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| Exclusive for Subscribers Daily: Ethanol blending and National Commission for Minorities(NCM) matter for the UPSC Exam? Why are topics like National Clean Air Program (NCAP) and Urban Local bodies (ULB) important for both preliminary and main exams? Discover more insights in the UPSC Exam Notes for August 9, 2024 |
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Critical Topics and Their Significance for the UPSC CSE Examination on August 09, 2024
Daily Insights and Initiatives for UPSC Exam Notes: Comprehensive explanations and high-quality material provided regularly for students
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR MINORITIES
For Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
For Mains Examination: GS II - Indian Polity & Governance
Context:
The judicial powers of NCM are similar to the powers of NCSC and NCST except for point (vi) wherein the NCSC and NCST the provision is “any other matter which the President may, by rule, determine”. While for the NCM it is “any other matter which may be prescribed”
Read about:
What is the National Commission for Minorities?
What is the National Commission for Scheduled Caste(NCSC)?
Key takeaways:
1.Which of the following powers are granted to the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) under Section 9(4) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992?
- Summoning and enforcing the attendance of individuals from any part of India and examining them on oath.
- Requiring the discovery and production of documents.
- Receiving evidence through affidavits.
- Requisitioning public records from any court or office.
- Issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses and documents.
- Issuing executive orders for the appointment of judges.
Choose the correct answer from the options below:
A. 1, 2, 3, and 4
B. 1, 2, 3, and 5
C. 2, 3, 4, and 6
D. 1, 4, 5, and 6
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Answer (B)
Under Section 9(4) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, the NCM is granted the following powers:
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Mains
1.In 2001, RGI stated that Dalits who converted to Islam or Christianity are not a single ethnic group as they belong to different caste groups. Therefore, they cannot be included in the list of Scheduled Castes (SC) as per Clause (2) of Article 341, which requires a single ethnic group for inclusion. (UPSC CSE Mains GS2 2014)
2. Whether the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) can enforce the implementation of constitutional reservation for the Scheduled Castes in the religious minority institutions? Examine. (UPSC CSE Mains GS2 2018)
- In 2019, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to improve air quality in Indian cities. This initiative shifted the responsibility for addressing air pollution from the Supreme Court to the government.
- The program set targets for 131 highly polluted cities, aiming to reduce particulate matter by 20-30% by 2024 from 2017 levels, later revised to a 40% reduction by 2025-26 based on 2019-20 data.
- The 15th Finance Commission allocated direct grants to 42 cities and seven urban agglomerates with populations over 1 million to combat air pollution, with MoEFCC funding the rest. Approximately ₹20,000 crore is designated for the program through 2025-26.
- Each state and city must develop action plans based on pollution source studies, with funding tied to improvements in air quality and an increase in “good” air days, defined as days with an air quality index below 200. In 2022, MoEFCC introduced the Swachh Vayu Survekshan to acknowledge cities that actively reduced pollution.
- Despite these measures, significant issues remain. The NCAP primarily targets PM10 as the key pollutant, neglecting PM2.5, which poses greater health risks due to its ability to enter the bloodstream and cause serious conditions like heart disease.
- PM10, being coarser and dust-related, is not a primary pollutant but becomes hazardous when mixed with toxins from sources such as vehicles and industries. Effective action requires addressing emissions from vehicles, coal-burning industries, open garbage burning, and biomass used for cooking, which worsens air quality and health outcomes.
- The focus on controlling PM10 has led to an uneven distribution of resources, with 64% of funding allocated to road maintenance tasks like paving, widening, pothole repairs, and mechanical sweepers.
- While these activities are important, they do not directly address the primary sources of air pollution.
- Additionally, there is a lack of correlation between PM10 reductions and the actions taken by cities, leading to policy confusion and ineffective strategies in combating pollution
- Carbon dioxide
- Carbon monoxide
- Nitrogen dioxide
- Sulfur dioxide
- Methane
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
A. 1, 2 and 3 only
B. 2, 3 and 4 only
C. 1, 4 and 5 only
D. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
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Answer (B)
The Air Quality Index (AQI) typically considers the following atmospheric gases:
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4) are not typically included in the AQI calculation, as they are primarily greenhouse gases rather than pollutants that directly affect air quality and health in the same way as CO, NO2, and SO2 |
- The Disaster Management Act was established following the catastrophic 2004 tsunami, although discussions about such legislation had been underway since the 1998 Odisha super cyclone.
