Government constitutes a High Powered Committee of Chief Ministers for ‘Transformation of Indian Agriculture’ Posted On: 07 JAN 2020 3:46PM by PIB Delhi The major highlights of the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare during the year 2019 are as follows:

Launch of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY) PM-KMY inaugurated by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 12th September, 2019 provides for payment of minimum pension of Rs.3000/- per month to the eligible small and marginal farmers on attaining the age of 60 years. It is voluntary and contributory pension scheme, with entry age of 18 to 40 years. The monthly contribution by farmer ranges between Rs.55 to 200. Central Government will contribute an equal amount in the pension scheme. Till now 19, 19, 802 beneficiaries have been registered.

Launch of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) PM-KISAN Scheme inaugurated by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 24th February, 2019 which provides for transfer of an amount of Rs. 6000/- per year in three equal instalments each of Rs. 2000/- directly into the bank account of beneficiary farmer families. The Scheme initially covered only small and marginal farmer families with land holding upto 2 hectares as beneficiaries, subject to certain exclusion criteria for higher income status. The Government later extended the scheme with effect from 1st April 2019 to all farmer families irrespective of land holding size, subject to applicable exclusions. Since the launch of PM Kisan till now about 8.12 crore farmer families have been benefitted and more than Rs. 48,937 crore has been released under the scheme. A new facility has been provided on PM-KISAN Web-portal (www.pmkisan.gov.in) through ‘Farmers’ Corner’ Link to facilitate the farmers for self registration, edit his/her name in PM-Kisan data base as per Aadhar Card, access the beneficiary list and status of payment. The farmers are being facilitated for self registration and data correction through Common Service Centers.

Constitution of High Powered Committee of Chief Ministers for ‘Transformation of Indian Agriculture’ A High Powered Committee of Chief Ministers for “Transformation of Indian Agriculture” has been constituted and two meetings of the Committee have been held on 18th July, 2019 and 16th August 2019 to deliberate and firm up their report.

Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for Kharif 2019-20 season and Rabi Crops of 2019-20 increased The Union Government has announced an increase in MSP for Kharif 2019-20 season. MSP of Paddy increased by Rs.65 per quintal, Jowar by Rs.120 per quintal, Bajra by Rs.50 per quintal, Ragi by Rs.253 per quintal and Maize by Rs.60 per quintal. MSP of Tur, Moong and Urad pulses raised by Rs.125, Rs.75 & Rs.100 per quintal respectively. MSP of Groundnut up by Rs.200 per quintal, Sunflower seed by Rs.262 per quintal, Nigerseed by Rs.63 per quintal, Medium staple cotton by Rs.105 per quintal, Long staple Cotton by Rs.100 per quintal, Soybeen (yellow) by Rs. 311 per quintal and Sesamum by Rs. 236 per quintal.

The Government has announced the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for Rabi Crops of 2019-20 to be marketed in Rabi marketing season (RMS) 2020-21. The MSP of Wheat and Barley increased by Rs. 85 per quintal each, Gram by Rs. 255 per quintal, Lentil by Rs. 325 per quintal, Rapeseed & Mustard by Rs. 225 per quintal and Safflower by Rs. 270 per quintal.

e-NAM –One Nation One Market 421 new mandis have been approved for integration under the e-NAM. Along with these, FPOs have also been on-boarded on e-NAM portal and they have started uploading their produce for trading from their premise. Further, 23 Warehouses of CWC located in 11 districts of AP have been declared as Deemed Market under Agriculture Produce and Livestock Marketing (APLM) Act which will facilitate trading in future through these warehouses on e-NAM portal.

Other Initiatives and Achievements: 25 Seed-Hub Centres have been sanctioned across the country for increasing availability of quality seeds of Nutri-Cereals (Millets) and the first instalment of Rs.723.00 lakh has been released.

During current year (2019-20), 12.40 lakh Soil Health Card has been distributed to farmers under Model Village Project. Under Farm Mechanization 1,44,113 machineries have been distributed and 2300 Custom Hiring Centres have been established during current year (2019-20). During 2019-20, 32,808 machineries have been distributed and 8662 Custom Hiring Centres have been established under Crop Residue Management Programme.

Muti lingual Mobile App “CHC-Farm Machinery” was launched, which helps the farmers for getting rented farm machinery and implements through Custom Hiring Service Centres (CHC) in their area. As on date, 41,992 CHCs with 1,33,723 Agricultural machinery for renting out are registered on this Mobile app. Total 1,12,505 farmers as users are registered on this Mobile App.

