• January 15, 2023

Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda

In News

• The 12th of January is celebrated annually as National Youth Day in honour of Swami Vivekananda’s birthday.

National Youth Day

• Origin:

o In 1984, the Indian government declared the birthday of Swami Vivekananda as National Youth Day for the first time.

Since then, the day has been celebrated across the nation as National Youth Day.

• Theme: This year’s theme for the National Youth Festival 2023 is Viksit Yuva Viksit Bharat, which means that India can only be developed if India’s youth lead the way on the path to progress.

About Swami Vivekananda

• Birth: o He was born on January 12, 1863 in Calcutta to a Bengali family under the name Narendranath Datta.

o In 1984, the Government of India declared his birthday National Youth Day in his honour.

• Early Life: o He developed an interest in Western philosophy, history, religion, spirituality, and theology at a young age.

o He was well-versed in numerous disciplines and would meditate in front of Hindu deities and goddesses.

o He met the religious leader Ramakrishna Paramhansa, who became his Guru and to whom he remained devoted until his death in 1886.

o In 1893, at the request of Maharaja Ajit Singh of the Khetri State, he changed his name from Sachidananda to Vivekananda, which he had previously used.

• Literary Works: o Raja Yoga o Jnana Yoga o Karma Yoga

• Death: He achieved Mahasamadhi on July 4, 1902

Importance and Contributions

• He was one of India’s greatest spiritual leaders and he inspired the youth of India to become better by living a pure life and serving as an example to the world.

o Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose referred to him as the “Founding Father of Modern India.”

• Emphasis on Indian Philosophy:

o He was instrumental in introducing the Yoga and Vedanta philosophies to the West.

Yoga is an ancient Indian physical, mental, and spiritual practise. Yoga is a Sanskrit word that means to join or unite, symbolising the union of the body and consciousness.

One of the six Hindu philosophical schools, Vedanta is founded on the Upanishads and their interpretation. It sought information about ‘Brahman’ (Ultimate Reality). It considers Veda to be the ultimate source of knowledge, whose authority cannot be questioned.

o He preached “neo-Vedanta,” a Western interpretation of Hinduism, and believed in combining spirituality and material progress.

Neo-Vedanta is a contemporary interpretation of Vedanta that takes a permissive stance toward the Vedas. It reconciles dualism and non-dualism while rejecting Shankara’s “universal illusionism.”

• Tour and Lectures:

o He is best known for his 1893 address at the Chicago Parliament of the World’s Religions.

o He began his speech with the introduction, “My brothers and sisters of America,” and he addressed topics such as universal acceptance, tolerance, and religion.

o He began delivering lectures at various locations in the United States and United Kingdom and gained popularity as the “Messenger of Indian Wisdom to the West.”

• Establishments:

 o Upon returning to India in 1897, he founded the Ramakrishna Mission.

It aimed to set in motion mechanisms that will deliver noblest ideas to the doorsteps of even the poorest and most despicable individuals.

o During his travels throughout India, he sought to educate the populace on how to improve their economic situation as well as impart spiritual wisdom.

o In 1899, he founded the Belur Math, which served as his permanent residence.

• New Theory of Ethics:

o According to him, ethics is a code of conduct that assists an individual in being a good citizen.

o He endeavoured to promote peace and human brotherhood based on the spiritual foundation of Vedantic Oneness.

• Interpretation of Religion: o His interpretation of religion as a universal experience of transcendent Reality shared by all 

o This universal understanding liberates religion from superstition, dogmatism, priestcraft, and intolerance.

o The special form of worship he advocated for the Indians was service to man as the visible manifestation of God.

• Interfaith Awareness and Coexistence: 

o In the 19th century, he is credited with increasing interfaith awareness and bringing Hinduism to a global stage.

His teachings to the Western world exemplified how science and religion could coexist in harmony.

• Education:

o According to him, a nation advances in proportion to the spread of education among the populace.

o He was committed to promoting education among women and the lower castes.

