The Union Tourism Ministry’s “ Dekho Apna Desh” webinar series on 11th June 2020 walked into its 31st session showcasing “Himachal- Around the next bend” focusing on the beautiful villages, mountains, pristine rivers, culture and heritage. Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series is an effort to showcase India’s rich diversity under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme.

The session of the Dekho Apna Desh webinar series on 11th June, 2020 was moderated by Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism. The session was presented by Frank Schlichtmann, Founder, The 4tables Project, Ankit Sood, Managing Host, Sunshine Himalayan Adventures and Michael & Devanshe Lidgley, Owners, Himalayan Orchard. The three presenters virtualised and highlighted the unexplored destinations and unique cultural and heritage wealth of Himachal Pradesh.

Mr. Frank Schlichtmann started the session by highlighting an interesting Art village Called Gunehar, beautiful amalgamation of nature, streams, forest. Gunehar is located in the Kangra district. The idea behind this Art project in Gunehar is to develop conscious effort among the travellers to put focus on the village without affecting the place with too much crowding. Gunehar is well connected by road, rail and air.

The valley has many small villages and Gunehar is the largest panchayat with just 3000 people. People are largely Gaddis with a few Bara Bhangalis. The settlement started a little 100 years ago. Originally people of the village are shepherds but now many of them are farmers, some have shops and some work. Villagers are grounded, have sense of dignity and knowledgeable.

4 tables project started in the year 2008 with good participation, followed by Art festival in 2013. Art shops were developed, inviting the artists to come and work in empty spaces and present their art work which is attended by people from all walks of life. The whole event is a joint venture with the artist, visitors and villagers. The villagers call it Mela. It has become a huge success and final week is organised as art festival with theatre, music, film screening etc. Local cultural elements are well represented towards the closing ceremony of the Art festival.

Mr.Ankit Sood took us virtually through the World Heritage Site Great Himalayan National Park located in the Kullu region. Great Himalayan National Park is spread across four valleys-Sainj valley, Jiwa Nal valley, Tirthan Valley and Parvati valley.

The park protects over 1,000 plant species, including many medicinal herbs, 31 mammal species and 209 bird species, as well as amphibians, reptiles and insects. Four of GHNP’s mammal species and three of its bird species are globally threatened, including the musk deer and the western horned tragopan.

The third little known destination in Himachal Pradesh showcased by Michael & Devanshe Lidgley was that of Kotkhai, a town in Shimla district. • Kotkhai Palace is 800 years old and the royal family is still residing in the palace.

• Rukhla village – An apple growing village. A three hour hike from Rukhla takes you to the highest point where you can have a mesmerising 360 degree view of Greater Himalayas. The village is well known for its majestic flora and fauna including Black Bear, Barking Deer, Musk Deer, Langur, Leopards and Monal.

• Kiari temple- Kotkhai architecture wood and stone earthquake resistant • Narayan temple- Rebuild based on original style.

• Naga cult-. Master of the underworld reigns over subterranean water sources linked to fertility. Naag is the son of Bhuri Mata, a powerful Goddess worshipped in Himachal and sacrifice of sheep pleases him. Songs are sung in Pahadi dialect.

• Apple farming The Dekho Apna Desh Webinars are conducted in association with National e-Governance Division (NeGD) created by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).

The Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) are released on 12th of every month (or previous working day) with a six weeks lag and compiled with data received from source agencies, who in turn receive the data from the producing factories/ establishments.

2. In view of the preventive measures and announcement of nation-wide lockdown by the Government to contain spread of COVID-19 pandemic, majority of the industrial sector establishments were not operating from the end of March, 2020 onwards.

This has had an impact on the items being produced by the establishments during the month of April, 2020, where a number of responding units have reported NIL production. Consequently, it is not appropriate to compare the IIP of April, 2020 with earlier months and users may like to observe the changes in IIP in the following months. These Quick Estimates will undergo revision in subsequent releases as per the revision policy of IIP.

3. For the month of April 2020, the Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production (IIP)with base 2011-12 stand at 56.3. The Indices of Industrial Production for the Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity sectors for the month of April 2020 stand at 78.3, 45.1 and 126.1 respectively (Statement I).

4. As per Use-based classification, the indices stand at 92.3 for Primary Goods, 7.7 for Capital Goods, 42.0 for Intermediate Goods and 21.7 for Infrastructure/ Construction Goods (Statement III) for the month of April 2020. Further, the indices for Consumer durables and Consumer non-durables stand at 5.5 and 89.4 respectively for the month of April 2020.

5. Statements giving Quick Estimates of the Index of Industrial Production at Sectoral, 2-digit level of National Industrial Classification (NIC-2008) and by Use-based classification are given at Statements I, II and III respectively, for the month of April 2020. It is reiterated that, in the circumstances, the IIP for April, 2020 ought not to be compared with that of earlier months.

