the train trips and introducing new train circuits without analysing the reasons for closing the previous ones reveals the unpreparedness and poor decision making on the part of Railways. It recommended that the Ministry should prepare a comprehensive long term plan to cater to the emerging needs of the tourism sector in India.
The Committee noted that Ministry does not have any specific guidelines for categorising a particular station as a touristic and pilgrimage place. This is despite the concerned Zonal Railway Manager having powers to do so. It noted that the Railways should not take the tourism and pilgrimage sector lightly as it may be a source of revenue. It recommended that the Ministry of Railways should collaborate with the Ministry of Tourism to share data and conduct surveys. Further the Ministry should form a Committee at the zonal level to explore and identify the places of touristic and pilgrimage importance where Railways’ contribution will be required.
Luxury tourist trains: Luxury tourist trains are premier luxury services being offered by Indian Railways (or IRCTC) in collaboration with the State Tourism Development Corporations. Between 2012 and 2016, all the five luxury trains earned a revenue of Rs 497 crore. Of this Railways’ share has been Rs 260 crore (52%). The Committee observed that the revenue generation by these trains is on the lower side, and has stagnated in the last few years. Further, for certain trains, such as the Deccan Odyssey, the cost of running them are higher than the total revenue generated by them. However, Railways does not incur any losses on these luxury trains, as it is only concerned with the transportation costs, and not the operations of such trains.
The Committee recommended that the Ministry of Railways should look at proactive advertisement and publicity with respect to these luxury trains along with the concerned State Tourism Departments. Further, the Ministry should maintain records of all the expenditure incurred on these luxury trains along with the revenue earned so that the actual profit and loss is known.
The programme aims to protect children from the polio disease by conducting two nationwide mass polio vaccination campaigns and two to three sub-national campaigns each year.
More than 17 crore children of less than five years across the country will be given polio drops as part of the drive. To provide additional protection to children Government has also introduced the injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine into its routine immunization program.
About IPV: IPV is produced from wild-type poliovirus strains of each serotype that have been inactivated (killed) with formalin. As an injectable vaccine, it can be administered alone or in combination with other vaccines.
Significance: IPV is an evidence-based intervention that not only ensures continued protection of children against all types of polio viruses, but also helps save vaccine — a move bound to positively impact global vaccine supply in the coming years. IPV provides serum immunity to all three types of poliovirus, resulting in protection against paralytic poliomyelitis. India became the first country globally to introduce fractional doses of IPV in childhood immunisation programme in eight states and Union territories in early 2016.
Facts for Prelims: India was declared polio-free country in the year 2014. India’s last reported cases of wild polio were in West Bengal and Gujarat on 13 January 2011.
About POLIO: Polio (also called poliomyelitis) is a contagious, historically devastating disease that was virtually eliminated from the Western hemisphere in the second half of the 20th century. Although polio has been around since ancient times, its most extensive outbreak occurred in the first half of the 1900s until the polio vaccine was introduced in 1955.
It is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g. contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis.
Symptoms and Cure: Although approximately 90% of polio infections cause no symptoms at all, affected individuals can exhibit a range of symptoms if the virus enters the blood stream. In about 1% of cases, the virus enters the central nervous system, preferentially infecting and destroying motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness and acute flaccid paralysis.
Initial symptoms of polio include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. In a small proportion of cases, the disease causes paralysis, which is often permanent. There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented by immunization.
The focus of modern treatment has been on providing relief of symptoms, speeding recovery and preventing complications. Supportive measures include antibiotics to prevent infections in weakened muscles, analgesics for pain, moderate exercise and a nutritious diet. Treatment of polio often requires long-term rehabilitation, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, braces, corrective shoes and, in some cases, orthopedic surgery.
About Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana: Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana aims to provide LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) connections to poor households.
Who is eligible? Under the scheme, an adult woman member of a below poverty line family identified through the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) is given a deposit-free LPG connection with financial assistance of Rs 1,600 per connection by the Centre.
