Disclosing this here today, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and MoS Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that ISRO’s maiden mission to the Moon has sent images which show that Moon may be rusting along the poles. The sign of this finding is that even though the surface of the Moon is known to have iron - rich rocks, it is not known for the presence of water and oxygen, which are the two elements needed to interact with iron to create rust, he said.
Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) say that this could be because the Earth's own atmosphere is lending a helping hand which, in other words, means that the Earth's atmosphere could be protecting the Moon as well. Thus, the Chandrayaan-1 Moon data indicates that the Moon's poles are home to water, this is what the scientists are trying to decipher.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, as for Chandrayaan-3 is concerned, the launch may now take place somewhere in early 2021. Chandrayaan-3 will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2 and will include a Lander and Rover similar to that of Chandrayaan-2, but will not have an orbiter.
Meanwhile, preparations are going on for India’s first ever Human Space Mission Gaganyaan, said Dr Jitendra Singh. The training processes and other procedures are also in place.
400 Automatic Agarbatti making machines to be provided as against 200 earlier
10 clusters under SPURTI to be set up at a cost of about Rs 50 crore to benefit 5000 Artisans
2 Centres of Excellence including one at Kannauj to be set up to develop machine making and promote product innovations
Artisans developing hand rolled Agarbatti and ‘Migrant workers’ to be given preference
Overall size of the Programme enhanced sharply to Rs 55 crore against Rs 2.66crore earlier
KVIC to implement the programme
Posted On: 06 SEP 2020 11:49AM by PIB Delhi
Taking a holistic approach and looking to the enhanced interest of the stakeholders, Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), further expanded the reach and support to Artisans, involved in Agarbatti making, and to the Agarbatti Industry, by issuing new guidelines on 4th September, 2020. Further to its launching the support program on 30.07.20, Ministry has looked at all aspects of the industry, beyond just supply of machines for making Agarbatti. This includes ensuring supply of inputs and raw materials, the demand for which has increased hugely in last one year. The four main pillars of the new program are-
i) Continuously supporting the artisans through training, raw material, marketing and financial support;
ii) Working on all aspects of this product, like innovation in the fragrance & packaging, use of new / alternate raw materials like re-usable flowers, coir pith etc., supply of bamboo sticks by closely working with Ministry of Agriculture etc. A ‘Center of Excellence’ for this purpose is being set up in FFDC (Flavour and Fragrance Development Center) Kannauj;
iii) Setting up 10 clusters with proper marketing linkages under SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) scheme of the Ministry of MSME at a total cost of about Rs. 50 Crs, to benefit about 5000 artisans for their sustainable employment and enhanced earnings;
iv) Strengthen the machine manufacturing capability to achieve self-sufficiency in the country and develop various other products by setting up ‘Centers of Excellence’ with IITs/NITs etc. at a cost of Rs. 2.20 crore.
Under the expanded program announced on 4th September, 400 Automatic Agarbatti making machines as against 200 earlier, and additional 500 Pedal operated Machines will be given to ‘Self Help Groups (SHGs)’ and individuals through 20 pilot projects, across the country with proper marketing and raw material supply tie ups. The program will immediately benefit about 1500 artisans, in providing sustainable employment with increased earnings. Artisans developing hand rolled Agarbatti and ‘Migrant workers’ will be given preference as part of the program.
Now, to make India Aatm- Nirbhar in this sector, the total size of the program, has been increased to more than Rs 55 Cr, which will include immediate support to about 1500 artisans of about Rs 3.45 Cr, development of two centers of Excellence costing at Rs 2.20 Cr at IITs/NITs and at FFDC Kannauj and setting up of 10 new SFURTI clusters at a cost of about Rs 50 Crs, benefitting about 5000 additional artisans. Earlier the size of the program was of Rs 2.66 Crs covering about 500 artisans.
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), one of the statutory organizations, under the M/o MSME, will implement the program and will handhold the artisans & SHGs with proper backward & forward linkages and needful support.
These projects, will give boost to the Agarbatti industry and help in further building indigenous capability in all areas of Agarbatti manufacturing with increased exports, and enhanced employment opportunities to the Artisans and entrepreneurs.