During current year (2019-20) 73,658 hectare additional area has been covered under Horticulture Crops and 59 Nurseries have been established.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) notified the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Liquidation Process) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020 on 6th January 2020.

The amendment clarifies that a person, who is not eligible under the Code to submit a resolution plan for insolvency resolution of the corporate debtor, shall not be a party in any manner to a compromise or arrangement of the corporate debtor under section 230 of the Companies Act, 2013. It also clarifies that a secured creditor cannot sell or transfer an asset, which is subject to security interest, to any person, who is not eligible under the Code to submit a resolution plan for insolvency resolution of the corporate debtor.

The amendment provides that a secured creditor, who proceeds to realise its security interest, shall contribute its share of the insolvency resolution process cost, liquidation process cost and workmen’s dues, within 90 days of the liquidation commencement date. It shall also pay excess of realised value of the asset, which is subject to security interest, over the amount of its claims admitted, within 180 days of the liquidation commencement date. Where the secured creditor fails to pay such amounts to the Liquidator within 90 days or 180 days, as the case may be, the asset shall become part of Liquidation Estate.

The amendment provides that a Liquidator shall deposit the amount of unclaimed dividends, if any, and undistributed proceeds, if any, in a liquidation process along with any income earned thereon into the Corporate Liquidation Account before he submits an application for dissolution of the corporate debtor. It also provides a process for a stakeholder to seek withdrawal from the Corporate Liquidation Account.

The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the First Advance Estimates of National Income at both Constant (2011-12) and Current Prices, for the financial year 2019-20 along with the corresponding estimates of expenditure components of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

2. The First Advance Estimates of GDP have been released in accordance with the release calendar of National Accounts. The approach for compiling the Advance Estimates is based on Benchmark-Indicator method. The sector-wise Estimates are obtained by extrapolation of indicators like (i) Index of Industrial Production (IIP) of first 7 months of the financial year, (ii) financial performance of Listed Companies in the Private Corporate sector available upto quarter ending September, 2019 (iii) 1st Advance Estimates of Crop production, (iv) accounts of Central & State Governments, information on indicators like Deposits & Credits, Passenger and Freight earnings of Railways, Passengers and Cargo handled by Civil Aviation, Cargo handled at major Sea Ports, Sales of Commercial Vehicles, etc., available for first 8 months of the financial year. With the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 1st July 2017 and consequent changes in the tax structure, the total Tax Revenue used for GDP compilation include non-GST revenue and GST revenue. For the year 2019-20, the Budget Estimates of Tax Revenue as provided by Controller General of Accounts (CGA) have been used for estimating taxes on products at Current Prices. For compiling taxes on products at Constant Prices, volume extrapolation is done using volume growth of taxed goods and services and aggregated to get the total volume of taxes. Annual forecast of indicators which are available for first 7 / 8 months is based on Regression using seasonal dummies to account for seasonal fluctuations or some indicators like IIP have been compiled by dividing the cumulative value for the first 7 months of the current financial year by average of ratio of cumulative value of 7 months to the annual value of past years. The salient features of the Estimates are detailed below:

ESTIMATES AT CONSTANT (2011-12) PRICES Gross Domestic Product 3. Real GDP or GDP at Constant Prices (2011-12) in the year 2019-20 is likely to attain a level of ₹147.79 lakh crore, as against the Provisional Estimate of GDP for the year 2018-19 of ₹140.78 lakh crore, released on 31st May 2019. The growth in real GDP during 2019-20 is estimated at 5.0 per cent as compared to the growth rate of 6.8 per cent in 2018-19.

Gross Value Added (GVA) at Basic Prices 4. Real GVA at Basic Prices is estimated to increase from ₹129.07 lakh crore in 2018-19 to ₹135.40 lakh crore in 2019-20. Estimated growth of real GVA in 2019-20 is 4.9 per cent as against 6.6 per cent in 2018-19.