6. Along with the Quick Estimates of IIP for the month of April 2020, the indices for March 2020 have undergone the first revision and those for January 2020 have undergone the final revision in the light of the updated data received from the source agencies. The Quick Estimates for April, 2020 have been compiled at a weighted response rate of 87 percent, the first revision for March, 2020 at a weighted response rate of 85 percent and the final revision for January, 2020 at a weighted response rate of 93 percent.

The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation is releasing Price Movement of selected Sub-Groups/Groups of Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Base 2012=100 for Rural, Urban, Combined for the month of May 2020 (Provisional) and for the month of April 2020 (Final) in this press note. The corresponding Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) for all India Rural, Urban and Combined are also being released.

2. The Price data are usually collected from selected 1114 urban markets and selected 1181 villages through personal visits by field staff of Field Operations Division of NSO, MoSPI on a weekly roster.

In view of the preventive measures and announcement of nation-wide lockdown by the Government to contain spread of COVID-19 pandemic, the price collection of Consumer Price Index (CPI) through personal visits of price collectors was suspended with effect from 19th March, 2020. In the month of May, 2020 also, the data has been collected, to the extent feasible, through personal visits of field staff of NSO and telephone calls from the designated outlets in selected markets.

This was supplemented by information collected during the personal purchase of field staff for the items being transacted from neighborhood outlets keeping in view the travel advisories. The whole exercise was carried out professionally by well experienced and trained personnel of NSO(FOD) stationed at about 200 locations across the country. NSO accordingly collected prices from 987 urban markets and 836 villages, for commodities which were available and being transacted during the month of May, 2020, which also included the lockdown period. It is, however, observed that transactions were largely focused on essential purchases.

3. In view of the continued limited transactions of products in the market in the month of May, 2020 as well, it has been decided to release the Price Movement of Sub-groups/Groups of CPI, following the principles of adequacy as indicated in the CPI release for the month of April 2020, that is:

i) The price of only those items were included which have been reported from at least 25% of markets, separately for Rural & Urban sector and constituted more than 70% weight of the respective Sub-groups/Groups. ii) The all India indices have been compiled using Direct Approach by considering a common market at the national level in both Rural & Urban sectors separately.

4. Accordingly, the Price Movement for the sub-group ‘Prepared meals, snacks, sweets etc.’ under ‘Food & Beverages’ group as well as the group ‘Clothing and Footwear’ was not compiled. Under ‘Miscellaneous’ group, only the index for ‘Health’ subgroup has been compiled for the month of May, 2020.

5. The Price Movement of all sub-groups under ‘Food & Beverages’ group (except sub-group ‘Prepared meals, snacks, sweets etc.’), ‘Pan, tobacco and intoxicants’ (urban only), ‘Housing’, ‘Fuel & Light’ and ‘Health’ sub-group under ‘Miscellaneous’ group of CPI and CFPI at All India level, separately for Rural, Urban & Combined sector are at Annex-I. All-India General CPI have not been compiled for the months of April and May 2020.

6. All India year-on-year inflation rates for Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) for the month of May 2020 for Rural, Urban and Combined sector are 9.69%, 8.36% and 9.28% respectively.

7. Price data are received through web portal, maintained by the National Informatics Centre.

As one of the biggest reform, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) under Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has gone ‘Fully Digital’, with the launch of unique cloud based and Artificial Intelligence powered Big Data Analytics platform – Data Lake and Project Management Software.

The entire project management work flow of NHAI is transformed from manual to online portal based, wherein the complete project execution operations including ‘workflow with time lines’ and ‘alert mechanism’ have been configured. All project documentation, contractual decisions and approvals are now being done through portal only.

With advance analytics, the Data Lake software will forecast the delays, likely disputes and will give advance alerts. Thus apart from expediting the decision making, it will also facilitate in taking correct and timely decisions as the system is likely to predict financial impacts of different alternatives based on the historical data. This will reduce a lot of disputes.

NHAI has a history of having large number of arbitration cases pending with huge amount of claims and counter claims. Majority of the disputes are generic in nature like delay in handing over of encumbrance free site, shifting of utilities, idling charges of plant, machinery, equipment, manpower and delay in decisions etc.

These disputes can be minimized as the Data Lake software has provisions to keep track and check on all these constraints and will ensure work is carried out within the deadlines in a transparent manner. As all processes are going to be portal-based, decision-making is going to be faster and will eventually diminish chances of litigation in future.

The complete project documents and correspondences will be stored in Digital format in the cloud-based ‘Data Lake’ linked with GIS tagging and Unique Project ID, so that the project data can be easily retrieved as and when required from any location.

NHAI’s all contractors/ concessionaires/consultants/Authority Engineers (AE)/ Independent Engineers (IE) and Project Directors (PDs)/ Regional Officers (ROs) have already started using it extensively. NHAI’s e-Office module is also integrated in the system so that all correspondences can flow digitally in a secured manner from field units to HQ seamlessly.

In the current Covid-19 pandemic scenario, when most of the organizations are facing serious challenges in working, NHAI employees are continuing their works undeterred and happily without any fear of physical contacts and touching of physical files. Rather, lockdown period was used by NHAI to train its employees about using Data Lake.