• Social Reform: o This was a central tenet of Vivekananda’s philosophy, and he joined the Brahmo Samaj, an organisation committed to eradicating child marriage and illiteracy.Source: TH

PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

Tags: 

• GS1 GS 2:Government Policies & Interventions Issues Arising out of their Design & Implementation

In Context

• Recently, the Union government has named its new free foodgrain scheme under the National Food Security Act, 2013, as ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)’.

More about the scheme

• About:
  • The new integrated food security scheme for providing free food grains to Antodaya Anna Yojna (AAY) & Primary Household (PHH) beneficiaries, is rolled out from 1st January 2023.
  • The integrated scheme is expected to strengthen the provisions of NFSA, 2013 in terms of accessibility, affordability and availability of foodgrains for the poor.
• Free foodgrains for 2023:
  • Keeping in view welfare of the beneficiaries and in order to maintain uniformity across the States, free foodgrains will be provided under PMGKAY for the year 2023 to all PHH and AAY beneficiaries, as per entitlement under NFSA. 
• Ministry:
  • The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) along with state governments will look out for smooth roll out of the new scheme.

What is Food security?

• It is access to enough food by all people at all times for an active and healthy life. 
• Three Dimensions:  
  • Food availability,  
  • Food accessibility &  
  • Food affordability.

National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

• About:
  • It was enacted in July 2013. 
  • It gives legal entitlement to 67% of the population (75% in rural areas and 50% in urban areas) to receive highly subsidized foodgrains.
    • Under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), foodgrains were sold at highly subsidized prices of Rs. 1/-, Rs. 2/- and Rs. 3/- per kg for nutri-cereals, wheat and rice respectively.
• Ministry:
  • The Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution is the nodal ministry for implementing this Act.
• Eligibility: 
  • Under sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Act, the term “eligible households” comprises two categories
    • Priority household category is entitled to 5 kg per person per month.
    • Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families are entitled to 35 kg per family per month.
• Issues:
  • Population figures and census:
    • The coverage under the NFSA is still as per the population figures of 2011 census.
    • The Union, in its affidavit, had stated in court that the Act required coverage to be updated as per the latest published census figures. 
      • However, the NFSA coverage cannot be determined as the 2021 census has been postponed indefinitely and no date has been notified.
      • Due to the absence of the latest population figures, over 10 crore people were left outside the food security law’s protective umbrella without even ration cards.

Source: TH

Multi-state Cooperative Societies

Tags: 

• GS 2:Government Policies & Interventions

• GS 3:Inclusive Growth & Related Issues

In News

• Recently, the Union Cabinet gave its approval for the creation of three new multi-state cooperative societies.

Major Highlights

• About: The Government will set-up three new cooperative bodies under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002 viz.
  • National multi-state cooperative export society, 
  • National multi-state cooperative organic society 
  • National multi-state cooperative seed society 
• These societies will act as national nodal points for production, procurement, processing, branding, labelling, packaging, storage, marketing and distribution of quality seeds.
• Key roles of proposed societies:
  • To manage various activities related to the organic sector by providing certified and authentic organic products. 
  • Promotion of seed replacement rate (SRR), variety replacement rate (VRR) and reduce the yield gaps and enhance productivity
  • To conduct strategic research and development(R&D). 
  • To develop a system for preservation and promotion of indigenous natural seeds.

Significance

• It will help in promoting organic products, seeds and exports. Higher exports will help increase production of goods and services by the cooperatives at various levels, generating more employment. 
• It will facilitate business by various cooperative societies across the country with support from relevant union ministries.
• Processing of goods and enhancing the services to match international standards will also generate additional employment. 
• Increased export of cooperative products would promote “Make in India”, leading to Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

What are Cooperative Societies?

Background:

• The term cooperative Societies was first used during the farmers’ protest against exorbitant interest rates charged by bankers of Poona and Ahmednagar. 
• However, it came with structure and shape post British enactment of the Cooperative Credit Societies Act, 1904.
• It drafted cooperation as a provincial subject and the provinces were authorised to make their own cooperative laws under the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms.
• This categorization carried on to the Government of India Act, 1935. In 1942, the Government of British India enacted the Multi-Unit Cooperative Societies Act to cover Cooperative Societies with membership from more than one province.
• Present status:
  • About: After independence cooperatives became an integral part of Five-Year Plans. In 1984, the Parliament of India enacted the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act to remove the plethora of different laws governing the same types of societies.
  • Multi State cooperative societies: Cooperatives are a state subject, but there are many societies such as those for sugar and milk, banks, milk unions etc whose members and areas of operation are spread across more than one state. 
  • They draw their membership from both states, and they are thus registered under the MSCS Act. Their board of directors has representation from all states they operate in. 
  • Administrative and financial control of these societies is with the central registrar, with the law making it clear that no state government official can wield any control on them.

