Syllabus: GS-I, Subject: Current Affairs, Topic: Schemes/Policies/Programmes, Issue: Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

Context: Union Cabinet decided to extend Ujjwala subsidy and approved UNNATI 2024 scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY): Launched in 2016, aimed at providing clean and safe cooking fuel to low-income families in India.

Benefits:

• Free deposit for LPG connection (covers cylinder, regulator, hose, gas stove in some cases)
• Financial assistance of Rs. 1600 for each connection.
• Subsidy on LPG refills – 300 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 12 refills per year.
• Implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

UNNATI scheme: Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialisation Scheme to promote activity in the manufacturing and service sectors in the northeast by providing incentives.

• Financial Outlay: ₹10,037 crore for a period of 10 years
• Target: Generate employment opportunities, promote socio-economic development, and create productive economic activity in the North Eastern states.
• Implementation Body: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS-III, Subject: Economy  Topic: Taxation, Issue: Coal Imports

Context: Calls for a bigger carbon tax on higher quality imported coal while cutting rates for domestic coal.

• To promote domestic coal production and usage.
• India is the second largest importer of coal .

Characteristics of Indian coal:

• High Ash Content: Ranging from 35% to 45%, compared to the global average of around 15%.
  • Hence, reduced overall heat generation efficiency.
• Low Sulphur Content: This is a positive aspect. Sulphur emissions contribute to air pollution. Low sulphur means low pollution.
• Low Ash Fusion Temperature: Temperature at which coal ash melts and becomes sticky.
  • Challenge for power plants causing operational issues.

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS-III, Subject: Economy,  Topic: Trade and External sector, Issue: Rupee Internationalisation

Context: The RBI and the Bank Indonesia (BI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the use of local currencies for cross-border transactions.

• Aims at promoting the use of Indian Rupee (INR) and the Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is actively promoting the use of local currencies for international trade settlements.

Objective:  To reduce dependence on the US Dollar (USD).

Benefits:

• Reduced Transaction Costs.
• Lower Exchange Rate Volatility
• Boosted INR Internationalisation: Increased use of INR in trade settlements strengthens its position in the global financial system.

Related Concepts:

Syllabus: GS-III Subject: Current Affairs Topic: Schemes/Policies/Programmes. Issue: Artificial Intelligence

Context:

The Union Cabinet approved the India AI Mission.

• Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation or approximation of human intelligence in machines.

India AI Mission:

• Aim to establish the computing powers of AI within the country.
• The government will allocate funds towards
  • Subsidising private companies looking to set up AI compute capacity in the country
  • Allocate seed funding for AI start-ups.
• Set up the IndiaAI Innovation Research Centre and an IndiaAI Datasets Platform.
• The implementation will be done through a public-private partnership model with 50 per cent viability gap funding.

Related Concepts:

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus: GS-II Subject: Polity Topic: Legislature, Issue: Governor Quota MLCs

Context:

Telangana High Court repealed the Governor’s order rejecting the nomination of two Members of Legislative Council (MLCs) under Governor’s quota.

Legislative Councils:

• The Legislative Council of a state is constituted as per Article 168 of Indian Constitution.
• Members are elected by selected electoral colleges consisting teachers, graduates etc. and some members are nominated by the Governor on the advice of Council of Ministers.

Highlights of the Telangana HC judgement:

• Governor was bound to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers while exercising powers under Article 171 (5) of the Constitution.
• Judicial review of Governor’s actions if the governor acts against the constitution or his actions are carried out in bad faith.

Related Articles:

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS-III, Subject: Economy, Topic: Industry and industrial policies, Issue: Pharmaceutical Industry

Context: India to start manufacturing the common antibiotic Penicillin G with the help of PLI scheme.

• Penicillin G is the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) used in manufacturing several common antibiotics.
• Penicillin manufacturing in India ceased due to cheaper Chinese products flooding the market, rendering Indian production unviable.
• Customs rules relaxation and the Drug Prices Control Order, favoring cheaper imports, exacerbated the decline in API manufacturing.
• Delay in restarting production was due to lack of focus on self-reliance, high initial costs, and competition with established Chinese suppliers.

PLI scheme supporting manufacturing

• Government launched the PLI scheme to support domestic API manufacturing and reduce dependence on imports.
• The PLI scheme offers incentives for fermentation-based bulk drugs like antibiotics and chemically synthesized drugs to encourage domestic manufacturing.
• The PLI scheme has led to a decline in API imports, but significant progress is still needed to boost domestic production.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus: GS-I, Subject: Society and Social Justice, Topic: Issue related to women, Issue: Women’s workforce participation

Restrictions to women’s workforce participation:

• Patriarchy perpetuates male dominance in society and assigns women to unpaid household roles.
• Women’s entry into the labor market is hindered by their domestic responsibilities, lack of mobility, and lower human capital due to societal norms.
• Gendered choices in the labor market lead women to overcrowd in low productivity jobs and lag behind men in wages and diversification of work.

The way ahead:

Women’s labor market participation can be increased by:

• Reducing and distributing the burden of unpaid domestic work,
• Improving work conditions,
• Providing infrastructural support.

Syllabus: GS-III, Subject: Science and Technology, Topic: Medical Science and Health, Issue: Vaccine administration in India

Cervical Cancer:

• Cervical cancer caused by Human papillomavirus.
• It is second most prevalent among women in India (1.27 lakh cases and 80000 death reported annually).

Efforts worldwide to fight Cervical Cancer:

• The World Health Organization has set ambitious ’90-70-90′ targets by 2030 to eliminate cervical cancer within the next century.
• Scotland, Australia, Rwanda, and South Asian countries have eliminated cervical cancer through vaccination strategies.
• Sikkim achieved 97% vaccine coverage through targeted education efforts among various stakeholders.

Vaccination efforts:

• India’s indigenous Cervavac, priced at ₹2,000 a dose, enhances accessibility and affordability in fighting HPV infections.
• U-WIN portal: maintain an electronic registry of all immunizations across the country.
  • enable vaccination programmes to be responsive in real time.
• HPV vaccination not only benefits individual health but also reduces societal and economic burdens related to cervical cancer.

The way ahead for India:

• Engage communities, dispel misinformation, and strengthen healthcare infrastructure.
• Ensuring access to vaccination services, especially in underserved populations,
• Tailoring messages and utilizing diverse channels like social media.
• Including HPV information in school health education.

Prelims Connect

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS- III, Subject:: Environment, Ecology and Disaster Management, Topic: Forest Conservation, Issue: Forest Conservation

Context- the Supreme Court condemned Uttarakhand government for felling trees in Jim Corbett National Park.

• The government took the action to promote eco-tourism.

Courts Observations:

• Court deems expansion of tiger safari as a distortion of conservation practices.
• It noted the case as an example of link between political corruption and environmental harm.
• It also questioned compatibility of ‘tiger safaris’ with conservation of forests.
• Eco-tourism, not commercial, should be priority in safari operations.
• Debate arises over safaris as local employment source versus conservation concerns.

Source: The Hindu