The Data Lake will bring revolutionary changes to NHAI with benefits like No delays, Quick decision making, No question of missing records, Work from anywhere/anytime. It will enhance transparency, as all officers and stakeholders, connected with the project can see what is going on real time basis which will amount to concurrent performance audit by the seniors.

Proposes a Joint Steering Committee to take the e-office project forward Posted On: 12 JUN 2020 5:00PM by PIB Delhi Union Minister of State for Personnel, PG and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh today advised to set up e-office in all 8 North Eastern States in a stipulated timeframe.

Addressing a webinar on the subject attended by Chief Ministers and IT Ministers of the region, Dr. Singh said that the e-office project will fulfill the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi of “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” and will ensure ease of administration, transparency and citizen-centric delivery mechanism.

He said that e-office project is also a cardinal pillar of Digital India and so far 55 Ministries in Government of India has implemented the same.

Referring to the Shillong Declaration, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that promotion of e-office and quality of its services were the key takeaways and now the time has come to fulfill this ambitious target. The Minister has assured all technical and financial support to achieve the e-office mission to be implemented right from Civil Secretariat to District level in all the States.

Dr. Jitendra Singh also announced a Joint Steering Committee to be chaired by Secretary DoNER to take the e-office project forward. Representatives from ARPG, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, NIC, NEC and all the 8 North Eastern States will be the part of the Committee to suggest measures and implement the e-office project.

Dr. Singh said that the progress of e-Office in 75 Central Ministries/ Departments enabled the creation of a digital central secretariat which ensured that work from home was possible in the COVID-19 lockdown period. The implementation of e-Office in State Secretariats of North Eastern States will result in creation of paperless State Secretariats in a time bound manner where officers would be empowered with virtual private networks, digital signature certificates and promote less contact governance.

The workshop on e-Office for North East States was attended by Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim and Meghalaya and the IT Ministers of Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura. Chief Secretaries of NE States, Additional Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of Administrative Reforms and Secretaries of IT Departments have also attended the workshop. Altogether 220 people participated in today’s webinar.

The Chief Ministers and IT Ministers in their presentation pointed out about the infrastructure bottlenecks like network connectivity and lack of funds to implement the e-office project, which the Union Minister said would be looked into seriously.

In his opening remarks, Secretary DARPG, Dr. K.Shivaji said that entire North-Eastern Region has the natural advantage of IT savvy youth power to implement the e-office in an effective manner. Dr. Shivaji also conducted a very productive technical session before the webinar was addressed by the Union Minister. In his remarks, Secretary DoNER, Dr Inder Jit Singh said that DoNER is the first Ministry in the government of India to implement 100 percent e-office in processing of files.

Children integral part of any country and need to be empowered with protection of their rights: Shri Gangwar

Union Labour Ministry jointly holds Webinar on the World Day against Child Labour Posted On: 12 JUN 2020 6:48PM by PIB Delhi

On the World Day against Child Labour on June 12, 2020 the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) and the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), New Delhi organized a National Stakeholder Webinar on "COVID-19: Protect Children From Child Labour, Now More Than Ever". This World Day against Child Labour in 2020 focuses on the impact of COVID-19 crisis on child labour.

The webinar was inaugurated by Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State for Labour and Employment (I/C). He acknowledged the efforts of Shri Kailash Satyarthi and also the efforts of the ILO towards the elimination of child labour. He stated that children are an integral part of any country and need to be empowered with protection of their rights. He mentioned that in observing 12th June as the World Day against Child Labour, the Government of India has reiterated its commitment towards eradication of child labour.

The Amendment of the child labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 is a noteworthy achievement of the Government of India, he stated. He also spoke about the various initiatives taken by the government in the eradication of child labour including the increase in the NCLP training centres stipends to Rs 400 from Rs 150 per month per child. He emphasized that the ratification of ILO conventions 182 and 138 reflect on India's commitment towards this cause. At the end, he highlighted on the need for collective efforts by all stakeholders towards the eradication of child labour.

Shri Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Laureate in his special address, acknowledged the children participating in the webinar. He also referred to the historical decisions taken in the context of child labour in the past. He stated that the efforts of the government of India has contributed immensely in reduction in the numbers in child labour. The ratification of ILO Conventions 182 and 138 reflect on India's commitment towards the elimination of child labour.

He referred to studies which have reflected on the need to invest in children’s education. He highlighted that in order to revive the economy, it is important to attract foreign investment but there is a need to ensure no child labour is engaged in supply chains. He emphasized on the need to ensure adults receive employment instead of children so that the employed children get liberated to pursue education and grow into healthy citizens.