Way Ahead

• Multi-state cooperative societies are not restricted to a single state thus, there is a need to support the voluntary establishment and democratic operation of cooperatives. The proposed step is in the right direction to not only aid in their functional autonomy but also advancement of the economic and social well-being of its members.

Source: TH

Digital Payments

Tags: 

• GS 3:Indian Economy & Related Issues

In News

• Recently, the Union Government has earmarked ?2,600 crore as incentive for banks to promote digital payments.

About

• The outlay has been made to promote payments using RuPay cards and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). 
  • There were various complaints from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and banks as they were worried about the sustainability of building digital payments infrastructure in the absence of payments needed to scale and maintain them.
• The fund will be paid to banks in view of the lack of a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) for UPI and RuPay transactions. 
  • MDR is a commission on digital transactions. 
• The scheme will also promote UPI Lite and UPI 123PAY.

Image Courtesy: TH 

• Impact of Covid: 
  • During Covid-19, digital payments facilitated functioning of businesses, including small merchants, and helped in maintaining social distancing.
• Growth in digital Transactions: 
  • As a result of a previous incentive scheme for digital payments in the last financial year, total digital payments transactions have registered a year-on-year growth of 59%, rising from ?5,554 crore in FY 2020-21 to ?8,840 crore in FY 2021-22.

Significance of Digital Payments

• User friendly: It will provide economical and user-friendly digital payments solutions. It will empower users with affordable payment options accessible anytime and anywhere with convenience.
• Load reduction: It will  reduce the load on banking networks for small transactions
• Efficient: It will allow payments over older feature phones
• Digital society: It is a journey towards a less-cash and less-card society and will enable further deepening of digital payments in the country
• Global leader: This will reinforce India’s position as the global leader in the digital payments domain.
• Hike in mobile banking: With the change in customer behaviour towards embracing digital and touchless modes of payments, partly due to the CoVID, there is a spike of 50% in mobile banking users, indicating inclusion of first-time users into the digital fold.
• Expanding RTGS: RBI will look into the feasibility of expanding RTGS to settle transactions in major trade currencies such as dollar, pound, and euro, too would be explored through bilateral or multilateral arrangements.

Issues/ Challenges

• Geopolitical risks: The document also talks about ring-fencing of domestic payment systems, including the need to mandate domestic processing of payment transactions, in view of the emerging geopolitical risks.
• Frauds: with the growing adoption of digital payment modes there will be a rise in digital payment frauds.
• Domestic storage of payments data: Banks and non-bank PSOs are allowed to process payment transactions abroad subject to certain conditions.
• Charges on digital payments: The Reserve Bank would also undertake a comprehensive review of all aspects related to charges involved in various channels of digital payments.

Way Ahead

• The digital payment landscape in India has been transformed and India has emerged as a leader in the creation of digital assets, which can serve as an example to many other nations. 
• The Government of India needs to make more efforts to help India attain the status of one of the most efficient payments markets in the world. 
• The emerging Fin-Techs will play a key role in the further growth of digital transactions by enabling transparent, secure, swift and cost-effective mechanisms benefiting the entire digital payments ecosystem.

Source: TH

World Bank’s forecast on Slowdown

Tags: 

• GS 3:Indian Economy & Related Issues

In News

• The World Bank in its latest “Global Economic Prospects” stated that India’s growth is slowing to 6.6% in FY24.