MR Madhavan, The Hindu, September 5, 2020
Despite the limited monsoon session and constraints, MPs must scrutinise the government’s work and guide policy.
The upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, from September 14, is emblematic of the issues faced by legislatures during the novel coronavirus pandemic. How do these bodies fulfil their central role in a democracy while maintaining health safety of legislators and the staff working in the legislatures? Several States have held very short sessions - some met just for a day- in which they ratified a number of ordinances, and hardly questioned any executive action over the last few months. Parliament will maintain physical distancing, has truncated the Zero Hour (in which members raise issues pertinent to their constituents and of wider public interest), and cancelled Question Hour (in which Ministers have to answer questions raised by members).
At the risk of stating the obvious, let us quickly recap the roles of the key organs of state. The government has the mandate to take decisions and perform various public tasks. It is accountable to the legislature which can question it, and, as an extreme step, even replace it. The legislature is accountable to citizens through regular elections and can be voted out if it is not perceived to be making laws and policies beneficial to the public. Finally, constitutional courts are expected to ensure that all actions are made within the boundaries of the Constitution and laws made by the legislature.
The case of contact tracing
Our Parliament has allowed its role to be diluted over the last few decades. It has not questioned and monitored the activity of the executive.
One example will illustrate the contrast between the actions of the British Parliament and ours. When the idea of a contact tracing app was mooted, the United Kingdom’s joint parliamentary committee on human rights examined the proposals. In a report, “Human Rights and the Government’s Response to Covid-19: Digital Contact Tracing”, published in early May (https://bit.ly/35hS1rB), it recommended that an app could be used only if there was a specific primary legislation to enable it, and such legislation should ensure that data is collected only for the limited purpose of preventing the spread of COVID-19, prohibit sharing the data with third-parties, upload the data to a central database only if the person is tested or suspected to be positive, and limit the time for which any data was stored. The Minister would have to report every 21 days on the efficacy of contact tracing as well as data security and privacy. India, in contrast, rolled out Aarogya Setu through executive decision, and has created a grey zone on whether it is mandatory (for example, while flying, or on metro rail when operations resume next week). All this has been done without a specific legislation or any parliamentary oversight. In fact, parliamentary oversight has been largely absent through the last six months.
A slew of notifications
Parliament will be meeting after 175 days, the longest gap without intervening general elections and just short of the six-month constitutional limit. Parliamentary committees did not meet for about four months, and after that have had only in-person meetings, which have led to low attendance, given travel risks and restrictions. This is unlike many other countries where both the plenary and committees have adopted technology to enable members to participate from home. In this period, over 900 central and nearly 6,000 State government notifications have been issued which are related to managing the pandemic. This is in addition to notifications on other subjects. The absence of a functioning Parliament or Committees implies that there has been no check or guidance on government action.
When it meets, Parliament should look at the government’s response to the crisis. However, the function would become more of a post-mortem analysis rather than an ongoing guidance mechanism. Contrast this with a well-functioning committee system such as the British example of the contact tracing app which guides government action before the event. As an aside, this reminds me of the old stock market advice of “buy low, sell high”, which while being a sound maxim does not guide anyone in making an investment decision. The only thing one can do later if things go wrong is to rue the loss.
Court interventions
The lack of parliamentary oversight has been compounded by judicial intervention in many policy issues. For example, the government’s actions related to the lockdown and the hardships caused to migrants should have been questioned by Parliament. Discussions in parliamentary forums would have helped the government get feedback on the ground situation across the country and fine-tune its response. However, this was taken to the Supreme Court, which is not equipped (and dare I say, mandated) to balance policy options. Directions of the Court have to be followed which removes flexibility needed to tackle evolving issues with implementation. To take another example, the Court decided to limit the period in which telecom companies have to pay their dues to the government, and overruled a cabinet decision. This is a policy matter that balances interests of telecom companies, consumers (who suffer through price hikes or potential formation of a monopoly), and banks (which may face defaults by telecom companies). This issue is best judged by the government with oversight by Parliament. Of course, if there is illegality (say, corruption), then the matter should be judged by courts.