State-of-the-art Flood Warning System for Mumbai Launched Posted On: 12 JUN 2020 2:09PM by PIB Mumbai Mumbai / New Delhi, June 12, 2020

Floods to be estimated 3 days in advance, at ward-level Decision Support System will enable smart decision-making and field action based on risk assessment

State-of-the-art flood warning system developed by MoES is a gift to Mumbaikars: Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray

We are no less than anyone else in the whole world in terms of science: Dr. Harsh Vardhan, congratulating the scientists at Ministry of Earth Sciences iFLOWS- Mumbai, a state-of the-art Integrated Flood Warning System for Mumbai has been launched through video conference jointly by Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Uddhav Thackeray and Union Earth Sciences Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan today.

Under Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package, 22,812 MT of food grains distributed to 45.62 lakh beneficiaries in May and June; 2,092 MT gram also distributed by States/UTs

Under PMGKAY, from April-June 82.16 LMT Food grains distributed to around 164 crores beneficiaries Posted On: 12 JUN 2020 3:32PM by PIB Delhi

Total food grain stock: As per the Food Corporation of India report dated 11.06.2020, FCI currently has 270.89 LMT rice and 540.80 LMT wheat. Hence, a total of 811.69 LMT food grain stock is available (excluding the ongoing purchase of wheat and paddy, which have not yet reached the godown). About 55 LMT food grains is required for a month under NFSA and other welfare schemes.

Since the lockdown, about 117.43 LMT food grains have been lifted and transported through 4194 rail rakes. Apart from the rail route, transportation was also done through roads and waterways. A total of 245.23 LMT has been transported. 15,500 MT grains was transported through 13 ships. Total 11.68 LMT food grains have been transported to the North-Eastern States.

Food grain distribution to migrant labourers: (Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package) Under Atma Nirbhar Bharat package, Government of India has decided that 8 LMT food grains will be provided to about 8 Crore migrant labourers, stranded and needy families, who are not covered under NFSA or State scheme PDS cards. 5 Kg of food grain per person is being distributed free of cost for the months of May and June to all migrants. The states and UTs have lifted 5.48 LMT of food grains and distributed 22,812 MT of food grains to total 45.62 lakh (in the May 35.32 lakh and in June 10.30 lakh) beneficiaries. The Government of India also approved 39,000 MT pulses for 1.96 crore migrant families. 8 Crore migrant labourers, stranded and needy families, who are not covered under NFSA or State scheme PDS cards will be given 1 kg of gram/dal per family for the month of May and June for free. This allocation of gram/dal is being done according to the need of the states.

Around 33,916 MT gram/dal have been dispatched to the states and UTs. A total 23,733 MT gram has been lifted by various States and UTs. 2,092 MT gram has been distributed by the states and UTs. The Government of India is bearing 100% financial burden of approximately Rs. 3,109 crores for food grain and Rs 280 crores for gram under this scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana: Food grain (Rice/Wheat) Under the PMGKAY, for the 3 months April-June a total of 104.3 LMT rice and 15.2 LMT wheat is required of which 94.71 LMT rice and 14.20 LMT wheat have been lifted by various States and UTs. A total of 108.91 LMT food grains has been lifted. In the month of April 2020 , 37 LMT (92 %) food grains have been distributed to 74 crore beneficiaries, in May 2020, total 35.82 LMT (90%) food grains distributed to 71.64 crores beneficiaries and in the month of June 2020, 9.34 LMT (23%) food grains have been distributed to 18.68 crores beneficiaries. The Government of India is bearing 100% financial burden of approximately Rs. 46,000 crores under this scheme. Wheat has been allocated to 6 States/UTs, - Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Delhi and Gujarat and rice has been provided to the remaining States/UTs.

Pulses As regards Pulses, the total requirement for the three months is 5.87 LMT. The Government of India is bearing 100% financial burden of approximately Rs 5,000 crore under this scheme. So far, 5.50 LMT Pulses have been dispatched to States/UTs and 4.91 LMT have reached the States/UTs, while 3.06 LMT pulses has been distributed. A total of 11.87 LMT pulses (Toor- 6.12 LMT, Moong-1.60 LMT, Urad-2.38 LMT, Chana-1.30 LMT and Masur-0.47 LMT ) is available in the stock as on 10.6.2020.

Food grain Procurement: As on 11.06.2020, total 376.58 LMT wheat (RMS 2020-21) and 734.58 LMT rice (KMS 2019-20) were procured.

Open Market Sales Scheme (OMSS): Under the OMSS, the rates of Rice is fixed at Rs.22/kg and Wheat at Rs.21/kg. FCI has sold 5.57 LMT wheat and 8.90 LMT rice through OMSS during the lockdown period.

Minister says that Quality is going to define India’s future Aatmanirbhar Bharat will grow on the basis of quality products and services

Quality certification should be rational, transparent, reliable and free from any malpractices Posted On: 12 JUN 2020 4:23PM by PIB Delhi

Shri PiyushGoyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry has said that Quality is going to define India’s future. Reviewing the performance of the Quality Council of India(QCI) today through the Video conference, Shri Goyal said that Aatmanirbhar Bharat will grow and prosper on the basis of quality indigenous products and services. He said that quality consciousness will have to percolate to the level of the common man, and quality culture imbibed and cultivated in all aspects of our life.