- The Act led to the formation of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM).
- The NIDM focuses on research, training, awareness, and capacity building related to disasters.
- Subsequent to the Act, the National Disaster Management Policy was introduced in 2009, followed by the National Disaster Management Plan in 2016. This institutional setup has effectively managed natural disasters in India, saving countless lives and providing critical relief, rescue, and rehabilitation services.
- With the increase in natural disasters intensified by climate change, the role of the NDMA has become more crucial, leading to calls for it to be granted additional powers and potentially elevated to a full-fledged government department or ministry.
- The NDMA operates year-round and needs to coordinate with state governments and their agencies through the Home Ministry, which currently acts as the nodal ministry for the NDMA.
- However, the NDMA faces challenges, including a lack of a vice-chairperson, which affects its leadership and political influence. Additionally, it lacks administrative and financial authority, causing inefficiencies as minor decisions must be routed through the Home Ministry.
- The NDMA is also significantly understaffed, with only three members currently managing responsibilities that were once handled by six or seven members, each overseeing different disaster types
1.Which of the following statements regarding the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is/are correct?
- The NDMA was established under the Disaster Management Act of 2005.
- The Prime Minister of India serves as the Chairperson of the NDMA.
- The NDMA has the authority to make final decisions on disaster relief funds without involving the Home Ministry.
- The NDMA is responsible for coordinating disaster management efforts at the national level.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
A. 1, 2, and 4 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 3, and 4 only
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Answer (A)
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- Article 243W of the Constitution, together with the Seventh and Twelfth Schedules, designates urban development responsibilities to States and Urban Local Bodies.
- The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) supports States and Union Territories (UTs) with their urban development goals through flagship missions and programs, including the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT 2.0), the Smart Cities Mission (SCM), the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U 2.0), the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), and Urban Transport initiatives.
- These missions and programs aim to address the challenges of urbanization in major cities like Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai, while promoting sustainable development.
- They focus on projects such as revitalizing water bodies, recycling wastewater, utilizing renewable energy, enhancing walkability and non-motorized transport, rainwater harvesting, solid waste management, and improving sanitation and hygiene.
- The AMRUT program includes a Sub-Scheme for the development of GIS-based Master Plans in 500 AMRUT cities to aid States in creating these plans. This Sub-Scheme is focused on developing a geo-database and GIS-based Master Plans.
- Additionally, AMRUT 2.0 introduces a scheme for GIS-based Master Plans in Class-II towns with populations between 50,000 and 99,999, providing both financial and technical support for urban planning in smaller cities.
- To encourage States to pursue urban planning reforms, the ‘Schemes for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment’ by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, was established.
- This scheme provides incentives for States to enhance land-use efficiency, sustainable development, affordability, and revenue generation through urban planning.
- The Smart City Mission seeks to prepare small and medium towns to handle growing urban populations, thereby reducing the strain on larger cities.
- Launched on October 1, 2021, SBM-U 2.0 includes a Solid Waste Management (SWM) component with the goal of ensuring the safe and scientific processing of municipal solid waste in all cities, including the processing of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste
1.Local self-government can be best explained as an exercise in (2017)
(a) Federalism
(b) Democratic decentralisation
(c) Administrative delegation
(d) Direct democracy
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Answer (b)
Local self-government is a form of democratic decentralisation, where decision-making power and authority are transferred from the central government to locally elected or appointed bodies. This allows for greater community participation and control over local affairs, in contrast to a more centralized, top-down approach. The key features of local self-government as an exercise in democratic decentralisation include:
Options (a) Federalism and (c) Administrative delegation do not fully capture the essence of local self-government, which is fundamentally about democratic decentralisation of power. Option (d) Direct democracy is also not the most accurate, as local self-government typically involves representative local government bodies rather than pure direct democracy. |
The Central Government has implemented various measures to enhance the cybersecurity of the power grid. Under the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has been designated as the national authority for managing cyber security incidents. Additionally, the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) has been created to safeguard critical information infrastructure, including the power sector. In April 2023, the Computer Security Incident Response Team Power (CSIRT-Power) was established specifically for the power sector, and Sectoral Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) have been set up for various sub-sectors such as Thermal, Hydro, Transmission, Distribution, Grid Operation, and Renewable Energy.