5. The sectors which registered growth rate of over 4.9 percent are, ‘Electricity, Gas, Water Supply and Other Utility Services’, ‘Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication and Services related to Broadcasting’, 'Financial, Real Estate and Professional Services’ and ‘Public Administration, Defence and Other Services’ at 5.4 per cent, 5.9 per cent, 6.4 per cent, 9.1 per cent respectively. The growth in the ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’, ‘Mining and Quarrying’, ‘Manufacturing’ and ‘Construction’ is estimated to be 2.8 per cent, 1.5 per cent, 2.0 per cent and 3.2 per cent respectively.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 6. GVA at Basic Prices for 2019-20 from ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’ sector is estimated to grow by 2.8 per cent as compared to growth of 2.9 per cent in 2018-19. The GVA estimates of this sector are based on 1st advance estimates of agricultural production during Kharif season of 2019-20 obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer Welfare. For Livestock sector, estimates of production of major livestock products (i.e. Milk, Egg, Meat and Wool) obtained from the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Fish production data obtained from Department of Fisheries have been used. The crops including fruits and vegetables account for about 56 per cent, the livestock products 30 per cent and forestry & fisheries 14 per cent share of GVA in total GVA of ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’ sector.

Mining and Quarrying 7. GVA at Basic Prices for 2019-20 from ‘Mining and Quarrying’ sector is estimated to grow by 1.5 per cent as compared to growth of 1.3 per cent in 2018-19. The key indicators of Mining sector, namely, production of Coal, Crude Oil and Natural Gas registered growth rates of (-) 5.3 per cent, (-) 5.9 per cent and (-) 2.6 per cent, during April-November, 2019-20 as compared to 9.0 per cent, (-) 3.6 per cent and (-) 0.7 per cent respectively, during April-November, 2018-19. IIP of metallic minerals grew at 13.7 per cent during April-October, 2019-20 as compared to 2.6 per cent during same period in 2018-19.

Manufacturing 8. GVA at Basic Prices for 2019-20 from ‘Manufacturing’ sector is estimated to grow by 2.0 per cent as compared to growth of 6.9 per cent in 2018-19. The Private Corporate sector growth in the Manufacturing sector for 2019-20 is estimated using latest available information on major Listed Companies during first half of financial year 2019-20. The Private Corporate sector growth (which has a share of over 75 per cent in the Manufacturing sector) was estimated from available data of Listed Companies with BSE and NSE. The Quasi - Corporate and Unorganized segment (which has a share of over 20 per cent in the Manufacturing sector) has been estimated using IIP of Manufacturing which registered a growth of 0.6 per cent during April-October, 2019-20.

Electricity, Gas, Water Supply and Other Utility Services 9. GVA at Basic Prices for 2019-20 from ‘Electricity, Gas, Water Supply and Other Utility Services’ sector is expected to grow by 5.4 per cent as compared to growth of 7.0 per cent in 2018-19. Estimate of IIP of Electricity compiled for 2019-20 has been used for compilation. IIP of Electricity registered a growth rate of 1.6 per cent during April-October, 2019-20.

Construction 10. GVA at Basic Prices for 2019-20 from ‘Construction’ sector is expected to grow by 3.2 per cent as compared to growth of 8.7 per cent in 2018-19. Key indicators of Construction sector, namely, Production of Cement and Consumption of Finished Steel registered growth rates of (-) 0.02 per cent and 3.5 per cent respectively during April-November, 2019-20.

Trade, Hotels and Transport & Communication and Services related to Broadcasting 11. The estimated growth in GVA for the Trade, Hotels, Transport and Communication and Services related to Broadcasting services during 2019-20 is placed at 5.9 per cent as against growth of 6.9 per cent in the previous year. GVA from Trade sector is estimated using an index of turnover based on Sales Tax. With introduction of GST, Sales Tax data is now subsumed under GST. Therefore, a comparable estimate of turnover based on Sales Tax has been estimated. Methodology of estimation is as explained in the Annexure to the Press Note on estimates of GDP for the second quarter (July-September) of 2017-18 released on 30th November, 2017. The key indicators of Railways, namely, the Net Tonne Kilometres and Passenger Kilometres have shown growth rate of (-)4.1 per cent and (-)0.9 per cent respectively during April-November, 2019-20. Among the other transport service sectors, Cargo handled at major Sea Ports, Cargo handled by the Civil Aviation, Passengers handled by the Civil Aviation and Sales of Commercial Vehicles registered a growth of 0.2 per cent, (-)7.9 per cent, 1.8 per cent and (-) 22.1 per cent respectively during April-November, 2019-20.