Quality Council of India is a non-profit autonomous society, under the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), with the mandate to establish an accreditation structure in the country and to spread quality movement in India by undertaking a National Quality Campaign.The Mission of QCI is to lead nationwide quality movement in India by involving all stakeholders for emphasis on adherence to quality standards in all spheres of activities primarily for promoting and protecting interests of the nation and its citizens.

Sahakar Mitra scheme will help cooperative institutions access new and innovative ideas of young professionals while the interns will gain experience of working in the field to be self-reliant Posted On: 12 JUN 2020 4:01PM by PIB Delhi

In keeping with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s clarion call for AtmaNirbhar Bharat(Self Reliant India) emphasizing the importance of local for vocal, Sahakar Mitra: Scheme on Internship Programme (SIP) was launchedyesterday by Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar.

Launching the scheme, Shri Tomar said that the unique cooperative sector development finance organization, National Cooperative Development Corporation, NCDC has embarked upon a series of initiatives in the cooperative sector entrepreneurship development ecosystem through capacity development, paid internship to youth and assured project loans on liberalized terms to young cooperators on start-up mode.

The Minister said that NCDC has been proactive in delivering innovative solutions for the cooperative sector. In the series of initiatives by NCDC, the new scheme called Sahakar Mitra: Scheme on Internship Programme (SIP) will provide the young professionals an opportunity of practical exposure and learning from the working of NCDC and cooperatives as a paid intern.

NCDC has also introduced a complementary scheme to promote start-up cooperative ventures. Sahakar Mitra would also provide an opportunity to professionalsfrom academic institutions to develop leadership and entrepreneurial roles through cooperatives as Farmers Producers Organizations (FPO).

Sahakar Mitra scheme is expected to assist cooperative institutions access new and innovative ideas of young professionals while the interns gain experience of working in the field giving confidence to be self-reliant. It is expected to be a win-win situation both for cooperatives as well as for the young professionals.

Under the scheme, professional graduates in disciplines such as Agriculture and allied areas,IT etc. will be eligible for internship. Professionals who are pursuing or have completed their MBA degrees in Agri-business, Cooperation, Finance, International Trade, Forestry, Rural Development, Project Managementetc. will also be eligible.

NCDC has earmarked funds for Sahakar Mitra paid internship program under which each intern will get financial support over a 4 monthsinternship period. Online application portal for internship application available on NCDC website, was also launched by the Union Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Minister.

Addressing the 24th Management Board and 19th Annual General Board meetings of the SFAC, Shri Tomar appreciated the linking of 1000 markets to e-NAM; More than 1.66 crore farmers and more than 1.30 lakh businesses have been registered with e-NAM Posted On: 12 JUN 2020 7:44PM by PIB Delhi

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has made revolutionary reforms in the field of agriculture including the important step of announcing the formation of 10 thousand Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).

The responsibility of completing this task lies with the Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), which is also responsible for strengthening the e-NAM platform in the present circumstances. There has been considerable progress in institutional and private investments after the establishment of SFAC.

Addressing the 24th Management Board and 19th Annual General Board meetings of the SFAC, Shri Tomar congratulated SFAC team for linking 1000 markets to e-NAM in two phases. He further said that the purpose of creating the platform should be accomplished. Business of more than Rs. I lakh crore has been transacted over the e-NAM platform till now. More than 1.66 crore farmers and more than 1.30 lakh businesses have been registered with e-NAM since its inception.

Shri Tomar said that it is a challenge for us to ensure that as a result of reforms, there is ease in selling of produce, along with transparency, farmers get remunerative prices for their produce and they have direct access to this platform. Farmers have completed the harvesting work with great dedication even during the period of lockdown and earning is also now being completed successfully. SFAC must be congratulated for helping the farmers in this.

Shri Tomar said that previously SFAC used to form FPOs on the basis of existing schemes, but it is a matter of happiness today that Hon’ble Prime Minister has announced the formation of 10 thousand FPOs across the country which will give a boost to this task. FPOs must not only be formed but they they must also achieve their objectives. Their responsibilities increase in ensuring that farmers gather in groups, hold discussions and get trained, increase their production, diversify their crops, and discuss ways of decreasing use of pesticides etc. Hon’ble Prime Minister has set the target of doubling farmers’ incomes.

In between the problem of COVID appeared yet the pace of Ministry of Agriculture and farmers has not slackened. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar appreciated that SFAC launched the Kisan Rath app with the help of officials of the Ministry of Agriculture which lessened the problem of transport of farm produce during lockdown.

Context: The Supreme Court has said it was “totally impermissible” for the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to “misuse” a judgment of the Apex Court to demand ₹4 lakh crore in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) from public sector undertakings.

The Court has also questioned the viability of the government’s 20-year ‘formula’ for telecom companies to repay their AGR dues to the tune of ₹1.42 lakh crore.

What has the Court said? The Court pointed out its October 2019 judgment which was completely silent with regard to public sector undertakings.