Several significant steps have been taken to bolster cyber security for the power grid:
- GRID-INDIA has created a Security Operation Centre (SOC) to oversee security events and incidents at Regional Load Despatch Centres (RLDCs) and National Load Despatch Centres (NLDC). The IT infrastructure of NLDC has been upgraded with advanced security features.
- POWERGRID has established a 24/7 Security Operation Centre (SOC) to monitor critical assets.
- In the past five years, there have been several IT infrastructure enhancements across various states, including:
- Manipur SLDC: Installation of two new firewalls and web servers.
- Chhattisgarh SLDC: Implementation of a Network Management System (NMS) and next-generation firewall.
- Kerala SLDC: Deployment of centralized End Point Protection.
- Bihar SLDC: Establishment of a Security Operation Centre (SOC).
- Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi SLDCs: Implementation of next-generation firewalls.
- 11 SLDCs (Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Odisha, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Damodar Valley Corporation, Tripura, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Bhakra Beas Management Board) have achieved ISO27001 (Information Security Management System) certification.
- Upgrades to the existing Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system in Andhra Pradesh SLDC are underway, with new firewalls procured and installed
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Answer (B)
In India, under cyber insurance for individuals, the following benefits are generally covered in addition to payment for the loss of funds and other benefits:
The cost of a new computer if some miscreant willfully damages it, if proved so, is not generally covered under individual cyber insurance policies. This would fall under option 2, which is not part of the correct answer. Therefore, the correct answer is B. 1, 3 and 4 only |
- The National Policy on Biofuels-2018, revised in 2022, has outlined a range of feedstocks for ethanol production. These include C & B – Heavy Molasses, sugarcane juice, sugar, sugar syrup, various biomass sources (such as grasses, agricultural residues like rice straw and cotton stalks, corn cobs, sawdust, bagasse), sugar-rich materials (like sugar beet and sweet sorghum), starch-containing substances (such as corn, cassava, and rotten potatoes), agro-food and pulp industry waste, damaged or surplus food grains, industrial waste, industrial off-gases, algae, and seaweed cultivation.
- Under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, ethanol blending with petrol grew from 38 crore liters in the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2013-14 to 302.3 crore liters in ESY 2020-21, with the blending percentage rising from 1.53% to 8.17%.
- Over the same period, petrol consumption increased by approximately 64%. The production and supply of fuel-grade ethanol to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) rose more than sevenfold from ESY 2013-14 to ESY 2020-21.
- This progress led the government to advance the goal of 20% ethanol blending in petrol from 2030 to ESY 2025-26. By June 2022, OMCs achieved a 10% ethanol blend, ahead of the target for ESY 2021-22.
- In ESY 2022-23, ethanol blending increased to over 500 crore liters, raising the blending percentage to 12.06%, with the current ESY 2023-24 already exceeding 13%.
- To meet the 20% ethanol blending target by ESY 2025-26, the Government has implemented several measures, including a comprehensive Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India, expanding feedstock options for ethanol production, setting a favorable procurement price for ethanol under the EBP Programme, reducing GST on ethanol to 5%, amending the Industries (Development & Regulation) Act to facilitate ethanol movement across states, introducing an interest subvention scheme to boost ethanol production capacity, and regularly inviting Expressions of Interest (EoI) from Public Sector OMCs for ethanol procurement
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Answer (A)
According to India's National Policy on Biofuels, the following materials can be used as raw materials for the production of biofuels:
Groundnut seeds and horse gram are not specifically listed as raw materials for biofuel production in the policy. Therefore, the correct answer is: A. 1, 2, 5, and 6 only |
| Subject | Topic | Description |
| Polity | Indian Constitution | Non Constitutional bodies |
| History | Ancient History | Prehistoric times |
| Economy | NCERT Class 9 | Poverty as a Challenge |
| Geography | NCERT Class 9 | India Size and Location |
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