Financial, Real Estate and Professional Services 12. The estimated growth in GVA for this sector during 2019-20 is placed at 6.4 per cent as compared to growth of 7.4 per cent in 2018-19. Major component of this industry is the Real Estate and Professional Services which has a share of over 75 per cent. The key indicators of this sector are the growth of Corporate Sector for Real Estate sector and Computer related activities which are estimated using latest available information on Listed Companies for the first half of financial year 2019-20. Aggregate Bank Deposits and Bank Credits have shown growth rates of 10.3 per cent and 8.9 per cent respectively as on October, 2019.

Public Administration and Defence and Other Services 13. GVA at Basic Prices for 2019-20 from this sector is expected to grow by 9.1 per cent as compared to growth of 8.6 per cent in 2018-19. The key indicator of this sector namely, Union Government Expenditure Net of Interest Payments grew by 17.8 per cent during April-November, 2019-20.

Per Capita Income 14. The Per Capita Income in real terms (at 2011-12 prices) during 2019-20 is likely to attain a level of ₹96,563 as compared to ₹92,565 for the year 2018-19. The growth rate in Per Capita Income is estimated at 4.3 per cent during 2019-20, as against 5.6 per cent in the previous year.

B. ESTIMATES AT CURRENT PRICES 15. Price Indices used as Deflators The Wholesale Price Index (WPI), in respect of the groups - Food Articles, Manufactured Products, Electricity and all Commodities, has risen by 8.0 per cent, 0.3 per cent, (-) 0.3 per cent and 1.4 per cent, respectively during April-November, 2019-20. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) has shown a rise of 3.7 per cent during April-November, 2019-20.

Gross Domestic Product 16. GDP is derived by adding Taxes on Products net of Subsidies on Products to GVA at Basic Prices. GDP at Current Prices in the year 2019-20 is likely to attain a level of ₹204.42 lakh crore, as against ₹190.10 lakh crore in 2018-19 showing a growth rate of 7.5 per cent.

National Income 17. The nominal Net National Income (NNI), also known as National Income (at Current Prices) is likely to be ₹181.10 lakh crore during 2019-20, as against ₹168.37 lakh crore for the year 2018-19. In terms of growth rates, the National Income registered a growth rate of 7.6 per cent in 2019-20 as against the previous year’s growth rate of 11.3 per cent.

Per Capita Income 18. The Per Capita Net National Income during 2019-20 is estimated to be ₹1,35,050 showing a rise of 6.8 per cent as compared to ₹1,26,406 during 2018-19 with the growth rate of 10.0 per cent.

C. ANNUAL ESTIMATES OF FINAL EXPENDITURES OF GDP, 2019-20 19. Along with the First Advance Estimates of GVA at Basic Prices by economic activity, the First Advance Estimates of Expenditures of the GDP at Current and Constant (2011-12) Prices are also released. These estimates have been compiled using the data from the same sources as those used for compiling GVA estimates by economic activity, detailed data available on Merchandise Trade in respect of Imports and Exports, Balance of Payments, and Expenditure of Central and State Governments. As various components of Expenditure on Gross Domestic Product, namely, Consumption Expenditure and Capital Formation, are normally measured at Market Prices, the discussion in the following paragraphs is in terms of Market Prices only.

Private Final Consumption Expenditure 20. Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) at Current Prices is estimated at ₹123.07 lakh crore in 2019-20 as against ₹112.90 lakh crore in 2018-19. At Constant (2011-12) Prices, the PFCE is estimated at ₹84.81 lakh crore in 2019-20 as against ₹80.17 lakh crore in 2018-19. In terms of GDP, the rates of PFCE at Current and Constant (2011-12) Prices during 2019-20 are estimated at 60.2 per cent and 57.4 per cent, respectively, as against the corresponding rates of 59.4 per cent and 56.9 per cent, respectively in 2018-19.

Government Final Consumption Expenditure 21. Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GFCE) at Current Prices is estimated at ₹24.34 lakh crore in 2019-20 as against ₹21.35 lakh crore in 2018-19. At Constant (2011-12) Prices, the GFCE is estimated at ₹16.65 lakh crore in 2019-20 as against ₹15.06 lakh crore in 2018-19. In terms of GDP, the rates of GFCE at current and constant (2011-12) prices during 2019-20 are estimated at 11.9 per cent and 11.3 per cent, respectively, as against the corresponding rates of 11.2 per cent and 10.7 per cent, respectively in 2018-19.