What has the government said? The government told the Court that it would file an affidavit explaining as to why the AGR demands were raised against the PSUs.

Background: Last year, the Supreme Court upheld the definition of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) calculation as stipulated by the Department of Telecommunications.

The order by the top court means that the telecom companies will have to immediately clear the pending AGR dues, which amount to nearly Rs 1.47 lakh crore.

What is AGR? Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) is the usage and licensing fee that telecom operators are charged by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). It is divided into spectrum usage charges and licensing fees, pegged between 3-5 percent and 8 percent respectively.

How is it calculated and what’s the contention? As per DoT, the charges are calculated based on all revenues earned by a telco – including non-telecom related sources such as deposit interests and asset sales. Telcos, on their part, insist that AGR should comprise only the revenues generated from telecom services.

Challenges for telecom sector: The AGR issue has triggered panic in the banking industry, given that the telecom sector is highly leveraged. Vodafone Idea alone has a debt of Rs 2.2 lakh crore that it has used to expand infrastructure and fund spectrum payments over the years. The mutual fund industry has an exposure of around Rs 4,000 crore to Vodafone Idea.

Context: Siddeque Ali has become the last declared foreigner to be released from the only detention centre in Barak Valley in Assam as the beneficiary of a Supreme Court order.

What has the Court said? In April this year, amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Supreme Court had directed the release of those detainees who were declared foreigners and have been lodged in the detention centres of Assam for two years or more.

The Court had also lowered the personal bond amount from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5,000. So far, 339 DFs have been released from the detention centres since April 13.

Who is a declared foreigner? A declared foreigner, or DF, is a person marked by any of the 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals (FTs) in Assam for allegedly failing to prove their citizenship after the State police’s Border wing marks him or her as an illegal immigrant.

Why such measures are necessary? There are a total of 802 declared foreigners in various detention centres of Assam. Some people are declared foreigners on account of poor documentation or poor legal assistance and lack of resources. They have not been able to prove they are Indian citizens.

Some are either too poor to pursue their cases in higher courts or have their appeals turned down. 29 declared foreigners have died in detention due to various ailments since 2016, with ten of them having died between March 1, 2019 and February 20 this year.

As human beings, they also have at least the basic human right to live and not to die of COVID-19 in the precincts of a prison, which has despicable living conditions.

What is a Foreigners tribunal? In 1964, the govt brought in the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order. Composition: Advocates not below the age of 35 years of age with at least 7 years of practice (or) Retired Judicial Officers from the Assam Judicial Service (or) Retired IAS of ACS Officers (not below the rank of Secretary/Addl. Secretary) having experience in quasi-judicial works.

Who can setup these tribunals? The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has amended the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964, and has empowered district magistrates in all States and Union Territories to set up tribunals (quasi-judicial bodies) to decide whether a person staying illegally in India is a foreigner or not.

Earlier, the powers to constitute tribunals were vested only with the Centre. Typically, the tribunals there have seen two kinds of cases: those concerning persons against whom a reference has been made by the border police and those whose names in the electoral roll has a “D”, or “doubtful”, marked against them.

Who can approach? The amended order (Foreigners (Tribunal) Order, 2019) also empowers individuals to approach the Tribunals. Earlier, only the State administration could move the Tribunal against a suspect.

Context: U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order authorising sanctions against individuals involved in an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into whether U.S. forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.

The order authorises Secretary of State to block assets in the U.S. of ICC employees involved in the probe It also authorises to block entry into the U.S. of these individuals.

What’s the case? ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda wants to investigate possible crimes committed between 2003 and 2014, including alleged mass killings of civilians by the Taliban, as well as the alleged torture of prisoners by Afghan authorities and, to a lesser extent, by U.S. forces and the CIA.

The ICC decided to investigate after prosecutors’ preliminary examination in 2017 found reasonable grounds to believe war crimes were committed in Afghanistan and that the ICC has jurisdiction.

Why the US is opposing? Mr. Trump has repeatedly attacked The Hague-based ICC set-up to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. He says, the Court has jurisdiction only if a member state is unable or unwilling to prosecute atrocities itself.

Besides, the U.S. government has never been a member of the court. About ICC: The International Criminal Court (ICC), located in The Hague, is the court of last resort for prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

It is the first permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.

Its founding treaty, the Rome Statute, entered into force on July 1, 2002. Funding: Although the Court’s expenses are funded primarily by States Parties, it also receives voluntary contributions from governments, international organisations, individuals, corporations and other entities.

Composition and voting power: The Court’s management oversight and legislative body, the Assembly of States Parties, consists of one representative from each state party.

Icj_vs_ICC Each state party has one vote and “every effort” has to be made to reach decisions by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, decisions are made by vote. The Assembly is presided over by a president and two vice-presidents, who are elected by the members to three-year terms.

Criticisms: It does not have the capacity to arrest suspects and depends on member states for their cooperation. Critics of the Court argue that there are insufficient checks and balances on the authority of the ICC prosecutor and judges and insufficient protection against politicized prosecutions or other abuses.