Identification of households: Eligible households will be identified in consultation with state governments and Union territories. The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Key objectives of the scheme are: Empowering women and protecting their health. Reducing the serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuel. Reducing the number of deaths in India due to unclean cooking fuel. Preventing young children from significant number of acute respiratory illnesses caused due to indoor air pollution by burning the fossil fuel.
What makes LPG adoption necessary? A large section of Indians, especially women and girls, are exposed to severe household air pollution (HAP) from the use of solid fuels such as biomass, dung cakes and coal for cooking. A report from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare places HAP as the second leading risk factor contributing to India’s disease burden.
According to the World Health Organization, solid fuel use is responsible for about 13% of all mortality and morbidity in India (measured as Disability-Adjusted Life Years), and causes about 40% of all pulmonary disorders, nearly 30% of cataract incidences, and over 20% each of ischemic heart disease, lung cancer and lower respiratory infection.
Way ahead: The PMUY is a bold and much-needed initiative, but it should be recognised that this is just a first step. The real test of the PMUY and its successor programmes will be in how they translate the provision of connections to sustained use of LPG or other clean fuels such as electricity or biogas.
Truly smokeless kitchens can be realized only if the government follows up with measures that go beyond connections to actual usage of LPG. This may require concerted efforts cutting across Ministries beyond petroleum and natural gas and including those of health, rural development and women and child welfare.
This additional funding of $137 million will be used for the construction of an additional spillway for Hirakud Dam in Odisha and in rehabilitation and improvement of other dams including strengthening the institutional, legal and technical framework for dam safety assurance within the Government of India and in the participating States.
Why ensure safety of dams in the country? About 80% of our large dams are over twenty-five years old. About 209 dams are over 100 years old and were built in an era when design practices and safety considerations were much below the current design and safety norms. Several of these dams may be experiencing distress and are in need of attention for ensuring their structural safety and operational efficiency.
About DRIP: The Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), Government of India, with assistance from the World Bank, is implementing the DAM REHABILITATION AND IMPROVEMENT PROJECT (DRIP), which would be a six-year project. The Central Dam Safety Organisation of Central Water Commission, assisted by a Consulting firm, is coordinating and supervising the Project implementation.
Goals: The project originally envisaged the rehabilitation and improvement of about 223 dams within four states namely, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu and later Karnataka, Uttarakhand (UNVNL) and Jharkhand (DVC) joined DRIP and total number of dams covered under DRIP increased to 250. The project will also promote new technologies and improve Institutional capacities for dam safety evaluation and implementation at the Central and State levels and in some identified premier academic and research institutes of the country.
The project development objectives of DRIP are: (i) to improve the safety and performance of selected existing dams and associated appurtenances in a sustainable manner, and (ii) to strengthen the dam safety institutional setup in participating states as well as at central level.
Background: Globally India ranks third after China and the USA in terms of the number of large dams with 5264 large dams in operation and 437 large dams under construction. The total storage capacity of the impounded water by these dams is about 283 billion cubic meters (BCM).
Key facts: The project envisions a massive makeover of the holy shrine and its surrounding areas. This massive makeover is the first after the 1780 AD when the Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore renovated the temple and the area surrounding it.
The proposed 50-feet corridor will directly connect Ganga’s Manikarnika and Lalita Ghat to the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga Temple. Along the corridor, pilgrims and travellers will see a newly built museum and depicting Varanasi’s ancient history and culture.
Background: Kashi Vishvanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples.
The proposed scheme is a revised version of earlier initiatives, but with a fresh focus on socio-economic re-integration.
Highlights of the new policy: In order to encourage militants to join the mainstream, the policy provides for a monthly stipend of Rs 6,000 for those who surrender. However, this initiative will not cover militants found to have been involved in “heinous crimes”. Jobs and reformative measures are also part of the new reintegration policy draft.
Significance: There is need for rehabilitation through a two-pronged approach including reformative measures and opportunities of livelihood. It is essential for the government to show its will to reach out to alienated youth.
The successful implementation of a surrender policy is of utmost importance in Jammu and Kashmir as there are a large number of surrendered or released militants. The successful rehabilitation of one hardcore surrendered or released militant will motivate others to follow suit.