Gross Fixed Capital Formation 22. Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) at Current Prices is estimated at ₹57.42 lakh crore in 2019-20 as against ₹55.70 lakh crore in 2018-19. At Constant (2011-12) Prices, the GFCF is estimated at ₹45.93 lakh crore in 2019-20 as against ₹45.48 lakh crore in 2018-19. In terms of GDP, the rates of GFCF at Current and Constant (2011-12) prices during 2019-20 are estimated at 28.1 per cent and 31.1 per cent, respectively, as against the corresponding rates of 29.3 per cent and 32.3 per cent, respectively in 2018-19.

What’s the issue? These observations were made by the court while upholding constitutional validity of West Bengal Madrassas Service Commission Act, 2008, under which the selection and appointment of teachers in madrassas are to be decided by a commission.

It set aside Calcutta high court verdict declaring various provision of the law unconstitutional for being violative of Article 30.

Article 30: It says all minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

Observations made by the Supreme Court: Good quality of education cannot be compromised in national interest irrespective of whether it is minority or majority educational institutions. The essence of Article 30(1) is to ensure equal treatment between the majority and the minority institutions and that rules and regulations would apply equally to the majority institutions as well as to the minority institutions.

How to strike a “balance” between the two objectives of excellence in education and the preservation of the minorities’ right? The court explains how to strike a “balance” between the two objectives of excellence in education and the preservation of the minorities’ right to run their educational institutions.

For this, the court broadly divides education into two categories – secular education and education “directly aimed at or dealing with preservation and protection of the heritage, culture, script and special characteristics of a religious or a linguistic minority.”

When it comes to the latter, the court advocated “maximum latitude” to be given to the management to appoint teachers. The court reasons that only “teachers who believe in the religious ideology or in the special characteristics of the concerned minority would alone be able to imbibe in the students admitted in such educational institutions, what the minorities would like to preserve, profess and propagate.” However, minority institutions where the curriculum was “purely secular”, the intent must be to impart education availing the best possible teachers.

Constitutional Provisions regarding Minority Educational Institutions: Article 30(1) recognizes linguistic and religious minorities but not those based on race, ethnicity. It recognizes the right of religious and linguistic minorities to establish and administer educational institutions, in effect recognizing the role educational institutions play in preserving distinct culture. A majority community can also establish and administer educational institution but they will not enjoy special rights under Article 30(1)(a).

Special rights enjoyed by religious minority institutions are: Under Art 30(1)(a), MEI enjoy right to education as a Fundamental Right. In case the property is taken over by state, due compensation to be provided to establish institutions elsewhere Under Article 15(5), MEIs are not considered for reservation Under Right to Education Act, MEI not required to provide admission to children in the age group of 6-14 years upto 25% of enrolment reserved for economically backward section of society

In St Stephens vs Delhi University case, 1992, SC ruled that MEIs can have 50% seats reserved for minorities In TMA Pai & others vs State of Karnataka & others 2002 case, SC ruled that MEIs can have separate admission process which is fair, transparent and merit based. They can also separate fee structure but should not charge capitation fee.

Why Tulu should be given a place in eighth schedule? Tulu is a textbook example of linguistic discrimination. Tulu is a Dravidian language whose speakers are concentrated in two coastal districts of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district of Kerala. Kasaragod district is called ‘Sapta bhasha Samgama Bhumi (the confluence of seven languages)’, and Tulu is among the seven.

The Census reports 18,46,427 native speakers of Tulu in India. The Tulu-speaking people are larger in number than speakers of Manipuri and Sanskrit, which have the Eighth Schedule status.

Robert Caldwell (1814-1891), in his book, A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages, called Tulu as “one of the most highly developed languages of the Dravidian family”.

The present-day Tulu linguistic majority area is confined to the region of Tulu Nadu, which comprises the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka and the northern part of Kasaragod district of Kerala up to the river Payaswani, or Chandragiri. The cities of Mangaluru, Udupi and Kasaragod are the epicentres of Tulu culture.

Why the demand? Efforts are being made to include Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. If included in the Eighth Schedule, Tulu would get recognition from the Sahitya Akademi. Tulu books would be translated into other recognised Indian languages. Members of Parliament and MLAs could speak in Tulu in Parliament and State Assemblies, respectively. Candidates could write all-India competitive examinations like the Civil Services exam in Tulu.