Short session, much business
Parliament should recover lost ground by fulfilling its constitutionally mandated role. It has a large number of issues to discuss in the short 18-day session. The fact that the two Houses are working in shifts to use the same physical space limits the scope of extended sittings on any day. In the period since the last session, the government has issued 11 ordinances. Five of these relate to the COVID-19 crisis and the lockdown: extending tax filing dates, moratorium on new insolvency cases, protection for health workers, and temporary cuts in salaries and allowances of Members of Parliament and Ministers. Of the other six, two relate to supersession of the Boards of the councils that regulate homoeopathy and Indian systems of medicine, one allows the Reserve Bank of India to regulate cooperative banks (a similar Bill is pending in Parliament), and three relate to agricultural markets (allowing contract farming and trading outside mandis). While the ordinances related to COVID-19 have a temporary application, Parliament should refer those with long-term implications (such as the farming and the banking ones) to the respective committees for detailed scrutiny.
Core issues
Several events have taken place over the last six months that need thorough discussion. This includes ways to tackle the spread of the novel coronavirus and limit mortality, and possible paths in the months ahead that could guide government action. Economic growth, which has been decreasing for the last couple of years, has had a sharp fall in the first quarter of this fiscal year. This has far-reaching implications for creating jobs, stability of the banking system, and government finances. The government is likely to bring in a supplementary budget; indeed, a fresh look at the Union Budget may be required given the changes in basic assumptions since January. The situation at the China border also needs to be discussed.
The absence of Question Hour and a shorter Zero Hour restricts the ability of Members of Parliament to hold the government accountable and represent public interest. That said, Members of Parliament must use other available interventions to ensure that new laws and expenditure proposals are passed only after detailed discussion. Parliamentarians have a duty towards Indian citizens to fulfil their role in scrutinising the work of the government and guiding policy. Despite the curtailed session and the constraints due to the coronavirus, they should make the best of the limited time to do so. They need to wrest back their rightful role in our democracy.
M.R. Madhavan is the President and co-founder of PRS Legislative Research
What’s the issue?
In the ‘Dictionary of Martyrs’, published by the Union Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Indian Council of Historical Research, Variankunnath Kunhamad Haji and Ali Musliyar, the chief architects of the Moplah Massacre, were deemed to be martyrs. The book was published in 2019.
However, a report by the ICHR-constituted committee has sought the removal of names of 387 ‘Moplah rioters’ (Including leaders Ali Musliyar and Variamkunnath Ahmad Haji) from the list of martyrs.
Why?
The report describes Haji as the “notorious Moplah Riot leader” and a “hardcore criminal,” who “killed innumerable innocent Hindu men, women, and children during the 1921 Moplah Riot, and deposited their bodies in a well, locally known as Thoovoor Kinar”.
It also noted that almost all the Moplah outrages were communal. They were against Hindu society and done out of sheer intolerance.
Thus, their names should be deleted.
What was Mapilla rebellion?
The Mapilla rebellion or Moplah Rebellion (Moplah Riots) of 1921 was the culmination of a series of riots by Moplahs (Muslims of Malabar) in the 19th and early 20th centuries against the British and the Hindu landlords in Malabar (Northern Kerala).
The year 2021 will mark the 100th year anniversary of the uprising.
Causes and outcomes of the revolt:
The resistance which started against the British colonial rule and the feudal system later ended in communal violence between Hindus and Muslims.
Gandhiji along with Shaukat Ali, the leader of the Khilafat movement in India, visited Calicut in August 1920 to spread the combined message of non-cooperation and Khilafat among the residents of Malabar.
In response to Gandhiji’s call, a Khilafat committee was formed in Malabar and the Mappilas, under their religious head Mahadum Tangal of Ponnani who pledged support to the non-cooperation movement.
Most of tenants’ grievances were related to the security of tenure, high rents, renewal fees and other unfair exactions of the landlords.
The British government responded with much aggression, bringing in Gurkha regiments to suppress it and imposing martial law.