Previous approaches: An earlier policy from 2010 focused on ensuring the return of former militants from the state who had taken up arms between January 1989 and December 2009 but later gave up insurgent activities “due to a change of heart and are willing, to return to the state”.
In 2004, a “rehabilitation policy” implemented by the then Peoples Democratic Party government sought to provide “facility to those terrorists who undergo a change of heart and eschew the path of violence and who also accept the integrity of India and Indian Constitution to encourage them to join the mainstream and lead a normal life”. This policy had laid out provisions to provide vocational training for surrendered militants who wished to pursue a trade, and a monthly stipend of Rs 2,000 for the first three years.
The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) entered into a partnership with China’s Xuzhou city from Jiangsu Province in China to help develop the IT corridor. The primary aim of this IT corridor will be to facilitate partnerships between Indian and Chinese companies.
Background: The IT industry body has already launched such corridors at Dalian and Guiyang cities to cash in on the burgeoning Chinese IT industry market. Through its previous similar initiatives in China, NASSCOM has brought to the fore opportunities with over 300 companies where more than 10 Indian SME companies have signed deals worth 31 Million RMB (USD 4.5 million).
Outcomes: Through this partnership, the platform will be launched that will facilitate match-making between Indian companies wanting to collaborate with companies in Huai Hai economic zone looking to adopt digital transformation from verticals such as manufacturing, retail, automotive, healthcare and utilities and help them create innovative product and solutions in the co-create mode.
Way ahead: India is a world leader in the area of Information Technology and IT-enabled services with annual revenue of over $164 billion and exports of over $120 billion. The country has been demanding China to provide market access to Indian IT and pharmaceutical firms for several years to reduce bilateral trade deficit.
For India, getting access to China’s IT market, valued at over $493 billion in 2013 by the ministry of industry and information technology of China, is important to address the massive trade deficit which has now spiralled to over $51 billion. The Chinese IT market grew exponentially since then.
The programme of star rating of Microwave Ovens and Washing Machines will be implemented on a voluntary basis and will be valid up to December 31, 2020.
What is BEE Star Rating? Star ratings are provided to all the major kind of appliances in the form of labels. These star ratings are given out of 5 and they provide a basic sense of how energy efficient each product is, just in a single glance. The manufacturers are officially required to put these labels as per the Standards and Labelling Program introduced in 2006.
Why do they put these BEE Star Rating labels? The prime importance of these Star Ratings is to educate and inform consumers about how energy efficient each product is. This also makes the manufacturer responsible for creating products which are highly energy efficient as consumers may eventually prefer better rated products.
How do they decide the BEE Star Ratings? One of the most common myths about the BEE Star Rating is that it is solely based on the appliance’s power consumption. A lot of factors contribute into formulating the final star rating on the product.
Although the manufacturers rate and label the product, BEE sets all the standards and norms which need to be followed while rating an appliance. While some category of appliances necessarily have to be given a star rating, for others it’s optional.
Appliances which need to have an energy rating label mandatorily: Frost-free refrigerator, Tubular Fluorescent Lamps, Room Air-Conditioners, Distribution Transformer, Colour TV, CST AC, Direct Cool Refrigerator and Electric Geyser.
The appliances with the lowest energy consumption in a product category are given the most stars and those with the highest energy consumption are given the least.
There are two variants of these labels, a big one and a smaller version: Big label: The big energy rating label is aimed at appliances which have a constant usage and consume more electricity. These labels show additional information such as the yearly energy consumption of the product, brand name, product category and much more. For consumers, this big label is helpful as it allows you to calculate the actual money you would spend in electricity bills for that particular product.
Products with a big label: Refrigerators, air-conditioners, geysers and washing machines.
Small Label: Small labels can be found in appliances which usually don’t consume more energy. These labels just give you a visual representation of the energy consumption levels by showing star ratings. Products with a small label: Ceiling fans, tube lights, computers/laptops and televisions.
Facts for Prelims: Bureau of Energy Efficiency is a statutory body set up under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency assists the government in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles with the primary objective of reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy within the overall framework of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
What is Urban Observatory? It is a platform that uses data from different sources to enable analysis and visualization over a geospatial platform. Such platforms churn out interesting analyses and visualizations by collating massive datasets.