The ICC has been accused of bias and as being a tool of Western imperialism,only punishing leaders from small, weak states while ignoring crimes committed by richer and more powerful states.

ICC cannot mount successful cases without state cooperationis problematic for several reasons. It means that the ICC acts inconsistently in its selection of cases, is prevented from taking on hard cases and loses legitimacy.

Context: Nature Index ratings for the year 2020 have been released.

What is the Nature Index? The Nature Index is a database of author affiliations and institutional relationships. The index tracks contributions to research articles published in 82 high-quality natural science journals, chosen by an independent group of researchers.

The database is compiled by Nature Research, a division of the international scientific publishing company Springer Nature that publishes academic journals.

The Index provides a close to real-time proxy of high-quality research output and collaboration at the institutional, national and regional level. The Index is updated monthly and also releases annual tables of country. It serves as an indicator of high-quality research in the Natural and Physical Sciences.

Nature Index metrics: The Index provides several metrics to track research output and collaboration. These include article count, fractional count, and multilateral and bilateral collaboration scores.

Performance of Indian institutions: Three of the autonomous institutions of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India have found their place among top 30 Indian Institutions. These are the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata at 7th position, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore at 14th position and S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata at 30th position.

Globally the top-rated Indian institutions in this list are Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), a group of 39 institutions at the 160th position and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore at the 184th position.

Global Institutions: The top five positions have gone to the United States of America, China, Germany, United Kingdom and Japan.

Context: Union Government has issued advisory to streamline the process for import and possession of exotic live species in India.

The move comes as the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) has raised global concern about illegal wildlife trade and zoonotic diseases.

What are exotic live species? Exotic live species are animal or plant species moved from their original range to a new one most often by people. Some of the most sought after exotic species in India are Ball python, Scarlet Macaw, sea turtles, sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps), marmoset and grey African parrots.

What it includes? What it does not? According to the advisory, the phrase “exotic live species” includes “animals named under the Appendices I, II and III of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora” and “does not include species from the Schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972”.

Need for regulation: While import of live exotic animals is covered under Customs Act in India, wildlife experts have long been asking for stringent laws and guidelines to document and regulate numbers of exotic species being kept as pets by individuals and breeders in India.

Many citizens have kept CITES (Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species) enlisted exotic animal species in their possession. However, there is no unified information system available of such stock of species at the State or Central level. Besides, often these species are illegally trafficked into the country to avoid lengthy documentation and scrutiny.

As per the recently released guidelines: Environment Ministry will collect stock information from the holders of such species through voluntary disclosure in next six months. The registration will be done for the stock of animals, new progeny, as well as for import and exchange.

The declarer would not be required to produce any documentation in relation to the exotic live species if the same has been declared within six months of the date of issue of the advisory. For any declaration made after six months, the declarer shall be required to comply with the documentation requirement under the extant laws and regulations.

Further, a person trying to import a live exotic animal will have to submit an application for grant of a licence to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the provisions of the advisory. The importer will also have to attach a No Objection Certificate (NOC) of the chief wildlife warden of the state concerned along with the application.

Implications and significance of this move: This will help in better management of the species and guide the holders about proper veterinary care, housing and other aspects of well-being of the species.

The database of exotic animals will also help in control and management of zoonotic diseases on which guidance would be available from time to time to ensure safety of animals and humans.

What is missing? Experts said the advisory did not provide answers to all problems. Matters such as spread of invasive species as well as zoonotic diseases had not been taken care of in the advisory. Limiting the scope of the latest advisory to only those species covered under CITES drastically limits the scope of the advisory itself.

There is also a growing domestic trade in exotic species of wildlife that is unfortunately not listed under the various appendices of CITES (such as sugar gliders, corn snakes). There is no mention of the welfare standards of such captive facilities that could lead to ‘legal’ backyard breeding of wildlife with poor to no welfare concern of the wild animals involved.

Context: Census of Asiatic lion was recently conducted by the Gujarat government and the details have been released.

About the lion census: The census is conducted once every five years. This year it was delayed due to lockdowns. The first Lion Census was conducted by the Nawab of Junagadh in 1936; since 1965, the Forest Department has been regularly conducting the Lion Census every five years.

The 6th, 8th and 11th Censuses were each delayed by a year, for various reasons.

Key figures this year: 28% rise in population of Lions: Total estimated Lions in Gir region is 674. It was 523 in 2015. 36% Expanse in distribution: Today, Asiatic lions are present in Protected Areas and agro-pastoral landscapes of Saurashtra covering nine districts, over an expanse of about 30,000 sq. km. It was 22,000 sq. km in 2015.

Factors responsible for steady rise in population: Over the last several years, the lion population in Gujarat has been steadily rising.