Wagon Tragedy:
A noteworthy event of the British suppression was the wagon tragedy when approximately 60 Mappila prisoners on their way to prison, were suffocated to death in a closed railway goods wagon.
Why in News?
Meetings of the SCO defence ministers and foreign ministers were recently held in Russia.
About the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO):
It is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation.
It’s creation was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai (China) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
It was preceded by the Shanghai Five mechanism.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Charter was signed during the St.Petersburg SCO Heads of State meeting in June 2002, and entered into force on 19 September 2003.
The SCO’s official languages are Russian and Chinese.
The SCO’s main goals are as follows:
Strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states; promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, research, technology and culture, as well as in education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, and other areas; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region; and moving towards the establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order.
Bodies under SCO:
Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO. It meets once a year and adopts decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organisation.
SCO Heads of Government Council (HGC) meets once a year to discuss the organisation’s multilateral cooperation strategy and priority areas, to resolve current important economic and other cooperation issues, and also to approve the organisation’s annual budget.
Two permanent bodies — the SCO Secretariat based in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent.
The SCO Secretary-General and the Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO RATS are appointed by the Council of Heads of State for a term of three years.
Currently:
SCO comprises eight member states, namely the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
SCO counts four observer states, namely the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Mongolia.
SCO has six dialogue partners, namely the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the Republic of Turkey, and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
Why in News?
A virtual meeting of G20 Education Ministers was held recently to discuss and share experiences of member countries in the three identified areas of Education – Continuity in Times of Crises, Early Childhood Education and Internationalization in Education.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is hosting G-20 Leaders’ Summit in 2020.
What is the G20?
The G20 is an annual meeting of leaders from the countries with the largest and fastest-growing economies. Its members account for 85% of the world’s GDP, and two-thirds of its population.
The G20 Summit is formally known as the “Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy”.
Genesis of G20:
After the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997-1998, it was acknowledged that the participation of major emerging market countries is needed on discussions on the international financial system, and G7 finance ministers agreed to establish the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in 1999.
Presidency:
The group has no permanent staff of its own, so every year in December, a G20 country from a rotating region takes on the presidency.
That country is then responsible for organising the next summit, as well as smaller meetings for the coming year.
They can also choose to invite non-member countries along as guests.
The first G20 meeting took place in Berlin in 1999, after a financial crisis in East Asia affected many countries around the world.
Full membership of the G20:
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.
What is G20+?
The G20 developing nations, also called G21/G23/G20+ is a bloc of developing nations which was established on August 20, 2003. It is distinct from the G20 major economies.
The G20+ originated in September 2003 at the 5th ministerial conference of the WTO held at Cancun, Mexico.
Its origins can be traced to the Brasilia Declaration signed by the foreign ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa on 6th June 2003.
The G20+ is responsible for 60% of the world population, 26% of the world’s agricultural exports and 70% of its farmers.
Why in News?
SVEP has made an impressive progress and has extended business support services and capital infusion to 153 blocks of 23 states as of August 2020.
Around, 2,000 trained cadre of Community Resource Person-Enterprise Promotion (CRP-EP) are providing services to rural entrepreneurs and as on August 2020, around 100,000 enterprises are supported by them.
What is Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP)?
Implemented by Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana –National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development, as a sub-scheme since 2016.
Focus of the scheme: Providing self-employment opportunities with financial assistance and training in business management and soft skills while creating local community cadres for promotion of enterprises.
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad is the technical support partner of SVEP.
SVEP promotes both individual and group enterprises, set-up and promote enterprises majorly on manufacturing, trading and service sectors.
Who are community resource persons – enterprise promotion?
The programme seeks to develop pool of community resource persons – enterprise promotion (CRP-EP) who are local and support entrepreneurs setting-up rural enterprises.
The CRP-EPs are certified and provides business support services to the entrepreneurs.
Context:
Researchers have found that the concentration of near surface ozone in this region is low compared to the other urban locations in India.
What is Tropospheric or ground-level ozone?
It is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). It usually increases when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight, impacting human health.
Why low ozone in Brahmaputra Valley?