Linguistic diversity of India: According to the 2001 Census, India has 30 languages that are spoken by more than a million people each.

Additionally, it has 122 languages that are spoken by at least 10,000 people each. It also has 1,599 languages, most of which are dialects. These are restricted to specific regions and many of them are on the verge of extinction. India must accommodate this plethora of languages in its cultural discourse and administrative apparatus.

Right to Conserve? Article 29 of the Constitution provides that a section of citizens having a distinct language, script or culture have the right to conserve the same.

Background: The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India lists the official languages of the Republic of India. As per Articles 344(1) and 351 of the Indian Constitution, the eighth schedule includes the recognition of the following 22 languages.

What is NetSCoFAN? It would comprise of eight groups of institutions working in different areas viz. biological, chemical, nutrition & labelling, food of animal origin, food of plant origin, water & beverages, food testing, and safer & sustainable packaging.

FSSAI has identified eight Nodal Institutions who would develop a ‘Ready Reckoner’ that will have inventory of all research work, experts and institutions and would carry out and facilitate research, survey and related activities.

It would identify research gaps in respective areas and collect, collate and develop database on food safety issues for risk assessment activities. Need for and significance: The need for identify research gaps in respective areas and collect, collate and develop database on food safety issues for risk assessment activities, will be addressed by NetSCoFAN.

What is IDRSS? Why it is vital? The IDRSS is planned to track and be constantly in touch with Indian satellites, in particular those in low-earth orbits which have limited coverage of earth.

It will be a set of satellites that will track, send and receive information from other Indian Satellites. IDRSS satellites of the 2,000 kg class would be launched on the GSLV launcher to geostationary orbits around 36,000 km away. A satellite in GEO covers a third of the earth below and three of them can provide total coverage.

Significance: In the coming years, it will be vital to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), whose roadmap is dotted with advanced LEO missions such as space docking, space station, as well as distant expeditions to moon, Mars and Venus. It will also be useful in monitoring launches.

The first beneficiary would be the prospective crew members of the Gaganyaan mission of 2022 who can be fully and continuously in touch with mission control throughout their travel.

The states are- Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tripura, Assam, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

About NDRF: National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) was renamed as National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) with the enactment of the Disaster Management Act in 2005.

Defined in Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DM Act). It is a fund managed by the Central Government for meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation due to any threatening disaster situation or disaster. Constituted to supplement the funds of the State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF) of the states to facilitate immediate relief in case of calamities of a severe nature.

Key features of NDRF: Located in the “Public Accounts” of Government of India under “Reserve Funds not bearing interest“.

Monitoring: Department of Agriculture and Cooperation under Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) monitors relief activities for calamities associated with drought, hailstorms, pest attacks and cold wave /frost while rest of the natural calamities are monitored by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) audits the accounts of NDRF.

What is it to be used for? NDRF amount can be spent only towards meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation. For projects exclusively for the purpose of mitigation, i.e, measures aimed at reducing the risk, impact or effect of a disaster or threatening disaster situation a separate fund called National Disaster Mitigation Fund has to be constituted.

Sources of Financing NDRF: Financed through the levy of a cess on certain items, chargeable to excise and customs duty, and approved annually through the Finance Bill. The requirement for funds beyond what is available under the NDRF is met through general budgetary resources.

Currently, a National Calamity Contingency Duty (NCCD) is levied to finance the NDRF and additional budgetary support is provided as and when necessary. A provision also exists in the DM Act to encourage any person or institution to make a contribution to the NDRF.

Context: Mizoram govt to organise ‘Zo Kutpui’ globally to unify Mizo tribes.

The first festival would be held at Vanghmun, a hub town of Mizos in neighbouring Tripura.

The event will see the presence of many important dignitaries from various Mizoram tribes and also witness cultural programmes and traditional songs from various Mizo tribes from Mizoram and other northeastern states. The event aims at re-unifying and strengthening brotherhood among different tribes of Mizo.

IUCN status: critically endangered. Found in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972 and in the CMS Convention and in Appendix I of CITES.

Identified as one of the species for the recovery programme under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Project Great Indian Bustard — state of Rajasthan — identifying and fencing off bustard breeding grounds in existing protected areas as well as provide secure breeding enclosures in areas outside protected areas.

Protected areas: Desert National Park Sanctuary — Rajasthan, Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary – Andhra Pradesh and Karera Wildlife Sanctuary– Madhya Pradesh.