This is powered by: community participation emphasis on technology wildlife healthcare proper habitat management steps to minimise human-lion conflict

How was the census carried out this year? How is it different from previous census? Reduced participation: Every year, the state Forest Department invites NGOs, experts and wildlife enthusiasts to join the Census for transparency and augmenting manpower. But this time, it was not advisable to send so many people inside the forest as the Bronx Zoo in New York had reported a case of transmission of novel coronavirus from a human to a tigress.

So, this year, the count was estimated not from a Census, but from a population “observation” exercise called Poonam Avlokan.

How it was carried out? Poonam Avlokan (developed in 2014) is a monthly in-house exercise carried out every full moon. Field staff and officers spend 24 hours assessing the number of lions and their locations in their respective jurisdictions.

Unlike previous census, which had nearly 2000 participants, this census had around 1400 staff and a few experts. These staff kept moving in their respective territories and made their estimates based on inputs provided by lion trackers and on chance sightings.

What is Block counting method? India uses this method to estimate the numbers. In this method, census enumerators remain stationed at water points in a given block and estimate abundance of lions in that block, based on direct sighting of lions who need to drink water at least once in 24 hours during the summer.

There are inherent issues with this method. So, newer methods should be adopted- such as camera trapping and identifying lions based on permanent marks on their body, and statistical estimates based on the animals’ predatory patterns and numbers of their prey base.

Concerns over the estimates: Few experts are doubtful about the estimated numbers. They say it could be an overestimation. It is because:

12 lions were killed in a flash flood in Amreli just a month after the 2015 census. More than two dozen lions in an outbreak of canine distemper virus (CDV) and babesiosis in 2018. A babesiosis outbreak was reported this summer too, and around two dozen lions are reported killed.

Why we need to relocate the lions to other regions? Presently, Asiatic lions are confined only to Gujarat. A single epidemic could wipe the entire population and the species might become extinct. Hence, introduction of species to new areas and states might be a good idea.

Additional information: Asiatic Lion Conservation Project: Announced in Feb this year by the centre and Gujarat state government. Key aspects of the conservation project includeundertaking “habitat improvement” measures, making more sources of water available, creating a wildlife crime cell, and a task force for the Greater Gir region.

Relocation of lions: The Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh was identified to be the most suitable for reintroducing the species, according to a Supreme Court-appointed technical expert committee, but there has been no progress on the proposal.

Supreme Court order: The SC in April 2013 had ordered the translocation of some lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh. About Asiatic Lions: Listed as ‘Endangered’ under the IUCN Red List.

Its population is restricted to the state of Gujarat in India. Wildlife under constitution: In 1976, the 42nd amendment incorporated protection of wildlife and forests in the Directive Principles. It also included forests and protection of wild animals in the Concurrent List – Seventh Schedule (Article 246) of the Constitution.

Context: A NITI Aayog member has favoured imposing a border adjustment tax (BAT) on imports to provide a level-playing field to domestic industries.

This suggestion comes in the backdrop of the USA-China trade tensions (trade war) which are expected to rise even further post-Covid-19.

What is BAT? BAT is a duty that is proposed to be imposed on imported goods in addition to the customs levy that gets charged at the port of entry.

BAT is a fiscal measure that imposes a charge on goods or services in accordance with the destination principle of taxation. Generally, BAT seeks to promote “equal conditions of competition” for foreign and domestic companies supplying products or services within a taxing jurisdiction.

Need for: The Indian industry has been complaining to the government about domestic taxes like electricity duty, duties on fuel, clean energy cess, mandi tax, royalties, biodiversity fees that get charged on domestically produced goods as these duties get embedded into the product.

But many imported goods do not get loaded with such levies in their respective country of origin and this gives such products price advantage in the Indian market.

Context: The first population estimation exercise of Indian gaur carried out in the Nilgiris forest division in February has revealed that more than an estimated 2,000 Indian gaurs inhabit the 300 sq. km range.

Threats: On an average, a total of 60 gaurs die each year in the Nilgiris forest division, many due to accidents, owing to their proximity to human habitations.

About Indian Gaur: The gaur, Bos gaurus, also called the Indian bison, is one of the largest extant bovines. It is native to South and Southeast Asia and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986.

Distribution: In India, the population was estimated to be 12,000–22,000 in the mid-1990s. The Western Ghats and their outflanking hills in southern India constitute one of the most extensive extant strongholds of gaur, in particular in the Wayanad – Nagarhole – Mudumalai – Bandipur complex.

Context: Textile major Arvind Limited has announced the launch of an anti-viral textile technology for its fabric and garment products.

Significance: Research shows that viruses and bacteria, can remain active on textile surfaces for up to two days. Arvind claims that garments treated with HeiQ Viroblock actively inhibit viruses and kill them upon contact, helping to minimize the potential for re-transmission of pathogens through clothing.

What is HeiQ Viroblock? HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is an intelligent Swiss textile technology that is added to the fabric during the final stage of the textile manufacturing process. It is a special combination of advanced silver and vesicle technology.

It has proven effective against SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 causing virus Suitable for all fiber types, from medical nonwovens (e.g. face masks) to fabrics for clothing and home textiles.