More about the news

• Forecasts for India:
  • Slowdown:
    • India’s economic growth will slow to 6.6% in the next fiscal year from an expected 6.9% in the current year according to the World Bank.
      • It stated that the slowdown in the global economy and rising uncertainty will weigh on export and investment growth.
      • Beyond the fiscal year ending March 2024, growth in India is likely to slip back towards its potential rate of just over 6%.
      • Expansion:
        • Increased infrastructure spending and “business facilitation measures” will, however, crowd-in private investment and support the expansion of manufacturing capacity.
      • Fastest growing:
        • India is expected to be the fastest-growing economy of the seven largest emerging markets and developing economies, it said. 
• South Asian region:
  • For the South Asian region, growth in 2023 and 2024 is seen at 3.6% and 4.6% respectively. 
  • This is mainly due to weak growth in Pakistan, the World Bank said.
• Global position:
  • Globally, the bank is forecasting a sharp, long-lasting slowdown, with global growth declining to 1.7% in 2023 from the 3% expected just six months ago.
    • This reflects synchronous policy tightening aimed at containing very high inflation, worsening financial conditions, and continued disruptions from the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine.
    • Europe, long a major exporter to China, will likely suffer from a weaker Chinese economy.
• Affecting investments:
  • The World Bank report also noted that rising interest rates in developed economies like the United States and Europe will attract investment capital from poorer countries, thereby depriving them of crucial domestic investment. 
  • At the same time, the report said, those high interest rates will slow growth in developed countries at a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has kept world food prices high.

Impacts & threats of recession:

• Impacts:
  • Unemployment:
    • One of the consequences of recession is unemployment, which tends to increase, especially among the low-skilled workers, due to companies and even government agencies laying off staff as a way of curtailing expenses. 
    • Fall in output:
      • Another result of recession is drop in output and business closures. 
      • Fall in output tends to last until weaker companies are driven out of the market, then output picks up again among the surviving firms. 
      • Pressure on government exchequer:
        • With more people out of work, and families increasingly unable to make ends meet, there will be demands for increased government-funded social schemes. 
        • With drop in government revenues during recession, it becomes difficult to meet the increased demands on the social sector.
      • Global impact:
        • When large economies such as the US, the Eurozone and Japan go into recession, it has a worldwide impact. The countries that depend on these economies to buy their products and services are the worst hit. 
        • As Indian software companies have major clients in the US and in the Eurozone, they will see their top lines shrink as their clients cut down on expenses due to the recession. This, in turn, will adversely impact India’s GDP growth.
• According to IMF, the threat to India comes from at least four sources:
  • Higher crude oil and fertiliser prices will spike domestic inflation
  • Global slowdown will hurt exports, dragging down domestic growth and worsening the trade deficit.
  • A strong dollar will put pressure on the rupee’s exchange rate, which will likely result in reducing our forex reserves and reducing our capacity to import goods when the going gets tougher.
  • Low demand among most Indians, the government might be forced to spend more towards providing basic relief in the form of food and fertiliser subsidies. 
    • This will worsen the government’s financial health.

Possible ways to prevent & way ahead

• The most popular, or most recommended, policy for any country to dig itself out of recession is expansionary fiscal policy, or fiscal stimulus. This can be usually a two-pronged approach – tax sops and increased government spending.
  • Targeted tax cuts or spending increases on safety net programs like unemployment insurance that kick in automatically to stabilise the economy when it is underperforming.
  • Approving new spending on infrastructure projects in order to stimulate the economy by adding jobs, increasing economic output and boosting productivity.
• In the prevailing market situation, hybrid funds are best placed to protect the downside for the investor.
• It is always a good idea to diversify the portfolio with Gold and Foreign reserves to reduce the risk.
• Creation of an emergency corpus while the jobs are vanishing.

Source: TH

VSHORAD missile system

Tags: 

• GS 3:Defence

In News

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to procure the Very Short Range Air Defence System or VSHORAD (IR Homing) missile system.