The concept of Urban Observatories was formally initiated at the UN Habitat-II Conference in 1997 in Istanbul.
India Urban Observatory: It is an important component of the recently launched DataSmart Cities strategy that envisions creating a ‘Culture of Data’ in cities, for intelligent use of data in addressing complex urban challenges.
It will showcase the insights gained from the Observatory and the various Missions/ offices with the idea to proactively engage with citizens/ visitors in spreading awareness about the various initiatives of the Ministry.
It would progressively become the chief data analysis and Management Hub of the Ministry and would enable evidence-based policy formulation, capacity building of ecosystem partners on data-driven governance, foster innovation through development of newer and better use cases thereby enabling solutions at scale and speed.
Background: The Data Smart Cities Policy allows cities to open their data to public view, such as number of hospitals, gardens, people, public toilets and other city management. Making cities ‘DataSmart’ is key to realizing the full potential of technology interventions and innovation ecosystems in cities.
The Data Smart Cities Strategy also presents a Data Maturity Assessment Framework (DMAF), that measures the readiness and evolution of cities in their efforts to implementing the Data strategy.
Significance: It is imperative for the empowerment of communities that cities work on using information available through various sources to improve their functioning, public services, governance systems, achievements and failures in the public domain, thereby, empowering their citizens through the access to information. The future of Governance is data-driven and Indian cities are beginning to adopt this change in their functioning.
Key facts: The Sundarbans comprises hundreds of islands and a network of rivers, tributaries and creeks in the delta of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal in India and Bangladesh.
Located on the southwestern part of the delta, the Indian Sundarban constitutes over 60% of the country’s total mangrove forest area. It is the 27th Ramsar Site in India, and with an area of 4,23,000 hectares is now the largest protected wetland in the country.
The Indian Sundarban, also a UNESCO world heritage site, is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. It is also home to a large number of “rare and globally threatened species, such as the critically endangered northern river terrapin (Batagur baska), the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and the vulnerable fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus).”
Two of the world’s four horseshoe crab species, and eight of India’s 12 species of kingfisher are also found here. Recent studies claim that the Indian Sundarban is home to 2,626 faunal species and 90% of the country’s mangrove varieties.
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, better known as the Ramsar Convention, is an international agreement promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands. It is the only global treaty to focus on a single ecosystem.
The convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.
Why wetlands are important? Traditionally viewed as a wasteland or breeding ground of disease, wetlands actually provide freshwater and food, and serve as nature’s shock absorber. Wetlands, critical for biodiversity, are disappearing rapidly, with recent estimates showing that 64% or more of the world’s wetlands have vanished since 1900.
Major changes in land use for agriculture and grazing, water diversion for dams and canals and infrastructure development are considered to be some of the main causes of loss and degradation of wetlands.
How did Sundarban qualify? The Indian Sundarban met four of the nine criteria required for the status of ‘Wetland of International Importance’ — presence of rare species and threatened ecological communities, biological diversity, significant and representative fish and fish spawning ground and migration path.
Will the status help? Environmentalists and forest officials say the Ramsar status will help to highlight conservation issues of the Sundarbans at the international level. The part of the Sundarban delta, which lies in Bangladesh, was accorded the status of a Ramsar site in 1992, and with Indian Sundarban getting it too, international cooperation between the two countries for the protection of this unique ecosystem will increase. This could lead to a better conservation strategy for flagship species such as the tiger and the northern river terrapin.
What are the threats? While the Indian Sundarban is a biodiverse preserve, over four million people live on its northern and northwestern periphery, putting pressure on the ecosystem. Concerns have been raised about natural ecosystems being changed for cultivation of shrimp, crab, molluscs and fish.
Fishing and harvesting of aquatic resources have also a “high impact” on the wetland. The other threats are from dredging, oil and gas drilling, logging and wood harvesting, hunting and collecting terrestrial animals. Salinity has been categorised as a medium and tourism as a low impact actual threat in the region.
Experts believe that while the Ramsar status may bring in international recognition to the Indian Sundarban, the wetland, which along with anthropogenic pressures, is also vulnerable to climate change and requires better management and conservation practices.