11 September 2024, The Indian Express
Centre relaxes norms under PMAY-Gramin
Page no- 7
GS2- Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes
- The Centre has relaxed the “automatic exclusion” criteria under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), allowing families owning “two-wheelers, motorised fishing boats, refrigerators, landline phones” and earning “up to Rs 15,000 per month” to now avail the rural housing scheme.
- The parameters were among the criteria that render households ineligible under the scheme. The parameters that will continue to result in “automatic exclusion” are: (Owning) motorised three/four-wheelers; mechanised three/ four-wheeler agricultural equipment; Kisan Credit Card with credit limit of Rs 50,000 or above; Household with any member as a Government employee; Household with non-agricultural enterprises registered with Government; Any member of family paying income tax; Paying professional tax; Land ownership ceiling of 2.5 acres or more of irrigated land.
NBWL clears power lines in national park, flamingo habitat
Page no- 8
GS3- Conservation
- In its first post-election meeting, held after a gap of five months in July end, the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) has cleared projects such as a transmission line in Little Rann of Kutch, a controversial transmission line project in Goa’s Mollem national park as well as a clutch of infrastructure projects in tiger corridors of central India, among others. The board considered 121 projects, big and small, across 12 states.
- The SC-NBWL, headed by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, also pulled up the Madhya Pradesh tourism department for carrying out constructions in Son Gharial sanctuary and adjacent tiger corridors without permits. The minister recommended action against those responsible, the minutes showed.
Cyber crime an important aspect of national security, says Shah
Page no- 9
GS3- Cyber Security
- Cyber security is no longer limited to the digital world and has become an important aspect of national security, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday, adding that the country’s development was “impossible in current times” without keeping cybersecurity in mind.
- “Today technology is being used extensively in all new initiatives and the increasing use of technology is also creating many threats. And that is why cyber security is no longer limited to the digital world but has also become an important aspect of national security,” he said during the first foundation day celebrations of the I4C or Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre here.
Pulling back from edge
Page no- 10
GS2- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health
- In the alleged death by suicide of a 21-year-old student at IIT Guwahati — a month after a 23-year-old was found dead in her hostel room at the institute — is another grim reminder of a looming public health crisis. The numbers tell a sobering story: According to data from the most recent National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, 1.71 lakh people died by suicide in 2022.
- At 12.4 per 1,00,000 individuals, it is the highest ever rate recorded in the country. Globally, the number stands at a stark 7,26,000 people. That the widely-prevalent medical model is not sufficient to tackle this worldwide crisis has long been flagged by health professionals and suicide-prevention bodies. Their claim is now backed by a study, published as a six-part series called “A Public Health Approach to Suicide Prevention”, in The Lancet Public Health. It calls on policymakers and governments to consider the larger causes that can drive people over the edge.
From Madras to Zanzibar
Page no- 10
GS2- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education
- Since its inception in 1959 with the help of the West German government, IIT Madras (IITM) has made significant strides.
- The institution has long been revered as one that produces top-quality students, who as alumni leave an indelible mark in the global landscape, be it the corporate world, research labs or academia. Less known is the fact that Master’s students graduating out of IITM (and other IITs) are ubiquitous in many public sector enterprises in India, making tremendous contributions. They have worked without much limelight, building the country’s technical backbone. Of course, many alumni have also built world-class enterprises, MNCs, out of India.
Peace and its possibilities
Page no- 11
GS2- Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
- As this year’s fighting season inches to a close in Ukraine, a new round of peace diplomacy is unfolding. As the war drags on into the third year, the incentives for ending it in both Moscow and Kyiv seem larger. Russian President Vladimir Putin the other day welcomed peacemaking diplomacy from Brazil, China, and India. The Ukrainian president too wants the leaders of the Global South to pitch in for peace.
- Does the new context provide greater room for Indian peace diplomacy in Ukraine? As it considers a more active peacemaking role, Delhi should be clear about the possibilities and limitations of what it can do. To be sure, India is in favour of peace and has been pressing for dialogue and diplomacy since the very start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But calling for peace is very different from the capability to produce it.
Raising the guardrails
Page no- 11
GS3- Infrastructure: Digital
- During its G20 presidency, India positioned digital public infrastructure (DPI) as a technology-enabled instrument for inclusive and sustainable development. DPI’s distinguishing characteristics of openness, interoperability, and scalability underscore its criticality beyond technology to the larger goals of public and private service delivery. DPIs can be broadly grouped into two categories: Foundational and sectoral.
- Typically, foundational DPIs such as Aadhaar, UPI, and Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA) are developed to create robust digital rails and span the domains of digital identity systems and payment infrastructure, and data exchange platforms. Sectoral DPIs provide specialised services tailored to the needs of specific sectors. Examples include the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which is the rails for the provision of universal health coverage. A notable DPI success story is the CoWIN platform, which utilised Aadhaar-based authentication to facilitate the administration of more than 2.2 billion Covid-19 vaccines.
India bats for new disclosure norms for cross-border credit card transactions under FATF
Page no- 13
GS2- Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate
- Global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is working towards new norms for higher disclosures by financial institutions, payment aggregators, fintech companies for cross-border payments, involving mainly credit card transactions.
- An international consultative forum through the FATF platform with participants from the Indian industry, the private sector and regulators of other member countries will be held in April 2025 at Mumbai to discuss this issue amid concerns that this could raise compliance costs for financial institutions and payment companies, officials said.
UPA-1 rural electrification scheme boosted economic activity in large villages: Study
Page no- 13
GS3- Infrastructure: Power
- Electrification across rural India under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) led to a doubling of per capita monthly expenditure alongside a 10 per cent increase in the number of firms in large villages, a new study has found. However, in smaller villages of around 300 people, electrification under RGGVY launched in 2005 did not drive economic growth, according to the study conducted by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.
- In large villages with 2,000 or more people, electrification boosted per capita monthly expenditure by Rs 1,428 while the number of firms and firm employees increased by 10 and 9 per cent respectively. On the other hand, in small villages, electrification did not impact per capita expenditure nor the number of firms in any significant way.
The grave threat from AMR
Page no- 15
GS3- General Science
- Ahead of the September 26 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance, the World Health Organization last week published its first-ever guidance on antibiotic pollution from manufacturing.
- “The emergence and spread of AMR (antimicrobial resistance) caused by antibiotic pollution could undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics globally, including the medicines produced at the manufacturing sites…,” the WHO said on September 3.
Everything about Polaris Dawn mission, which will attempt first private spacewalk
Page no- 15
GS3- Awareness in the fields of Space
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida on Tuesday, carrying American billionaire Jared Isaacman and three others into orbit to attempt the world’s first private spacewalk.
- The five-day mission, known as Polaris Dawn, is the first of three testing and development missions under the Polaris Program, which will be jointly executed by Isaacman and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The program aims to develop new technologies that could be used to send people to Mars some day.