This site is well influenced by local sources such as adjacent major national highway. During the daylight hours, the site is in or nearly in a photo-stationary state, indicating a low impact of organic species on the ozone concentrations.
Why we should be concerned about ground-level ozone?
Ozone at ground level is a harmful air pollutant, because of its effects on people and the environment, and it is the main ingredient in “smog.”
Elevated ground-level ozone exposures affect agricultural crops and trees, especially slow growing crops and long-lived trees.
The main health concern of exposure to ambient ground-level ozone is its effect on the respiratory system, especially on lung function.
InstaFact:
Ozone is produced naturally in the stratosphere when highly energetic solar radiation strikes molecules of oxygen, and cause the two oxygen atoms to split apart in a process called photolysis. If a freed atom collides with another O2, it joins up, forming ozone.
Why in News?
Govt. suspends FCRA clearance of four Christian groups for various reasons.
What is FCRA clearance? Why is it needed?
It is mandatory to have FCRA clearance from the Home Ministry for any organisation to receive foreign funds.
Foreign funding of voluntary organizations in India is regulated under FCRA act and is implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Key provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010:
Under the Act, organisations require to register themselves every five years.
As per the amended FCRA rules, all NGOs registered or granted prior permission under FCRA are now required to upload details of foreign contributions received and utilized by them every three months on their website or the FCRA website.
NGOs now need to file their annual returns online, with the hard copy version dispensed with.
Who cannot accept Foreign Contribution?
Election candidate
Member of any legislature (MP and MLAs)
Political party or office bearer thereof
Organization of a political nature
Correspondent, columnist, cartoonist, editor, owner, printer or publishers of a registered Newspaper.
Judge, government servant or employee of any corporation or any other body controlled on owned by the Government.
Association or company engaged in the production or broadcast of audio news, audio visual news or current affairs programmes through any electronic mode
Any other individuals or associations who have been specifically prohibited by the Central Government
What is the eligibility criteria for grant of registration?
The Association:
must be registered (under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 or Indian Trusts Act 1882 or section 8 of Companies Act, 2013 etc.)
normally be in existence for at least 3 years.
has undertaken reasonable activity in its field for the benefit of the society.
Has spent at least Rs.10,00,000/- (Rs. ten lakh) over the last three years on its activities.
Context:
We know rusting exists on Earth and Mars, but now scientists have found that there is on the moon as well. The images sent by ISRO’s Chandrayaan 1 orbiter – India’s first mission to the moon, show that the moon may be rusting along the poles.
Why is this so surprising?
Rust, also known as iron oxide, is a reddish compound. It forms when the iron is exposed to water and oxygen. However, moon’s surface is not known for the presence of water and oxygen. Hence, this is surprising.
Possible reason behind this? What is the role of earth’s atmosphere in this phenomenon?
For iron to turn rusty red, it needs what’s called an oxidizer — a molecule such as oxygen that removes electrons from a material such as iron.
But, the moon doesn’t have an atmosphere of its own to provide sufficient amounts of oxygen, but it has trace amounts donated by Earth’s atmosphere. This terrestrial oxygen travels to the moon along an elongated extension of the planet’s magnetic field called a “magnetotail.”
At every full moon, the magnetotail blocks 99% of solar wind from blasting the moon, drawing a temporary curtain over the lunar surface, allowing periods of time for rust to form.
But, from where does the moon get water to form rust?
The moon is mostly devoid of water, save for frozen water found in lunar craters on the moon’s far side — far from where most of the hematite was found. But the researchers propose that fast-moving dust particles that bombard the moon might free water molecules locked into the moon’s surface layer, allowing the water to mix with the iron. These dust particles might even be carrying water molecules themselves, and their impact might create heat that could increase the oxidation rate.
Background:
Launched in 2008, Chandrayaan-1 is India’s first lunar probe.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lost communication with Chandrayaan-1 in August 2009.
Later, NASA scientists found Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, which was considered lost, by using a new ground-based radar technique.
Key Findings of Chandrayaan-1:
Confirmed presence of lunar water.
Evidence of lunar caves formed by an ancient lunar lava flow.
Past tectonic activity were found on the lunar surface.