VSHORAD missile system

• It is designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), among other weapon systems for the Army and Navy at a total cost of Rs 4,276 crore.
  • India has been in talks with Russia since 2018 to procure the Igla-S air defence missiles at a cost of $1.5 billion under the VSHORAD programme in a bid to replace the Russian Igla-M systems which have been in use with the Army.
• Specifications: Meant to kill low-altitude aerial threats at short ranges, 
  • It is a man-portable Air Defence System (MANPAD) .
  • VSHORADS missile incorporates many novel technologies including a miniaturized Reaction Control System (RCS) and integrated avionics, which have been successfully proven during the tests. 
  • The missile, meant for neutralizing low-altitude aerial threats at short ranges is propelled by a dual-thrust solid motor. 
  • The design of the missile including the launcher has been highly optimized to ensure easy portability.
• Relevance for India:  being man-portable and lightweight compared to the other missile systems in the Army’s armoury, it can be deployed in the mountains close to the LAC at a short notice.
  • When inducted, they will be a critical air defence missile for the forces, even for an all-equipped infantry unit, and will be the best option for mountain warfare.
  • the procurement of VSHORAD, as a robust and quickly deployable system, will strengthen India’s air defence capabilities
• Expected to be inducted: The AoN is the first step in the long capital procurement process in defence. 
  • defence officials estimate the missile systems can be delivered to the forces in another three to four years with industry support if the orders are placed on time.

Source:IE

NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system

Tags: :Miscellaneous

In News

Recently ,NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system failed to disrupt US flights.

About NOTAM 

• It is a notice containing information essential to personnel concerned with flight operations but not known far enough in advance to be publicized by other means.
•  It states the abnormal status of a component of the National Airspace System (NAS) – not the normal status.
• It indicates the real-time and abnormal status of the NAS impacting every user.
• It concerns the establishment, condition, or change of any facility, service, procedure or hazard in the NAS.
• It has a unique language using special contractions to make communication more efficient.

Source: IE

Inclusion of Beypore boat Swadesh Darshan project

Tags: 

• GS 3:Indian Economy & Related Issues

In News

The Kerala Tourism department is likely to highlight Beypore ‘Uru’ in the detailed project report (DPR) to be submitted to the Centre for the Swadesh Darshan project.

About 

• Beypore was reportedly included in the project considering its historic importance as a port town, its global fame for the Uru and the beautiful seashore, which could boost its tourism sector in a big way. 
  • Beypore and Kumarakom are the only two tourism destinations from Kerala to be included in the second phase of the project. 

About Beypore boat

• It is a wooden dhow (ship/sailing boat/sailing vessel) handcrafted by skilled artisans and carpenters in Beypore, Kerala. 
• It is a symbol of Kerala’s trade relations and friendship with the Gulf countries.
• The Kozhikode District Tourism Promotion Council recently applied for a Geographical Indication tag for the Beypore Uru.

About Swadesh Darshan project

• It is a Central Sector scheme launched in 2014-15 by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture for the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits.
• It aims to promote, develop and harness the potential of tourism in India. 
• Under it, the Ministry of Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance – CFA to State Governments, and Union Territory Administrations for the infrastructure development of circuits.
• It is envisioned to synergise with other schemes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill India, Make in India etc. with the idea of positioning the tourism sector as a major engine for job creation, the driving force for economic growth, building synergy with various sectors to enable tourism to realise its potential.
• The Ministry has now revamped its Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) with the objective to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations, following a tourist & destination-centric approach.

Source: TH

Uganda declares end to Ebola Outbreak

Tags: 

• GS 2:Health

Context

• The WHO released a statement that Uganda declares an end to the Ebola disease outbreak caused by Sudan ebolavirus.

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)

• About: 
  • Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans.
  • The first cases were recorded in Guinea in December 2013. Later, the disease spread to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone.
  • Three of its six strains — Bundibugyo, Sudan and Zaire — have historically been responsible for major outbreaks. 
  • The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission (Zoonotic nature).
  • It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts.
• Symptoms:
  • Fever, fatigue, muscle, pain, headache, and sore throat.
  • This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases internal and external bleeding.
• Treatment:
  • The Ervebo vaccine has been shown to be effective in protecting people from the species Zaire ebolavirus.
  • Two monoclonal antibodies (Inmazeb and Ebanga) were approved for the treatment of Zaire ebolavirus (Ebolavirus) infection in adults
  • Remdesivir was also tested as an Ebola treatment.